The firststeps command starts the First
steps console. The First steps console is a post-installation ease-of-use
tool for directing WebSphere® Application
Server - Express® elements from one place.
Options display dynamically on the First steps console, depending
on features that you install and the availability of certain elements
on a particular operating system platform. Options include verifying
the installation, starting and stopping application server processes, accessing the tools
for creating and managing profiles, accessing the administrative console,
and accessing the online information center.
First steps overview
You can also start
the First steps console from the command line as described later in
this article.
Option descriptions
- Installation verification
- This option starts the installation
verification test (IVT). The test consists of starting and monitoring
the application server during its start up.
If this is the first
time that you have used the First steps console for this application
server profile, click Installation verification to
verify the installation. The verification process starts the application
server.
The Start the server option
is unavailable while the IVT runs.
The IVT provides the following
useful information about the application server:
- Server name
- Name of the profile
- Profile file path
- Type of profile: default
- Cell name
- Node name
- Current® encoding
- Port number for the administrative console
- Various informational messages that include the location of the SystemOut.log file
and how many errors are listed within the file
- Completion message
- Start the server
- This option toggles to Stop the server when
the application server runs.
This option displays when the First
steps console is in a standalone application server profile.
After selecting the Start
the server option, an output screen displays with status
messages. The success message informs you that the server is open
for e-business. Then the menu item toggles to Stop the
server and the Administrative console option
enables
If you select the Start the server option,
the Installation verification option is unavailable
while the application server runs.
- Start the administrative agent
- This option toggles to Stop the administrative agent when
the administrative agent runs.
After
selecting the Start the administrative agent option,
an output screen displays with status messages. The success message
informs you that the administrative agent is open for e-business.
Then the menu item changes to Stop the administrative agent.
If
you select the Start the administrative agent option,
the Installation verification option is unavailable
while the administrative agent runs.
- Administrative console
- This option is unavailable until the application server runs.
The administrative
console is a configuration editor that runs in one of the supported
web browsers. The administrative console lets you work with XML configuration
files for the standalone application server .
To launch the administrative console, click Administrative
console or point your browser to http://localhost:9060/ibm/console.
Substitute the host name for localhost if the
address does not load. Verify the installation to verify the administrative
console port number, if 9060 does not load.
Avoid trouble: If you are installing the product on
these operating systems, then you must disable IPv6 and restart the
machine to view and log on to the administrative console. See
IPv6 for Microsoft® Windows®:
Frequently Asked Questions for more information on disabling
IPv6.
gotcha
The administrative console prompts for a login name.
This is not a security item, but merely a tag to identify configuration
changes that you make during the session. Secure signon is also available
when administrative security is enabled.
The installation procedure
in the information center cautions you to write down the administrative
user ID and password when security is enabled during installation.
Without the ID and password, you cannot use the administrative console
or scripting.
- WebSphere Customization
Toolbox
- This option opens the WebSphere Customization
Toolbox, which contains the Profile Management Tool and the Configuration Migration Tool.
- Profile Management Tool
- The Profile Management Tool can create a standalone application
server profile or a management profile.
Each profile
has its own administrative interface.
Each
profile also has its own First steps console.
- Configuration Migration Tool
- The Configuration Migration Tool is
the graphical interface to the migration tools.
See the migration
documentation for more information about the Configuration
Migration Tool.
- Information center for WebSphere Application
Server
- This option links you to the online information center.
- IBM® Education Assistant
- This option links you to the IBM Education
Assistant.
- Exit
- This option closes the First steps console.
Location of the command file
Parameters
No parameters are associated
with this command.
Syntax for the firststeps command
Link tips
The following links exist on the
First steps console for the WebSphere Application
Server - Express product:
Table 1. Links on
the First steps console. Links that display on the
First steps console are shown in the following table:
Option |
Link |
Installation verification |
Calls the ivt command.
|
Start the server |
Calls the startServer command.
When you have more than one application server on the
same machine, the command starts the same application server that
is associated with the First steps console.
|
Stop the server |
Calls the stopServer command.
|
Administrative console |
Opens the default browser to the http://localhost:9060/ibm/console
web address. When you have more than one application server on the
same machine, the port varies. The First steps console starts the
administrative console that is associated with the First steps console.
Avoid trouble: If you are installing the product
on the Windows Vista operating
system, then you must disable IPv6 and restart the machine to view
and log on to the administrative console. See IPv6 for Microsoft Windows:
Frequently Asked Questions for more information on disabling
IPv6 on Windows Vista. gotcha
|
WebSphere Customization Toolbox |
|
Information center for WebSphere
Application Server products |
Opens the default browser to the online information
center. |
IBM Education Assistant |
Opens the default browser to the IBM Education Assistant. |
New feature: This topic
references one or more of the application server log files. Beginning
in WebSphere Application Server Version 8.0 you can configure the
server to use the High Performance Extensible Logging (HPEL) log and
trace infrastructure instead of using
SystemOut.log ,
SystemErr.log,
trace.log, and
activity.log files or native z/OS logging
facilities. If you are using HPEL, you can access all of your log
and trace information using the LogViewer command-line tool from your
server profile bin directory. See the information about using HPEL
to troubleshoot applications for more information on using HPEL.
newfeat