The Bridgehead is an interface application for WebSphere that transfers IBM Connections statistics directly to ConnectionsExpert. 

Follow these steps to deploy the Bridgehead application on your WebSphere server:

1. Download and copy Files

In the ConnectionsExpert web interface, navigate to the Configuration view by clicking on the cogwheel icon (top-right corner). In the Configuration view you can download the ConnectionsExpert_Bridgehead.zip. This archive includes EAR and configuration files for the installation of the so called Bridgehead:

• • bridgehead.ear
  • pbh/
    • adminclient.props
    • jyscripts
    • jython-standalone-2.5.3.jar
    • queries

Please copy the folder "pbh" into the Connections customization directory.

2. Configure the adminclient.props settings:

host=<dmgr_fqdn> <!--default: localhost-->
port=<dmgr_soap_port> <!--default: 8879-->
type=SOAP
securityEnabled=true 
username=<username> 
password=<password>
autoAcceptSignerForThisConnectionOnly=true 

Enter your username and password and configure the other settings according to your WebSphere environment. 

You need to add a WebSphere Administrator Account here, no special Connections access roles are needed.
So you can use an already existing account (local or LDAP), or you create a local WebSphere Administrator Account.
Create a local user Users and Groups > Manage Users > Add… and add this user to
Users and Groups > Administrative user roles:


Optional: To encrypt the password in the adminclient.props you can use the following command:

• Linux:
  /opt/IBM/WebSphere/AppServer/bin/ 
  PropFilePasswordEncoder.<sh|bat> /<path_to_pbh_dir>/ 
  adminclient.props password

• Windows:
  <customer-specific>\WebSphere\AppServer\bin\PropFilePassword
  Encoder.<sh|bat> <path_to_pbh_dir>\adminclient.props password

3. Create WebSphere Cluster

In the WebSphere Integrated Solution Console (ICS) go to Clusters > WebSphere Application Clusters. Create a cluster with one or optionally more nodes.

After creating the application servers, please change the JVM maximum heapsize setting to a value of 2048.

4. Create Shared Library

Go to Environment > Shared Libraries, select the scope on which your Bridgehead should run (CustomAppsCluster) and click on the New... button:

Enter "pbhJython" in the Name field and use a Classpath based on the Connections Customization directory, such as
${CONNECTIONS_CUSTOMIZATION_PATH}/pbh/jython-standalone-2.5.3.jar
(WebSphere Variable: CONNECTIONS_CUSTOMIZATION_PATH.)

Click on OK when you are done:

5. Create URL Resources

In the ICS go to Resources > URL select the scope on which your Bridgehead should run (CustomAppsCluster) from URLs and click on the New... button. Use as specification like

file:///${CONNECTIONS_CUSTOMIZATION_PATH}/pbh/...

panagenda Bridgehead Admin Client Properties

Name:
panagenda Bridgehead Admin Client Properties

JNDI Name:
url/bridgeheadAdminClientProps

Specification:
file:///${CONNECTIONS_CUSTOMIZATION_PATH}/pbh/adminclient.props

panagenda Bridgehead SQL Queries

Name:
panagenda Bridgehead SQL Queries

JNDI Name:
url/bridgeheadQueries

Specification:

file:///${CONNECTIONS_CUSTOMIZATION_PATH}/pbh/queries

panagenda Bridgehead jyscripts

Name:
panagenda Bridgehead jyscripts

JNDI Name:
url/bridgeheadJyScripts

Specification:
file:///${CONNECTIONS_CUSTOMIZATION_PATH}/pbh/jyscripts

6. Deploy EAR

In the ICS go to Applications > Application Types > WebSphere Enterprise Applications, click the Install button and select the path to the file bridgehead.ear: 

 
Select Fast Path and click Next.

Just click on Next in Step 1 (no need to adjust/change anything here).

In Step 2, select the newly created cluster and a web server.

In the next step, map JNDI names for URLs and all DataSources:



Continue the steps and click on Finish.

Wait until you see the message "Application panagenda Bridgehead installed successfully" and click on Save:

7. Map Shared Library Reference

In the ICS go to Applications > Application Types > WebSphere Enterprise Applications, select panagenda Bridgehead and set Shared library references to "pbhJython"

Select the second entry and click Reference shared libraries
 

 Add "pbhJython" to the right box and click OK:


Your shared library reference should look like on this screenshot:


Close with OK and save to master configuration.

8. Change Security Role

Please assign the pbh_admin role to the user which you use on the ConnectionsExpert Configuration page (see "User Accounts:" in the ConnectionsExpert Setup Guide): 

9. Restart Cluster

Please restart the newly created Cluster or Application Server (which is used for the Bridgehead application) in order to get everything initialized. 

10. Populate Web Server Plugins

In the ICS go to Servers > Server Types > Web servers
 

11. OPTIONAL: Adjust SPNEGO Configuration

In the ICS go to Security > Global Security > Web and Sip Security > SPNEGO Web Authentication:

• Select your SPNEGO filter
  
  
  
• Add
  ;request-url!=/bridgehead
  to the end of the Filter criteria, as shown on the screenshot:
  
• Confirm by clicking OK
• Store your adjustments with Save:
  
• If Dynamically update SPNEGO is deactivated, you have restart your entire environment
  

12. Check Bridgehead Access and Version

Open https://<your connections url>/bridgehead. Login with the user you assigned the pbh_admin role to, see step 8 "Change Security Role" in the ConnectionsExpert Setup Guide.

You should see a line similar to the following:
{"status":"OK","ts":1524067997537...

If the status is OK ("status":"OK"), the Bridgehead installation has been successful.