Starting the Miniloan web application

To start the Miniloan application, which demonstrates this Getting started tutorial, you start a server and then view it with your browser.

The scenario of the Getting started tutorial is based on the fictitious web-based application of an online lender.

In this tutorial, you start from a version of this application that is hard-coded, and you replace its logic with business rules. By doing so, you discover all the steps required to develop, deploy, and maintain a rule-based application.

First, take a look at the Miniloan application in its initial state.

To start Miniloan:

On the Start menu, click All Programs > IBM > package_group > Sample Server > Start server.
package_group refers to the package group specified in IBM® Installation Manager during installation. The default package group is Operational Decision Manager V8.5.

Note: On Windows 7, if you have installed the product in the Program Files or Program Files (x86) directories, you must be an administrator to start the sample server. You can run the sample server as an administrator, or obtain write permissions on the Operational Decision Manager installation directory.
Wait until the server has started.
It can take a while for the server startup procedure to complete. The command window displays server trace messages as the server starts. A feedback message indicates when the server has started successfully:
```
[samples.echo] GBRPS0029I: start.server is completed.

BUILD SUCCESSFUL
Total time: 20 minutes 3 seconds
Press any key to continue . . .
```
If you encounter difficulties starting the sample server, see Using the sample server.
Enter the following URL with the correct port number in a browser:
http://localhost:<PORT>/miniloan-server

Important:
In the URLs to the Miniloan application and Rule Execution Server, you must replace <PORT> with the correct port number. The default port number for WebSphere® Application Server is 9080, but it can be different depending on your installation. For more information, see Checking the server port number.

The Miniloan application is displayed:

By default, the Miniloan application runs using a business logic implemented in Java™.

Important:
Do not select the Use Rules check box yet. You will select it later in the tutorial, after creating the rules.
Click Validate Loan.
The results of the validation show that the loan was rejected because the borrower’s debt-to-income ratio is too big:
```
The loan is rejected 
Messages: 
The debt-to-income ratio is too big. 
```
Close the Miniloan application.

To start creating an application with rules, go to Task 1: Designing the rule project

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