Troubleshooting
Problem
Installation of a Feature Pack WebSphere Application Server V6.1 or V7.0 does not complete successfully. This includes the V6.1 Web Services Feature Pack, V6.1 Enterprise Java™ Beans V3.0 (EJB3) Feature Pack, and V7.0 Service Component Architecture (SCA) Feature Pack. Collect the diagnostic information described in this article to send to IBM Support.
Resolving The Problem
Proceed to the section which applies to the type of issue you have encountered.
Section 1: Installation of the Feature Pack fails
Section 2: Update problems with Feature Packs
Section 1: The install for the Fetaure Pack fails
Minimum data needed for MustGather
If an issue requires immediate assistance, IBM Support can start problem diagnosis with a minimal set of data. However, whenever possible, IBM Support prefers the full MustGather data, which is sufficient to address nearly all profile-related issues.
These minimum MustGather item will help IBM Support triage the issue. If you cannot perform the full MustGather when requested, then compress these files into an archive and send them to IBM Support:
- All files from install_root/logs
This is in the target WebSphere Application Server directory. If the Feature Pack installation is able to start up, it will write logs in this directory.
Logs and other information to collect and send to IBM support
- Gather all files and directories which exist in the install_root/logs directory.
- Installation logs for problems where installer fails to start, or aborts early:
If the installer seems to instantly abort, or if it does not get far enough to allow you to choose the product to which you want to install the Feature Pack, then check the current user's home directory for a subdirectory named waslogs, or scalogs.
Hint: If you need more information to help locate the user's home directory, please refer to the hints section below in this same document.
- Logs specific to the V7.0 SCA Feature Pack:
For WebSphere Application Server version 7.0 SCA Feature Pack, please gather all .msl files in the install_root/properties/version directory.
- Version information for the WebSphere Application Server product:
Run the commands suggested below. Then gather the resulting version information file.
- Windows operating system
Run the following command from the install_root\bin directory:
versionInfo.bat >version.txt
- AIX, Linux, HP-UX, and Solaris operating systems
Run the following command from the install_root/bin directory:
./versionInfo.sh >version.txt
- File listing of the currently-installed WebSphere Application Server product:
Make a list of the files in the install_root directory. This information can help identify issues when the Feature Pack is partially installed. You can make a list using one of the following commands, and gather the resulting filelist.txt file:
- Windows operating system
Run the following command from the install_root directory:
dir /s >filelist.txt
- AIX, Linux, HP-UX, and Solaris operating systems
Run the following command from the install_root directory.
ls -laR > filelist.txt
- The .nifregistry file:
Gather the .nifregistry file, if it exists. For details, please refer to the section below which explains how to locate the .nifregistry file.
Hint: The .nifregistry file is useful for situations where the installer claims that the product cannot allow the Feature Pack to be installed, or that the Feature Pack is already installed.
- The response file:
If you are using silent install mode to install the Feature Pack, provide a copy of the response file you are using. If you are using the graphical installation wizard, then skip this step.
- A description of the error:
In cases where the installer visibly displays an error, copy and paste the error text, or try to describe the error. If the error is difficult to describe, then provide a screen capture of the error.
Hint for Windows-based systems: For best results when sending a screen capture from a Windows-based system, paste the captured image into Microsoft Paint and save the image as a JPG file. When possible, avoid sending BMP images or Microsoft Word documents with images in them.
- Additional questions about the environment:
If you have time, please answer the questions in the section below. The questions should only take a few minutes to answer. Those questions are especially helpful in situations where the installer will not even start up, or if you are unsure that you are following the correct installation instructions.
- How to send the data:
When possible, compress the data into a single archive, such as a .zip or .tar.gz file. For more details, follow instructions to send diagnostic information to IBM support.
Questions for installation issues
Help IBM Support understand your application server environment by answering the questions below.
- About the Feature Pack and the product it is updating:
- Which Feature Pack is being installed or being updated? If available, provide the name of the source file downloaded.
- Where was the Feature Pack obtained? (From the IBM Support site, Passport Advantage, or another source?)
- If this image was downloaded, was it downloaded and extracted on this system, or transferred from another system (such as a laptop with internet access)?
- Is this a stand-alone WebSphere Application Server product, or was this bundled with another product such as IBM Lotus Portal Server?
- Operating system, kernel, and architecture and bit level for WebSphere Application Server product:
- What operating system is the product being installed on, and what version of the operating system is it? Is this operating system using a 32-bit or 64-bit kernel? What processor architecture, e.g. Intel, PowerPC, SPARC?
Hint: For UNIX systems, you can provide the output of the uname -a command to answer this question. - Is the WebSphere Application Server product 32-bit or 64-bit edition?
- Are you trying to install using the graphical wizard ("GUI") mode or the silent installer mode? What command are you using to invoke the installer?
- For AIX, HP-UX, Linux, and Solaris operating systems, are you installing as a root user or non-root user? Also, indicate if the installation is performed using "sudo". For Windows operating systems, are you installing using a user with administrative authority?
- What appears to go wrong when the installer fails?
- Does the installer not even start up?
- Are you able to make selections to initiate the installation process, and then it fails or hangs?
- Do you receive an error during the process?
Section 2 : Update problems with Feature Packs
Use the MustGather in the link immediately below to address issues with attempting to apply or uninstall a maintenance pack for a Feature Pack . The link is to the UpdateInstaller MustGather, which explains what materials you need to gather for UpdateInstaller issues with Feature Pack maintenance packs. This assumes that the Feature Pack has been successfully installed. If the Feature Pack is not installed yet, then skip this section.
MustGather: Maintenance problems for WebSphere Application Server Update Installer (Fix Packs and Interim Fixes)
Additional information
Hints for locating install_root
References to install_root in this article are used to indicate the base installation directory into which WebSphere Application Server is installed. For example, these are the default directories for installation on supported operating systems:
- AIX: /usr/IBM/WebSphere/AppServer
- HP-UX, Linux, or Solaris: /opt/IBM/WebSphere/AppServer
- Windows: c:\Program Files\IBM\WebSphere\AppServer
How to locate the .nifregistry file
The .nifregistry file helps WebSphere Application Server utilities locate the WebSphere Application Server V6.1 and V7.0 installations present on a system. The file is located outside the directory to which the product is installed, and the location can vary depending on whether the product was installed as a root user or a non-root user.
If the product is being installed as the root user (or an administrative user on Windows), then the .nifregistry file is located in a specific place. (If you are installing as non-root (non-administrator), then skip to the next item.)
- Linux, HP-UX, and Solaris:
/opt/.ibm/.nif/.nifregistry
- Windows:
In the main Windows directory;
typically C:\Windows\.nifregistry
- AIX:
/usr/.ibm/.nif/.nifregistry
Look for a subdirectory named .nif under the user's home directory. The .nifregistry file is located in that directory.
Hints for locating the system temporary directory
If the installation fails to start up, or if it crashes, logs for V6.1 may be written to a directory called niflogs and under the system temp directory. Here are some hints for locating the system temporary directory:
- For AIX, Linux, HP-UX, and Solaris:
The system temporary directory is typically /tmp or /var/tmp.
- For Windows:
The system temporary directory is typically the following:
C:\Documents and Settings\user_name\Local Settings\temp
You may be able to locate the system temporary directory by entering %temp% into the address bar of a File Explorer window.
Hints for locating the current user's home directory
If the installation fails to start up, logs for V6.1 and V7.0 may be written to a directory called waslogs under the system temp directory. Also, when the product is installed as a non-root user, the .nifregistry file can be placed in a subdirectory in the user's home directory. Here are some hints for locating the user's home directory:
- For AIX, Linux, HP-UX, and Solaris:
The user home directory can usually be accessed by changing to a directory named " ~ " (tilde character) on those operating systems. For example, cd ~
- For Windows:
The user home directory is typically the following:
C:\Documents and Settings\user_name
Where user_name represents the name of the account logged on to the system.
You can sometimes access the current user's home directory directly by entering %userroot% into a File Explorer address bar.
Related Information
[{"Product":{"code":"SSEQTP","label":"WebSphere Application Server"},"Business Unit":{"code":"BU053","label":"Cloud & Data Platform"},"Component":"Install","Platform":[{"code":"PF002","label":"AIX"},{"code":"PF010","label":"HP-UX"},{"code":"PF016","label":"Linux"},{"code":"PF027","label":"Solaris"},{"code":"PF033","label":"Windows"}],"Version":"7.0;6.1","Edition":"Base;Feature Pack for EJB 3.0;Feature Pack for SCA;Feature Pack for Web 2.0;Feature Pack for Web Services;Network Deployment","Line of Business":{"code":"LOB45","label":"Automation"}}]
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Document Information
Modified date:
15 June 2018
UID
swg21368293