Configuration Overview and Options

Topics:

Configuration Steps Overview

WebFOCUS Client and ReportCaster web components run as part of web servers and application servers. Configuration steps vary depending on which web servers or application servers you use. When using file and folder names that use NLS characters, the application server and the operating system must be configured with the same language encoding.

Apache Tomcat Stand-alone
Tomcat can be used as both the web server and application server. If you choose this option, be aware that the default HTTP port for Tomcat is 8080, not 80. Therefore, when calling web server pages in a browser, you must use:
```
http://hostname:8080
```
instead of
```
http://hostname
```
Manual configuration is described in Configuring Apache Tomcat.
Microsoft IIS and Apache Tomcat
Tomcat can be used as the application server while Microsoft IIS is used as the web server. This requires two servers and the configuration of their communications.

Manual configuration is described in Configuring Apache Tomcat.
IBM WebSphere Application Server
For details, see Configuring IBM WebSphere.
Other
Other web servers or application servers can be manually configured. Review your server documentation and perform steps that correspond to the information that follows.

If no web server is available, an application server can be used to handle all processing if the application server has robust HTTP capabilities.

Configuration Steps Overview

How to:

Configure a Web Server and an Application Server for WebFOCUS

The following is an overview of the steps needed to configure web or application servers for WebFOCUS and ReportCaster. For Apache Tomcat, you can review this overview or proceed directly to Configuring Apache Tomcat.

Important: If you want to install WebFOCUS in a clustered or split-tier environment, see Configuring WebFOCUS in a Split Web-Tier and Application Server-Only Environment.

The steps vary depending on the type of configuration you use:

Web Server and Application Server Configuration (aliases and web applications). In a standard configuration, you can create aliases to traditional static web content in a WebFOCUS directory (ibi\apps) and you deploy two web applications on your application server (webfocus.war and ibi_help.war). This is supported when both a web server and an application server are used for WebFOCUS processing. It is also supported when using an application server like Apache Tomcat that can behave like a web server and serve content outside of web applications.
You can also use the web server to only pass requests to Tomcat through a firewall. In that case, you must deploy all three web applications on your application server.

If your web server and application server are located on different machines, see Configuring WebFOCUS in a Split Web-Tier and Application Server-Only Environment.
Application Server Only Configuration (all web applications). For application servers like IBM WebSphere, Oracle WebLogic, Oracle Application Server, SAP NetWeaver, and Oracle Java System Application Server, you can deploy all WebFOCUS content through web applications (WAR files). In this configuration, you deploy approot.war in addition to webfocus.war and ibi_help.war and you do not create web server aliases.

For important information on configuring approot.war, see Configuring WebFOCUS in a Split Web-Tier and Application Server-Only Environment.

Procedure: How to Configure a Web Server and an Application Server for WebFOCUS

Ensure application server and web server components are installed and properly functioning. Refer to third-party documentation, if necessary.

If you do not have an application server, the WebFOCUS Client installation can install and configure Apache Tomcat for you.
Add the WebFOCUS repository JDBC driver to your application server CLASSPATH.

For information on JDBC drivers, see Additional WebFOCUS Repository Topics and Tasks.

Deploy the WebFOCUS web application on the application server.

WebFOCUS components are packaged as a J2EE web application. The web application is provided as the following WAR file:

drive:\ibi\WebFOCUS82\webapps\webfocus.war

It is also provided as the following expanded directory:

drive:\ibi\WebFOCUS82\webapps\webfocus

You can deploy either the WAR files or expanded directories, depending on your preference and the capabilities of your application server. For Tomcat stand-alone, using the expanded directories is recommended. Be aware that when applying a service pack, any changes made to the web applications must be in the expanded directories to be maintained.

The default deployment parameters for WebFOCUS are:

Context Root/Path	Doc base or location
/ibi_apps	`drive`:\ibi\WebFOCUS82\webapps\webfocus.war
/ibi_help	`drive`:\ibi\WebFOCUS82\webapps\ibi_help.war
/approot	`drive`:\ibi\WebFOCUS82\webapps\approot.war

If you are using a web server, you can create aliases for the static content. This maps directories containing WebFOCUS data to directories the web server can reference. The default settings are:

Default Alias	Path	Access
approot	`drive`:\ibi\apps	Read Only

On some Windows Servers, you may need to grant Scripts only executable permissions as well.

Ensure your web server routes requests for the /ibi_apps, /ibi_help, and /approot web application context roots to the application server.
Verify the configuration using the tools in the WebFOCUS Administration Console, as explained in WebFOCUS Post-Installation Tasks.

Note: If you are installing multiple instances, completely install and configure a single instance, and then refer to Additional WebFOCUS Repository Topics and Tasks for instructions on configuring the second instance.