Installing IBM Connections 5.5

Install IBM® Connections.

Before you begin

Ensure that you complete all the prerequisite tasks that are relevant for your environment. For more information, see the Before installing topic.

Note: You can see all the part numbers for this release on the Download IBM Connections 5.5 page. Check Update strategy for IBM Connections 5.5 to download any fixes or updates to the code before installing.

About this task

To install IBM Connections, run the IBM Installation Manager wizard on the system where the Deployment Manager is installed.

To install IBM Connections, complete the following steps:

Procedure

  1. Start WebSphere® Application Server Network Deployment Manager.
  2. Start all the federated nodes using the startNode command. Repeat these steps for each node:
    1. Log in to a node.
    2. From a command line, change to the profile_root/bin directory.
    3. Enter the startNode command for your operating system:
      • AIX or Linux: ./startNode.sh
      • Windows: startNode.bat
  3. Copy the installation files to the system that hosts the Deployment Manager.
    Note: Ensure that the directory path that you enter contains no spaces.
  4. From the Installation Manager directory, run the file to start the Installation Manager and add the repository to it as follows:
    • AIX or Linux: IBMIM
    • Windows: IBMIM.exe
    Repository:
    • AIX or Linux: Connections set-up\IBMConnections\repository.config
    • Windows: Connections set-up\IBMConnections\repository.config
    Note: Installation Manager might ask you to upgrade the Installation Manager. Connections bundles only the 64-bit, version 1.8.4 Installation Manager.
  5. When IBM Installation Manager is launched, in the Select packages to install window, select the packages that you want to install, and then click Next to continue.
    Notes:
    • Accept the default setting for Show all versions.
    • If you are using an earlier version of IBM Installation Manager than 1.8.4, the 1.8.4 package is selected in this window.
    • Click Check for Other Versions and Extensions to search for updates to IBM Installation Manager.
  6. Review and accept the license agreement by clicking I accept the terms in the license agreements. Click Next.
  7. Specify the location of shared directories for IBM Installation Manager.
    1. Specify the location of the Shared Resources Directory.
    2. Specify the location of the Installation Manager Directory. This option appears only if you did not previously install IBM Installation Manager.
    3. Click Next.
    Notes:
    • The Shared Resources directory stores resources that can be shared by multiple packages. If you used IBM Installation Manager before, the wizard automatically enters this value.
    • The Installation Manager directory stores resources that are unique to the packages that you are installing.
    • For shared and remote network file system requirements, be sure to review the footnotes for each supported operating system in the detailed system requirements.
  8. Choose to Use the existing package group or Create a new package group.
    Note: If you are using the wizard for the first time, the Use the existing package group option is not available.
  9. Specify the location of the installation directory for IBM Connections. You can accept the default directory location, enter a new directory name, or click Browse to select an existing directory. Click Next.
    Note: The path must consist of letters (a-z, A-Z), numbers (0-9), and an underscore (_).
  10. Confirm the applications that you want to install and click Next. You can select from the following options:
    Important:
    • The wizard always installs the Home page, News, and Search, Common, Files, Push Notification, Rich Text Editors, and Widget Container applications, which are core features.
      Note: If you install Communities and want users to be able to add the Rich Content app in a community, you must also install Wikis now.
    • Even if you are not planning to configure Cognos® later, install Metrics now so that your application data is captured from the moment that IBM Connections is deployed. Metrics captures your deployment data whereas Cognos is used for viewing data reports. If you install Metrics at a later stage, you will not have any data reports for the period before you installed Metrics.
    OptionDescription
    IBM Connections 5.5 Install all IBM Connections applications.
    Activities Collaborate with colleagues.
    Blogs Write personal perspectives about projects.
    Communities Interact with people on shared projects.
    Bookmarks Bookmark important websites.
    Forums Discuss projects and exchange information.
    Connections Content Manager Use this application to manage files using advanced sharing and draft review in content management libraries in Communities. This application requires the Communities application to be installed.
    Important: If you choose to install IBM Connections Content Manager, Communities is selected automatically because they need to work together.
    Note: Connections Content Manager appears under Add-on.
    Metrics Identify and analyze usage and trends.
    Mobile Access IBM Connections from mobile devices.
    Moderation Forum and community owners can moderate the content of forums.
    Profiles Find people in the organization.
    Wikis Create content for your website.
  11. Enter the details of your WebSphere Application Server environment:
    1. Select the WebSphere Application Server installation location that contains the Deployment Manager.
      Note the default path to the WebSphere Application Server installation:
      • AIX: /usr/IBM/WebSphere/AppServer
      • Linux: /opt/IBM/WebSphere/AppServer
      • Windows: C:\Program Files (x86)\IBM\WebSphere\AppServer
    2. Enter the properties of the WebSphere Application Server Deployment Manager (DM):
      Deployment Manager profile
      Name of the DM to use for IBM Connections. The wizard automatically detects any available DMs.
      Host name
      Name of the host DM server.
      Administrator ID
      The administrative ID of the DM.
      Note: This ID is set to the connectionsAdmin J2C authentication alias, which is mapped to the following Java™ EE roles: dsx-admin, widget-admin, and search-admin. It is also used by the service integration bus. If you plan to use security management software such as Tivoli® Access Manager or SiteMinder, the ID that you specify here must exist in the LDAP directory. For more information, see the Switching to unique administrator IDs for system level communication topic.
      Note: This user account can be an LDAP or local repository user.
      Administrator Password
      The password for the administrative ID of the DM.
    3. Click Validate to verify the DM information that you entered and that application security is enabled on WebSphere Application Server. If the verification fails, IBM Installation Manager displays an error message.
      Note: (AIX and Linux) The validation process checks the number of open files that are supported by your system. If the value for this parameter, which is known as the Open File Descriptor limit, is too low, a file open error, memory allocation failure, or connection establishment error could occur. If one of these errors occurs, exit the installation wizard and increase the open file limit before restarting the wizard. To set the file limit, refer to the Installation error messages topic and search for error code CLFRP0042E. The recommended value for IBM Connections is 8192. For more information about the Open File Descriptor limit, see the documentation for your operating system.
    4. When the verification test is successful, click Next.
    The wizard creates a dmInfo.properties file under WebSphere Application Server to record details of the cell, node, and server.
  12. Configure Connections Content Manager deployment option. This panel only displays if you chose to install the Connections Content Manager feature.
    For Connections 5.5, Connections Content Manager requires IBM FileNet® Content Engine Server 5.2.1 Fixpack 2, IBM FileNet Content Engine Client 5.2.1 Fixpack 2, and IBM Content Navigator 2.0.3 Fixpack 5.
    • Select Already installed with FileNet installers, need manual configuration later only if you have FileNet servers (JVMs and clusters) that were installed independently of IBM Connections:
      1. Enter FileNet Object Store administrator user name and password that the following URLs point to
      2. Enter the HTTP URL for the FileNet Collaboration Services server such as: http://fncs.example.com:80/dm.
      3. Enter the HTTPS URL for the FileNet Collaboration Services server such as: https://fncs.example.com:443/dm.
    • Select Install Now (recommended) to use the new kind of integrated FileNet installation that comes with IBM Connections. Select this option even if you previously installed a new deployment of Connections Content Manager for the 5.5 release. You do not need to reinstall the FileNet domain and the object store; only the new server infrastructure (JVMs and WebSphere clusters):
      1. Specify an anonymous user name and password account. This account can be a system-type account that is not used by an actual person and should not have any special privileges beyond what is specified in Setting up anonymous access for a new FileNet deployment. If this account is not specified, then anonymous access is disabled
      2. Enter FileNet installer packages location. By default, the following installers must be put in the location specified. Accept the default filenames as listed in the following table:
        Table 1. Connections Content Manager installer packages

        Four FileNet installer package platforms, which are broken out by Content Platform Engine Client, FileNet Fix pack version, and FileNet Collaboration Services.
        Platform: Content Platform Engine FileNet Fix pack Content Platform Engine Client IBM Content Navigator
        AIX: 5.2.1-P8CPE-AIX.BIN 5.2.1.2-P8CPE-AIX-FP002.BIN 5.2.1.2-P8CPE-CLIENT-AIX-FP002.BIN

        IBM_CONTENT_NAVIGATOR-2.0.3.BIN

        IBM_CONTENT_NAVIGATOR-2.0.3.5-FP005.BIN
        Linux: 5.2.1-P8CPE-LINUX.BIN 5.2.1.2-P8CPE-LINUX-FP002.BIN 5.2.1.2-P8CPE-CLIENT-LINUX-FP002.BIN

        IBM_CONTENT_NAVIGATOR-2.0.3.BIN

        IBM_CONTENT_NAVIGATOR-2.0.3.5-FP005.BIN
        Windows: 5.2.1-P8CPE-WIN.EXE 5.2.1.2-P8CPE-WIN-FP002.EXE 5.2.1.2-P8CPE-CLIENT-WIN-FP002.EXE

        IBM_CONTENT_NAVIGATOR-2.0.3.EXE

        IBM_CONTENT_NAVIGATOR-2.0.3.5-FP005.EXE
        zLinux: 5.2.1-P8CPE-ZLINUX.BIN 5.2.1.2-P8CPE-ZLINUX-FP002.BIN 5.2.1.2-P8CPE-CLIENT-ZLINUX-FP002.BIN

        IBM_CONTENT_NAVIGATOR-2.0.3.BIN

        IBM_CONTENT_NAVIGATOR-2.0.3.5-FP005.BIN
        Note: For the Linux platform, at least 6 GB of free disk space is needed under the /tmp folder for the Connections 5.5 CCM installation, or else there is an installation failure.
        Note: You can set up the environment variable IATEMPDIR so that the FileNet installer uses that location instead of the system temp directory (/tmp on AIX/Linux, %TEMP% on Windows).
        Note: For the Windows platform, at least 6 GB of free disk space is needed under the %TEMP% folder for the Connections 5.5 CCM installation; otherwise, there is an installation failure.
      3. Click Validate to ensure that the user account and package locations are configured correctly.
    Refer to Configuring IBM Connections Content Manager to find the post-installations tasks you must perform to get Connections Content Manager up and running.
  13. Configure your topology. For more information about each option, see the Deployment options topic.
    Note:

    If you return to this page from a later page in the installation wizard, your settings are still present but not visible. If you want to change any settings, you must enter all of the information again. If you do not want to change your initial settings, click Next.

    Note: The applications for Connections Content Manager will not be shown if you have chosen to use an existing FileNet deployment.
    • Small deployment:
      1. Select the Small deployment topology.
      2. Enter a Cluster name for the topology.
      3. Select a Node.
      4. Click Next.
    • Medium deployment:
      1. Select the Medium deployment topology.
      2. Select the default value or enter a Cluster name for each application or for groups of applications. For example, use Cluster1 for Activities, Communities, and Forums.
        Note: IBM Installation Manager creates servers and clusters when required.
      3. Select a Node for each cluster. Accept the predefined node or select a different node.
        Note: These nodes host application server instances that serve IBM Connections applications. You can assign multiple nodes to a cluster, where each node is a server member of that cluster.
      4. Enter a Server member name for the selected node. Choose the default or enter a custom name.
        Note: If you enter a custom server member name, the name must be unique across all nodes in your deployment.
      5. Click Next.
    • Large deployment:
      1. Select the Large deployment topology.
      2. Enter a Cluster name for each application.
        Note: IBM Installation Manager creates servers and clusters when required.
      3. Select a Node for each cluster. Accept the predefined node or select a different node.
        Note: These nodes host application server instances that serve IBM Connections applications. You can assign multiple nodes to a cluster, where each node is a server member of that cluster.
      4. Enter a Server member name for the selected node. Choose the default or enter a custom name.
        Note: If you enter a custom server member name, the name must be unique across all nodes in your deployment.
      5. Click Next.
  14. Enter the database information:
    Note:

    If you return to this page from a later page in the installation wizard, your settings are still present but not visible. If you want to change any settings, you must enter all of the information again. If you do not want to change your initial settings, click Next.

    Note: The IBM Connections Content Manager databases will not be shown if you have chosen to use an existing FileNet deployment.
    Note: Database information for Global Configuration Data and Object Store must be set correctly, otherwise installation will fail.
    1. Specify whether the installed applications use the same database server or instance: Select Yes or No.
      Note: If allowed by your database configuration, you can select multiple database instances as well as different database servers.
    2. Select a Database type from one of the following options:
      • IBM DB2 Universal Database™
      • Oracle 12c Enterprise
      • Microsoft SQL Server Enterprise Edition
    3. Enter the Database server host name. For example: appserver.enterprise.example.com

      If your installed applications use different database servers, enter the database host name for each application.

    4. Enter the Port number of the database server. The default values are: 50000 for DB2®, 1521 for Oracle, and 1433 for SQL Server.

      If your installed applications use different database servers or instances, enter the port number for each database server or instance.

    5. Enter the JDBC driver location. For example:
      • AIX:

        /usr/IBM/WebSphere/AppServer/lib

      • Linux:

        /opt/IBM/WebSphere/AppServer/lib

      • Windows:

        C:\IBM\WebSphere\AppServer\lib

    6. Ensure that the following JDBC driver libraries are present in the JDBC directory:
      DB2
      db2jcc4.jar and db2jcc_license_cu.jar
      Note: Ensure that your user account has the necessary permissions to access the DB2 JDBC files.
      Oracle
      ojdbc6.jar
      SQL Server
      Download the SQL Server JDBC 4 driver from the Microsoft website to a local directory and enter that directory name in the JDBC driver library field.

      The directory must not contain the sqljdbc.jar file, only the sqljdbc4.jar file. Even though the data source is configured to use the sqljdbc4.jar file, an exception occurs if both files are present in the same directory.

    7. Enter the User ID and Password for each database.
      If each database uses the same user credentials, select the Use the same password for all applications check box and then enter the user ID and password for the first database in the list.
      Note:

      If your database type is Oracle, you must connect to the database with the user ID that you used when you created the application database.

    8. Click Validate to verify your database settings. If the validation fails, check your database settings. When the validation succeeds, click Next.

      IBM Installation Manager tests your database connection with the database values that you supplied. You can change the database configuration later in the WebSphere Application Server Integrated Solutions Console.

      Note: Usually you can continue even if the validation failed because you can change the database settings from WebSphere Application Server Integrated Solutions Console afterward. However, you cannot continue if you entered incorrect information for the IBM Connections Content Manager database because there are database operations during installation. Incorrect database information causes installation to fail. So you must use correct information for IBM Connections Content Manager database.
  15. Configure the IBM HTTP Server.
  16. Specify the locations of the content stores. All nodes in a cluster must have read/write access to shared content. Both shared and local content stores must be accessible using the same path from all nodes and from the DM. Each content store is represented by a corresponding WebSphere variable that is further defined as shared or local. Local content is node-specific.
    Note: If you are migrating from IBM Connections 5.0, you must reuse your existing content stores in 5.5 in order to maintain data integrity. For more information, see the Content store migration topic.
    1. Enter the location of the Shared content store.
      The shared content store usually resides in a shared repository that grants read/write access to the DM and all the nodes. Use one of the following methods to create a shared data directory:
      • Network-based file shares (for example: NFS, SMB/Samba)
      • Storage area network drives (SAN)
      • If you are using a shared-file system on Microsoft Windows, specify the file location as Z:\IC_Share..
        Note: (Windows only) If you use Remote Desktop Connection to map shared folder drives, ensure that you use the same session to start the node agents. Otherwise, the shared drives might be invisible to the nodes.
      • If you are installing Connections as non-administrator user, you need create the EnableLinkedConnections registry entry in DWORD (32-bit) value 1 under the registry subkey HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Policies\System\ and restart your computer before mapping a network location to local drive. If you do not you may not select the network drive as Shared Content Store.
    2. Enter the location of the Local content store.
    3. Click Validate to verify that the account that you are using to install IBM Connections has write access to the content store.
    4. Click Next.
  17. Select a Notification solution. Notifications are email messages to users about new information and events in your IBM Connections deployment.
    • Enable Notification only.

      Use notifications but without the ReplyTo capability.

    • Enable Notification and ReplyTo.

      Use notifications and the ReplyTo capability. To use ReplyTo, your mail server must be able to receive all the replies and funnel these replies into a single inbox. IBM Connection connects to the mail server using the IMAP protocol.

    • None.

      Do not use a notification solution in your IBM Connections deployment. You can configure notifications after installation. Refer to Configuring notifications for more information.

  18. Select and specify a mail server solution and then click Next.

    • WebSphere Java Mail Session: Use a single mail server for all notifications. Select this option if you can access an SMTP server directly using the host name.

      Complete the following fields to identify the mail server to use for sending email:
      Host name of SMTP messaging server
      Enter the host name or IP address of the preferred SMTP mail server.
      This SMTP server requires authentication
      Select the check box to force authentication when mail is sent from this server.
      User ID
      If the SMTP server requires authentication, enter the user ID.
      Password
      If the SMTP server requires authentication, enter the user password.
      Encrypt outgoing mail traffic to the SMTP messaging server using SSL
      Select this check box if you want to encrypt outgoing mail to the SMTP server.
      Port
      Accept the default port of 25, or enter port 465 if you are using SSL.

    • DNS MX Records: Use information from DNS to determine which mail servers to use. Select this option if you use a Domain Name System (DNS) server to access the SMTP messaging server.

      Messaging domain name
      Enter the name or IP address of the messaging domain.
      Choose a specific DNS server
      Select this check box if you want to specify a unique SMTP server.
      DNS server for the messaging servers query
      Enter the host name or IP address of the DNS server.
      DNS port used for the messaging servers query
      Enter the port number that is used for sending queries using the messaging server.
      This SMTP server requires authentication
      Select the check box to force authentication when notification mail is sent from this server.
      User ID
      If SMTP authentication is required, enter the administrator user ID for the SMTP server.
      Password
      If SMTP authentication is required, enter the password for the administrator user of the SMTP server.
      Encrypt outgoing mail traffic to the SMTP messaging server using SSL
      Select the check box if you want to use the Secure Sockets Layer (SSL) when connecting to the SMTP server.
      Port
      Specify the port number to use for the SMTP server connection. The default port number for the SMTP protocol is 25. The default port number for SMTP over SSL is 465.
    • If you click Do not enable Notification, IBM Installation Manager skips the rest of this step. You can configure notification later.
  19. If you selected the Notification and ReplyTo option, configure the ReplyTo email settings. IBM Connections uses a unique ReplyTo address to identify both the person who replied to a notification and the event or item that triggered the notification.
    1. Enter a domain name. For example: mail.example.com.
      Note: This domain name is used to build the ReplyTo address. The address consists of the suffix or prefix, a unique key, and the domain name.
    2. The reply email address is given a unique ID by the system. You can customize the address by adding a prefix or suffix, using a maximum of 28 characters. This extra information is useful if the domain name is already in use for other purposes. Select one of the following options:
      None
      Use the ID generated by the system.
      Prefix
      Enter a prefix in the Example field.
      Suffix
      Enter a suffix in the Example field.

      As you select an option, the wizard creates an example of the address, combining your selection with the ID generated by the system.

      For example:
      • unique_id@domain
      • prefix_unique_id@domain
      • unique_id_suffix@domain -
    3. Specify the details of the mail file to which ReplyTo emails are sent:
      Server
      The domain where your mail server is located. For example: replyTo.mail.example.com.
      User ID
      The user account for the mail server. The user ID and password are credentials that IBM Connections will use to poll the inbox on the mail server to retrieve the replies and process the content. IBM Connections connects to the mail server using IMAP.
      Password
      Password for the user account. The user ID and password are credentials that IBM Connections will use to poll the inbox on the mail server to retrieve the replies and process the content. IBM Connections connects to the mail server using IMAP.
    4. Click Next.
    Note: You can modify the ReplyTo settings after installation. To edit the domain name and prefix or suffix, edit the news-config.xml file. To edit the server and authentication details, log in to the WebSphere Application Server Integrated Solutions Console and navigate to the Mail Sessions page, where you can edit the configuration.
  20. In the Role Mapping window, you can add administrative users. Enter the LDAP user names to map them to the admin role. If that role is empty, the Application server administrative user is mapped to the role by default.
  21. In the Role Mapping window, you can add Global Moderator Users. Enter the LDAP user name to the global-moderator role. If that role is empty, the Application server administrative user is mapped to the role by default.
  22. Review the information that you have entered. To revise your selections, click Back. To finalize the installation, click Next.
  23. Review the result of the installation. Click Finish to exit the installation wizard.
  24. Optional: If you are migrating databases, follow the instructions in Migrating data from IBM Connections 4.5 or 5.0 databases to 5.5. The Highway configuration is included in this step, which is a set of defaults and organizational settings. The defaults are settings included with this configuration are required.
  25. Restart the Deployment Manager:
    • AIX or Linux: Open a command prompt and change to the app_server_root/profiles/Dmgr01/bin directory. Enter the ./stopManager.sh command and then enter the ./startManager.sh command.
    • Windows: Stop and restart the Deployment Manager service.
  26. Log in to the Integrated Solutions Console on the DM to perform a full synchronization of all nodes.
    1. Go to System administration > Nodes.
    2. Select the nodes and click Full Resynchronize.
    Note: Wait until the DM copies all the application EAR files to the installedApps directory on each of the nodes. This process can take up to 30 minutes.

    To verify that the DM has distributed the application EAR files to the nodes, check the SystemOut.log file of each node agent. The default path to the SystemOut.log file on a node is profile_root/logs/nodeagent.

    Look for a message such as the following example: ADMA7021I: Distribution of application application_name completed successfully. where application_name is the name of an IBM Connections application.

  27. Restart the Deployment Manager.
  28. Start all your IBM Connections clusters:
    1. Log in to the Integrated Solutions Console on the DM.
    2. Navigate to Servers > Clusters > WebSphere Application server clusters.
    3. Select the IBM Connections clusters and click Start.
    Note: If some applications do not start, the file-copying process might not have completed. Wait a few minutes and start the applications. In case the Connections applications are installed on different clusters, the cluster start order should start with the core features, then move to the other features:
    • Hompage cluster
    • News cluster
    • Search cluster
    • Common cluster
    • Files cluster
    • Push Notification cluster
    • Rich Text Editor cluster
    • Widget Container cluster

    The other features include.

    • Activities cluster
    • Blogs cluster
    • Bookmarks cluster
    • Communities cluster
    • Forums cluster
    • Metrics cluster
    • Moderation cluster
    • Profiles cluster
    • Wikis cluster

Results

The installation wizard has installed IBM Connections in a network deployment.

To confirm that the installation was successful, open the log files in the connections_root/logs directory. Each IBM Connections application that you installed has a log file, using the following naming format: application_nameInstall.log, where application_name is the name of an IBM Connections application. Search for the words error or exception to check whether any errors or exceptions occurred during installation.

To view the log file for system events that occurred during the installation, open the date_time.xml file, where date_time represents the date and time of the installation. The file is located by default in the following directory:
  • AIX or Linux (root user): /var/ibm/InstallationManager/logs
  • AIX or Linux (non-root user): /home/user/var/ibm/Installation Manager/logs where user is the non-root user name
  • Windows Server 2008 64-bit: C:\ProgramData\IBM\Installation Manager\logs
If an error occurs during installation, IBM Installation Manager cancels the installation and rolls back the installation files. Installation errors are usually caused by environment problems such as insufficient disk space, privilege issues, or corruption of a WebSphere profile. If your installation is canceled, complete the following steps:
  1. Identify and resolve the error that caused the cancellation. After canceling the installation, IBM Installation Manager displays an error message with an error code. You can look up the error code in the Installation error messages topic or check the log files.
  2. Restore the Deployment Manager profile from your backup.
  3. Delete the connections_root directory.
  4. Start this task again.

What to do next

Complete the post-installation tasks that are relevant to your installation. For more information, see the Post-installation tasks topic.

Accessing network shares:

If you installed WebSphere Application Server on Microsoft Windows and configured it to run as a service, ensure that you can access network shares. For more information, see the Accessing Windows network shares topic.