How to Deploy Application in WebSphere Liberty Cluster

I'm writing a series of blog posts on How to Create and Configure WebSphere Liberty Cluster End-to-End. This particular post focuses on application deployment. Below listed are all the posts in this series:

1. How to Create and Configure WebSphere Liberty Cluster End-to-End
2. How to Deploy Application in WebSphere Liberty Cluster
3. How to Setup Front-End Web Server for WebSphere Liberty Cluster

In order to explain it better, I've created an example topology of WebSphere Liberty Profile (WLP) Collective with a Collective Controller and two Collective/Cluster member servers. Example topology contains IBM HTTP Server (IHS) as a Front-End and also a Deployment/Tool server. See diagram 1.0 for details.

Diagram 1.0
Example  Topology: WLP Collective with Front-End & Deployment Server

Note: in order to complete all the steps in this blog post, first you need to complete required steps outlined in How to Create and Configure WebSphere Liberty Cluster End-to-End

Deploying an application in WLP server or cluster

There are few ways to deploy an application into WLP server or cluster. Application can be simply dropped into a pre-defined dropins (${server.config.dir}/dropins) directory, or by adding an application definition entry to the server configuration.
In this blog post, we will explore script driven, remote application deployment for distributed platforms (multiple WLP servers or cluster managed by WLP Collective Controller) by utilizing secure JMX REST connection. Refer to Configuring secure JMX connection to Liberty for more details.
We'll be using manageAppOnCluster.py script and libraries available in IBM developerWorks to manage application(s) on WLP cluster.

Download manageAppOnCluster.zip

You can download it from https://developer.ibm.com/wasdev/downloads/#asset/scripts-jython-Install_or_uninstall_an_application_to_cluster. Here I have downloaded and extracted manageAppOnCluster.zip in Deployment/Tool server (machine: 01 in example topology) under /opt/workspace/wlpDeployment directory.

Download and Install Jython. 

You can download Jython from http://www.jython.org/downloads.html
General installation instruction can be found at https://wiki.python.org/jython/InstallationInstructions
Console based installation is very straight forward. See below, I'm installing standalone Jython under /opt/jython directory on Machine: 01

# Create /opt/jython directory $> sudo -p mkdir /opt/jython # Change the ownership if needed $> sudo chown R wasadmin:wasgrp /opt/jython # Install Jython $> java -jar jython-installer-2.7.0.jar --console Welcome to Jython ! You are about to install Jython version 2.7.0 (at any time, answer c to cancel the installation) For the installation process, the following languages are available: English, German Please select your language [E/g] >>> E Do you want to read the license agreement now ? [y/N] >>> N Do you accept the license agreement ? [Y/n] >>> Y The following installation types are available:    1. All (everything, including sources)    2. Standard (core, library modules, demos and examples, documentation)    3. Minimum (core)    9. Standalone (a single, executable .jar) Please select the installation type [ 1 /2/3/9] >>> 9 Please enter the target directory >>> /opt/jython Your java version to start Jython is: Oracle Corporation / 1.8.0_102 Your operating system version is: Linux / 3.10.0-514.el7.x86_64 Summary:   - standalone Please confirm copying of files to directory /opt/jython [Y/n] >>> Y   10 % 20 %   ...   ... Packing standalone jython.jar ...   90 %   100 % Do you want to show the contents of README ? [y/N] >>> N Congratulations! You successfully installed Jython 2.7.0 to directory /opt/jython.

You'll also need restConnector.jar and restConnector.py in order to be able to make remote JMX REST connection. If you have WLP installed on the machine, you should be good as these files are installed as part of WLP installation. If you don't have WLP installed on the machine, or you don't want to install WLP, you can just copy these files from another machine where it is installed. Easiest way is to tar the content of entire ${wlp.install.dir}/clients directory and copy it to Deployment/Tool server where you can untar it.
Here, I'm going to create a wlpclient.tar file on Machine: 02, as WLP is installed there and copy to Machine: 01.

$> cd /opt/ibm/wlp $> tar -cvf /tmp/wlpclient.tar clients/ tar: Removing leading `/' from member names clients/ clients/restConnector.jar clients/jython/ clients/jython/restConnector.py clients/jython/README

Copy the wlpclient.tar to Deployment/Tool server and extract it.

# Create directory /opt/ibm/wlp in Machine 02 (if it doesn't exist) $> sudo mkdir /opt/ibm/wlp # Change ownership as required. $> sudo chown -R wasadmin:wasgrp # Extract under /opt/ibm/wlp $> tar -xvf wlpclient.tar -C /opt/ibm/wlp

In order to create secure connection, you'll also need signer certificate from the Collective Controller. Just copy trust.jks file (located under ${server.config.dir}/resources/security/ directory) from Collective Controller server and put into Deployment/tool server.
Now, for convenient, create a script file (name it wlpMgmt.sh), which look something like this:

wlpMgmt.sh

#! /bin/bash # wlpMgmt.sh export JYTHONPATH=/opt/ibm/wlp/clients/jython/restConnector.py java -cp /opt/jython/jython.jar:/opt/ibm/wlp/clients/restConnector.jar:/opt/ibm/wlp/clients/jython/:/opt/workspace/wlpDeployment/lib/ org.python.util.jython "$@"

Prepare your application

For this exercise, I'm using a sample JavaHelloWorldApp.war application downloaded from https://github.com/IBM-Bluemix/java-helloworld/tree/master/target
I've put the application under /opt/workspace/wlpDeployment/apps directory in Machine:1.

Deploy the Application

Here, we are going to use wlpMgmt.sh (created above) to setup environment and call Jython and execute manageAppOnCluster.py to create secure connection to Liberty Controller and deploy application remotely.

$> /opt/workspace/wlpDeployment $> ./wlpMgmt.sh manageAppOnCluster.py \    --install=/opt/workspace/wlpDeployment/apps/JavaHelloWorldApp.war \    --truststore=/opt/workspace/wlpDeployment/resources/security/trust.jks \    --truststorePassword=<replace_with_your_password> \    --host=waslibclnt01 \    --port=9443 \    --user=wasadmin \    --password=<replace_with_your_password> \    --clusterName=wlpCluster \ Connecting to the server... Successfully connected to the server "waslibclnt01:9443" Uploading application JavaHelloWorldApp.war to waslibmem01,/opt/ibm/wlp/usr,wlpSrv01 Updating server config for waslibmem01,/opt/ibm/wlp/usr,wlpSrv01 Complete Uploading application JavaHelloWorldApp.war to waslibmem02,/opt/ibm/wlp/usr,wlpSrv02 Updating server config for waslibmem02,/opt/ibm/wlp/usr,wlpSrv02 Complete

Verify application deployed successfully

1. Verify application binary is copied to each member server (in this case Machine: 03 - wlpSrv01, and Machine: 04 - wlpSrv02). By default, it is copied to ${server.config.dir}/apps directory of each cluster member server. Check and make sure it is copied. 
2. Verify that server.xml of each member server is updated. In my case, it has added the following line in the member server's server.xml:
   
   

   <application name="JavaHelloWorldApp" location="${server.config.dir}/apps/JavaHelloWorldApp.war"/>



3. Access application and make sure it is available. In our case, it is accessible as:
   • Machine: 03 URL: http://waslibmem01:9081/JavaHelloWorldApp/
   • Machine: 04 URL: http://waslibmem02:9081/JavaHelloWorldApp/

Note: If for any reason you need to undeploy/uninstall the application, here is how to do it:

$> ./appMgmt.sh manageAppOnCluster.py \   --uninstall=JavaHelloWorldApp.war \   --truststore=/opt/workspace/wlpDeployment/resources/security/trust.jks \   --truststorePassword=<replace_with_your_password> \   --host=waslibctlr01 \   --port=9443 \   --user=wasadmin \   --password=<replace_with_your_password>; \   --clusterName=wlpCluster Connecting to the server... Successfully connected to the server "waslibctlr01:9443" Removing application JavaHelloWorldApp.war from waslibmem01,/opt/ibm/wlp/usr,wlpSrv01 Updating server config for waslibmem01,/opt/ibm/wlp/usr,wlpSrv01 Complete Removing application JavaHelloWorldApp.war from waslibmem01,/opt/ibm/wlp/usr,wlpSrv02 Updating server config for waslibmem01,/opt/ibm/wlp/usr,wlpSrv02 Complete

uninstall removes the application binary as well as <application> definition from server.xml.

Next: proceed to Setup Front-End Web Server for WebSphere Liberty Cluster -->


Looks like you're really interested in WebSphere Liberty Profile, see my other related blog posts below:

• How to Create and Configure WebSphere Liberty Cluster End-to-End
• How to Deploy Application in WebSphere Liberty Cluster (this post)
• How to Setup Front-End Web Server for WebSphere Liberty Cluster
• Using Docker Secrets with IBM WebSphere Liberty Profile Application Server
• How to use WLP passwordUtilities feature for encryption/decryption