13 Prerequisites for Installing Community-Gadgets

This chapter provides prerequisites for installing Community-Gadgets and lists the path and directory naming conventions used in this guide.

This chapter contains the following sections:

13.1 Before Installing Community-Gadgets

Before installing Community-Gadgets, complete the prerequisite steps in this section.

This section contains the following steps:

13.1.1 Prerequisites for All Installations

  • Installing Community-Gadgets requires expertise with WebCenter Sites, the WEM Framework, application servers, and the process of installing and configuring enterprise-level software.

  • Review the Oracle WebCenter Sites Certification Matrix and Community-Gadgets release notes for the latest information about supported platforms for Community-Gadgets and installation procedures.

  • Read this guide to determine your installation options:

    • Community-Gadgets can be installed to work with either its native identity provider (the database used by the WEM Framework) or an LDAP identity provider.

    • Community-Gadgets can be installed via the graphical installer or silent installer.

    • Community-Gadgets can be installed as a single node or in a cluster.

    • All mention of the Central Authentication Service (CAS) application on the production (delivery) server refers to Visitors CAS. Optionally, WebCenter Sites on the management and production systems can be integrated with Oracle Access Manager (OAM).

  • Ensure that Community-Gadgets has a dedicated application server for each management node and each production node.

    Note:

    Installing Community-Gadgets on a single application server is not supported.

  • Community-Gadgets requires JDK 1.6 or a later version. Ensure that the JAVA_HOME environment variable is set to the path of JDK 1.6 or a later version which is listed in the Oracle WebCenter Sites Certification Matrix.

    Note:

    On Unix/Linux/Solaris platforms, add the following JVM parameter to each Community-Gadgets application server if X Server is not present or is not configured correctly: -Djava.awt.headless=true

  • If you are using a read-only LDAP, then create the following role for Community-Gadgets:

    • Role: Moderator

    • Description: Site Moderator

    Other roles (such as GeneralAdmin, SiteAdmin, and Designer) used by Community-Gadgets exist in WebCenter Sites by default.

  • Ensure that you have a fully functional WebCenter Sites environment, consisting of a content management system and a production (delivery) system where WebCenter Sites is integrated with CAS or OAM.

    Note:

    After installing Community-Gadgets, you will configure Community-Gadgets to use the same CAS or OAM to communicate with WebCenter Sites.

  • Prepare your WebCenter Sites systems to host the Community WEM application and the Gadgets WEM application:

    1. On the management WebCenter Sites, create or select the following content management sites:

      • <app_site>, to which you will assign the Community user interface and the Gadgets user interface once Community-Gadgets is installed. You can create or select multiple sites (Community user and Gadgets user interfaces can be assigned to any content management site and any number of sites).

      • <base_site>, to which you will assign the Gadgets Global Catalog interface, used to register gadgets for distribution to other content management sites. You will specify this site for Community-Gadgets during the Community-Gadgets installation process. Only one site can be chosen.

    2. Mirror publish the sites to the WebCenter Sites production system (before installing Community-Gadgets).

      Note:

      Identically named content management sites must be created to support communication between production Community-Gadgets and management Community-Gadgets through WebCenter Sites.

      For example:

      • On the management side, each <app_site> will be used to display the Community and Gadgets interfaces, where users can configure the appearance of widgets and gadgets, and set visitors' permissions to the widgets and gadgets. The same settings will also be applied on the production (delivery) side.

      • On the production (delivery) side, each <app_site> will be used to store visitor-generated content. On the management side, the same sites will display visitor-generated content in the Community interface for moderation and related tasks.

      Assigning the management Community WEM application or Gadgets WEM application to a site on the WebCenter Sites management system automatically assigns the production Community-Gadgets instance to the same site on the WebCenter Sites production system. Production Community-Gadgets can then communicate with the management Community-Gadgets.

  • On the WebCenter Sites production system, enable searches as follows: Start the Lucene search engine. Configure search indexing, using the steps in the Oracle Fusion Middleware WebCenter Sites Developer's Guide.

13.1.2 Prerequisites for Clustered Environments

If you are installing a clustered environment application, ensure you have the load balancer configured.

13.1.3 Prerequisites for LDAP Configuration

If you are using an LDAP identity provider, complete the steps below:

  1. Do one of the following:

    • If you wish to use a new LDAP server, install and configure a supported LDAP server.

    • If you are using an existing LDAP server, create a new Base dn to provide for Community-Gadgets visitors.

  2. Create an LDIF file and replace {ldap_basedn} with the value for your system. You can import multiple users by copying the # add user entry for each user.

    For example:

    dn: {ldap_basedn}
objectclass: dcObject
objectclass: organization
dc: oracle
description: OpenLDAP pre_cg_setup
o: Oracle Software

# add user
dn: cn=<user_name>,{ldap_basedn}
objectClass: inetOrgPerson
objectClass: top
userPassword: <user_password>
cn: <user_name>
sn: <user_name>
displayName: <user_name>
mail: <user_email>
description: <user_description>

13.2 Path and Directory Naming Conventions

Table 13-1 defines path and directory naming conventions used in Community-Gadgets installation procedures.

Table 13-1 Path and Directory Names Used in This Guide

Convention Description

<cg_install_dir>

Path to the directory where Community-Gadgets will be installed.

<WL_HOME>

Path to the directory where WebLogic is installed. The path includes the name of the directory.

<TC_HOME>

Path to the directory where Tomcat is installed. The path includes the name of the directory.

<WS_HOME>

Path to the directory where WebSphere is installed. The path includes the name of the directory.

<ServerA>

Represents server 'A' with unique host name and IP address.

<ServerB>

Represents server 'B' with unique host name and IP address.

<cgA_Mi>

Path to the application server on which management Community-Gadgets (including Shindig) will be deployed.

  • 'A' stands for the server on which the application server is installed (in this case, <ServerA>).

  • 'M' stands for management Community-Gadgets.

  • 'i' stands for the ith instance of management Community-Gadgets.

<cgB_Pi>

Path to the application server instance on which production Community-Gadgets (including Shindig and Visitors CAS) will be deployed.

  • 'B' stands for the server on which the application server is installed (in this case, <ServerB>).

  • 'P' stands for production Community-Gadgets.

  • 'i' stands for the ith instance of production Community-Gadgets.

<base_site>

The content management site, which will be used for the Gadgets Global Catalog interface. And for storing visitors profiles data.

It is specified as "Community-Gadgets application site" during the Community-Gadgets installation process on one of the installer screens.

Only one site can be chosen.

<app_site>

The content management site, which will be used for the Community user interface and the Gadgets user interface.

More than one site is supported.