z/OS application server naming conventions
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
- 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 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
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.
- 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.
- 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 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.
- 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 and later. 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.
- 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
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.