Variables in the WebSphere environment come in many varieties. Variables are used to control settings and properties relating to the server environment. Three main variable options that are important for a WebSphere Application Server user to know and understand are custom properties, environment variables, and WebSphere-specific variables.
Environment variables
Environment variables, also called native environment variables, are not specific to the WebSphere Application Server and are defined by other elements, such as UNIX, Language Environment (LE), or third-party vendors, among others. Some of the UNIX-specific native variables are LIBPATH and STEPLIB. These variables tend to be operating system specific.
Environment variables are specified in the administrative console. Click Application Server >server_name> Process Definition > Servant Process > Environment Entries.
This path is also used to set environment variables that control the collection of application server and Web container information in z/OS System management facility (SMF) records.
WebSphere variables
WebSphere variables are used for three purposes:
WebSphere variables are specified in the administrative console by clicking Environment > Manage WebSphere variables. How the WebSphere variable is set determines its scope. A variable can apply to a cell, a node, or a server. If the variable is set:
Custom properties
Custom properties are property settings meant for a specific functional component. Any configuration element can have a custom property. Common configuration elements are cell, node, server, Web container, and transaction service. A limited number of supported custom properties are available and these can be set in the administrative console using the custom properties link associated with the functional component.
For example, to set HTTP transport custom properties, follow one of the following paths:
Custom properties set from the Web container custom properties page apply to all transports associated with that Web container; custom properties set from the HTTP transport custom properties page apply only to that specific transport. If the same properties are set on both pages, the settings on the transport page override the settings defined on the web container page for that specific transport.