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Ant targets
A WebSphere Commerce instance can be created from the command line. The command-line utility uses Apache Ant to create the objects required. The targets are divided into several high-level groups that correspond to the environment that is to be configured.
Ant targets: Creating and configuring targets
You can create and configure, the database, the application server, the Web server, WebSphere Commerce, and workspaces using Ant targets.
CreateInstance
CreateInstance runs all instance creation actions such as database configuration, WebSphere Application Server configuration, Web server configuration, Content Management configuration, generating WebSphere Commerce instance-specific files and file permission settings.
ConfigureCommerceServer
The ConfigureCommerceServer executes steps to configure the WebSphere Application Server for the WebSphere Commerce instance. The target creates a profile, web server definition, virtual hosts, data source, and installs the WebSphere Commerce enterprise application. Finally, the web server plug-in configuration file is generated.
CreateVirtualHosts
CreateVirtualHosts creates all virtual hosts (and host aliases per virtual host) for mappings to the WebSphere Commerce Web modules. CreateVirtualHosts can be run multiple times.

Reference
- WebSphere Commerce API reference
  WebSphere Commerce exposes two main programming APIs. The first and newest API is a REST interface, and most new classes are exposed here. The legacy Java API also contains new classes not suitable for REST, and can be browsed in Javadoc format.
- Cross-reference of data beans, EJB beans, and tables
  Data beans are grouped into several component groups.
- Cross-reference of commands, tasks, and tables
  URL commands, controller commands, task commands, view commands and tables are related to each other.
- Cross reference: Commands to beans to database tables
  Use this information when you are customizing a command and you want to know which tables are affected. You should also use this topic if you are modifying a table and want to know which commands and beans are affected.
- API changes between WebSphere Commerce Version 7.0.0.9 and WebSphere Commerce Version 8.0.0.0
  If you are migrating version 7.0 of WebSphere Commerce, review the API changes between releases.
- WebSphere Commerce database schema
  The WebSphere Commerce database model was designed for data integrity and optimal performance. WebSphere Commerce provides several hundred tables that store WebSphere Commerce instance data. To maintain data integrity, and to ease maintenance referential integrity, constraints are widely used in the database model. Indexes are used carefully on tables to avoid over-indexing and to provide a good balance between data retrieval and data manipulation activities (insert and update). The business rules are implemented at the application level rather than by using database trigger. Triggers, however, are used to facilitate data staging and optimistic locking. A limited number of SQL-based database stored procedures are used for data intensive activities.
- Payments subsystem
  In WebSphere Commerce, payment processing uses the Payments subsystem.
- Dynamic caching
  In general, caching improves response time and reduces system load. Caching techniques are used to improve the performance of World Wide Web Internet applications. Most techniques cache static content (content that rarely changes) such as graphic and text files. However, many websites serve dynamic content, containing personalized information or data that changes more frequently. Caching dynamic content requires more sophisticated caching techniques, such as those provided by the WebSphere Application Server dynamic cache, a built-in service for caching and serving dynamic content.
- Data Load utility configuration file schema
  The Data Load utility contains several configuration files. You can use the configuration file schema to understand and customize the data load configuration files.
- WebSphere Commerce web services
  WebSphere Commerce provides many web services.
- Utilities
  Utilities help you to accomplish administrative or configuration tasks, for example, loading data, publishing a store.
- Shopping flow URLs
  WebSphere Commerce shopping flow URLs are organized by subsystem.
- Ant targets
  A WebSphere Commerce instance can be created from the command line. The command-line utility uses Apache Ant to create the objects required. The targets are divided into several high-level groups that correspond to the environment that is to be configured.
  - Ant targets: Creating and configuring targets
    You can create and configure, the database, the application server, the Web server, WebSphere Commerce, and workspaces using Ant targets.
    - Generating the createInstance.properties file
      The createInstance.properties file contains required parameters for the Ant targets. The file is used to create and configure instances; it must be available when these Ant targets are run. Use Configuration Manager to generate the file, then edit the file as necessary before running the Ant targets.
    - CreateInstance
      CreateInstance runs all instance creation actions such as database configuration, WebSphere Application Server configuration, Web server configuration, Content Management configuration, generating WebSphere Commerce instance-specific files and file permission settings.
      - PrepareDeployment
        PrepareDeployment performs various configuration actions, such as copying and updating the loader utility configuration files, before the instance is created.
      - PrepareEAR
        PrepareEAR prepares the instance-specific temporary WebSphere Commerce EAR to be deployed.
      - ConfigureDatabase
        ConfigureDatabase creates a database with schema, and populates the schema with the WebSphere Commerce bootstrap data.
      - ConfigureCommerceServer
        The ConfigureCommerceServer executes steps to configure the WebSphere Application Server for the WebSphere Commerce instance. The target creates a profile, web server definition, virtual hosts, data source, and installs the WebSphere Commerce enterprise application. Finally, the web server plug-in configuration file is generated.
        CreateProfile
        CreateProfile creates a profile to host a WebSphere Commerce instance.
        SetProcessExecution
        SetProcessExecution sets the umask attribute of the application server on non-Windows platforms.
        StartWAS
        All WebSphere Application Server configuration actions require that the WebSphere Application Server administrative server (server1) is running. StartWAS starts the WebSphere Application Server administrative server.
        CreateWebServerDefinition
        CreateWebServerDefinition creates a Web server definition on the WebSphere Application Server node for Web module bindings and Web server plug-in configurations.
        ModifyPluginCfgFileLocation
        ModifyPluginCfgFileLocation updates the plugin-cfg.xml file path in the Web server definition.
        ModifyHttpLogLocation
        ModifyHttpLogLocation updates the access_log and error_log file paths in the Web server plug-in configuration file for IBM HTTP Server only.
        CheckWASServerStarted
        CheckWASServerStarted checks if the WebSphere Application Server admin server process (server1) is running.
        SetServerProperties
        SetServerProperties sets the application server properties such as JVM properties, custom properties, and dynamic cache properties for the WebSphere Commerce instance. You might use SetServerProperties to reset or recover the application server properties.
        CreateVirtualHosts
        CreateVirtualHosts creates all virtual hosts (and host aliases per virtual host) for mappings to the WebSphere Commerce Web modules. CreateVirtualHosts can be run multiple times.
        CreateJaasAuthData
        CreateJaasAuthData creates the JAAS Authentication Data for the WebSphere Commerce data source. This JAAS Authentication Data object contains the WebSphere Commerce database user ID and password.
        CreateJDBCProvider
        CreateJDBCProvider creates the WebSphere Commerce instance's JDBC provider in the application server scope (server1).
        CreateDataSourceV5
        CreateDataSourceV5 creates the WebSphere Commerce data source that is associated with the JDBC provider. The data source is used by WebSphere Commerce to connect to the database.
        PrepareEAR
        PrepareEAR prepares the instance-specific temporary WebSphere Commerce EAR to be deployed.
        PrimeInstanceXmlInTempEAR
        PrimeInstanceXmlInTempEAR inserts the instance configuration XML file into the deployable WebSphere Commerce EAR.
        InstallEAR
        InstallEAR installs the installable EAR into the profile's application server (server1) and maps all EJB modules to the data sources that CreateDataSourceV5 Ant target creates. The CreateVirtualHosts Ant target creates the virtual hosts which InstallEAR maps to the virtual hosts.
        SetEARProperties
        SetEARProperties sets the Java EE Connector architecture Connection Factory for the resource adapters and application classloader.
        RegeneratePlugin
        RegeneratePlugin regenerates the Web server plug-in configuration file (plugin-cfg.xml) for the Web server definition. This target regenerates the Web server plug-in configuration file when there is a change in the virtual host settings. This target must be run for any changes to the virtual host configurations.
        AddWASService
        AddWASService adds the WebSphere Commerce application server into the Windows services list. The name of the service is "IBM WebSphere Application Server V7 - WC_instance_name".
        CreateHTTPService
        If you are using a local IBM HTTP Server, the instance creation process creates a Windows service to start and stop the IBM HTTP Server configuration that is associated with that instance. CreateHTTPService creates the service that starts and stops the IBM HTTP Server configuration.
      - ConfigureWorkspaceComponent
        ConfigureWorkspaceComponent is used to configure the workspaces
      - RegisterInstance
        RegisterInstance generates the master instance configuration XML file and registers the instance into the Configuration Manager tool. RegisterInstance can be used to regenerate the master instance configuration XML file based on the property values in the Ant properties file.
      - ConfigureWebServer
        ConfigureWebServer supports IBM HTTP Server. ConfigureWebServer can also reconfigure the Web server to restore the initial configuration.
      - PostInstanceCreation
        PostInstanceCreation performs various post instance creation configuration actions such as setting file permissions on WebSphere Commerce files.
      - StopWAS
        StopWAS stops the WebSphere Application Server administrative server (server1) of the WebSphere Commerce instance.
    - ReconfigureCell
      ReconfigureCell reconfigures the WebSphere Commerce instance into a new cell. ReconfigureCell regenerates the virtual hosts, WAR module bindings, Web server definition and the Web server plugin configuration file.
    - UpdateEAR
      The UpdateEAR target uses a partial application (.zip) or instance configuration file (XML) to update the deployed WebSphere Commerce enterprise application.
  - Ant targets: Removing configuration targets
    You can remove the WebSphere Commerce instance and the WebSphere Commerce Server using Ant targets.
  - Changing config_ant utility password properties file
    Add passwords to a properties file so that you can hide passwords from the command prompt when you run the config_ant utility.
- Glossary

Ant target: CreateVirtualHosts

CreateVirtualHosts creates all virtual hosts (and host aliases per virtual host) for mappings to the WebSphere Commerce Web modules. CreateVirtualHosts can be run multiple times.

Important: This Ant target is to be used only as a part of WebSphere Commerce instance creation.

Called by

Prerequisites

The Administrative server must be running to run the ConfigureCommerceServer target and any subtargets.
The createInstance.properties file must exist for this Ant target to work. For information about generating the properties file, see Ant targets.

Required parameters

instance_name: The name of the WebSphere Commerce instance with which you are working (for example, demo).

Example

WC_installdir/bin/config_ant.sh -DinstanceName=instance_name CreateVirtualHosts
WC_installdir/bin/config_ant.bat -DinstanceName=instance_name CreateVirtualHosts