Gather information and software before you install WebSphere® Portal.

1. Check requirements.
   • Documentation resource: Detailed system requirements
2. Get the software.
   • Documentation resource: Getting the software

You can use existing prerequisite software installations. Verify that your existing version is supported. If it is not, upgrade to the appropriate version. Otherwise, install a web server, database server, and user registry server. Typically the database and user registry servers are already installed and configured. However, there might be specific configuration steps that are required to integrate them with the portal server.

1. Install a web server.
   • Documentation resource: Preparing a remote web server
2. Prepare a database server.
   • Documentation resource: Installing and preparing the database software
3. Prepare a user registry.
   • Documentation resource: Preparing the user registry software

Installing WebSphere Portal involves preparing your operating system, installing or upgrading the installation manager, and running the installation program.

Portal maintenance is delivered through two mechanisms: individual fixes (iFixes) and combined cumulative fixes. iFixes are provided, when necessary, for severe or security-related bugs. Combined cumulative fixes are delivered on a regular schedule. They provide a mechanism to deliver fixes faster, improve existing features, deliver new features, update documentation, and provide new documentation on a frequent basis. To deliver continuous improvements for your digital experience software, it is recommended that you apply the latest Combined Cumulative Fix to your environment.

Start the configuration wizard to set up your stand-alone server. First, transfer your database. The Database Transfer configuration option in the Configuration Wizard assigns users and permissions, creates databases, obtains support for database collation, and transfers your database. After you transfer your database, enable your federated LDAP user registry.

http://hostname.example.com:10039/wps/portal,
where hostname.example.com is the fully qualified
host name of the server where Portal is running and 10039 is
the default transport port that is created by WebSphere Application Server. The port
number might be different for your environment.

1. To get the latest updates for the wizard, apply the most recent Combined Cumulative Fix. For more information about applying the latest fix pack, see WebSphere Portal and Web Content Manager V8.5.0.0 Combined Cumulative Fix overview.
   Note: Skip this step, if you have the most recent fix pack applied.
2. Access the Configuration Wizard. Go to http://your_server:10200/ibm/wizard.
   Restriction: There is a known issue with Chrome version 45.x and the Configuration Wizard. If you are experiencing difficulties, use a different browser when you access the wizard.
3. Log in to the Configuration Wizard with the administrative ID for the configuration wizard profile, cw_profile.
   Note: The wizard user interface might not be available in all languages. If the language is not currently supported, you might see the English version. For details on the supported languages for all of the WebSphere Portal user interfaces, see Supported languages.
4. Select Set Up a Stand-alone Server > Database Transfer.
5. Provide information about your environment.
6. Save your configuration settings.
7. Choose one of the following options:
   • Click Download Files to run the steps remotely.
   • Click Run All Steps to run the steps locally.
8. Optional: If you changed the context root during the installation or configuration of IBM WebSphere Portal, then you must complete the optional next step from the Configuration Wizard to update parameters with the new context path after you complete the Create a Deployment Manager configuration option. For more information about this configuration option and completing the next steps, see Create a deployment manager.
9. Log in to WebSphere Portal to verify that you have a working portal server.
10. Select Set Up a Stand-alone Server > Enable Federated Security.
    Note: If you set Use Administrator IDs stored in your LDAP user registry to yes, the WebSphere Application Server and WebSphere Portal user IDs and passwords are changed to the LDAP user ID and password. If you do not want to change both user IDs and passwords to match the LDAP user ID and password, set this value to no. After you configure your LDAP user registry, you can manually change the user IDs and passwords.

    • Documentation resource: Updating user ID and passwords
11. Provide information about your environment.
12. Save your configuration settings.
13. Choose one of the following options:
    • Click Download Files to run the steps remotely.
    • Click Run All Steps to run the steps locally.
14. Log in to WebSphere Portal to verify that you have a working portal server.
15. Optional: If you want to shorten your site URL for search engine optimization benefits, you can modify your context root and remove navigational state information from your URL by using the Modify Site URLs for Search Engine Optimization configuration option.
    • Documentation resource: Configuration Wizard instructions: Modify site URLs for search engine optimization

Tuning the servers is important to the performance of your portal environment. WebSphere Portal is not tuned for a production environment after installation and deployment. Your database needs tuning for improved performance. You can organize your database now or soon after you finish your configuration. You need to tune and maintain your database on a regular basis.

1. Run the performance tuning tool to complete an initial tuning of your servers.
   • Documentation resource: Portal server performance tuning tool
2. Check the tuning guide for more instructions. Use the tuning guide for the previous product version when the tuning guide for the current release is unavailable.
   • Documentation resource: Performance tuning guide