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Details concerning whether IBM HTTP Server V7.0 is 32-bit or 64-bit, and whether it should be updated with a 32-bit or 64-bit fix pack

Question & Answer


Question

This article explains in-depth details which help answer questions about the 32-bit and 64-bit fix packs available to IBM HTTP Server V7.0. How do I know if the IBM HTTP Server V7.0 product is a 32-bit product or 64-bit product? Should I use a 32-bit fix pack or 64-bit fix pack to update the product?

Cause

IBM HTTP Server V7.0 is offered as 32-bit software for most supported operating systems and processor architectures. Due to the way IBM HTTP Server V7.0 and other software are bundled together, many 32-bit offerings of IBM HTTP Server V7.0 are included on installation images that show "64-bit Supplements" on the label.

The 32-bit IBM HTTP Server V7.0 product installed from a "64-bit Supplements" installation image is functionally very similar to the 32-bit IBM HTTP Server V7.0 product installed from a "32-bit Supplements" installation image. Despite the similarity, these products are updated using different Fix Packs.

This article aims to explain how to determine whether the product is 32-bit or 64-bit, and clarify which Fix Packs should be used to update these products.

If you need immediate answers, a condensed version of this article is available in technote 1397054.

Proceed to the section below to learn more. Each of the items mentioned above are explained in greater detail below. Or, use these links to jump to specific information.

Answer







Offerings of IBM HTTP Server V7.0: Which are 32-bit and 64-bit?



IBM HTTP Server V7.0 is bundled with the WebSphere Application Server product. WebSphere Application Server V7.0 is available in both a 32-bit and a 64-bit edition for most supported operating systems and processor architectures. IBM HTTP Server V7.0 is included on the first "Supplemental" installation image that is associated with WebSphere Application Server V7.0.

The 64-bit edition of WebSphere Application Server V7.0 is shipped on the first of two Supplemental installation images labelled "64-bit". Some, but not all, of the software included on those Supplemental installation images is 64-bit software. The 32-bit edition of WebSphere Application Server V7.0 is shipped with a Supplemental installation image labeled "32-bit". (In some cases, the "bits" may not be mentioned on the label if it is "32-bit"). All of the software included on the 32-bit Supplemental installation image is 32-bit software.

The edition of IBM HTTP Server V7.0 included on the 64-bit Supplemental installation image is not necessarily 64-bit software. Most offerings of IBM HTTP Server V7.0 are 32-bit software. It is best to point out that the 64-bit Supplements do also contain 32-bit Plug-in binaries as well.

Only two offerings of IBM HTTP Server V7.0 on distributed platforms are 64-bit software. Those offerings are for Solaris x64 and HP-UX for Itanium® processors. All other IBM HTTP Server V7.0 distributed offerings are 32-bit software. (Note that a non-distributed offering, IBM HTTP Server V7.0 for z/OS, runs in 64-bit mode. However, this technote will focus on the distributed offerings.)






How to determine whether IBM HTTP Server V7.0 product is 32-bit or 64-bit



The information listed in the section above explains this, since it is possible to determine whether IBM HTTP Server is 32-bit or 64-bit just by knowing the operating system and processor architecture. It is also possible to demonstrate whether IBM HTTP Server V7.0 is 32-bit or 64-bit once the product has been installed. This is important to know because it determines the type of Java SDK fix pack to install.

For UNIX®- and Linux®-based systems, navigate to the "bin" subdirectory of the installation directory of IBM HTTP Server. Execute the following command:

./apachectl -V

Note: The "V" is capitalized.

For Windows®-based systems, in a command-prompt session, navigate to the "bin" subdirectory of the installation directory of IBM HTTP Server. Run the following command:

apache.exe -V

Note: The "V" is capitalized.)

Several lines of information are listed when running the HTTP server process with "-V". Look at the first few lines of information, which will identify the bit-depth. For example, the output might look like this for 32-bit IBM HTTP Server:

Server version: IBM_HTTP_Server/7.0.0.0 (Unix)
Apache version: 2.2.8 (with additional fixes)
Server built:   Aug  6 2008 17:10:22
Build level:    IHS70/webIHS0831.03
Server's Module Magic Number: 20051115:11
Server loaded:  APR 1.2.12, APR-Util 1.2.12
Compiled using: APR 1.2.12, APR-Util 1.2.12
Architecture:   32-bit




How to determine whether the product was installed from the 32-bit or 64-bit Supplemental install image



The most direct way to determine whether the product was installed from the 32-bit or 64-bit Supplemental installation image is to review the version.txt file in the uninstall subdirectory of the IBM HTTP Server V7.0 product. This is important to know because it determines the type of HTTP Server fix pack to install.

If the "architecture" information indicates a 64-bit architecture, then IBM HTTP Server was installed from the 64-bit Supplemental image. This means that it should be updated with a 64-bit HTTP Server Fix Pack. Note that this does not necessarily mean that the product runs in 64-bit mode. Refer to the previous question for details about how to determine whether the product runs in 32-bit mode or 64-bit mode.

The examples below illustrate how to determine this information. These examples are taken from a Linux operating system using Intel / AMD hardware.

IBM HTTP Server (32-bit) installed from the 32-bit Supplemental install image shows the following in the version.txt file:

Name:           IBM Common Install Engine ...
Version:        7.0.0.0
Platform:       linux
Architecture:   ia32
Build Release:  WAS70.IWAS
Build Level:    sup0833.39
Build Date:     08/20/2008

IBM HTTP Server (32-bit) installed from the 64-bit Supplemental install image shows the following in the version.txt file:

Name:           IBM Common Install Engine ...
Version:        7.0.0.0
Platform:       linux
Architecture:   x86_64
Build Release:  WAS70.IWAS
Build Level:    sup0833.39
Build Date:     08/20/2008




Should you install a 32-bit or 64-bit IBM HTTP Server V7.0 Fix Pack?



If the IBM HTTP Server V7.0 product was installed from the 32-bit Supplemental installation image, then install a 32-bit HTTP Server Fix Pack.

If the IBM HTTP Server V7.0 product was installed from the 64-bit Supplemental installation image, then install a 64-bit HTTP Server Fix Pack.

As discussed earlier, the version.txt file in the uninstall subdirectory will tell you which Supplemental image was used.

For reasons described below, sometimes the information printed by the "versionInfo" command is misleading. It is best to use the version.txt file to determine the fix pack, instead of relying on the output of the versionInfo command.

This question focuses on the IBM HTTP Server V7.0 fix packs. For information about installing a Java SDK Fix Pack on IBM HTTP Server V7.0, see the next topic.




Should you install a 32-bit or 64-bit Java SDK V7.0 fix pack?



If IBM HTTP Server V7.0 runs in 32-bit mode, then install a 32-bit Java SDK Fix Pack. (If the operating system is Linux for zSeries, see the special note below.)

If IBM HTTP Server V7.0 runs in 64-bit mode, then install a 64-bit Java SDK Fix Pack.

As discussed earlier, the "apachectl -V" or "apache.exe -V" command indicates whether the HTTP Server product is 32-bit or 64-bit.

If you are installing Fix Pack 5 (V7.0.0.5) or earlier, you will need to use special steps to allow the Update Installer to properly install a 32-bit Java SDK Fix Pack on a product installed from the 64-bit Supplemental install image. You can avoid this issue by installing Fix Pack 7 (V7.0.0.7) or later.

Note that it is possible that the product should be updated with a 64-bit HTTP Server Fix Pack and a 32-bit Java SDK Fix Pack.

If you are in doubt of which fix pack you should install, download both the 32-bit and 64-bit SDK Fix Packs. Be sure to download SDK Fix Pack 7 or later. Put both Fix Packs in the same directory. Then, use the UpdateInstaller wizard and select the directory which contains those fix packs. The UpdateInstaller will choose the correct Fix Pack by default, and it will block you from installing the incorrect fix pack.

Special exception for Linux on zSeries systems
There is an exception to this rule: IBM HTTP Server V7.0 for Linux on zSeries which is installed from the 64-bit Supplemental install image uses a 64-bit Java SDK Fix Pack, instead of a 32-bit Java SDK like the other Linux architectures. So, for Linux on zSeries only, if the "version.txt" file in the "uninstall" subdirectory indicates "s390_64", then install a 64-bit HTTP Server Fix Pack as well as 64-bit Java SDK Fix Pack.




Matching an offering of IBM HTTP Server V7.0 to a WebSphere V7.0 Plug-in



When IBM HTTP Server V7.0 is configured to load a WebSphere V7.0 Plug-in, the bit-depth of the Plug-in must match the bit-depth of the HTTP server.

This means that a 32-bit IBM HTTP Server must use a 32-bit WebSphere Plug-in. This is true for 32-bit IBM HTTP Server V7.0 offerings which were installed from the 32-bit or 64-bit Supplemental installation image. Most offerings of IBM HTTP Server V7.0 are 32-bit, so most IBM HTTP Server V7.0 software uses a 32-bit plug-in.

The 64-bit offering of IBM HTTP Server V7.0 must use a 64-bit WebSphere Plug-in.

The 32-bit Supplemental installation image will install a 32-bit edition of the WebSphere Plug-in. The "bin" directory of the Plug-in installation contains a 32-bit Plug-in.

On HP-UX, Linux, Solaris, and Windows, the 64-bit Supplemental installation image will install 64-bit and 32-bit WebSphere Plug-in files. The different plug-ins in this offering are separated into subdirectories named "32bits" and "64bits". The "versionInfo" command for the plugin will indicate that the plugin product is 64-bit.

On AIX, the 64-bit Supplemental installation image will install only a 32-bit set of WebSphere Plug-in files. The reason for this is because there are no 64-bit web servers which are currently supported on AIX with WebSphere Application Server. As a result, no 64-bit plugin files are needed. The "versionInfo" command for the plugin will indicate that the product is 32-bit ("PPC32"), despite the fact that it was installed from the 64-bit supplemental image. (This product should still be updated with a 64-bit Plugin fix pack for AIX.)




Is 32-bit IBM HTTP Server V7.0 compatible with 64-bit WebSphere Application Server V7.0?



Yes, the 32-bit offering of IBM HTTP Server V7.0 (which uses the 32-bit WebSphere V7.0 Plug-in) is compatible with 64-bit WebSphere Application Server.





What is the relationship between IBM HTTP Server and Java? Is it necessary to update the Java SDK included with the HTTP Server?



The HTTP server process (such as "apachectl" or "apache.exe") of IBM HTTP Server does not use Java. Java and the HTTP Server process do not interact directly. Java is used by separate utilities which support IBM HTTP Server, such as "ikeyman" and "versionInfo".

The bit-depth of Java SDK does not necessarily have to match the bit-depth of IBM HTTP Server. It is possible to use a 64-bit Java SDK with a 32-bit IBM HTTP Server product. Clients who are familiar with previous versions of the product might recall that some product installations were set up this way. However, IBM HTTP Server V7.0 is bundled such that the bit-depth of the Java SDK matches the bit-depth of the HTTP Server process. (The exception to this is IBM HTTP Server V7.0 for Linux on zSeries.)

You do not necessarily need to update the Java SDK included with the HTTP Server, because the Java SDK does not affect the performance of the HTTP Server process. Of course, IBM always recommends updating software components, but keep in mind that the HTTP Server process is not typically affected by the state of the Java SDK.




Does IBM plan to offer 64-bit IBM HTTP Server V7.0 on other operating systems and processor architectures?



There are currently no plans to offer IBM HTTP Server V7.0 as 64-bit on any other operating systems or architectures.

This statement applies only to IBM HTTP Server V7.0. Future releases of IBM HTTP Server might provide different offerings. Check the minimum prerequisite support page for other releases of IBM HTTP Server in question for details.

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Document Information

Modified date:
07 September 2022

UID

swg21396916