InfoCenter Home >
6a: Administrative overview of Version 3.5

6a: Administrative overview of Version 3.5

Looking for a summary of the tasks and resources you can manage with IBM WebSphere Application Server Version 3.5? See the quick reference, including links to instructions and descriptions of resource settings.

Administrative model

IBM WebSphere Application Server provides administrators with a single system view of applications that are typically deployed across multiple machines. An administrator working on a physical machine can remotely administer resources located on another physical machine.

These elements comprise the WebSphere administrative model:

Element Role
administrative server Resides on a node (machine) for administering resources on the node
administrative database Stores administrative data for an administrative server
administrative domain or topology An administrative server and database
resources Files and servers in the administrative domain. The administrative database holds representations of them to mirror the actual resources residing on the nodes in the administrative domain
administrative clients Enable administrators to access the administrative server on nodes in the administrative domain. The graphical clients (Java and Web browser clients) provide a view of the domain topology

Relationships among resources (the topology tree)

The Topology tree demonstrates the relationships among resources. The relationship is the "containment hierarchy." The Topology tree is visible in the Java console (WebSphere Administrative Console).

The containment hierarchy imposes a structure on the topology of the administrative domain. Becoming familiar with the hierarchy will make administrative tasks seem easier to accomplish.

Anyone who has worked with directory and file representation systems, such as Microsoft Windows Explorer, has already been introduced to the concept of containment. Containment defines a relationship in which one resource is a part or "child" of another resource.

If you have ever tried creating a directory in a file, you know that your file management program will not allow it. The directory-file containment hierarchy imposes the following rule:

Directories can contain files, but files cannot contain directories.

Similar relationships and rules exist among resources in the WebSphere Application Server administrative domain. For example, an application server resource can contain just one servlet engine.

Some relationships depend on each other. Adding a servlet to the administrative domain requires a Web application. A servlet engine must exist to contain the Web application. Finally, an application server must exist to support the Web application containing the servlet.

The containment hierarchy enables:

  • Efficient operations

    A "parent" resource and its "children" can be treated as a unit. For example, starting a servlet on an application server automatically starts the Web application, servlet engine and application server supporting the servlet.

  • Relative naming

    Containment represents a hierarchical naming structure, much like a file directory structure. Just as a file name must be unique within a directory, a resource name must be unique within its container.

    For example, the servlet named my_servlet in Web_application_A is considered different from the servlet named my_servlet in Web_application_B, even if both use the same servlet class.

    A resource position in the containment hierarchy is used to generate the full, unique name of the resource in the administrative database.

Go to previous article: Tutorials Go to next article: WebSphere Application Server Problem Determination

 

 
Go to previous article: Tutorials Go to next article: WebSphere Application Server Problem Determination