There are several names that you must specify during WebSphere® Application Server for z/OS® configuration.
Although it is possible to assign names to WebSphere Application
Server for z/OS objects on an ad-hoc basis, it is safer
and more efficient to assign names in an orderly fashion.
Long names and short names
Each WebSphere Application Server for z/OS cell,
node, server, and cluster must have both a long name and a short name.
- Long names
- Long names are the principal names by which cells, nodes, servers,
and clusters are known to WebSphere Application Server
for z/OS. These are the names used in scripting
and the administrative console. Long names can be up to 50 characters
long and include mixed-case alphabetic characters, numeric characters,
and the following special characters: ! ^ ( ) _ - . { } [ ]
- Short names
- Short names are specific to the z/OS implementation
of WebSphere Application Server and are the
principal names by which cells, nodes, servers, and clusters are known
to z/OS.
Note: The z/OS operating
system has an eight-character limit on many operating-system interface
values.
Short names must be from one to eight characters
long, can contain only uppercase alphabetic or numeric characters,
and cannot begin with a numeric character.
You should limit
your server short names to seven characters to allow the runtime to
add an S or an A to a short name
to designate servant regions or adjuncts. For example, a server short
name of BBOS001 results in BBOS001S for
servant regions and BBOS001A for control region adjunct
processes. If your standards require eight characters for server
short names, explicitly set the short names of the servant and adjunct
regions.
Wherever this article states that two names
must be the same or different, this means that the long names must
be the same or different and that the short names must also be the
same or different. There is no requirement that the long and short
names be related, but most users find it convenient to make them identical
or at least similar to each other.
Choosing a cell name
The cell name identifies
a WebSphere Application Server cell. Each
of the following is a cell:
- Standalone application server
- Network Deployment cell, together with its nodes and servers
- DMZ secure proxy server
- Administrative agent
- Job manager
Each cell must have cell name that it does not share with
any other cell on the same system. If cells on different systems
communicate with one another, they should not have the same cell name.
In
order to federate a standalone application server into a Network Deployment
cell, the standalone server's cell name must be different from the
cell name of the Network Deployment cell.
Choosing a server name
The server name identifies
a WebSphere Application Server server within
the node to which it belongs. Each server must have server name that
it does not share with any other server in the same node. On the z/OS operating
system, the server short name is also used as the server's MVS job
name; and therefore, no two servers with the same server short name
can run on the same z/OS system at the same time even
if they are in different cells.
- Standalone application servers
- A standalone application server usually has a single application
server because the administrative console in a standalone application
server cell can only control a single server. If the application
server node is registered with an administrative agent, however, the
administrative agent can be used to create additional servers.
- Network Deployment cells
- A Network Deployment cell has at least one server—the deployment
manager in its own node—and some number of additional application
servers, Web servers, proxy servers, and other types of servers.
- Secure proxy servers, administrative agents, and job managers
- Secure proxy servers, administrative agents, and job managers
each have a single server.
Choosing cluster names and generic server short names
The
cluster name identifies a WebSphere Application Server
cluster—a collection of identical servers, potentially spanning several
nodes or systems, that run the same applications. Both application
servers and proxy servers can be clustered. Each cluster must have
cluster name that it does not share with any other cluster in the
same cell.
The cluster short name has a special function—it
is used to identify the cluster servers to the z/OS Workload
Management facility (WLM). Even nodes that have not been clustered
have a server generic short name, also called a "cluster transition
name," that is used for the same purpose; when a cluster is created
from an existing application server, the server's generic short name
becomes the cluster name.
As a result, no two servers on the
same z/OS system should have the same server generic
short name unless they are in the same cluster. This rule applies
to deployment managers, node agents, administrative agents, and job
managers as well as to application servers and proxy servers.
Naming conventions
Because of the large
number of names to be chosen, together with the requirements that
some names be the same or be unique, it is helpful to have a standard
method of choosing names that meets both the enterprise's business
needs and the requirements of the WebSphere Application
Server architecture.
WebSphere Application Server
for z/OS provides two different naming conventions
for cells, nodes, servers, and clusters.
- Basic naming convention
- This convention includes a set of fixed defaults that have been
in place since WebSphere Application Server for z/OS Version
4.0 with some adjustments to allow for new server types in Version
7.0. These defaults are intended for getting started with WebSphere Application Server on z/OS,
and they only support a single server of each type on a given z/OS system.
Additional servers require that the default values be changed.
Read z/OS basic naming convention for more information on this
naming convention.
- Standard naming convention
- This convention includes a set of structured defaults that use
names generated from one- or two-character cell, cluster, and system
identifiers that you choose during customization. These defaults
are based on names recommended by the Washington Systems Center for
use with their configuration planning spreadsheets, which are available
on the WebSphere for z/OS Version 7 - Configuration Planning
Spreadsheets) Web site; they support arbitrary numbers of cells,
nodes, and servers; and they are intended for production environments.
Read z/OS standard naming convention for more information on this
naming convention.
You can develop your own naming convention,
but it should take into account the considerations discussed in this
article and described in more detail in the related articles on the
basic and standard naming conventions.