Configuring IBM Forms Experience Builder 8.0

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Hongzhen Wang | Edited by IBM contributor

Hongzhen Wang on June 18, 2012 | Version 11

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Abstract

The objective of this document is to detail the experiences of the IBM System Verification Test (SVT) team when enabling Forms on a single environment. This document helps readers on how to deploy Forms Experience Builder 8.0 on Linux System.

Tags: IBM Forms 8.0, Forms Experience Builder, installing

Overview

The components required to install and configure in this scenario are WebSphere Application Server and DB2 server. The operating system used in this environment is RedHat Enterprise Linux 6 Operating System which is based on a single server scenario.

The environment included the following components:

IBM WebSphere Application Server Network Deployment 8.0.0.0
IBM DB2 Enterprise Server Edition Version 9.7 Fix Pack 1
IBM Lotus Domino 8.5.1

Infrastructure Diagram

Specification

Please check the link below to ensure your specification reaches the system requirements. The table below lists the machines' specifications for this document.
http://www-304.ibm.com/support/docview.wss?rs=3325&uid=swg27024231

Machine	Operating System	Software	Specification
IBM WebSphere Application Server	RedHat Enterprise Linux 6	IBM WebSphere Application Server Network Deployment 8.0.0.0	Processor Type: Intel(R) Xeon CPU X5650 Number of Processors: 4 Processor Clock Speed: 2.67GHz CPU Type: 64-bit Kernel Type: 64-bit Memory Size: 12GB
DB2	RedHat Enterprise Linux 6	IBM DB2 Enterprise Server Edition Version 9.7 Fix Pack 1	Same as above
LDAP	Windows Server 2008 R2	IBM Lotus Domino 8.5.1	Same as above

Assumption

This document assumes you already installed DB2 server and WebSphere Application Server (WAS). Please ensure you have completed the following tasks:

Copy db2driver from the DB2 server ( for example: /home/db2inst1/sqllib/java ) to a directory on WAS.

i.e. copy db2jcc.jar db2jcc_license_cu.jar 2 files from DB2 server to a directory (/root/db2driver/)

Install DB2 v9.7 fixpack 1. Recommend to use the default user name as the DB2 administrator while installing DB2 server. For example, the default user on Linux is 'db2inst1', on Windows is 'db2admin'. For more details on the installation, check the link below.

http://publib.boulder.ibm.com/infocenter/db2luw/v9r7/index.jsp?topic=%2Fcom.ibm.db2.luw.qb.server.doc%2Fdoc%2Ft0006352.html

Install WebSphere Application Server 8.0. Follow the instructions to install IBM Installation Manager (IM) first, and then launch the IM to install WAS. After installed WAS, click Finish button to launch Profile Management Tool to create a profile. Select "Application server" in step of creating "Environment selection". For more details on WAS 8.0 installation, check the link below.

http://publib.boulder.ibm.com/infocenter/radhelp/v8/index.jsp?topic=/com.ibm.rad.install.doc/topics/t_install_was8.html

Pre-Configuration of Forms Experience Builder

The following instructions describe the configuration before deploying Forms to WAS (WebSphere Application Server). It includes 2 sections: setup a DataBase and configure WAS.

1. DataBase Creation

On the DB2 server, create a DataBase with the DB2 administrator.
i.e. use 'FormsDB' as the database name

Command to create a DataBase:

db2 "CREATE DB FormsDB using codeset UTF-8 territory us PAGESIZE 32768"

For the new empty DataBase, you need to create a large buffer pool:

db2 CONNECT TO FormsDB
db2 "CREATE BUFFERPOOL LARGE_BUFFER_POOL IMMEDIATE SIZE 250 PAGESIZE 32K"
db2 "CREATE USER TEMPORARY TABLESPACE LARGE_USERTEMP PAGESIZE 32K MANAGED BY AUTOMATIC STORAGE EXTENTSIZE 16 PREFETCHSIZE 16 BUFFERPOOL LARGE_BUFFER_POOL"
db2 CONNECT RESET

2. WAS Configuration

Access WAS Integrated Solutions Console via a browser, the default port is 9060.

i.e . <host name>:9060/ibm/console

You need to setup Mail Source, Data Source and LDAP connections.

2.1 Mail Source configuration

Go to Resources > Mail >Mail sessions, choose the right scope, and click the New button

i.e.

Fill the parameters for the General Properties. For 'Name' and "JNDI name", you can choose your preferable names. You also need to fill the server name under the Outgoing Mail Properties section. The others can be kept as default. Click Apply and save the changes.

2.2 Data Source configuration

Create a data source and add the DB2 server to it.

a. Go to Resources > JDBC > Data source to create a data source. Select the right scope and click New button.
i.e.

b. On step 1: Enter basic data source information, you can give your appreciated names for Data source name and JNDI name. In this document we used FormsDS as the data source name and JNDI/Forms80 as the JNDI name .

c. If you do NOT have a JDBC provider yet, choose Create a new JDBC provider.

d. If you use DB2 database, you have to select the values for JDBC provider as shown below.

e. On the step Enter database class path information, you need to provide the driver files' directory. It was mentioned in the assumption section, this document used "/root/db2driver" as the db2driver directory.

f. Fill the database name, server name and port number. The default port number is 50000, double check with the DB2 server, it might use a different one.

g. For step 4: Setup security aliases, you can skip it this time, and configure it separately later. Click Next and you will see the Summary of actions. It lists all the information you just configured. Click Finish button to complete the Setup.

h. Setup security aliases. Go to Data sources > FormsDS, on the right side of the main page, look for Related Items section, click "JAAS- J2C authentication data" to setup like shown below. You have to ensure that the User ID and Password here match to your DB2 server.

i. You need to add this security alias to the data source. Go to the Data sources > FormsDS again, on the Security settings section, select the alias name you just created in the Component-managed authentication alias field. Click Apply and save the change.

j. After configured data source, you need to test the DB2 connection. Select the Data source you just created (i.e. FormsDS) and click the Test connection button. After a few seconds, it will prompt whether the connection is successful. If it does NOT succeed, you need to check every step in creating data source section, to ensure they are correct and restart WAS to retry.

k. Configure custom properties. Go to Data sources > FormsDS, look for the "Additional Properties" at the right top. Click on Custom properties to open the main page

Find 'fullyMaterializeLobData' and change its value from default true to false, click Apply and save the change.
Click New button to add a new property: 'progressiveStreaming', set its value to 2. Click Apply and save the change.
Find 'webSphereDefaultIsolationLevel' and change its value to 2 (READ COMMITTED). Click Apply and save the change. This property is very important, without changing may cause deadlock occurs while creating applications in Forms.

2.3 LDAP connections

The LDAP directory server provides groups of users who can access Forms server.

Go to Security> Global security

(i) On the main page, check in the two option boxes to enable security.

In Administrative security section, Enable administrative security
In Application security, Enable application security

(ii) Setup LDAP connections

This document uses IBM Lotus Domino 8.5.1 LDAP server, the properties values mentioned in this section is only an example, it may NOT apply to your LDAP.

a. Click the 'Configure...' button at the bottom page

b. Look for "Add Base entry to Realm..." and click on it

c. Click "Add Repository" in the centre page

e. Fill the parameters for the General Properties, click Apply and save the changes.

Give a name for the Repository identifier
In the LDAP server section, select the right directory type, provide the primary host name and post number.
In the security section, give the bind distinguished name and bind password
Leave the other fields as default

f. Fill the parameters for the base entry, click Apply and save the changes. The names are relevant to the LDAP profile.

g. Set Object classes

Go to Global security > Federated repositories > Domino85 , at the bottom of the main page Additional properties, click on LDAP entity types, then click on PersonAccount to change the value to 'Person' for example, it depends on the LDAP server profile.

h. Restart all servers to activate the configuration.

Verify whether the LDAP server works, go to User and Groups >Manage Users. Click Search button, if there displays many users, it means the LDAP server was added successfully.

Once everything above has been done successfully, please move to next section to deploy Forms Experience Builder.

Deployment of Forms Experience Builder

This section describes how to install Forms Experience Builder. Since WebSphere Application Server and DB2 server were already installed and configured, you can deploy Forms Experience Builder to WebSphere Application Server now.

1. Go to Applications > Application Types > WebSphere enterprise applications, on the right side, click Install button to start.

2. Choose local file system, or remote file system depends on where the builder is. Click the 'Browse...' button to provide the correct path.

3. There are two options to install: Fast Path or Detailed; must use Detailed. Click Next, it will bring you to a install new application page. There are 13 steps in total. Click Next until step 7.

4. In step 7: Map resource references to resources. Click Browse... to locate the "Target Resource JNDI Name" of Mail and DataSource.

5. Click Next until step 10: Map security roles to users or groups. In this step, you need to check AdministrativeUsers and EditApplicationsUses. You can adjust your selection according to your installation requirement.

AdministrativeUsers- Administrative users are able to setup and upgrade the database during deployment. If you have already added LDAP and you can take a user from LADP server, i.e. "ladp_user_001"; or you can use "administrator" instead. When you the first time launch Forms, you need this administrativeUser to complete the SETUP.
EditApplicationUsers- Users that are able to use Forms Experience Builder to design and deploy applications. You can check it and click Map Special Subjects to select the right option.
UseApplicationUsers- Users that interact only with completed Forms Experience Builder applications. You can keep unchecked here.

6. Click Next until the end to finish the setup.

When you finished the deployment, you need to configure Experience Builder on Manage Modules and Class loading and update detection.

Go to Enterprise Applications > Experience Builder> Manage Modules, check both IBM Forms Experience Builder WAR 8.0.0.xxxx and IBM Forms Experience Builder Basic Auth WAR 8.0.0.xxxx. On the configuration page, find class loader order section and select "classes loaded with local class loader first (parent last)".
On Class loading and update detection, for Class loader order section, choose "class loaded with local class loader first (parent last)".

It is NOT ready to launch the Forms yet. Please move to the Post Configuration of Forms Experience Builder to complete the configuration.

Post Configuration of Forms Experience Builder

The following tasks have to be executed before launching the Forms.

1. Create an "extensions" folder.

You must create an extensions folder to hold the configuration properties file for Forms Experience Builder to use. An "extensions" folder MUST exist before Forms starts, and it is NOT generated automatically.

a. Create an "extensions" folder in the following directory:

i.e.

For Windows™ installations: C:\ibm\Forms\extensions
For Linux™, or AIX® installations: /opt/ibm/Forms/extensions

b. Create a file named as "Builder_Config.properties" to the extensions folder. (If you use the installer, you can go to <install directory

/deploy, and copy the Builder_Config.properties file to the extensions folder.)

c. Edit the properties relevant to your installation. You can add as many properties to the file as your installation requires. For more details on configuration properties, check the link below.

http://www-10.lotus.com/ldd/lfwiki.nsf/dx/Configuration_properties_FEB_8?OpenDocument&mode=original
i.e.

ibm.was.MemberManager.adminUser=<administrative user name>
ibm.was.MemberManager.adminPass=<administrative password>

2. Start Forms Experience Builder server

Access WAS administrative console via a browser again, and go to Applications > Application Types > WebSphere enterprise applications. Select Experience Builder and click Start to launch Forms.

3. Setup with an administrative user

You must use an administrative user to complete the setup.

Type the Forms server URL in your appreciate browser. The default port number is 9080, it can be different, check with your WAS systemOut.log file.

i.e. <hostname>:9080/forms

The first page you see will be

IBM Forms Experience Builder is not completely setup. Until that occurs, all normal requests are disabled.
Click on Setup to start the setup process.

Click Setup, it will go to the "IBM Forms Experience Builder Setup" page. And there are two phases need to be completed. Follow the screen instructions to process.

3.1 Basic Environment setup

Step 1: Data Source
Step 2: Database Tables, click Fix to begin creating the tables

After Phase 1 completed, click Continue to Secured setup, it will bring you to the login page. You have to use an administrative user and password to login.

3.2. After clicked Log In, it will go to process the second phase Secured Environment Setup. When it is complete, click Continue to Manager, it goes to Forms Experience Builder main page. Now you are able to Manage and Use applications.