Enabling and using the Multi-Channel Server manager function

The Multi-Channel Server (MCS) manager function enables you to dynamically change the MCS logging and tracing level and to flush cached policies.

Before you begin

Make sure the application server on which the enterprise application is started. For example, when you update the WebSphere® Portal EAR, the WebSphere_Portal application server must be running.

About this task

The parameters for enabling the MCS manager function are configured in the web.xml file of the WebSphere Portal EAR.

Note:

Updates to the configuration of a cluster must occur on the deployment manager and be resynchronized with the other nodes in the cluster. If updates are made to individual nodes in the cluster, the updates will be lost when the master configuration on the deployment manager resynchronizes with the nodes again.
The MCS manager command (mcsServerManager) cannot be used for a vertical cluster. It is supported only for a horizontal cluster. When it is used for a horizontal cluster, you enable the function once using the following procedure and then you must invoke the mcsServerManager command once for each node in the cluster.

To update web.xml, perform the following steps.

Procedure

Export the EAR file according to your network configuration. If you have a cluster environment, it must be exported from the WebSphere Application Server Network Deployment machine.
1. Change directories to the WebSphere Application Server or WebSphere Application Server Network Deployment bin directory (for example, was_root/bin or nd_root/bin).
2. Run the following command to export the EAR file to a temporary directory:
```
./wsadmin.sh -user admin_user_id -password instance -c '$AdminApp export application-name /tmp/application-name.ear'
```
```
wsadmin -user admin_user_id -password instance -c "$AdminApp export application-name c:\\tmp\\application-name.ear"
```
  where
  - admin_user_id is the WebSphere Application Server administrator's user ID
  - instance is the WebSphere Application Server administrator's password
  - application-name is the name of the enterprise application. Because you are updating the MCS web application, use mcs as the application name.

Create the /tmp/application-name_expanded directory and use the EARExpander tool to expand the contents of the exported EAR file:

./EARExpander.sh -ear /tmp/application-name.ear -operationDir /tmp/application-name_expanded -operation expand

EARExpander -ear \tmp\application-name.ear -operationDir \tmp\application-name_expanded -operation expand

Edit web.xml in the /tmp/application-name_expanded/web-module-name.war/WEB-INF directory, where
- application-name is the name of the enterprise application. Because you are updating the MCS web application, use mcs as the application name.
- web-module-name is the name of the web module. Because you are updating the MCS web application, use mcs.

Make the following changes to web.xml:

Search for AgentServlet. You should see the following set of elements:

<servlet>
   <servlet-name>AgentServlet</servlet-name>
   <servlet-class>com.volantis.mcs.management.agent.servlet.AgentServlet</servlet-class>
   <init-param>
      <param-name>enabled</param-name>
      <param-value>false</param-value>
   </init-param>
   <init-param>
      <param-name>port</param-name>
      <param-value>8888</param-value>
   </init-param>
   <init-param>
      <param-name>password</param-name>
      <param-value>password</param-value>
   </init-param>
   <load-on-startup>1</load-on-startup>
</servlet>

Set the enabled parameter value to true.
Specify an available port number for the port parameter value.
Tip: You can use netstat -na to determine whether or not an application is already listening on a port.
Specify a password for the password parameter value.

Collapse the EAR directory back into an EAR file by using the following EARExpander command:

./EARExpander.sh -ear /tmp/application-name.ear -operationDir /tmp/application-name_expanded -operation collapse

EARExpander -ear \tmp\application-name.ear -operationDir \tmp\application-name_expanded -operation collapse

Update the EAR using the following wsadmin command:
```
./wsadmin.sh -user admin_user_id -password instance -c '$AdminApp install /tmp/application-name.ear {-update -appname application-name}'
```
```
wsadmin -user admin_user_id -password instance -c "$AdminApp install c:\\tmp\\application-name.ear {-update -appname application-name}"
```
where
- admin_user_id is the WebSphere Application Server administrator's user ID
- instance is the WebSphere Application Server administrator's password
- application-name is the name of the enterprise application. Because you are updating the MCS web application, use mcs as the application name.
Restart the application server on which the enterprise application is running. For example, because you updated the WebSphere Portal EAR, restart the WebSphere_Portal application server. In a clustered configuration, restart the application server on each node.