Coshopping - Steps to enable in WCS 7 Developer

Coshopping is one of the new features in WCS7 I am personally most excited about and can really add value & increase customer participation in any retailing site . I had introduced the concept of "Coshopping" in my previous post Coshopping- Shop with friends anytime.

Coshopping uses the WebSphere Application Server Communications Enabled Applications (CEA) Feature Pack and CEA peer-to-peer web collaboration widgets to synchronize each browser to the web page of the initializing shopper. 

 As I had promised to share the steps in my previous blog post , so here they are  :) -

Step 1 :Installing Feature Pack 2 or later 
Install WebSphere Commerce Version 7 Feature Pack 2 or later, which installs the coshopping feature.

Step 2 : Enable starter store enhancements 
Run the enablement scripts for starter store enhancements.


Step 3 : Download Websphere Application Server Feature Pack for CEA
The Feature Pack can be downloaded from the below link :
http://www-01.ibm.com/software/webservers/appserv/was/featurepacks/cea/
You will need Passport Advantage credentials to download the Feature Pack

This feature pack is one of the first WebSphere Application Server products to be installed by Installation Manager rather than by the programs based on InstallShield MultiPlatform (ISMP) that are used to install, update, and uninstall previous versions of WebSphere Application Server.

Once download is complete , extract the zip file and add the repository to the IIM (IBM Installation Manager).
File -> Preferences -> Repositories -> Add Repository..
The path of the repostory will be something similar to below :
<temp_directory>\cea_and_import_repositories\local-repositories\repository.config

Step 4 : Upgrade the WebSphere Application Server to Fix pack 17 and above
Important to note - whenever you apply Fix packs to the Websphere Application Server , be sure to apply the same level of fix pack to the Java SDK as well. If there are any mismatches , we will face issues while importing or synchronizing the Websphere Application installation into the Installation Manager.

You can choose to upgrade the WAS fix pack level using either Installation Manager or using Update Installer.

If using Update installer ,  the installation URL :

http://www-01.ibm.com/support/docview.wss?uid=swg24029634

 
I had already upgraded the Websphere Application Test Server to 7.0.0.19 at the time of WCS 7 installation so I did not need to do this.

Optional: If you ever want to install a seperate instance of WAS

Download URL :

http://www-01.ibm.com/support/docview.wss?uid=swg27012956

PartNumber : C1G0QML​.zip

Step 5 : Import the existing installation of the WebSphere Application Test Server into the IIM

1. Open IIM
2. Select "Import"
3. Enter/Browse the Installation Directory of the Websphere Application Test Server. The path will  be - RAD_installdir\runtimes\base_v7\ and follow the steps and import.
4.  The Websphere Application Test Server will be imported and now we can apply the Feature Packs to the installation using IIM. It will start appearing in the PackageGroup listings -

Step 6 : Install the CEA Feature Pack for Websphere Application Server 7

1. Open IIM
2. Select "Install"
3. Select the packagename imported in step 5 and follow the GUI steps to install the feature pack 1.0.0.0

Step 7 : Update the CEA Feature Pack installed to version 1.0.0.1 or above

The latest version available is 1.0.0.11 and hence I installed the same.

Use the "Update" menu within the IIM to perform the activity

When you have finished the installation and upgrade, you need to create a WebSphere Application Server runtime environment that includes the feature pack's functions. We will augment the existing WAS profile.

Step 8 : Create a WebSphere Application Server runtime environment that includes the feature pack's functions

Augment the WebSphere Application Server profile.

1. Open a command line.
2. Go to the RAD_installdir\runtimes\base_v7\bin directory.
3. Determine your profileName. To find a list of possible profileName options, manageprofiles.bat -listProfiles
This command returns a list of the profileNameoptions that can be augmented. select the WebSphere Application profile.
4. Backup the existing profile before augmenting 
   
   manageprofiles.bat -backupProfile -profileName profileName -backupFile <path of the backup zip>



Run the manageprofiles command:
manageprofiles.bat -augment -profileName profileName -templatePath ..\profileTemplates\CEA\default.ceafep
5. If something goes wrong , either restore the backup profile (the backup taken in Step 8d) or use the "unaugment"  option to undo the augmentation
   manageprofiles.bat -unaugment -profileName profileName -ignoreStack -templatePath ..\profileTemplates\CEA\default.ceafep 
   OR
   manageprofiles -restoreProfile -backupFile <path of the backup zip>

Step 9: Configure the WebSphere Commerce test server:

1. Open the WebSphere Application Server Administrative Console.
2. Click Servers > Server Type > WebSphere Application Server > server1 > Communications Enabled Applications (CEA)
3. Select Enable communications service.
4. Change Virtual Host to WC_default_host, Click OK, and save the configuration.
5. Click Environment > Virtual hosts > WC_default_host > Host Alias. Add the port for the SIP_DEFAULTHOST to the Virtual host. Ensure that a fully qualified domain name is used. You can check what the ports are for the SIP_DEFAULTHOST by selecting Servers > Server Type > WebSphere Application Server > server_name > Ports.

 Step 10: Integrate the CEA dojo library with the WebSphere Commerce EAR file.

1. Stop the WebSphere Application test server.
2. Close the WebSphere Commerce development environment.
3. Go to WCDE_installdir\bin directory.
4. Run the setupCoshopping.bat command.

Step 11: Publish the Madisons starter store 

Publish the Madisons.sar store archive. 

Step 12: Select the coshopping store function 

In Management Center, select the coshopping store function to add coshopping to the Madisons starter store storefront. 

Step 13: Start a coshopping session in the Madisons starter store 

In the Madisons starter store, use two different browsers to simulate a coshopping session.

Enjoy this amazing feature! 

Please feel free to drop comments incase you need any help with the steps.