Installing Mobile Foundation Server with Ant tasks - FAQs

This blog will provide you quick and handy information on installing Mobile Foundation (MF) server components using ANT Tasks.

As a pre-requisite, you must have installed the MF server using IBM Installation (IM) manager.

Why should I use the ANT tasks

• Installing MF server using IM, will only copy the MF artifacts on your machine.

• The ANT tasks will help you to create the required data structure on your database to store the MF related data.

• The ANT tasks will also help you to apply the MF components on to your Application Server.

• Configuring the database and deploying the MF components can be done either by using the Server Configuration Tool (SCT) or the ANT tasks.

When to use ANT tasks

• The SCT is a eclipse based product and has a Graphical User Interface (GUI). You can use the ANT tasks if your operating system does not have a GUI by default.

• The SCT is supported only on the Operating Systems(OS) listed here. You may use the ANT tasks if your OS does not support SCT.

• You may use ANT tasks when the configurations has to be done with no user interaction (Eg. Automating the tasks).

• Use ANT tasks if you are configuring MF server on multiple machines at once and you want the same configuration settings.

Where can I find the ANT tasks

• You can find the ANT tasks under MF server installation directory.

• You don’t have to explicitly download and install ANT. The tool is deployed as a part of MF installer and can be found at /MobileFirst_Platform_Server_install_directory/tools/apache-ant-(version_num).

• You can install, update and uninstall the MF server using the same ANT tasks.

• ANT tasks w.r.t. MF server components can be found at - /MobileFirst_Platform_Server_install_directory/MobileFirstServer/configuration-samples.

• ANT tasks w.r.t. MF Analytics can be found at - /MobileFirst_Platform_Server_install_directory/Analytics/configuration-samples.

• ANT tasks w.r.t. MF Application Center can be found at - /MobileFirst_Platform_Server_install_directory/ApplicationCenter/configuration-samples.

• You can also create a configuration with the Server Configuration Tool and export the Ant files by using File → Export Configuration as Ant Files….

How to use them

• ANT tasks are written in XML format and their structure varies.

• ANT task templates specific to a Database and Application server are provided. Pick an ANT task specific to your environment.

• Review the in-line comments in the ANT tasks before entering the required properties.

• Run the command to configure the databases: /MobileFirst_Platform_Server_install_directory/shortcuts/ant -f your_ant_file databases.

• Run the command to install the MF components on to the Application Server : /MobileFirst_Platform_Server_install_directory/shortcuts/ant -f your_ant_file install.

• Run the command to update the MF components on to the Application Server : /MobileFirst_Platform_Server_install_directory/shortcuts/ant -f your_ant_file update.

• After the installation, make a copy of the Ant file so that you can reuse it to apply a fix pack.

References

• You may refer the edited ANT tasks for reference here.

• You may also specify extra JNDI properties.

• Refer here for detailed information on Installing using ANT tasks.