Starting an application server

When you start an application server, a new server process starts. This new server process is based on the process definition settings of the current server configuration.

Before you begin

Before you start an application server, verify that all of the application required resources are available. You must also start all prerequisite subsystems.

If you want server components to dynamically start as they are needed by the installed applications, verify that the Start components as needed option is selected in the configuration settings for the application server before you start the application server. Selecting this option can improve startup time, and reduce the memory footprint of the application server. Starting components as they are needed is most effective if all of the applications that are deployed on the server are of the same type. For example, using this option works better if all of your applications are web applications that use servlets, and JavaServer Pages (JSP). This option works less effectively if your applications use servlets, JSPs, and Enterprise JavaBeans (EJB).

Avoid trouble Avoid trouble:
  • To ensure compatibility with other WebSphere® products, the default setting for the Start components as needed option is cleared. Before selecting this option, verify that any other WebSphere products, that you are running with this product, support this function.
  • When you start an application server from the console, the application server inherits the node agent's environment, including the ulimit settings. Setting the ulimit to the needed valude might need to be done at the node agent level such that the application server inherits the right values from the node agent.
  • When you start an application server from a command line, you must specify the ulimit settings in the OS shell before you issue the startServer command because in this scenario, the application server inherits the ulimit settings of the OS shell.
gotcha

About this task

This procedure for starting a server also typically applies to restarting a server. The one exception might be if a server fails and you want the recovery functions to complete their processing before starting new work on that server. In this situation, you must restart the server in recovery mode.

If you create any additional application servers, you cannot start, stop, or manage these servers using the administrative console that is associated with the original base server. You must either use command-line tools to perform these tasks for the additional servers, set up an administrative console for each server, or configure an administrative agent to provide a single interface to all of your servers, including the original base server. An administrative agent makes it easier to more fully administer these unfederated application servers.

Avoid trouble Avoid trouble: If you install a base server without a node agent, there are no administrative console buttons for New, Delete, Templates, Start, Stop, Restart, ImmediateStop, Terminate, after you select Servers > Server Types > WebSphere Application Servers on the administrative console. In this environment, you can use an administrative agent and add the base server to the administrative agent. You can then control the base server through the administrative agent. See topic Administering stand-alone nodes using the administrative agent for more details.gotcha
Avoid trouble Avoid trouble: If you create additional application servers, only use one server to modify and save configurations. There is no coordination of configuration setting between the different servers and if you modify and save configurations on multiple servers, your data might become corrupted.gotcha

There are several options available for starting an application server.

Procedure

Results

The specified server starts. To verify that the server is in start state, in the administrative console, click Servers > Server Types > WebSphere application servers.

What to do next

After the server starts, deploy the applications that you want to run on this server.

If you must start an application server with standard Java debugging enabled:
  1. In the administrative console, click Servers > Server Types > WebSphere application servers.
  2. Click the name of the application server with the processes that you want to trace and debug.
  3. On the Java virtual machine page, select the Debug mode option to start the standard Java debugger. Set Debug mode arguments, if they are needed.
  4. Click OK.
  5. Save the changes to a configuration file
  6. Stop the application server.
  7. Start the application server again as previously described.
Task topic    

Terms and conditions for information centers | Feedback

Last updated: April 17, 2014 10:32 PM CDT
http://www14.software.ibm.com/webapp/wsbroker/redirect?version=phil&product=was-express-iseries&topic=trun_svr_start
File name: trun_svr_start.html