If you have not installed IBM Installation Manager, install IBM Installation Manager. 

There are multiple ways to install WebSphere Application Server:

• GUI
• Command Line - from IBM HTTP repository
• Command Line - from local repository
• Command Line - Response file

From IBM HTTP repository

When installing WebSphere application server via the command line, IBM recommends installing the application server from the IBM HTTP repository instead of from a local repository, as this ensures that the latest installation files are used during the install.

List the available packages. The -prompt option is used to get a prompt to provide your IBM username and password.

~]# cd /opt/IBM/InstallationManager/eclipse/tools/
~]# ./imcl listAvailablePackages -repositories http://www.ibm.com/software/repositorymanager/com.ibm.websphere.BASE.v90 -prompt
com.ibm.websphere.BASE.v90_9.0.6.20171205_1311
com.ibm.websphere.ILAN.v90_9.0.6.20171205_1311
com.ibm.websphere.ND.v90_9.0.6.20171205_1311
com.ibm.websphere.NDDMZ.v90_9.0.6.20171205_1311

Install the BASE package. If installating version 8 of WebSphere, there is no need to also install Java SDK separately, as Java JDK is included in version 8. Your IBM username and password will be stored in a secure storage file, which is usually located at /var/ibm/InstallationManager/secure_storage. If you have not yet created the secure storage file, you can use the -prompt option to create the secure storage file. Or, you can manually create the secure storage file. The secure storage file will be protected by a master password. If you use the -prompt option, you will need to type in the master password. Or, you can create the master_password.txt file and store the master password in the master_password.txt.

~]# ./imcl install com.ibm.websphere.BASE.v80_8.5.5.20160526_1317
  -repositories http://www.ibm.com/software/repositorymanager/com.ibm.websphere.BASE.v80 
  -installationDirectory /opt/IBM/WebSphere/AppServer
  -sharedResourcesDirectory /opt/IBM/IMShared
  -acceptLicense
  -showProgress
  -prompt or -masterPasswordFile /var/ibm/InstallationManager/master_password.txt

If installing version 9, you will need to install both the application server and Java JDK.

~]# ./imcl install 
  com.ibm.websphere.BASE.v90_9.0.6.20171205_1311
  com.ibm.java.jdk.v8_8.0.5007.20171218_1035
  -repositories http://www.ibm.com/software/repositorymanager/com.ibm.websphere.BASE.v90  
  -installationDirectory /opt/IBM/WebSphere/AppServer
  -sharedResourcesDirectory /opt/IBM/IMShared
  -acceptLicense
  -showProgress
  -prompt or -masterPasswordFile /var/ibm/InstallationManager/master_password.txt

From local repository

Installing offering from a local repository is nearly identical to installing from IBM HTTP repository, except you would download the products you want to install from Fix Central. If installing version 9 of WebSphere, don't forget to download Java JDK. After the packages have been downloaded, you will unzip the packages to a location on your server, such as /tmp/was and /tmp/java. Then, you can use /tmp/was and /tmp/java in the install command.

~]# ./imcl install 
  com.ibm.websphere.BASE.v90_9.0.6.20171205_1311
  com.ibm.java.jdk.v8_8.0.5007.20171218_1035
  -repositories /tmp/was,/tmp/java  
  -installationDirectory /opt/IBM/WebSphere/AppServer
  -sharedResourcesDirectory /opt/IBM/IMShared
  -acceptLicense
  -showProgress
  -prompt or -masterPasswordFile /var/ibm/InstallationManager/master_password.txt

Response file

A request file is an XML file that contains details regarding the product being installed, such as the offering ID and the installation directory. Create the response file.

~]# touch /opt/IBM/response_file.xml

Add the following text to the response_file.xml. In this example, version 9 of the application server is installed, along with Java JDK.

<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>
<agent-input>
  <variables>
    <variable name='sharedLocation' value='/opt/IBM/IMShared'/>
  </variables>

  <server>
    <repository location="http://www.ibm.com/software/repositorymanager/com.ibm.websphere.BASE.v90" />
  </server>

  <profile id='IBM WebSphere Application Server V9.0' installLocation='/opt/IBM/WebSpere/AppServer'>
    <data key='user.import.profile' value='false'/>
    <data key='cic.selector.nl' value='en'/>
  </profile>

  <install modify='false'>
    <offering id='com.ibm.websphere.BASE.v90' 
      profile='IBM WebSphere Application Server V9.0' 
      features='core.feature,ejbdeploy,thinclient,embeddablecontainer' installFixes='none'/>
    <offering id='com.ibm.java.jdk.v8'
      profile='IBM WebSphere Application Server V9.0'
      features='com.ibm.sdk.8'/>
  </install>
</agent-input>

You can create a response file by issuing the following command, which will launch the Installation Manager GUI, so this must be done in a graphical environment. Follow the steps on installing WebSphere using the GUI.

~]# cd /opt/IBM/InstallationManager/eclipse
~]# ./IBMIM -record /path/to/response.xml -skipInstall /opt/IBM

Install the application server.

./imcl input /opt/IBM/response_file.xml 
  -secureStorageFile /var/ibm/InstallationManager/secure_storage
  -masterPasswordFile /var/ibm/InstallationManager/master_password.txt
  -acceptLicense 
  -showProgress

Post installation

The websphere_installation_directory/logs/install/log.txt file can be reviewed to ensure the installation was successful.

The listInstalledPackages command can be used to see what packages are installed.. In this example, BASE and Java JDK are installed.

~]# ./imcl listInstalledPackages
com.ibm.websphere.BASE.v90_9.0.6.20171205_1311
com.ibm.java.jdk.v8_8.0.5007.20171218_1035

The versionInfo.sh utility can be used to verify that the application server was successfully installed.

~]# /opt/IBM/WebSphere/AppServer/bin/versionInfo.sh
. . .
Installed Product
---------------------------------------------------
Name              IBM WebSphere Application Server
Version           9.0.0.5
ID                Base
. . .

After the application server is installed, you will create a profile.