Using the uPortal Only Distribution
What is included?
The uPortal-only distribution is downloaded as a zip file which extracts to directory called uPortal_rel-2-1-3.zip . The directory contains the following...
docs- directory containing documentation about uPortal.src- directory hierarchy containing the source code for uPortal.lib- directory containing necessary jar files for the Java API's used by uPortal.webpages- hierarchy which contains stylesheets, image files, java servlet pages, and other necessary files for uPortal.properties- directory which contains properties and configuration files used by uPortal.
...and the following files
build.xml- build file for use by Ant.build.properies- properties file for use by Ant.
What do you need to know?
Use of this distribution requires knowledge of J2EE environments and the Ant tool from the Apache Jakarta project.
Requirements
- The Java Development Kit (JDK) version 1.3 or higher must be installed.
- JAVA_HOME environment variable must be set.
- The Jakarta-Ant build tool (version 1.5.3 or later).
- A web application environment such as Tomcat or IBM Websphere
- An SQL database such as HypersonicSQL, Oracle, or PostgreSQL
Setting up a Web Application Environment
The uPortal web application requires a web application enviroment such as Tomcat or IBM Webshere . If you already have a web application environment installed on a server, the uPortal context can just be deployed to that environment, otherwise you will have to install one. The build files for uPortal have been set up such that it can be easily deployed into Tomcat. The Jakarta-Tomcat servlet container can be downloaded from: http://jakarta.apache.org/tomcat/index.html . Version 4.1.24 is recommended.
Compiling and Deploying uPortal
Compiling and deploying uPortal is managed using the Jakarta Ant build environment. It is highly recommended that anyone implementing uPortal or developing channels become familiar with the Ant build tool. Documentation for Ant is available at Jakarta-Ant web site
For detailed instructions on how to compile and deploy uPortal go to the documentation page at:
Building uPortal.
Setting up A Database
The uPortal system can be deployed such that a database from several different vendors may be used. Installation and configuration information about databases can be found in the:
Database Installation and Configuration Document
Complete the Installation
Once you have compiled and deployed uPortal and setup a database for it to utilize, you still need to publish the channel fragments and internationalize the database. This can be done in one step by issuing the `ant initportal` command. Once this command completes without errors, your uPortal instance should be fully functional.
Database Installation and Configuration Document
Issues and known problems
JDK version issues
Some people have encountered problems starting up uPortal on systems with newer versions of the JDK. Typically it resultes in a NoClassDefFoundError exception. The solution is to recompile uPortal with the JDK which resides on the system. Go to the build directory (uPortal_rel-2-1-3) and type "ant deploy" to recompile uPortal.
Proxy/Firewall issues
If uPortal is installed on a system which requires a proxy server for access to remote web sites, the web application server will have to be configured to use the proxy server. Information on how to set up uPortal with a proxy server can be found in the following document:
Configuring uPortal to use a Proxy Server