Wednesday, September 3, 2008

ITCAM WR for Apache Web Server

Introduction

ITCAM for Web Resources is a collection of solutions for the IBM Tivoli Monitoring platform. It monitors and manages applications running on all commonly available application server platforms (including IBM WebSphere, WebLogic, SAP, Oracle, JBoss, Tomcat, J2SE, and IBM WebSphere Application Server Community Edition) and Web Servers (Microsoft IIS, Sun and Apache Web Servers).

If we look at the application's in todays world, specially web applications, we will see that the infrastructure over which it runs on is getting complicated day by day. Those day's are gone when a web site used to run on singe web server and used to consist of HTML pages only. Today's web infrastructure consist of multiple server's, complicated Application Server's, separate web severs, Database server, messaging engine (like MQ) and etc. Performance of the application is now coupled with several external entities disbursed on multiple locations.

IBM Tivoli Composite Application Manager for Web Resources, addresses this issue by providing tools for monitoring the whole infrastructure including application servers and web servers. When coupled with IBM Tivoli Monitoring, other entities like OS, DB Server, UPS and etc. can be monitored over the same platform.

The main focus area of this post is to provide installation instruction of ITCAM WR for Apache.

ITCAM WR Architecture Detail

Following are the key components of an ITM environment, which run in a server/client/agent configuration:

TMS: Tivoli Monitoring Services provides the software infrastructure upon which all other ITM components (the TEMS, the TEP server and clients, and all the TEMAs) are built.

TEP: The Tivoli Enterprise Portal is the user interface for ITM agents. It provides the status of your enterprise and views of the data that the various Tivoli Enterprise Monitoring Agents collect. TEP also gives you access to Take Actions commands and situations that you can use to further customize data collection and reporting. The TEP comprises two pieces: the TEP server, which generally runs on a centrally located server machine, and the TEP client, which runs on your users’ individual machines and with which they directly interact to query and control your enterprise’s running systems. Two different TEP clients are provided:
  1. Tivoli Enterprise Portal workstation client (usually called the desktop client)
  2. The TEP browser client, which runs within a Web browser

TEMS The Tivoli Enterprise Monitoring Server provides framework and database operations for the Tivoli Enterprise Server and the various agents. The agents pass data to the TEMS, and then the TEP server requests the data.

TEMAs The Tivoli Enterprise Monitoring Agents collect performance data about monitored environments such as J2EE Application Server and carry out your users’ Take Action commands entered through a TEP client. A TEMA collects and distributes real-time and historical performance data as needed to a TEMS.

MTMS Manage Tivoli Enterprise Monitoring Services provides a full-screen Windows GUI that you can use to check the status of
TMS processes such as the TEMS, the TEP server, and the TEMA,to stop or to recycle them, and to reconfigure them.

TEMA This component runs as part of the ITCAM for J2EE Data Collector
data to retrieve monitoring data about a single J2EE application server collector and to ship that data to the ITCAM for Web Resources - Monitoring Agent for J2EE.


Environment Detail

Our environment will consist of ITM as our data aggregation engine. We are using ITM v6.2 in our environment.
NOTE: This guide will not cover installation and configuration of IBM Tivoli Monitoring.

It is important to mention here that there are workspaces in our environment which will display historical data. In-order to display summarized, historical data, ITM's Warehousing Proxy agent and Warehousing and Proning agent is required to be installed and configured. Warehousing and proning frequency should be configured according to your environment. Other then ITM, a separate web server will have TEMA v6013 installed.

The whole installation procedure will be divided into following steps:
Step # 1: Installation of TEP and TEMS support files on ITM machine
Step # 2: Installation of TEMA on the Web Server machine
Step # 3: Installation of TEMA patch 3 and configuration of TEMA for Apache

Step # 1: Installation of TEP and TEMS support files on ITM machine

Requirement # 1
You must first install application support files on:
Tivoli Enterprise Monitoring Server
Tivoli Enterprise Portal Server
Tivoli Enterprise Portal desktop client
You must acquire the appropriate IBM Tivoli Monitoring environment
information, including the host names and communication protocols for the
appropriate components listed above.

Requirement # 2
Ensure TEMS and TEMA servers can ping eachother through hostname
>> Add Apache WebServer's host name and IP address in host file at TEMS.

Installation Details
Product Name: TEMA for WebServers
eAssembly Code: C16SAEN
Version: 6201
Apache WebServer version: 2.2.4
Operating System: Windows 2003

1. Install Tivoli Enterprise Management Agent on Tivoli Enterprise Management Server's node
2. Select Support files installation on:
a. TEMS
b. TEP
b. TEP Desktop Client
3. Select Remote installaiton of TEMA
4. Click next and procede towards installation

>>SAMPLE OUTPUT<<

A previous install has been detected and will be updated.
Install into Directory: C:\ibm\ITM
Add Program Folder: IBM Tivoli Monitoring

Available Disk Space: 12459 MB
Required Disk Space: 27 MB
Deploy Required Disk Space: 154 MB
Total Disk Space Required: 181 MB

Install the following features:

Tivoli Enterprise Monitoring Server:
WebServer Support

Tivoli Enterprise Portal Server:
WebServer Support

Tivoli Enterprise Portal Desktop Client:
WebServer Support

Configure the following Agents for deployment:
Monitoring Agent for WebServer

>>END<< 5. After installation is complete, select :
a. Configure Tivoli Enterprise Portal
b. Install Application Support Files
c. Launch Manage Tivoli Monitring Service for additional configuration...
6. Press NEXT
7. Mention Hostname of the TEP server and Press NEXT
8. In Tivoli Enterprise Management Server configuration, provide following options:
a. TEMS Type = HUB
b. Security Validtate User = [CHECKED]
c. TEMS Name = Default value
d. Protocol For This TEMS = [CHECK] Protocol 1
e. Press OK
9. In HUB TEMS configuration GUI provide following values:
a. Host Name or IP Address = Computer Hostname where TEMS is installed (which was ITM62 in our case)
b. Press OK

10. A popup will appear asking if Applicatoin support file is required to be installed on Local Machine or on Remote Machine
a. [CHECK] On this Computer
b. Press OK

11. After few seconds, a popup will appear asking support files required to be installed on TEMS. Verify if "WebServer Support" is mentioned in the list . Press OK and then NEXT to move forward
. Setup will configure TEP and TEMS and shall display a successful message.

Step # 2: Installation of TEMA on the Web Server machine

Requirement #1
:
Ensure that the TEMS server can be accessed through hostname
>> Add TEMS's Hostname and IP binding in host file

Installation Details:
Product Name: TEMA for WebServers
eAssembly Code: C16SAEN
Version: 6201
Apache WebServer version: 2.2.4
Operating System: Windows 2003

1. Start TEMA installation by clicking 'setup.exe' file.
2. When prompted to install IBM GSKit and IBM JAVA, press NEXT.
NOTE: Installer checks existance of IBM GSKIT and IBM JAVA. If does'nt exist, installer checks the option for you so that they can be installed.
3. Click NEXT when prompted to provide installaiton location.
4. Installer will ask to provide encryption key for secure communication. Default key is: 'IBMTivoliMonitoringEncryptionKey'
NOTE: Insert word having exactly 32chars.
5. Click NEXT
6. A GUI displaying tree view of all products required to be installed will be displayed. Select Tivoli Enterprise Management Agents.
7. Click NEXT twice.

>> SAMPLE Configuration Output<<
Install into Directory: C:\IBM\ITM
Add Program Folder: IBM Tivoli Monitoring

Available Disk Space: 17992 MB
Required Disk Space: 76 MB
Deploy Required Disk Space:
Total Disk Space Required: 76 MB

Install the following features:

Tivoli Enterprise Monitoring Agents:
Tivoli Enterprise Monitoring Agent Framework
Monitoring Agent for Web Servers
>> END <<

8. After installation is completed, installer will ask if you want to configure TEMA now or not.Press NEXT, leaving checked options intact.
9. In Configuration Defaults for Connection with TEMS, select following options:
a. [CHECKED] Protocol 1
b. Press OK
NOTE: Leave all other options unchecked

10 Provide Following infromation:
a. IP,PIPE Seting, TEMS Hostname = (ITM62 in our case)
b. Port Number: 1918 (default)
c. [CHECKED] Convert entery to upper case (default)
d. Press OK
e. In Configuration of Monitoring Agent for Windows, press OK
f. Click Finish
11. After configuring TEMA;s communication with TEMS, installer will ask to provide configuration parameters for the respective webserver.
12. We will defer the configuration step for now. Click OK to complete the installation.
NOTE: Installation of all components is finished now. We will move toward configuration and patch installation in next step.


Step # 3: Installation of TEMA patch 3 and configuration of TEMA for Apache

TEMA Patch version: 3
TEMA Patch code: 6.2.0.1-TIV-ITCAM_WEBSERVER_TEMA-IF003


1. Unpack 6.2.0.1-TIV-ITCAM_WEBSERVER_TEMA-IF003.tar file (in our case we are unpacking it in c:\patch)
2. Open command prompt and issue following command:
c:\>itmpatch -h %CANDLE_HOME% -i c:\patch
3. Incase of sucessfull installation, following message will be displayed:
Command completed successfully

4. Click Start > All Programs > IBM Tivoli Monitoring > Manage Tivoli Monitoring Services. TEMA service manage GUI will appear.
5. Right click 'Monitoring Agent for Web Servers' and click Reconfigure
6. Click OK, without changing any value.
7. Click OK again, without changing any value.
8. Web Server configuration window will appear. Click 'Apache Web Servr Aliases' tab
9. Click NEW button
10 In 'Web Server configuration file path' provide apache's httpd.conf file path location.
NOTE: In our case apache's httpd.conf file's location is:
C:\Program Files\Apache Software Foundation\Apache2.2\conf\httpd.conf
Web Server's configuration GUI does'nt understand single backslash in file path. Change the path and by replacing single '\' with '\\'. Our httpd.conf file's path will now be:
C:\\Program Files\\Apache Software Foundation\\Apache2.2\\conf\\httpd.conf
11. Click OK button.
12. Incase of sucesfull configuration, following message will appear:
KHTC0010I Info: C:\\Program Files\\Apache Software Foundation\\Apache2.2\\conf\\httpd.conf was configured.
13. In-order to verify the configuration, go to Apache's installation path and the in conf directory. Verify existance of following:
KHT-httpd.conf file
Include "C:\Program Files\Apache Software Foundation\Apache2.2\conf\kht-httpd.conf" tag in httpd.conf
14. Open httpd.conf, move to the last of the file and replace '\' with '/' in Include directive.
Include "C:/Program Files/Apache Software Foundation/Apache2.2/conf/kht-httpd.conf"
15. Do the same in kht-httpd.conf file.
16. Browse to C:\IBM\ITM\TMAITM6\
17. Open file _ht.cfg (in our case hostname is itcamapache2, therefore filename was: itcamapache2_ht.cfg)
18. Look for section 'SECTION=Apache_Alias_Config:'
19. Change '\\\\' to '/'
20. Save the file and Start and/or Re-cycle TEMA service through it's GUI. (refer to point 4)
21. Restart Apache server as well.


NOTE: Please note that TEMA trace logs through OpenFileMapping Error No. 2 if you do not change the '\' into forward slash '/' in cfg file after installing the patch.

Tuesday, May 6, 2008

Welcome to WebSphere Application Server Blog

Welcome to WebSphere Application Server blog. The objective of this blog will be to share all my expereince, Ho-To's, Dos and Dont's with all you guys. Feel free to hit me back if you want me to discuss specific topic here.