Hi Community, here's my instructions for installing OpenVPMS with basically any version of Linux and IBM WebSphere Application Server Community Edition (IMHO, the best zero acquisition cost JEE application server out there).

Prerequisites

1) Ubuntu 8.04 LTS

2) WAS CE 2.1

3) mysql Connector/J 5.1

4) mysql server 5.0

Steps:

1) Install Ubuntu

1a) I installed Ubuntu using the defaults

2) Install mysql

2a) I assume that you know the root password or have access to sduo

2b) Install mysql using "sudo aptitude mysql-server"

3) Install IBM WAS CE

3a) Install the IBM WAS CE pre-reqs as listed in the IBM WAS CE install guide.

3b) Install IBM SDK.   You can install using SDK5 or SDK6.  Both will work.   Personally, I use the latest which is SDK6.

3c) Install IBM WAS CE.   Read the IBM WAS CE install guide.

4) Install mysql Connector/J

4a) Download and copy the mysql connector/j jar file to <java_home>/jre/lib/ext.   This will allow you to skip manually modifying your classpath in your shell.

5) Install OpenVPMS

5a) Install the OpenVPMS database schema.

mysql -u root -p

mysql> source createdb.sql;

mysql> use openvpms;

mysql> source db.sql;

mysql> quit;

5b) Load default OpenVPMS data

./dataload.sh setup

5c) Start WAS CE by typing <was_ce_home>/bin/startup.sh

5d) Using WAS CE Console (http://localhost:8080/console), install the WAR file (applications -> install new app)

5e) Bonus: Configure the mysql database connection pool in IBM WAS CE.  This will allow you to execute database commands from the console along with some nifty features.

6) Start using OpenVPMS

6a) Go to http://localhost:8080/openvpms and login with username/password of admin/admin

Observations:

1) I found that Ubuntu and IBM WebSphere Application Server Community Edition (WAS CE) was easier to install and configure than Ubuntu and Apache Tomcat.

2) You can only use JDK5 with Apache Tomcat and OpenVPMS.  If you try with JDK6 with Apache Tomcat, you get an Apache Xerces error.   What is also interesting is that IBM's JDK (both version 5 or 6) don't give this error with OpenVPMS.

3) Don't know if there is an easy way to switch the direct JDBC connection to a JNDI database pool XA connection.  Anyone care to comment?

4) I did this all on vmware with no problems.  My only hung up was that I had to have some additional Ubuntu packages (kernel sources, C compiler, etc) installed to compile and install VMWare Tools.

5) Running an appserver may have a port conflict (not usually on Linux but on Windows).  Go to <was_home>/var/conf/config-substitutions.properties and change the portoffset=0 to portoffset=10

6) the script dataload.sh has a error.  should say ./setenv.sh not ". setenv.sh". I'd fix it but I don't think I have an username/password to svn to fix it.

7) dataload.sh requires JDK 5 environment (Sun or IBM).   In fact, it's the only time I really need JDK 5.   I guess the happy path is to use IBM JDK 5.

8) Haven't tried the OpenOffice or ireport yet.

--

Albert T. Wong

http://alberttwong.com