How to deploy EAR into the WAS cluster and IBM HTTP server by Monitored Directory Deployment functionality - deployment

Question

My goal is to automatically deploy EAR file in WebSphere Application server cluster by Monitored Directory Deployment. So my deployment target is cluster. WAS version is 9.0.0.10. Everything works fine if I drop EAR file in
monitored directory for example '/{monitored_directory_defined_in_WAS}/clusters/my_cluster_name/'. Application is deployed and started. But I also want to deploy that application into the IBM HTTP server(resides in the same WebSphere cell with cluster) in the same automatically process by Monitored Directory Deployment.
I tried to manually predefine deploymentTargets(cluster and ibm http server) in deployment.xml file, put it in the EAR file, and drop EAR in the '/{monitored_directory_defined_in_WAS}/clusters/my_cluster_name/', but WAS deploy EAR only in cluster. As a consequence I must manually via WAS console map all modules from EAR to ibm http server, but I do not want to do it manually.
My second idea/attempt was sto create separate monitored directory for the ibm http server '/{monitored_directory_defined_in_WAS}/servers/my_ibm_http_server_name/'.
First I drop EAR into the '/{monitored_directory_defined_in_WAS}/clusters/my_cluster_name/' and right after that I drop EAR in to the '/{monitored_directory_defined_in_WAS}/servers/my_ibm_http_server_name/'. Result is that the EAR modules are deployed only in to the web server, and that is not my goal.
Is that even possible by WAS Monitored Deployment Directory functionality?
Is it allowed to manually create the deployment.xml file and add it to the EAR file?

Answer 1

First of all installing via monitored director is not recommended in the production environments, as it lacks control.
As you correctly suspected it is not possible to install it to the cluster and web server - check Installing enterprise application files by adding them to a monitored directory.
Because you can use only one server directory, drag and drop to map
applications to combinations of servers is limited. Scenarios
requiring use of more than one server, such as mapping to an
application server and a web server, are not supported by direct drag
and drop of an application file.
However, you still want to use it, you may deploy property file into monitored directory. That property file can fully customize your deployment e.g. configuring also module to map to web server.
Check Installing enterprise application files by adding properties files to a monitored directory for more details
UPDATE
If you have issues, I'd suggest the following approach - install your application 'classically' via admin console and map it to both web server and cluster. Then run wsadmin command to extract propertes:
AdminTask.extractConfigProperties('[-propertiesFileName myApp.props -configData Deployment=MyApplication -options [[SimpleOutputFormat true]]]')
Try to use format from that exported file for your properties
I had time to run it in my environment. I have app with 2 modules inside, one module is just mapped to the cluster, other is mapped to both cluster and web server. Here is relevant part of the property file:
taskName=MapModulesToServers
row1={ module=HelloTestUI #readonly
uri=HelloTestUI.war,WEB-INF/web.xml #readonly
server=WebSphere:cell=!{cellName},cluster=!{clusterName} }
row0={ module=HelloTestWeb #readonly
uri=HelloTestWeb.war,WEB-INF/web.xml #readonly
server=WebSphere:cell=!{cellName},cluster=!{clusterName}+WebSphere:cell=!{cellName},node=!{nodeName},server=!{serverName} }
I didnt try to use that property file to deploy the app via monitored directory, but as you can see the entry is created and mapping is done via + sign that connects cluster and web server.
If you dont see the mapping to your web server, make sure you saved the changes done in the console, and then connected via wsadmin, otherwise wsadmin will have not current data.