Configuring Web server plug-ins

Why and when to perform this task

See Web server plug-in policy for WebSphere Application Server for information about how to verify what V4.0, V5.0, V5.1 and V6.0 plug-in versions are installed on local or remote Web servers, and how to determine if the installation complies with supported configurations.

A WebSphere application server works with a Web server to handle requests for Web applications. The Web server and application server communicate using a WebSphere HTTP plug-in for the Web server.

The installation program for WebSphere Application Server modifies the Web server configuration file automatically to establish a plug-in, provided that you specify a Web server during installation.

Plug-ins are the preferred method of communication between the Web server and the application server. A plug-in offers the following advantages:

A Web server plug-in and Web server are not required in order to start the application server or the administrative console. In a test or development environment, you can use the internal HTTP transport instead of the Web server plug-in and Web server combination. However, it is recommended that you use a Web server plug-in and Web server in a production environment.

To configure a Web server plug-in:

Steps for this task

  1. Install a supported Web server if one is not already installed.
    See WebSphere Application Server Supported hardware and software for a complete list of supported Web servers.
  2. Configure your Web server.
    Refer to your Web server documentation for information on configuring your Web server.

    Ensure that Web servers are configured to perform operations required by Web applications, such as GET and POST. Typically, this involves setting a directive in the Web server configuration file (such as httpd.conf for IBM HTTP Server). Refer to the Web server documentation for instructions. If an operation is not enabled when a servlet or JSP file requiring the operation is accessed, an error message displays, such as this one from IBM HTTP Server:

    HTTP method POST is not supported by this URL.

  3. If you encounter problems starting your Web server, check the http_plugin.log file in the WebSphere logs directory for information on what portion of the plug-in configuration file contained the error. The log file states the line number on which the error occurred along with other details that might help you diagnose why the Web server did not start. A frequent reason for a Web server not starting is an improper entry in a plug-in configuration file.
  4. Install the plug-in to a specific location.
  5. Check the version of your IBM HTTP Server installation.
  6. Regenerate the plug-in configuration or manually edit the plug-in configuration file.. After changing configurations to plug-ins, transports or virtual hosts, you must regenerate your Web server plug-in for the changes to take effect.

Related concepts
Transports
Web server plug-in remote user information processing
Web server plug-ins
Related tasks
Configuring transports
Changing the HTTP plug-in configuration
Related reference
plugin-cfg.xml file
Supported distributed platform Web server plug-in configurations
Plug-ins: Resources for learning



Searchable topic ID:   trun_plugin
Last updated: Jun 21, 2007 8:07:48 PM CDT    WebSphere Business Integration Server Foundation, Version 5.0.2
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