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User Guide
The information contained in this section applies to WebSphere Commerce Version 8. The documentation also applies to all subsequent releases and modifications until otherwise indicated in a newer section.WebSphere Commerce is a single, unified e-commerce platform that offers the ability to do business directly with consumers (B2C), directly with businesses (B2B), and indirectly through channel partners (indirect business models). WebSphere Commerce is designed to be a customizable, scalable, and high availability solution that is built to leverage open standards. It provides easy-to-use tools for business users to centrally manage a cross-channel strategy. Business users can create and manage precision marketing campaigns, promotions, catalog, and merchandising across all sales channels.
Installing
Review the following sections for information about installing the WebSphere Commerce product, associated maintenance, and WebSphere Commerce enhancements.
Installing WebSphere Commerce
The following roadmap provides a guide to installing WebSphere Commerce.
Installing WebSphere Commerce on different operating systems
Each operating system has its own unique steps for installing WebSphere Commerce. Throughout the installation topics, there are tags that determine steps or notes that are specific to a platform.
Preparing for a WebSphere Commerce installation
Before you can install WebSphere Commerce, you must determine your site topology, install the necessary software stack, and perform the necessary system preparations.
Preparing database servers to use with WebSphere Commerce
Install and prepare your database for use with WebSphere Commerce. You must install the database before you can install WebSphere Commerce.
Using an Oracle database
If you want to use an Oracle Database, ensure that the Oracle Database is installed and configured properly before you install WebSphere Commerce.

User Guide
The information contained in this section applies to WebSphere Commerce Version 8. The documentation also applies to all subsequent releases and modifications until otherwise indicated in a newer section.WebSphere Commerce is a single, unified e-commerce platform that offers the ability to do business directly with consumers (B2C), directly with businesses (B2B), and indirectly through channel partners (indirect business models). WebSphere Commerce is designed to be a customizable, scalable, and high availability solution that is built to leverage open standards. It provides easy-to-use tools for business users to centrally manage a cross-channel strategy. Business users can create and manage precision marketing campaigns, promotions, catalog, and merchandising across all sales channels.
- Planning
  Creating a custom implementation of a WebSphere Commerce store requires a significant amount of planning. From gathering client needs, to deploying the live solution, much work is needed to successfully deploy a custom client store. Use the resources in here to help you plan every phase of store creation.
- Installing
  Review the following sections for information about installing the WebSphere Commerce product, associated maintenance, and WebSphere Commerce enhancements.
  - Downloading WebSphere Commerce media images
    To install WebSphere Commerce, you require the product package. Follow these steps to successfully download the required media.
  - Installing WebSphere Commerce Developer
    This section describes how to install and configure WebSphere Commerce Developer. WebSphere Commerce Developer is a test environment for developers or system administrators to develop stores and WebSphere Commerce application code.
  - Installing WebSphere Commerce
    The following roadmap provides a guide to installing WebSphere Commerce.
    - Planning to install WebSphere Commerce
      The following section provides information to help you plan your configuration of WebSphere Commerce.
    - Installing WebSphere Commerce on different operating systems
      Each operating system has its own unique steps for installing WebSphere Commerce. Throughout the installation topics, there are tags that determine steps or notes that are specific to a platform.
      - Preparing for a WebSphere Commerce installation
        Before you can install WebSphere Commerce, you must determine your site topology, install the necessary software stack, and perform the necessary system preparations.
        Preparing your systems to install WebSphere Commerce
        Before you start the WebSphere Commerce Installation wizard, complete the following checklist.
        Preparing database servers to use with WebSphere Commerce
        Install and prepare your database for use with WebSphere Commerce. You must install the database before you can install WebSphere Commerce.
        Using an IBM Db2 database
        If you want to use an IBM Db2 database, ensure that the database is installed and configured for use with WebSphere Commerce. If you want to use a remote database, then ensure that the Db2 client is installed before you install WebSphere Commerce.
        Using an Oracle database
        If you want to use an Oracle Database, ensure that the Oracle Database is installed and configured properly before you install WebSphere Commerce.
        Single-instance versus multi-instance environments
        WebSphere Commerce supports single-instance and multi-instance Oracle environments.
        Installing and configuring Oracle 12c database
        Use the following instructions to install and configure Oracle 12c for use with WebSphere Commerce.
        Using Oracle Real Application Clusters (RAC) with WebSphere Commerce
        WebSphere Commerce Version 8.0 supports Oracle RAC as the WebSphere Commerce database. Oracle RAC provides database tier workload balancing and failover features. With Oracle RAC, you can scale your database tier horizontally by using a number of computers, LPARs, or blade servers to distribute your query processing across multiple nodes.
        Upgrading to Oracle 12cR2
        If you are using an Oracle 12cR1 database, you can upgrade to an Oracle 12cR2 database and reconfigure your database settings in your WebSphere Commerce environment.
        Preparing application servers for use with WebSphere Commerce
        Install and prepare a 64-bit WebSphere Application Server Version 8.5.5.7 or later, for use with WebSphere Commerce. WebSphere Application Server must be installed before you can install WebSphere Commerce.
        Preparing web servers to use with WebSphere Commerce
        WebSphere Commerce supports several different Web servers. Depending on the web server different preparation steps are needed.
        User IDs required to complete the Installation wizard
        Prepare all of the user IDs required to complete your WebSphere Commerce installation.
      - Performing a WebSphere Commerce installation
        After you finish preparing your systems, you can proceed to install WebSphere Commerce.
      - Creating an WebSphere Commerce instance
        After you install all the necessary software, you can create a WebSphere Commerce instance.
    - Verifying a WebSphere Commerce installation
      After you install WebSphere Commerce, start the WebSphere Commerce server and the required components in a specific order.
    - Taking your first steps after a WebSphere Commerce installation
      After you install WebSphere Commerce, you can install other software, or you can perform advanced configuration.
    - Uninstalling WebSphere Commerce
      WebSphere Commerce and the software stack components must be uninstalled in the reverse order from which they were installed.
  - Installing or enabling other software
    The following software programs need extra installation or enablement steps if you want to use them with WebSphere Commerce.
  - Installing maintenance
    WebSphere Commerce updates include fixes to code or functionality through fix packs and include additions of new features or enhancements through mod packs.
- Migrating
  Before you migrate to WebSphere Commerce Version 8.0, review this information to help plan and execute your migration.
- Deploying
  The topics in this section describe how to publish stores to either a test or production environment, and how to deploy customized code.
- Operating
- Integrating
  Topics in the Integrating category highlight the tasks that are commonly performed for using WebSphere Commerce in combination with other products.
- Administering
- Tutorials
  WebSphere Commerce provides many tutorials to help you customize and understand your WebSphere Commerce instance and stores.
- Samples
- Developing
  The topics in the Developing section describe tasks performed by an application developer.
- Compliance
  The following section describes how you can leverage WebSphere Commerce features and functionality to help your site be compliant with different privacy and security standards.
- Securing
  These topics describe the security features of WebSphere Commerce and how to configure these features.
- Performance
- Troubleshooting

Using an Oracle database

If you want to use an Oracle Database, ensure that the Oracle Database is installed and configured properly before you install WebSphere Commerce.

Platform notice

WebSphere Commerce Version 8.0 supports the following versions of Oracle Database:

Single-instance environments:
- Oracle 12c Standard or Enterprise Edition Version 12.1.0.2.0 or higher Version 12.1 fix pack.
- Oracle 19c
Multi-instance environments:
- Oracle 12c Version 12.1 RAC database
- Oracle 19c

Important: Instance creation on WebSphere Commerce Version 8 is not supported with Oracle 19c, or Java 8. Therefore, to create an instance on WebSphere Commerce Version 8 with Oracle Database, ensure that you use an older version of Oracle Database with Java 7, on a version of WebSphere Commerce 8.0.4.25 or below.

For information about installing an Oracle database, see Oracle Database Online Documentation 12c Release 1 (12.1)