Using the Customization Dialog to configure WebSphere Portal using WebSphere Application Server

Customization is the process during which you make your installed IBM® WebSphere® Portal code work for you. This topic outlines the steps you follow to configure your WebSphere Portal using the Customization Dialog. Some of these tasks are completed during installation, as directed in the documentation, and other tasks are completed later when configuring the portal.

Before you begin

Before you begin to use the WebSphere Portal Customization Dialog, it is important that you read the section Tips for using the Customization Dialog. This provides valuable information which is essential to help prevent you having difficulty when customizing your portal.
Note: You have several tools on your system that you can use to determine or verify this information. Those tools include z/OS and TSO commands, ISPF, SDSF, and other tools such as MXI.
Important: In order to use the Customization Dialog, you must know or be able to find the system characteristics for the system on which WebSphere Portal will run.

About this task

Complete the following steps to use the Customization Dialog to configure your WebSphere Portal:
  1. Using the Customization Dialog
    Customizing IBM WebSphere Portal is performed using the Customization Dialog. It is an ISPF Dialog that eliminates the need to tailor sample jobs supplied with the product. Through a series of panels, you choose options and define variables. The Customization Dialog tailors the WebSphere Portal customization jobs for your variables. It provides a custom set of instructions for you to follow to run the associated tailored jobs to complete the product customization. The Customization Dialog is intended for the system programmer or administrator responsible for installing and customizing WebSphere Portal.
  2. Starting the Customization Dialog
    This topic explains how to start the Customization Dialog, which is used to customize your IBM WebSphere Portal environment.
  3. Allocating the target data sets
    This section tells you how to complete the Allocate target data sets option that is in all of the main tasks you can perform.
  4. Defining variables
    This section describes how to complete the "Define variables" option that is in all of the main tasks.
  5. Saving the customization variables
    This topic provides information on saving the customization variables after you define variables in the Customization Dialog panels. When loading and saving variables it is important that you only ever load and save variables that apply to the node you are working on. For example, when saving variables that apply to the portal customization for the primary node in a cluster, make sure you save variables to a data set whose name indicates that it is a primary node. For example, when saving the variables you used to configure the base portal into the primary node, A, of an network deployment configuration, you might save to hlq.nodea.SAVECFG. Then when saving variables for configuring the base Portal into the secondary node, B, you might save to hlq.nodeb.SAVECFG.
  6. Generating customization jobs
    This topic provides information on generating the customization jobs after you define variables in the Customization Dialog panels.
  7. Viewing and following the generated customization instructions
    This topic provides information on viewing and following the customization jobs that you created after defining variables in the Customization Dialog panels.
  8. Loading customization variables
    This section tells you how to complete the "Load customization variables" option that is on all of the main configuration tasks. If you save your variables, you can follow these instructions to reload those variables. When loading and saving variables it is important that you only ever load and save variables that apply to the node you are working on. For example, when customizing the secondary node, do not load the variables from the primary node. Instead load the last variables you saved for configuring the secondary node. These are usually the variables you saved when configuring the application server on the secondary node. You can also load the variables used to federate the secondary node.
  • Parent topic: Installing on z/OS