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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.
Creating an WebSphere Commerce instance
After you install all the necessary software, you can create a WebSphere Commerce instance.
Preparing to create a WebSphere Commerce instance
Before you create your WebSphere Commerce instance, review the information in the following topics and take any necessary steps to prepare your system.

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.
      - 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.
        Preparing to create a WebSphere Commerce instance
        Before you create your WebSphere Commerce instance, review the information in the following topics and take any necessary steps to prepare your system.
        Installing the Configuration Manager client
        In some cases, you must install the Remote WebSphere Commerce Management Utilities before you create or modify a WebSphere Commerce instance with Configuration Manager.
        Verifying the remote Configuration Manager client level
        The Configuration Manager client and the Configuration Manager must be at the same level. If you applied any WebSphere Commerce fix packs on the WebSphere Commerce node, you must apply the same or corresponding fix pack level to the Configuration Manager client node.
        Database considerations during WebSphere Commerce instance creation
        Three aspects need to be considered for setting up the database portion of a WebSphere Commerce instance.
        Creating an instance by using the Configuration Manager
        Every WebSphere Commerce installation requires at least one instance to function. Create an instance, and then create and deploy stores to your WebSphere Commerce server.
        Creating a WebSphere Commerce instance silently
        Creating the WebSphere Commerce instance silently is a two-step process that involves preparing the createInstance.properties file, and then running the instance creation command.
        Verifying instance creation
        You can verify the creation of an instance by confirming the creation of instance-specific XML files and logs. Check these files to ensure that your instance was created successfully.
        Testing multiple instances
        Complete the following procedure to test both your original and new instances.
        Configuring servers after instance creation
        After you create your WebSphere Commerce instance, perform the following tasks as needed for your topology.
        Deploying the WebSphere Commerce Search server
        Deploy the WebSphere Commerce Search server. For WebSphere Commerce to function properly, you need to configure the search server.
    - 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

Preparing to create a WebSphere Commerce instance

Before you create your WebSphere Commerce instance, review the information in the following topics and take any necessary steps to prepare your system.

If you want to use the Configuration Manager GUI, and you also want to run the client on a separate machine, install the Configuration Manager client, and verify the remote Configuration Manager client level. Usually, users run the client on WebSphere Commerce server, since that is where it is installed. If you choose to use a different host, then you need to complete the steps in the following topics,

For IBM i OS operating system If you want to use the Configuration Manager GUI to create the instance, install the Configuration Manager client, and verify the remote Configuration Manager client level. On IBM i, the only way to use the Configuration Manager GUI is to run it on a remote machine. If you want to create the instance silently instead of using the Configuration Manager GUI, see Creating a WebSphere Commerce instance silently.