IBM WebSphere Application Server Version 3.5 Fix Pack 2 Release Notes

Last updated 10/09/2000

This document contains the Release Notes for IBM WebSphere Application Server Version 3.5 for Windows NT (Windows 2000 supported), Sun Solaris, AIX and HP-UX, with Fix Packs 1 and 2 applied.

These Release Notes cover both the Advanced and Standard Editions. Because the Standard Edition functions are a subset of the Advanced Edition functions, note that some information in these Release Notes (for example, the mention of enterprise beans) applies only to the Advanced Edition.

What is new in Version 3.5 Fix Pack 2

Servlet and JSP file support

WebSphere Application Server Version with Fix Pack 2 (Version 3.5.2) introduces important new functionality with support for the Servlet 2.2 and JSP 1.1 APIs.

WebSphere Application Server 3.5.2 provides support for all of the changes in the Servlet 2.2 API, with the exception of the J2EE extensions to the specification.

Supported:

Not Supported:

WebSphere Application Server 3.5.2 also provides support for JSP 1.1, through the Apache Jasper JSP engine. This means that WebSphere Application Server fully supported all of the new function of JSP 1.1, including Tag Library support. WebSphere Application Server also continues to support JSP 0.91 and JSP 1.0 exactly as it did in versions prior to 3.5.2. When creating a web application, you have the choice of JSP Specification level that you want to use.

Additional features of Fix Pack 2

In addition, Fix Pack 2 adds the following functionality to the IBM WebSphere Application Server Version 3.5 base:

Release Notes

The Release Notes contain information about known defects and the workarounds. This document also includes some supplemental information for topics covered in the Application Server documentation.

Installation and Configuration
Starting Application Server Components
Administrative Console (GUI) and Command Line Tools
Enterprise Beans
Object Request Brokers (ORBs)
Servlets
Java Server Pages Files (JSP files)
XML and XSL
Connection Pooling
Sessions
Workload Management
Networking
Security
Performance and Stability
Tracing and Debugging
National Language Version Issues/Limitations
Samples
InfoCenter


Installation and Configuration

Problem Op System Workaround
When you try to install WebSphere Application Server from the CD-ROM, the operating system may create a directory <CD_volume_label>#2. This results in the product not installing, and you receive the error message Exception in thread "main" java.lang.NoClassDefFoundError: Installer. Solaris Delete the <CD_volume_label> directory if it exists. Then, using the mv command, rename the <CD_volume_label>#2 directory to <CD_volume_label>.
If you are using DB2 with WebSphere Application Server, you will not be able to open DB2 connections unless your machine's kernel parameters are set properly. Solaris Open an editor on your machine's /etc/system file and add the following parameters:
set semsys:seminfo_semume = 200
set semsys:seminfo_semopm = 200

After you add the parameters, reboot your machine.

If you are using Oracle or Sybase as the repository, you will get an exception when trying to use DB2 as the bean datasource. If you are using DB2 as the repository, you can use all the databases as the bean table. AIX, Solaris To avoid getting an exception, you must set up the DB2 environment properly if you use non-DB2 databases as repositories in startupServer.sh.

To modify startupServer.sh, find the following line in startupServer.sh in a then clause:

export LD_LIBRARY_PATH
Next, add the following four lines BEFORE the export LD_LIBRARY_PATH line :
. $DB2_INSTANCE_HOME/sqllib/db2profile
LD_LIBRARY_PATH=$DB2_INSTANCE_HOME/sqllib/java12:
  $DB2_INSTANCE_HOME/sqllib/lib:$LD_LIBRARY_PATH
LIBPATH=$LD_LIBRARY_PATH
export LD_LIBRARY_PATH LIBPATH

For $DB2_INSTANCE_HOME, specify your DB2 instance home directory.

To install JDBC driver for your WebSphere Application Server node, you must define the file that contains the necessary Java code for your DB2 database. Windows NT/2000 To enable use of JDBC 2.0, you need to run the c:\SQLLIB\java12\usejdbc2 program to define DB2 for using jdbc2.0. To verify which program is in use, look at the "inuse" file in the same directory.
Whenever Hotjava Web browser is not properly configured, and the check box to open the Readme file after installation is checked, but the file does not open. Solaris Check to make sure you can start the Hotjava browser. If not, manually start another browser, such as Netscape, and then view the Readme file.
Because of an AIX limitation, Java applications will not run reliably where the LIBPATH length exceeds 1548 characters. AIX Reduce the LIBPATH length to less than 1548 characters.
IBM HTTP Server fails to install or start. All Try the installation again. Enter a valid user id and password (null password will not work) on the Security panel. Also, choose the IBM HTTP Server plugin; this configures the HTTP Server to work with WebSphere.
If you are using Apache HTTP Server and install WebSphere Application Server with the Apache plug-in, you may not be able to start the Apache Web server again. The plug-in installation added the line ose.mode=out to your Apache configuration file srm.conf in the /<apache_home>/conf directory. All Open an editor on the srm.conf file, and remove or comment out the ose.mode=out line.
Under stress, some browser connections may be refused (error 500) when attempting to access servlets and JSPs. The Web server log may contain the errors:
Aug 30 14:52:53 1999 - 
 Error - 
 ws_open_domain_client_socket 
 connect return 146 error
 Mon Aug 30 14:52:53 1999 - 
 Error - 
 Ws_open_domain_client_socket 
 socket return 146 error
Solaris The default communications configuration between the Web server and the servlet engine is using TCP/IP sockets. Each socket represents a file descriptor. If the file descriptor limit per process is set too low, attempts to open socket connections may be refused (error 146). To resolve this condition, increase the file descriptor limit for the user from which the Administrative Server is started (normally root). Edit the .profile for the user, and add the following:
    ulimit -n 1024

Depending on the number of connections needed, this number may need to be increased more. For this change to take effect, you do not have to reboot. Just logoff and then logon again.

To change the hard upper limit of the number of file descriptors in the kernel (which defaults to 1024 per CPU), you can, on Solaris, edit the /etc/system config file to include a couple of entries:

    set rlim_fd_max=4096
    set rlim_FD_cur=1024

After you change this file, you must reboot for the changes to take effect.

Using Oracle, you get a TransactionRolledBackException message when you try to create a model. All Increase values of Oracle database initialization parameters open_cursors to 200. See the WebSphere Application Server InfoCenter configuring databases section for details.
You are installing the WebSphere Application Server and the Administrative Server fails to start if the installation path contains a space (for example, c:\Program Files\WebSphere\AppServer). Windows NT/2000 Install the product in a directory that does not contain a space.
Even though you are logged in as root, the installation of WebSphere Application Server fails with an error statement that the user does not have root authority. Solaris Make sure the "whoami" command or /usr/ucb is in the path for the root logon.
When doing a native (silent) installation of WebSphere Application Server, you cannot select more than one plug-in. AIX, Solaris, HP-UX Use the Java (GUI) installation program. You can select more than one plug-in to install.
    When doing a native install of WebSphere Application Server 3.5 GM version, WAS 3.5 or IHS plugins does not install if any version of IHS other than 1.3.12.0 is installed. run ./WebSphereInstallAIX.sh script select to install the IHS Plugin The following message is displayed "You have chosen to install the plugin for the IBMHTTPServer but you have 1.3.12.1 version of IHS. The recommended version is 1.3.12.0. Install the recommended version from the ./ihs directory and run this process again." After the message appears, the script exits and does not install WebSphere Application Server 3.5 or the IHS Plugin.
During the Japanese NT installation, the "Component Description" is empty on the "Choose Application Server Components" panel. This is a limitation of InstallShield. The component description will only show up if the checkbox style listbox is used. However, that listbox does not translate into Japanese because of a font problem. NT Use the standard list box, which does not show the component description.
The IBM HTTP Server not installed if there are bad entries in the system file table: \etc\fstab. Reason: swinstall fails in the analysis phase because the mount_all_file_systems option is true by default. HP-UX
  1. Remove the bad entries from the /etc/fstab file and reinstall.
  2. If number 1 is not an option edit the install_ihs_128.sh (or install_ihs_56.sh), adding the -x mount_all_file_systems=false option to the swinstall command.

The installation prerequisite checker is checking different versions of DB2 and Sybase. Specifically, the problem occurs when installing:

  • DB2 7.1 Fixpack 1
  • DB2 6.1 Fixpack 5 (not on AIX)
  • Sybase 11.9.2 (Solaris only)
HP-UX, Solaris, AIX
  1. Copy the prereq.properties file from /cdrom to /tmp
  2. Edit the /tmp/prereq.properties file, and change prereq_checker=1 to prereq_checker=0
  3. to install, use the following command line: install.sh /prereqfile /tmp/prereq.properties
System hangs have been reported during quick installations of HP WebSphere Application Server 56-bit Advanced from CD-ROM. HP-UX  
The WebSphere Application Server 3.5 Java install does not check the DB2 6.1 level. and continues to install on lower level of DB2 6.1. This is caused by inconsistency in the way DB2 fix packs install on HP. On some installs the version number is updated to 6.1.0.21 when fix pack 4 is installed, while on others it remains at 6.1.0.0. The WebSphere installation process checks for either 6.1.0.0 or 6.1.0.21 as a prerequisite; thus, the prerequisite fix pack levels can't be enforced until this is standardized. HP-UX  

When running the command 'uninstall_ptf_1.sh' under the WebSphere Application Server root directory, you may receive the following error:

cannot execute

HP-UX, AIX, Solaris Run the command 'chmod 777 uninstall_ptf_1'

If you try to uninstall Fixpack 1, you may receive the following errors due to a shared library lock:

Error 79 -- Unable to open destination file: (Cannot open or remove a file containing a running program.)

Error 18 -- Extraction failed:

AIX
  1. Run 'install.sh' to install Fixpack 1 again
  2. Run 'slibclean'
  3. Run 'uninstall_ptf_1.sh '
A migration tool for a native (silent) installation of WebSphere Application Server is not provided. AIX, Solaris, HP-UX Use the Java (GUI) installation program and the migration tool provided with it. Or, migrate your files independently of a tool.

Starting Application Server Components

Problem Op System Workaround
The WebSphere Application Server, which is using DB2, does not start and you receive the following /logs/tracefile error:
FATAL Failed to create a 
 data source: 
 {0} COM.ibm.db2
 .jdbc.app.DB2Exception: 
 [IBM][CLI Driver] SQL1031N  
 The database directory cannot 
 be found on the indicated 
 file system. SQLSTATE=58031
All Create the WebSphere Application Server database. On Solaris and AIX, run the shell file createdb2.sh.

On Windows NT, the script is started automatically after you reboot. If the script file fails, start the database, then run the createdb2.bat file. The results are logged in the wasdb2.log file.

If there is not a blank line at the end of the admin.config file, the Administrative Server fails to start. The tracefile is created, but it contains no message. On Windows NT/2000, the Services panel reports The IBM WS AdminServer service returned service specific error 10. All Add a newline character to the end of the admin.config file in the \WebSphere\AppServer\bin directory.
When running a servlet, you receive the message Server internal error from the browser and get the following message in your_server-stderr.log:
open_unix_domain_server_socket_listener
 - bind/listen: The socket name is
 already in use.
com.ibm.servlet.engine.oselistener
 .outofproc.ServerQueueException:
 Error: create_server 2
AIX If you choose to use an ID other than root to run the WebSphere Application Server before starting the AppServer, you need to enter the following from a command line:
su - root
cd /tmp
rm .asibm*

If you run as non-root on Solaris, you will see an error message of the following,

$ ./startupServer.sh operation failed, 
        Not owner 
Solaris You may ignore the error, adminServer will be started as non-root user.
When logged in other than as root, you could not run the ServletRedirector. Solaris, AIX, HP-UX Log in as root and try running the ServletRedirector again.
You will have trouble starting a secured (that is, security is enabled) administrative server or an application server on a Windows machine, if this Windows machine is configured as a part of a Windows domain and is not connected via the network to the domain server. Windows NT/2000 Configure the Windows NT/2000 machine so that it is not part of a Windows NT/2000 domain.
If you are using the IBM HTTP Server Administration Server with WebSphere Application Server installed and you attempt to add a module using the Module Sequence form, the error message Invalid command 'LoadModule' may be shown and the server may not restart. Using the Module Sequence form added unwanted commands to the IHS httpd.conf file. All Open an editor on the IHS configuration file httpd.conf and remove the following commands:
ClearModuleList
LoadModule ibm_app_server_module<mod_ibm_app_server.dll path>

After the commands are removed from the httpd.conf file, the server should restart.

Administrative Console (GUI) and Command Line Tools

Problem Op System Workaround
The Tcl variable ErrorCode is set when command line commands are executed. Previously, if a nonzero error occurred (and the Tcl interpreter's result string was not set), the translation of the error message was displayed. All Now, both interactive users and script writers must check the errorCode variable to determine whether a command succeeded or failed.
If you do not select the Administrative Console during installation, you can still run the adminclient.bat file, and an Administrative Console will start. It will not contain the correct data. The Topology view shows green 'objects' listed, but they are not valid objects. They appear to be EJB-related methods. Windows NT/2000 Uninstall WebSphere Application Server and reinstall it, including the Administrative Console. An alternative is to install the Administrative Console on another machine and administer it from that machine.
The HTTP Admininstrative Console is unavailable if the default server is stopped. All The HTTP Admininstrative Console runs under the default server. Stopping the default server makes the HTTP Admininstrative Console unavailable. Start the default server and then try restarting the HTTP Admininstrative Console.
Screens may not repaint or resize properly when the Administrative Console is run on a UNIX operating system with the Display exported to a Windows NT/2000 system running a Hummingbird Exceed X Windows server. Sometimes the window may appear to be empty or missing panes. When you manually resize the window, the rest of the text/widgets appear. This problem seems to appear when using the Administrative Console with Hummingbird Exceed Version 6.0.1. Windows NT/2000 Do one of the following:
  • Install WebSphere Application Server on the Windows NT machine used to administer the remote UNIX system. Then run the following command to connect to the remote UNIX machine:
     $WAS_HOME/bin
      /adminclient.bat 
      <remoteHostName>
     
  • Use an alternative X window manager on Windows NT.
  • Use Hummingbird Exceed Version 6.1 instead. Be sure to use the X configuration tool to modify the Screen Definition. The following options should be used for the Window Manager settings that appear under the Screen X tab in the Screen Definition configuration tool:
     Window Manager:
     Window Manager = Native
     Use Native WM for embedded 
      clients = No
     First Window to display = No
     

Note: Hummingbird Exceed Version 6.2.0.18 and higher will also work. Follow the above instructions for configuring the window manager. Exceed requires a patch to work. Without the patch, windows are incorrectly sized. With the patch, some of the error and message dialog boxes still have clipped edges, so you need to manually resize these windows. Contact Robek Corporation for a patch to get to Exceed Version 6.2.0.18 or higher. To determine the Exceed patch level you need:

  1. Open the Exceed Xconfig tool.
  2. Open Troubleshooting.
  3. In the Troubleshooting window, click the View button. The version is listed at the top of the Exceed log. For example, after applying the patch Exceed.exe 6.0.2.18, in the Exceed.log file, the version will be listed as 6.2.0.18.

Left frame resizing. Sometimes, when resizing the left panel, the panel gets squashed (smaller), and then becomes unable to be resized. All This usually can be alleviated if you click the Topology view, then resize the left panel.
The addition to the Administrative Console (GUI) for XML import did not include some features of the command-line utility. This adversely affects security, which requires the variable substitution feature of XML import to replace password variables in the XML file with actual values. Instead, password variables are exported and are expected to be replaced during import. This would limit password exposure to a single time while invoking the import command.

Security configuration areas affected by this password limitation include administrator access, LTPA, LDAP, and enterprise application identities.

All Use the XMLConfig command line utility for security configurations that include passwords.
When you invoke the WebSphere Control Program (wscp), the .wscprc file does not load. All The Java property user.home is used to locate the .wscprc file. Check the value for user.home and ensure that the .wscprc file is located in the directory designated by user.home. Optionally, when you invoke wscp, you can use the -p option to specify the user.home directory and, thus, the location of the .wscprc file:
-p <user.home_directory>/.wscprc

Note that the user.home directory may differ among JDK version levels and platforms. On Windows NT/2000, the JDK 1.2.2 sets the user.home property based on the value of the USERPROFILE environment variable.

If a resource is deleted and re-created in the WebSphere Application Server Advanced Edition Administrative Console, the change is not immediately reflected in the WebSphere Control Program (wscp). You must explicitly refresh all object references in the repository cache by issuing a "wscp list" operation for the object type of the instance. Alternatively, exiting and re-invoking the WebSphere Control Program (wscp) also refreshes the cache. All To avoid problems due to inconsistent cached information, avoid issuing concurrent operations on the same object from within the WebSphere Control Program (wscp) and the console.
Before working with the WebSphere Administrative Console, wait until the message Console ready appears and the new status icon changes from its In progress state to Ready. For example, if you try to start the default server before seeing the Console ready message, there may be some errors at the WebSphere Administrative Console. All Do not start servers until the Console ready message appears.
Just after WebSphere Application Server is installed on AIX, the fully-qualified domain name (FQDN) is not included in the Alias Host field of Virtual Host:default_host. Access by httpd://<FQDN>/servlet/snoop fails. All Input FQDN in the Alias Host field and restart the server.

Enterprise Beans

Problem Op System Workaround
The required attributes of an enterprise bean include the DeploymentDescriptor and JarFile attributes. The DeploymentDescriptor attribute has a new format. All

The attribute value must be a string that includes the remote interface name, a JAR file, and the node name, each separated by the @ symbol. The syntax is as follows:

 bean_remote_interface [ @jar_file ] @node_name ] ] 

where bean_remote_interface is the name of the bean's remote home interface, jar_file is the full pathname of the JAR file on the node for which the enterprise bean is being defined, and node is the name of the node where the enterprise bean is being created. The JAR file and the node name are optional, and are automatically supplied if they are not specified. The value for jar_file is taken from the value of the JarFile attribute. The value for node name is extracted from the fully-qualified name of the enterprise bean.

There is no BLOB or CLOB support for WebSphere Application Server version 3.5 on HP using DB2 with Container Managed Persistence (CMP). HP-UX Due to a problem with DB2 on the HP platform, any CMP bean which is to be run on the HP platform with DB2 as its persistent store CANNOT designate a Serializable object type as a CMP field. This is an additional restriction over the restrictions already imposed by the EJB spec with regard to the supported types for CMP fields.
Some EJBs may request more database connections on DB2 than are configured for the database, resulting in trap errors on 8-way NT systems All  
Enterprise Bean clients must have access to server-side exception classes to interpret server-side exceptions in stack traces. All Examine the server-side trace logs for the complete error information or make server-side classes available on the client.
When trying to view a distributed transaction, the transaction monitor will not display and, if you persist in trying to access the transaction monitor, the console hangs. All To stop the console from hanging, restart the administrative console. However, you still will not be able to access the transaction monitor.
The Jetace tool issues a java.lang.NoClassDefFoundError message when loading a JAR file. All When using the Jetace tool, make sure all dependent classes (and dependencies those classes have) are on the classpath.
The documentation on writing enterprise beans with bean managed persistence (BMP) needs correcting. All See "Chapter 9: More-advanced programming concepts for enterprise beans" in the PDF file adswpg00.pdf and in the HTML file atswpgad.htm. In Figure 64, the lines:
    getEnvProps();
    ds = initContext.lookup("jdbc/sample");
    
should be in the setEntityContext method (similar to Figure 61) rather than in the constructor. This is because the getEnvProps method needs the context to be set which is not yet set in the constructor. Since the container invokes the setEntityContext method to set the context, the other two methods, getEnvProps and lookup, can be safely done there.
Because of application programming practices, an application getting an enumeration of objects from an enterprise bean gets fewer than the expected number of objects. All Whenever possible, invoke entity bean finders and the iteration through a resulting enumeration within a single transaction. Some benefits are:
  • Iteration through the enumeration will be 2-4 times faster if done within the the same transaction in which the find method was invoked.
  • Consistency will be maintained; otherwise, iteration through an enumeration obtained from a finder may return unexpected results if done with no transaction. This is because concurrent access to the beans may have changed their data between the time the enumeration was constructed and the time at which it is consumed.

If an entity bean finder is invoked within one transaction (for example, a transaction which a client started via UserTransaction or from a TX_REQUIRED session bean method), the resulting enumeration must be consumed within the same transaction. The result of a finder becomes invalid once the transaction completes.

The following is an example of finder usage which does not meet the above requirement:

  UserTransaction tx = ...;

  tx.begin();
  Enumeration e = myEntityHome
   .findGreaterThan(100);
  tx.commit();

  while (e.hasMoreElements()) {
	....
  }  

The code should be rewritten as follows:

  UserTransaction TX = ...;

  tx.begin();
  Enumeration e = myEntityHome
   .findGreaterThan(100);
  while (e.hasMoreElements()) {
	...
  }
  tx.commit();  

Though not recommended, the following works, but with no guarantee of transactional consistency:

  UserTransaction TX = ...;

  tx.begin();
  ...
  tx.commit();

  Enumeration e = myEntityHome
   .findGreaterThan(100);
  while (e.hasMoreElements()) {
	...
  }  
A ClassNotFoundException is thrown during deployment of a bean that references another bean. All If a bean in one JAR file references a bean in another JAR file, the WebSphere Administrative Server needs to know the location of the first bean in order to deploy the second bean; otherwise, a ClassNotFoundException will occur when you attempt to deploy the second bean. For example, if bean B in one JAR file references bean A in another JAR file, deploy bean A first, and add the full path for the deployed JAR file to the node's Dependent Classpath before deploying bean B.
Data in non-persisted fields of an entity bean is not maintained across transactions. All Entity beans should not rely on data stored in non-persisted fields (particularly, references to other beans) being maintained across multiple transactions. Entity bean instances are stored in an object pool between transactions. Each time a new transaction begins, it retrieves one of the entity bean instances in the pool and loads persisted data for the requested bean. Non-persisted fields may contain values set by a different bean used previously. If necessary, you can reinitialize the data in the non-persisted field in the bean's ejbLoad() method.
After deploying an entity enterprise bean, starting the bean or starting the server that it is installed under results in a failure to create the bean's persistent table in the relational database. All The names used for the persistent data within the enterprise bean are used as the column names in the relational database. Make sure that the column names are allowed in your particular relational database. Also, make sure that the Java data types used by your enterprise beans have a supported mapping to a data type within your relational database.
In an inheritence hierarchy involving CMP beans, using the results of an enumerated finder outside the transaction the finder was run in may lead to results which violate the inheritence behavior. The behavior may be described by the following scenario:

Consider an inheritence hierarchy involving the CMP beans Bean P (Parent) and Bean C (child). Assume that there is one instance of P (P1) and one instance of C (C1). An enumerated finder on P will return P1 and C1. However, attempts to use C1 outside the transaction in which the finder was run would result in its behaving like an instance of P (ie, the methods would have P's behavior, not C's behavior).

All Clients should start a transaction before running enumerated finders on CMP hierarchies, and should use the results of the finder within the same transaction. If this is done, using the scenario on the left, attempts to use C1 will demonstrate C's behavior, as expected, instead of P's behavior.

Object Request Brokers (ORBs)

Problem Op System Workaround
Documentation needed on the Request Interceptor Interface of the IBM Java ORB. All Information about the interface was placed off the Library page of the product Web site. Browse the following URL:

http://www.ibm.com/software/webservers/appserv/library.html#v3a

In the table of documents, select the post-release developer notes to link to a page containing the Request Interceptor documentation and other documents.
PTF required for interoperability between V3.5 and V3.0.2.1. All To enable full interoperability for the Java ORB between V3.5 and V3.0.2.1, obtain the PTF (V3.0.2.2) and apply it to your 3.0.2.1 installation. Interoperability is not supported between V3.5 and versions prior to 3.0.2.2. Interoperability is supported between V3.0.2.1 and V3.0.2.2, and between V3.0.2.2 and V3.5.

Servlets

Problem Op System Workaround
When you choose the Add a servlet option from the Wizard tab, you get the error RepositoryOpException: Unexpected naming exception and other exceptions. AIX Ignore the error. The servlets will be created.

Java Server Pages Files (JSP files)

Problem Op System Workaround
The flastmod NCSA tag might return a bogus date and time. All If the target file for an flastmod query does not exist or cannot be found, the query response will be a bogus date and time (always "Wed Dec 31 19:00 1969").

Ensure that the target of an flastmod query exists and can be found in the specified path.

XML and XSL

Problem Op System Workaround
An XSL user needs to specify an XML Liaison. The version of XSL included with WebSphere Application Server Version 3.5 works with the Xerces XML parser, which is not included with the product. All Create a Liaison class for XML4J and pass it into the XSLTProcessor constructor. For example:
XSLTProcessor processor = XSLTProcessorFactory
 .getProcessor(new com.lotus.xml.xml4j2dom
 .XML4JLiaison4dom());

Connection Pooling

Problem Op System Workaround
You use Oracle as a repository for the Administrative Server and DB2 as the database access, when you deploy CMP bean to use the DataSource, you get in the error log:
.java.sql.SQLException: 
 No suitable driver
All At the WebSphere Administrative Console:
  1. Go to the Topology view.
  2. Select the Application Server on which the bean is created.
  3. Go to the General tab in the property sheet on the right pane.
  4. Left click on Environment property.
  5. In the Property Editor, enter:
    For Variable Name
    PATH

    For Value
    x:\SQLLIB\BIN (x is where DB2 is installed)

  6. Click Add and then OK.
  7. Click Apply in the Application Server property sheet.
  8. Now, start the default server.
JTA support isn't working correctly with Sybase JDBC driver. All Create the table with the JTA flag off, and then access the table with JTA on. A case (number 10636211) is opened on this issue with Sybase.
Under load conditions, AIX and Solaris systems with 512MB may only support a DB2 connection pool size of 10 connections. If you want to run more than 10 connections, you will need more than 512MB. On average, DB2 connections will use 1-2MB each. AIX, Solaris When sending a large number (for example, 100 simultaneous users) of requests, use 512MB to run with 10 connections. The 512MB includes the administrative server, application process, etc. DB2 connections usually run about 1.5MB to 2MB, so if you want to run more than 10 connections, you will need more than 512MB.

Sessions

Problem Op System Workaround
The Session Manager's native access support is currently not in WebSphere Application Server. All Use the JDBC access until further notification.
The Session Manager's EJB mode of persistence on advance edition is no longer supported. All Use the JDBC access (direct to database)
A DB2 BLOB column has been added for persistent HttpSession with Version 3.5. All For this to become effective, you must:
  1. Stop the application server.
  2. Restart the WebSphere Application Server, which will automatically drop the old table and create a new table using the BLOB column.

 

Workload Management

Problem Op System Workaround
In the WebSphere Application Server installation on AIX, the WebSphere version of Remote Invocation Method compiler (RMIC) is not properly installed. WLMJAR will not operate correctly with the JDK version of RMIC. AIX The correct version of RMIC should be in the path. Usually there is a link in /usr/bin for RMIC, and the problem can be corrected by executing:
   ln -sf 
   /usr/WebSphere/AppServer/hosts/default_host/
      admin/install/aix/rmic 
   /usr/bin/rmic
   

Then, it should be possible to run WLMJAR on AIX and create a Workload Management Jar file for use by the client (or servlet).

In the WebSphere Application Server installation on Windows NT/2000, the WLMJAR program might choose the JDK version of the WebSphere Application Server Version. Windows NT/2000 Ensure that your JDK \bin directory does not appear before the WebSphere Application Server \bin directory in your PATH environment variable.

Networking

Problem Op System Workaround
Full support for mutiple network adapters on a single physical machine is not yet available for WebSphere Application Server. All  

Security

Problem Op System Workaround
Customers want to protect individual JSP files based on the URI's and do not want to protect all the JSP's in the system (*.jsp). The documentation to add a JSP URI to a web application is to use the "Add JSP or web resource" task. This task adds the JSP URI but does not add the JSP to the web app. Due to this defect, when customers follow the configuration steps to protect the JSP URI's, the URI's are treated not to be a part of a web application and hence treated as web server resources. Therefore, security doesn't work as intended. All Do not use the "Add a JSP or web resource task" to introduce new JSP URI's and to associate with web apps. If you have already done so, first remove all the URI's and then follow these steps:

  1. Select the Topology View
  2. Expand Node->App Server->Servlet Engine and the desired web application
  3. Select the JSP processor servlet in that application
  4. In the configuration panel for that JSP, there is a list of Web paths; it should contain /default_host/<:webapp-path>/*.jsp
  5. Click "Add" (to add to the web path list)
  6. Enter the URI you want to protect (e.g., /default_host/<:webap-path>/toBeProtected.jsp)
  7. Repeat (6) for all the JSP's you want to protect
  8. Apply and complete this task
  9. Follow security configuration steps to protect these newly added JSP's
  10. Restart the application server

If the user id that will be used to start the WebSphere server in Windows NT or Windows 2000 platforms does not have Administrator rights, then you will encounter the following error on the administration server:

com.ibm.ejs.security.registry.RegistryErrorException:

Windows NT: Access is denied
Windows NT/2000 Add the user (i.e. service ID) to the "Administrators" group.
Users of WebSphere Application Server with Domino Versions 5.02, 5.02B, and Domino 5.03 LDAP directories have encountered problems, such as intermittent server hanging, with security and LTPA as the authentication method. The problems are due to a defect in these Domino versions. All This is expected to be fixed in Domino Version 5.05.
WebSphere Application Server does not currently support TBSCertificate extensions for client authentication and authorization. All WebSphere Application Server does support certificate mapping using Subject DN or Issuer DNs.
When security is enabled, administrators must specify two different Secure Sockets Layer (SSL) port numbers for use by the administrative server. All On the server command line, define two port numbers using the -D option:

For the listener port, specify:

com.ibm.CORBA.SSLPort

For Location Service Daemon (LSD) port, specify:

com.ibm.CORBA.LSDSSLPort

The values of these two properties must be different.

You might not be able to run IKeyman in the WebSphere environment. All If you installed both IBM HTTP Server and WebSphere Application Server Advanced Edition on the same host:
  • On Windows NT/2000, enter following commands to run the IKeyman keyring management tool:
    cd <WebSphere_installation_directory>\bin
    setupCmdLine.bat
    set PATH=%JAVA_HOME%\bin;
      %JAVA_HOME%\jre\bin;
      %JAVA_HOME%\jre\bin\classic;%PATH%
    set CLASSPATH=%WAS_HOME%\lib\cfwk.zip;
      %WAS_HOME%\lib\gsk4cls.jar;
      %WAS_HOME%\lib\swingall.jar;
      %CLASSPATH%
    java -Dkeyman.javaOnly=true 
      com.ibm.gsk.ikeyman.Ikeyman
  • On AIX, Solaris or HP-UX, enter the following commands to run the IKeyman keyring management tool:
    cd <WebSphere_installation_directory>/bin
    setupCmdLine.sh
    set LIBPATH=$JAVA_HOME/jre/bin:
      $JAVA_HOME/jre/bin/classic:$LIBPATH
    set PATH=$JAVA_HOME/bin;
      $JAVA_HOME/jre/bin;$PATH
    set CLASSPATH=$WAS_HOME/lib/cfwk.zip;
      $WAS_HOME/lib/gsk4cls.jar;
      %WAS_HOME%/lib/swingall.jar;
      $CLASSPATH
    java -Dkeyman.javaOnly=true 
      com.ibm.gsk.ikeyman.Ikeyman
    or, instead of using the java command, run /usr/opt/ibm/gskit/bin/gsk4ikm

If you did not install IBM HTTP Server:

  • On Windows NT/2000, enter the following commands to run the IKeyman keyring management tool:
    cd <WebSphere_installation_directory>\bin
    setupCmdLine.bat
    set PATH=%JAVA_HOME%\bin;
      %JAVA_HOME%\jre\bin;
      %JAVA_HOME%\jre\bin\classic;%PATH%
    set CLASSPATH=%WAS_HOME%\lib\cfwk.zip;
      %WAS_HOME%\lib\gsk4cls.jar;
      %WAS_HOME%\lib\swingall.jar;
      %CLASSPATH%
    java -Dkeyman.javaOnly=true 
      com.ibm.gsk.ikeyman.Ikeyman
  • On AIX, Solaris or HP-UX, enter the following commands to run the IKeyman keyring management tool:
    cd <WebSphere_installation_directory>/bin
    setupCmdLine.sh
    set LIBPATH=$JAVA_HOME/jre/bin:
      $JAVA_HOME/jre/bin/classic:$LIBPATH
    set PATH=$JAVA_HOME/bin;
      $JAVA_HOME/jre/bin;$PATH
    set CLASSPATH=$WAS_HOME/lib/cfwk.zip;
      $WAS_HOME/lib/gsk4cls.jar;
      %WAS_HOME%/lib/swingall.jar;
      $CLASSPATH 
    java -Dkeyman.javaOnly=true 
      com.ibm.gsk.ikeyman.Ikeyman
  • Then, follow the online documentation on using the IKeyman tool.
If you select the Lotus Domino plug-in during WebSphere Application Server installation on UNIX platforms, the Lotus Domino configuration file is updated to use the old DLL (GWAPI - libgo46.so). The security of the Lotus Domino plug-in will not work.

[Note: the installation program for Windows NT uses the new DLL. The first time you install WebSphere Application Server, select the Domino plug-in. After completing the installation, run the install program again, this time selecting only the Domino plug-in.

The Lotus Domino plug-in is not supported on Windows2000.]

HP-UX, AIX, Solaris

Use the new DLL (DSAPI - libdomino5.so). Use the following steps to obtain the new DLL instead of the old one (these steps assume Solaris is the example operating system, but can be used on the others):

  1. Install WebSphere Application Server, and select the Lotus Domino plug-in.
  2. After installation, comment out the following lines in the httpd.cnf file:
    Authorization  *  
     /opt/WebSphere/AppServer/bin/libgo46.so:
     authorization_exit
    NameTrans  *  
     /opt/WebSphere/AppServer/bin/libgo46.so:
     nametrans_exit
    Service IBMWebSphere 
     /opt/WebSphere/AppServer/bin/libgo46.so:
     service_exit
    ServerInit 
     /opt/WebSphere/AppServer/bin/libgo46.so:
     init_exit  
     /opt/WebSphere/AppServer/properties/
     bootstrap.properties
    ServerTerm 
     /opt/WebSphere/AppServer/bin/libgo46.so:
     term_exit
    Pass 
     /IBMWebAS/samples/*  
     /opt/WebSphere/AppServer/samples/*
    Pass  /IBMWebAS/*  
     /opt/WebSphere/AppServer/web/*
  3. Run the Lotus Domino server.
  4. Bring up the Lotus Domino Administration display. Go to the Lotus Domino configuration, and add the following line under DSAPI filter:
    /opt/WebSphere/AppServer/bin/libdomino5.so
  5. Restart the Lotus Domino server. While it is starting, you will see the line:
    WebSphere DSAPI filter loaded.
    This means the Lotus Domino plug-in will use the new DLL.
  6. Start WebSphere Application Server.

 

When security is enabled in WebSphere Application Server, if you specify the ORB property com.ibm.CORBA.ListenerPort to define the listener port for an application, it does not affect the ORB. The ORB continues to generate a new port dynamically and uses it instead of the one specified. This is encountered especially in the DMZ and servlet redirector scenarios. All Specify instead com.ibm.CORBA.SSLPort If you are are starting an application server as:
java -Dcom.ibm.CORBA.listenerPort=7777 
 <other parameters>
then, if security is enabled, start the server as:
java -Dcom.ibm.CORBA.SSLPort=7777 
 <other parameters>
As to security in a model/clone environment, if a model (or one of the clones) is secured, then when WLM is enabled, accessing a bean in the cloned environment results in a Authorization failure on the server side or an ObjectNotFound or an access exception on the client side, where the client is accessing the cloned bean. All Apply a security configuration to each clone. In a model/clone environment, security needs to be applied to each clone that needs to be secured. If the model is secured, then the security configuration will not automatically apply to all of the model's clones. All clones need to be added to an appropriate enterprise application and a "Configure Resource Security" task must be applied to all of those clones.
If you changed the password of the userid in the user registry, you might have problems starting WebSphere Application Server since the userid and password are invalid. The password of the userid referred to is associated with WebSphere and configured in the UserRegistry task panel.

Windows NT/2000 The only way to change the userid and password that would not affect other configuration information is to:
  1. Before changing the userid and password in the registry and while the userid and password are still valid in the registry, start the WebSphere Administrative Server and the WebSphere Administrative Console.
  2. Start the user management utility (LocalOS or LDAP tools), and then change the password.
  3. Make the corresponding change tothe WebSphere Application Server user registry configuration:
    1. Select Global Security Settings, then User registry, then ServerID and password
    2. Apply the changes.
  4. Restart the WebSphere Application Server.

Performance and Stability

Problem Op System Workaround
Without TCP/IP connections, heavy user load could cause DB2 core dumps on Solaris. Solaris We recommend that users connect to their DB2 databases (local or remote) using TCP/IP connections, especially for high-end user load. .

OLT and Debugging

This product provides remote and distributed debugging support and tracing capabilities on Windows NT/2000, AIX, and Solaris. Windows NT/2000 Java debugging is supported on JDK 1.2.2; AIX and Solaris Java debugging is supported on JDK 1.1.8. IBM intends to support Java debugging on JDK 1.2.2 for AIX by the first quarter of 2001. The tracing capabilities provided by this product are currently supported on JDK 1.2.2 on Windows NT/2000, AIX, and Solaris. IBM also intends to provide debugging and tracing support on HP-UX by the first quarter of 2001.

Tracing

Problem Op System Workaround
The Distributed Debugger does not start when executing trace and debug. HP-UX Check the value for the com.ibm.ejs.sm.util.process.Nanny.path variable in the /opt/WebSphere/AppServer/bin/admin.config file and make sure it includes the $DER_DRIVER_PATH/bin path and $DER_DRIVER_PATH points to the directory where the distributed debugger is actually installed. [Note that, as pointed out below, the Distributed Debugger is not currently supported; thus, this fix will not work until the Distributed Debugger is supported]
Problem Op System Workaround
Dynamic tracing from the administrative console (Console->Trace->Enabled) on a Windows NT Workstation does start properly with javaw. Windows NT

Edit the adminclient.bat file and make the following modification:

Change javaw to java in the following line:

@start %JAVA_HOME%\bin\javaw -Xminf0.15 -Xmaxf0.25 -classpath %WAS_CP% %CLIENTSAS% -Dcom.ibm.CORBA.principalName=%COMPUTERNAME%/AdminClient -Dserver.root=%WAS_HOME% com.ibm.ejs.sm.client.ui.EJSConsole %DEST% %DESTPORT% %DEBUGOPTS% %QUALIFYNAMES%

IDB trace.log is set by default to trace all SQL activity. All

Edit the file was.prp (found in the bin directory), and comment out the following line:

traceFile=./trace.log 
Because of JDK problems, the IBM Distributed Debugger is not currently supported.

Solaris, AIX,
HP-UX

 

National Language Version Issues/Limitations

Supported locales

WebSphere Application Server Version 3.5 supports the locales listed in the table below. The support is dependent on the availability of the TrueType fonts listed for the respective languages.

Language Windows NT/2000 Solaris AIX HP-UX
Brazilian Portuguese IBM-850 pt_BR pt_BR.ISO8859-1 No Brazilian Portuguese locale
French IBM-850
IBM-858
fr
fr.ISO8859-15
fr_FR.ISO8859-1
fr_FR.ISO8859-1@euro
fr_FR.ISO8859-1
fr_FR.ISO8859-15@euro
German IBM-850
IBM-858
de
de.ISO8859-15
de_DE.ISO8859-1
de_DE.ISO8859-1@euro
de_DE.ISO8859-1
de_DE.ISO8859-15@euro
Italian IBM-850
IBM-858
it
it @ISO8859-15
it_IT.ISO8859-1
it_IT.ISO8859-1@euro
it_IT.ISO8859-1
it_IT.ISO8859-15@euro
Japanese IBM-943 ja
ja_PC.PCK
ja_JP.IBM.eucJP
Ja_JP.IBM-942
ja_JP.SJIS *
Korean IBM-1363 ko ko_KR.IBM.eucKR ko_KR.eucKR *
Simplified Chinese IBM-1386 zh zh_CN.IBM.eucCN zh_CN.hp15CN *
Spanish IBM-850
IBM-858
es
es @ISO8859-15
es_ES.ISO8859-1
es_ES.ISO8859-1@euro
es_ES.ISO8859-1
es_ES.ISO8859-15@euro
Traditional Chinese IBM-950 zh_TW
zh_TW.big5
zh_TW.big5 zh_TW.big5 *

Issues and limitations

Problem Op System Workaround
All Languages
National language documentation sets in the full InfoCenter (other than the English set) contain known problems or limitations that are addressed in the English version of that documentation. Because some information was translated to languages other than English before the product was completed, the English version of the documents contain some corrections and additions which are available with the product but not yet translated. All These additions and corrections to the documentation set will be translated and made available in other languages as soon as is practicable after general availablity of the WebSphere Application Server product.

If you are using a national language version of the documentation other than English, check the product Web site Library page for information about obtaining a refreshed version in the language of your choice. Also, consider periodically referring to the English documentation set in the InfoCenter in addition to the language set you installed.

Because of an NLS bug in the IBM JDK, the word "True" appears in English on the Default Model Properties page in the Administrative Console. All Ignore the appearance.
The installation should allow you to install more than one language and switch between languages. Currently, because all of the languages are named the same in the same installation path, they overwrite each other. Also, with native install (using SMIT), when more than one language is installed, an error is issued. AIX Install only one language of WebSphere Application Server on AIX. If you need to install a different language, uninstall the previous language before installing the one desired.
For non-English locales on AIX, Lotus Domino Go WebServer 4.6.2.x creates the etc/http/config/<locale>/http.conf file. WebSphere Application Server installation updates the English file etc/http.conf. AIX Edit your locale's httpd.conf file and add the WebSphere Application Server configuration information.
The Cancel button in uninstallshield does not work. When you click Cancel in uninstallshield, the executable loops and the uninstallshield automatically reloads. AIX To cancel the uninstall, press Ctrl+C at the command prompt in the shell from which the uninstall program was initiated.
Brazilian Portuguese
The time displayed with events on the Administrative Console is one hour earlier than the actual system time. This is apparently because of a JDK defect. Windows NT/2000, AIX, Solaris  
Japanese
Japanese characters are distorted on the following installation panels:
  • On the Choose Application Server Components panel, all of the characters in Component Description are distorted.
  • On some panels after the Database Options panel, kana-kan status characters at the bottom left corner are distorted.
  • On the Selected Install Options panel, all of the selected option strings are distorted.
AIX
  1. Install X11.fnt.ucs.ttf - AIXWindows unicode TrueType fonts.
  2. Logout and login again.

    This must be done to reflect installation of the proper fonts.

  3. Run xlsfonts | grep 0208 to confirm monotype fonts are installed.
  4. Install WebSphere Application Server Version 3.5. You will see DBCS characters in TxTArea.
When you install WebSphere Application Server on the Japanese Solaris operating system, the dialog on which you select the database home directory (DB_HOME) does not display the directory entry. startupServer.sh and admin.config are not updated. Solaris Set locale as LANG=C on the shell, and start install.sh.
Japanese AIX customers using the eucJP locale need to change some text files to allow some of the Administrative Console pages to display properly. AIX If you see pages in the AdminConsole containing lots of ???????????????, install Japanese WebSphere on AIX. If ja_JP locale is used, the following .txt files in the /web/help directory need to be converted with the command (on one line):
    iconv -f IBM-932 -t IBM-eucJP 
      Originalfile.txt > Originalfile_ja.txt

Then, rename the files

    mv Originalfile_ja.txt Originalfile.txt

The list of files:

    AddJSPEnabFrontPage.txt
    AddServletFrontPage.txt
    AddWebResFrontPage.txt
    AppSecFrontPage.txt
    CfgAppSvrFrontPage.txt
    CfgEntAppFrontPage.txt
    CfgServEngFrontPage.txt
    CfgVirtHostFrontPage.txt
    CfgWebAppFrontPage.txt
    EditEntAppFrontPage.txt
    GlobSetFrontPage.txt
    MethGroupFrontPage.txt
    PermFrontPage.txt
    ResAnalyzFrontPage.txt
    ResSecFrontPage.txt
Spanish
When using the Types tab, then selecting Model and create and then choosing Application Server, the properties window is initially too small. The right side of the window is cut off by about five characters. AIX This is a general swing problem which does not occur all the time. Manually resize the window if this occurs.
Chinese Simplified
On AIX V4.3.3:
  • PTF U466148 must be applied before installing WebSphere Application Server. This PTF is available on the 4.3.5 installation media. Note also that it is not necessary to upgrade the operating system to 4.3.3 to install this PTF.
  • WebSphere Application Server supports only one Simplified Chinese Charset in AIX, that is BGK.
AIX  
Chinese Traditional
Problems with character sets other than "Big5" on AIX V4.3.3. AIX WebSphere Application Server supports only one Traditional Chinese Character Set for AIX V4.3.3. The supported character set is "Big5".
While using the product, corrupt panels and code page conversion errors appear. Solaris To install and use the WebSphere Application Server (WAS) with a minimal amount of corrupted panels, follow the procedure below:
  1. From a command line, type: export LC_ALL=tchinese export LANG=tchinese
  2. Install WebSphere Application Server.
  3. From a command line, type: export LC_ALL=zh_TW.BIG5 export LANG=zh_TW.BIG5
  4. Create the WebSphere Application Server database as instructed in the documentation.
  5. Repeat step 1.
  6. Start the administrative server.
  7. Repeat step 3.
  8. Start the administrative console.

To uninstall WebSphere Application Server with a minimal amount of corrupted panels:

  1. From a command line, type: export LC_ALL=tchinese export LANG=tchinese
  2. Uninstall WebSphere Application Server as instructed in the documentation.
Korean
The interface and messages for the installation and uninstallation programs are not in Korean or show distorted characters. All For the interface and messages of the installation and uninstallation programs to display correctly in Korean, the JDK 1.1.8 must be installed on your system before attempting an installation of WebSphere Application Server Version 3.5 or JDK 1.2.2.
All Double-Byte Languages
In the WebSphere Administrative Console, Asian characters show up as empty boxes because of a limitation in the HP-UX 1.2.2 SDK. The Java swing libraries require TrueType fonts. HP-UX does not provide these fonts for Asian languages. The SDK release notes state that HP-UX is working to provide these font in the future. HP-UX In the meantime, Japanese, Korean, Chinese Traditional, and Chinese Simplified customers must purchase their own TrueType fonts from a third party vendor. They can also force the WebSphere Administrative Console to run in English by running the following command from the command prompt before starting the WebSphere Administrative Console:
    export LANG=en_US.iso88591
    

Also, for more information on this limitation, refer to the (HP-UX SDK Release Notes).

Search documentation does not work. All The DBCS search function will be removed along with frame sets for the help and InfoCenter.
Double-byte server name is corrupt in console messages. If you name a server with Asian-Pacific characters and start it, the name in the status message (starting, stopping) on the Administrative Console is garbage (question marks and square blocks). All Use only English characters and numbers for your server name.
An application server will not start if named with more than three Chinese characters. Any combination of less than three Chinese characters or any number of English characters works fine. With more than three Chinese characters, the name in the status message (starting, stopping and others) is made up of meaningless characters (for examples, question marks and square blocks). All Use English or fewer than three double-byte characters.

Samples

Problem Op System Workaround
WebSphereSamples fails with /servlet/xxx not found. All Add a virtual host alias for the fully-qualified hostname of your Web server. The short name is automatically defined, but some systems do not automatically define the fgn:
  1. Go to the Topology view of the Administrative Console.
  2. Choose default_host.
  3. Edit the Advanced properties panel and add a fully qualified virtual host alias, including domain.
You may get a compilation error with the JSP10employee.jsp file provided as a JSP sample. All  

InfoCenter

Problem Op System Workaround
The readme.html file incorrectly states that the WebSphere Application Server Standard Edition installation guides are included in the product installation. All Obtain the Standard Edition installation guides as part of the full InfoCenter download available from the product Web site. Details for this download are in the readme.html file.
When opening the InfoCenter or its files using a Netscape browser, you might receive a file not found message. This message refers to the name and path of the file you are attempting to open, for example:
'c:\WebSphere\AppServer\web\doc\
begin_here\filename.html' not found
Windows NT/2000 Do the following:
  1. Start Windows Explorer.
  2. Click View, then select Options.
  3. Click the File Types tab.
  4. Scroll the Registered File Types list to Netscape Hypertext Document and double click.
  5. Under Actions, double click Open.
  6. Uncheck the Use DDE option.
  7. Click OK, then close.

With the Use DDE (Dynamic Data Exchange) option off, the window errors that complain that a a local file (like the Readme) is not found should not appear.

Using the Netscape browser, the InfoCenter and Help display blank pages or give Java/Javascript errors when opening InfoCenter or Help topics. Solaris To correct this problem you can set up the Netscape browser environment to allow use of the InfoCenter and Help system (setup consists of putting all Netscape .jar files in the CLASSPATH, followed by the required WebSphere JDK):
  1. Configure Netscape:
    1. Set your CLASSPATH to included (in this order) each Jar file in the MOZILLA_HOME/Java/classes directory; the Java classes.zip file found in /usr/java1.1/lib.
    2. In Netscape, select Preferences, then Appearance, then Fonts and change the font settings. The recommended setting for variable width font is New Century Schoolbook; and for fixed width font, it is Courier. Note that many of the font choices included with the Netscape Navigator product will work. Choose a set you like.
  2. Access the InfoCenter and Help from a browser on a non-SUN system using the URLs:
        http://<server>/IBMWebAS/doc/begin_here
        http://<server>/IBMWebAS/help/helpcon.htm
If Netscape Navigator (or Communicator) is the system default browser and a browser is already open for a purpose other than displaying WebSphere Application Server help or documentation, the open browser might ignore a request to display the WebSphere Application Server help or documentation. The help or documentation is not displayed in the open browser, and no new browser instance is launched for displaying the requested file. Windows NT/2000 If instances of the default browser are already open for other purposes, close these browser instances, if possible, before requesting help or documentation from WebSphere Application Server using the Help menu on the WebSphere Administrative Console or the Start menu on Windows NT.
The online help for the Administrative Console may be disabled for the choices What is it?, How do I?, and Property Help. Solaris, HP-UX  
In the WebSphere Control Program (wscp) documentation under the section titled "Authenticating to the administrative server," the following sentence should be removed:
"If you want to administer WebSphere by using 
unattended scripts, you can avoid being prompted 
for a user ID and password by changing the value 
of the com.ibm.CORBA.loginSource property to 
"properties."
All The value "properties" is the only option for com.ibm.CORBA.loginSource. The value "login" (prompting for a user ID) is not supported for wscp.