There are several server processes related to WebSphere Application Server products that the operating system can monitor and automatically restart when the server processes stop abnormally. This task describes how to set up these monitored processes.
Before you begin
To set up this function on a Linux or UNIX-based operating system, you must have root authority to edit the inittab file.
The Installation wizard grants you the user rights if your user ID is part of the administrator group. If you are running on a Microsoft Windows 2000 Operating System, the Installation wizard displays a message that states that although the advanced user rights are now effective, they do not display as effective until the next time you log on to the Windows machine.
Consult your Windows help system for more information.
Why and when to perform this task
The installation wizard does not provide a way to create a service for a node agent because the deployment manager instantiates each node agent after installation when you add an Application Server node to the deployment manager cell. For this reason, you must manually create a function that automatically starts a failed nodeagent server process.
You must manually create a shell script that automatically starts any of the processes previously mentioned, on a Linux and UNIX-based operating system. Each Windows service or UNIX shell script controls a single process, such as a stand-alone WebSphere Application Server instance. Multiple stand-alone Application Server processes require multiple Windows service or UNIX scripts, which you can define.
In a Network Deployment environment, the addNode or startNode command starts a single unmonitored node agent only, the nodeagent process, and does not start all of the processes that you might define on the node. While running, the node agent monitors and restarts Application Server processes on that node, on either a Windows or a Linux and UNIX-based platform. Each Application Server process has MonitoringPolicy configuration settings that the node agent uses when monitoring and restarting the process.
It is recommended that you set up a monitored node agent process manually, either through a Windows service, or through the rc.was example shell script on Linux and UNIX-based platforms. The operating system monitors and automatically restarts the node agent process, nodeagent, if the process terminates abnormally, which means if the process stops without going through a normal shutdown. Setting up the deployment manager server, dmgr, as a monitored process is recommended. As mentioned, you can do this during installation on a Windows platform. On a Linux and UNIX-based platform, use the rc.was example shell script to set up the deployment manager dmgr server as a monitored process.
If you do not install the WebSphere Application Server Network Deployment product as a Windows service during installation, you can use the do so at a later time. The operating system can then monitor each server process and restart the process if it stops.
Steps for this task
IBMWAS6Service - node_name
IBMWAS6Service - node_name service controls the node_name process.
Select this option on the machine where you are installing the IBM HTTP Server.
In a coexistence environment, you can change the default service names to make them unique. In a same version coexistence scenario for IBM HTTP Server 2.0.x on a Windows platform, you cannot use the default service names created by the installer because they are common.
apache -k install -n "IHS 2.0(1)" apache -k install -f conf\admin.conf -n "IHS 2.0 Administration (1)"
apache -k uninstall -n "IBM HTTP Server 2.0" apache -k uninstall -n "IBM HTTP Administration 2.0"
You can use the same tool to manually define a Windows service for another installation instance or for another configuration instance of either the server1 process or the dmgr process.
Comments in the header of the rc.was file show a sample inittab entry line for adding the script. This inittab entry causes the Linux and UNIX-based system to call each shell script whenever the system initializes. As it runs, each shell script monitors and starts the server process you specified.
Result
You can use the net start and net stop commands to control the IBM HTTP Server services on a Windows system. For more information about these commands, see the Windows help file. Access these commands from the Start menu, clicking Start > Programs > IBM HTTP Server.
You can also use the Start the Server and Stop the Server commands to control the IBM WebSphere Application Server process on a Windows system. Access these commands from the Start menu, clicking Start > Programs > IBM WebSphere > Application Server V6.
You can also use the Start the Manager and Stop the Manager commands to control the Network Deployment dmgr process on a Windows system. Access these commands from the Start menu, clicking Start > Programs > IBM WebSphere > Application Server V6 > Deployment Manager.
Processes started by a startServer command, a startNode command, or a startManagercommand are not running as monitored processes, regardless of how you have configured them.
For example, you can configure a server1 process as a monitored process. However, if you start the server1 process using the startServer command, the operating system does not monitor or restart the server1 process because the operating system did not originally start the process as a monitored process.
What to do next
Return to Defining application server processes to continue.
Related reference
startNode command
startServer command
startManager command