The Plug-ins installation wizard installs a binary plug-in
module and a plug-in configuration file for the Web server. The wizard
then configures the supported Web server for the Application Server
and creates a Web server definition in the configuration of the application
server. This overview shows the different processing paths that the
wizard uses.
This topic describes the
three ways that the Plug-ins installation wizard configures a Web
server to locate the plugin-cfg.xml file, which
is the plug-in configuration file.
Configuration
flows for the Network Deployment product
The Plug-ins installation
wizard resolves all configurations of Web server and WebSphere® Application
Server to three scenarios: a remote application server, local distributed
application Server, and local standalone application server. The logic
implemented in determining which scenario applies to a configuration
is shown in the following diagram.

Legend:
- Default application server with Web server definition?
- If the default profile is an application server with an existing
Web server definition, then the installation is considered a remote
installation. You cannot have more than one Web server definition
in a standalone application server.
Use the same name for the Web
server to configure a new Web server to use the existing Web server
definition.
Use a different Web server name to create a script
that creates a new Web server definition in a federated application
server profile.
- Default profile?
- If the product is installed but the Profile Management Tool has not yet created
a profile, the scenario is considered to be a remote installation.
When multiple profiles exist, the plug-ins installer configures only
the default profile.
- Default profile_type?
- The Plug-ins installation wizard can configure only one profile
at a time. The wizard always works with the default profile. These
three paths show how processing varies for different types of profiles.
- Federated?
- If the application server node is federated, the Plug-ins installation
wizard configures the Web server definition on the managed node. This
has advantages. Suppose the Web server and the managed node are on
a separate machine. The plugin-cfg.xml file is
automatically propagated to the remote node during node synchronization
because the Web server definition is part of the node configuration.
- Installation type?
- The installation type is either remote or local.
- Non-default distributed profile?
- If the deployment manager has a federated custom node (custom
profile), the Plug-ins installation wizard configures the Web server
definition on the managed node. This has advantages. Suppose the Web
server and the managed node are on a separate machine. The plugin-cfg.xml file
is automatically propagated to the remote node during node synchronization
because the Web server definition is part of the node configuration.
If
a federated custom profile is not found, the Plug-ins installation
wizard looks for and configures the first federated application server
node (application server profile) that it finds. So, the logic is:
- Look for a federated managed (custom) profile and configure the
first one found.
- If no federated managed profile is found, look for a federated
application server profile and configure the first one found.
Scenario 1. Remote plug-in configuration
The
Plug-ins installation wizard does not automatically create a Web server
definition within the default distributed profile on a remote machine.
The wizard creates the configureweb_server_name script
instead.
The Plug-ins installation wizard configures the Web
server to use the plugin-cfg.xml file that will
be maintained on the Web server machine in the plugins_root/config/web_server_name directory.
This file requires periodic propagation. Propagation is copying the
current plugin-cfg.xml file from the Application
Server machine to replace the plugins_root/config/web_server_name/plugin-cfg.xml file.
After installing the binary plug-in for the local Web server,
you do not have to run the script before you can start the application
server and the Web server. However, you do not have the benefits of
a Web server definition in the application server node until you run
the script.
Table 1. Configurations that qualify for the remote
application server scenario. Remote application server
scenario
Profile type |
Federation status |
Creation of Web server definition? |
Web server already defined in Application Server
configuration? |
Any profile anywhere if you select a remote
installation type in the Plug-ins installation wizard |
N/A |
By script |
N/A |
No default profile detected |
N/A |
By script |
N/A |
Default unfederated standalone application server
profile with an existing Web server definition |
Not federated |
By script |
Yes |
Default deployment manager profile with no managed
nodes |
N/A |
By script |
N/A |
Testing the application server without a Web server
definition: The following overview shows the procedure for verifying
the temporary plugins_root/config/web_server_name/plugin-cfg.xml file.
The
Web server communicates with the remote Application Server using the
temporary plugin-cfg.xml file.
If the
application server has an HTTP Transport port assignment other than
9080, the test is not successful. Continue to the next section to
create the Web server definition on the application server and complete
your test of the configuration.
- Start the Web server with the proper procedure for your Web server.
- Start the application server on the remote machine.
- Point your browser to http://localhost:9080/snoop to
test the internal HTTP transport provided by the application server.
Point your browser to http://Host_name_of_Web_server_machine/snoop to
test the Web server plug-in.
- Verify that both Web addresses display the Snoop Servlet - Request/Client
Information page.
Completing the installation by configuring a Web server
definition: The following overview shows the procedure for completing
the configuration. The configuration is not complete until the Web
server definition exists in the configuration of the Application Server
node. The Web server definition is a central element in the regeneration
of a valid plug-in configuration file,
plugin-cfg.xml.
- Start the deployment manager if you are configuring the deployment
manager or a managed node.
- Federate a remote application server node or custom node now if
you are planning to federate the node at some point. If a Web server
definition already exists when you federate a node, the definition
is lost.
- Create the Web server definition in the application server. You
have two options for a managed node. Use the script option for a deployment
manager node without managed nodes.
- Open the administrative console of the deployment manager if the
node is federated. Wait for node synchronization to occur on the managed
node and save the changed configuration that includes the new Web
server definition. If the remote node is not federated, open the administrative
console of the application server and save the changed configuration.
- Copy the current plug-in configuration file, plugin-cfg.xml,
in the profile_root/config/cells/cell_name/nodes/web_server_name_node/servers/web_server_name directory.
Paste the file on the Web server machine to replace the temporary plugins_root/config/web_server_name/plugin-cfg.xml
file. The IBM HTTP Server supports automatic propagation.
Other Web servers require manual propagation.
- Start the Web server with the proper procedure for your Web server.
- Point your browser to http://localhost:9080/snoop to
test the internal HTTP transport provided by the Application Server.
Point your browser to http://Host_name_of_Web_server_machine/snoop to
test the Web server plug-in.
- Verify that both Web addresses display the Snoop Servlet - Request/Client
Information page.
Scenario 2. Local distributed plug-in configuration
The
Plug-ins installation wizard does not automatically create a Web server
definition within a federated application server profile. The wizard
creates the configureweb_server_name script
instead in the plugins_root/bin directory.
The
Plug-ins installation wizard configures the Web server to use the plugin-cfg.xml file
that will be created within the application server profile when you
run the script. The deployment manager regenerates the plugin-cfg.xml file
in the profile_root/config/cells/cell_name/nodes/node_name/servers/web_server_name directory.
Regeneration occurs whenever a change occurs in the application server
configuration that affects deployed applications on the managed node.
After
installing the binary plug-in for the local Web server, you must run
the script before you can start the Web server. The Web server has
already been configured to use the
plugin-cfg.xml file
in the application server configuration. That file does not exist
until you run the
configureweb_server_name script.
Table 2. Configurations that qualify for the local distributed application
server scenario. Local distributed application server
scenario
Profile type |
Federation status |
Creation of Web server definition? |
Web server already defined in Application Server
configuration? |
Default application server profile |
Federated |
By script |
N/A |
Default Custom profile |
Not federated |
By script |
N/A |
Default Custom profile |
Federated |
By script |
N/A |
Default deployment manager profile with a managed
node (non-default distributed profile) |
N/A |
By script |
N/A |
The following overview shows the procedure for completing
the configuration and verifying the Web server configuration:
- Start the deployment manager.
- If you are planning to add an application server node into a deployment
manager cell but have not done so yet, federate the node before installing
the plug-ins. If the Web server definition exists when you federate
the node, the Web server definition is lost when you federate.
- Create the Web server definition in the application server. You
have two options:
- Use the administrative console of the deployment manager to create
a Web server definition for a managed node. Click Servers >
Web servers > New and use the Create new Web server
entry wizard to create the Web server definition.
- Run the script to manually create the Web server definition within
the configuration of the deployment manager. Run the script from the plugins_root/bin directory.
The script can address the deployment manager on the same machine.
Note: The webserverNodeName value in the
script is a concatenation of the nick name you have chosen for the
web server and the suffix -node. It is automatically
created during plug-in installation and cannot be changed. For example,
if you named your web server myserver during plug-in
installation, the value for the associated Web server definition created
after you ran the script would be myserver-node.
If
you have enabled security or changed the default JMX connector type,
edit the script and include the appropriate parameters.
- Start the Web server with the proper procedure for your Web server.
- Start the application server.
- Open the administrative console of the deployment manager. Wait
for node synchronization to occur and save the changed configuration
that includes the new Web server definition.
- Point your browser to http://localhost:9080/snoop to
test the internal HTTP transport provided by the application server.
Point your browser to http://Host_name_of_Web_server_machine/snoop to
test the Web server plug-in.
- Verify that both Web addresses display the Snoop Servlet - Request/Client
Information page.
Scenario 3. Local standalone plug-in configuration
The
Plug-ins installation wizard creates a Web server definition within
the application server profile.
The Plug-ins installation wizard
configures the Web server to use the plugin-cfg.xml file
that is within the application server profile. The standalone application
server regenerates the profile_root/config/cells/cell_name/nodes/web_server_name_node/servers/web_server_name/plugin-cfg.xml file
whenever a change occurs in the application server configuration that
affects deployed applications.
After installing the binary
plug-in for the local Web server, you can start the Application Server
and the Web server immediately upon completion of the installation.
Suppose
that you create a Web server definition on a standalone application
server and then federate the node. The Web server definition is not
federated into the cell because the Web server definition is defined
as a separate node in a standalone application server. You must recreate
the Web server definition on the managed node. See Scenario 2.
Table 3. Configuration that qualifies for the local standalone application
server scenario. Local standalone application server scenario
Profile type |
Federation status |
Automatic creation of Web server definition? |
Web server already defined in Application Server
configuration? |
Application server |
Not federated |
Yes |
No |
Redirection to Scenario 1
An unfederated
default standalone application server that has an existing Web server
definition is processed as a remote plug-in configuration.
An
existing Web server definition on a standalone application server
causes the Plug-ins installation wizard to follow the remote installation
path. A standalone application server can have just one Web server
definition. Specify the same nick name for the Web server if you want
to configure a new Web server.
You can use the plugin-cfg.xml file
that is within the Web server definition in the configuration of the
Application Server. Simply click Browse on
the appropriate panel in the Plug-ins installation wizard to select
the file. This file must exist. Otherwise, the Plug-ins installation
wizard displays a warning and prevents you from proceeding until you
select an existing file. The Web server is configured to use this
existing plugin-cfg.xml file.
See Scenario
1 for a description of this type of node.
Redirection to
Scenario 2
A federated default standalone application server
is processed as a local distributed plug-in configuration. See Scenario
2 for a description of this type of node.
Overview of the
verification procedure
The following overview shows the
procedure for verifying the Web server configuration after installing
the binary plug-in module:
- Start the Web server with the proper procedure for your Web server.
- Start the application server.
Change directories to the
profile_root/bin directory
and run the
startServer command:
./profile_root/bin/startServer.sh
server1
profile_root\bin\startServer
server1
Open the administrative console and save the changed configuration.
- Point your browser to http://localhost:9080/snoop to
test the internal HTTP transport provided by the application server.
Point your browser to http://Host_name_of_Web_server_machine/snoop to
test the Web server plug-in.
- Verify that both Web addresses display the Snoop Servlet - Request/Client
Information page.
Summary
Three scenarios exist for Web server
plug-ins for WebSphere Application Server. Each scenario
revolves around a unique location for the plug-in configuration file, plugin-cfg.xml.
The application server generates the plug-in configuration file. The
purpose of the file is to publish the location of all of the application
server elements that are relevant to a Web server. Such elements include
applications, virtual hosts for serving applications, clusters, and
cluster members, for example.
If the Web server cannot get
to the file on the application server machine, you must take the file
to the Web server. That process is called propagation. Propagation
is reserved for the remote plug-in configuration scenario, which is Scenario
1 in this topic.
In each of the local scenarios, the Web
server can get to the plugin-cfg.xml file because
it is on the same machine as the file. Two local scenarios exist because
of two distinct locations for a local plugin-cfg.xml file.
The
configuration scheme for Version 6 of WebSphere Application
Server puts the plug-in configuration file in a Web server definition
that is either within a Web server node or a managed node. The type
of node is the difference between Scenario 2 and Scenario 3 in this
topic. All Scenario 2 configurations require the Web server
definition to exist within a managed application server node. All Scenario
3 configurations have the Web server definition within its own
Web server node.
Limited management options do not let you create
or delete the one Web server definition in the administrative console
of a standalone application server. The inability of a standalone
application server to create a Web server definition is the basis
for the configuration scripts created by the Web server plug-ins for WebSphere Application Server. Without the
scripts you could not easily create a Web server definition on a standalone
application server node.
The location of the
plugin-cfg.xml file
for each configuration described in this topic is shown in the following
table:
Table 4. Plug-in configuration file locations. Plug-in
configuration file locations
Scenario |
Profile type |
Location of
the plugin-cfg.xml file |
Plugins_ install_ root |
profiles_ root: within the
managed node |
profiles_ root: within the
Web server node |
1 |
Any profile anywhere if you select a remote
installation type in the Plug-ins installation wizard |
X |
|
|
No default profile detected |
X |
|
|
Default unfederated (standalone) Application
Server profile with an existing Web server definition |
X |
|
|
Default deployment manager profile with no managed
nodes |
X |
|
|
2 |
Default application server profile |
|
X |
|
Default custom profile |
|
X |
|
Default deployment manager profile with a managed
node (non-default distributed profile) |
|
X |
|
3 |
Default application server profile |
|
|
X |
Legend:
- plugins_root
- plugins_root
/config/
web_server_name/plugin-cfg.xml
- profiles_ root: within the managed node
profile_root
/config/cells/cell_name/nodes/
node_name_of_AppServer/servers/
web_server_name/plugin-cfg.xml
- profiles_ root: within the Web server node
profile_root
/config/cells/cell_name/nodes/
web_server_name_node/servers/
web_server_name/plugin-cfg.xml