Prepare to use Intelligent Management for web servers

Preparing to use and enable Intelligent Management on your web server requires sufficient understanding of the Intelligent Management capabilities, your WebSphere® Application Server topology, and how web servers interact when Intelligent Management is enabled.

Before you begin

To learn about the web server plug-in configuration tasks, read about selecting a web server topology.

Dynamically generating the plugin-cfg.xml file overwrites the Intelligent Management settings in the plugin-cfg.xml file. You must be sensitive to the dynamic generation of the plugin-cfg.xml file.

Before you enable Intelligent Management for a web server, disable the dynamic generation of the plugin-cfg.xml file for that web server. Remove all the cell custom property names that begin with ODCPluginCfg, if they apply to a web server with Intelligent Management enabled. Dynamically generating the plugin-cfg.xml file overwrites the Intelligent Management settings in the plugin-cfg.xml file. To learn about the dynamic generation procedures, read about generating the plug-in configuration in a high availability environment, or about configuring an ODR to dynamically update the web server plug-in configuration.

The plug-in routes to multiple WebSphere Application Server cells. However, the plug-in is managed from a single WebSphere Application Server cell. To enable the plug-in to route to multiple WebSphere cells, add remote cells to your Intelligent Management web server. If you add remote cells, the Intelligent Management configuration in the generated plug-in includes endpoint information that is collected from the remote cells via REST services. See the diagram in the Intelligent Management web server overview for more information.

Procedure

To enable Intelligent Management, follow this procedure:
1. In the administrative console, click Servers > Server types > Web servers > web_server_name > Intelligent Management, and select the Enable check box. Click OK.
2. Generate the plug-in configuration file.
  In the administrative console, click Servers > Server types > Web servers . Select your web server and click Generate plug-in.
3. Propagate the plug-in.
  In the administrative console, click Servers > Server types > Web servers . Select your web server and click Propagate plug-in.
4. Restart the web server.
  Go to Servers > Server types > Web servers , select your web server, and click Stop, then click Start to start your server again.
  Note:
  
  When global security and Intelligent Management are both enabled, the web server plug-in uses the client certificate that has the text label, default, to communicate with the back-end cells. This particular client certificate with this default label is issued by the cell when the web server is first created, and must be renewed by the user periodically to maintain its validity. After renewing the certificate (as indicated in step 5), you must copy the renewed certificate to the web server key store directory to ensure its legitimate use. The initial validity period is one year.
  
  For all handshakes that request TLS client authentication, including those handshakes that are made by Intelligent Management, you can use the web server plug-in custom property, CertLabel, to override the certificate label that is to be used.
Ensure that the latest WebSphere Application Server version runs on your web server and on your remote cells. To add remote cells to your Intelligent Management web server, follow this procedure:
1. Add a remote cell to your web server.
  In the administrative console, click Servers > Server types > Web servers > web_server_name > Intelligent Management. In the Remote cells section click Add.
2. Specify the remote cell properties.
  Enter the remote cell information on the configuration panel, and click OK.
  Note: To avoid connection issues, the remote cell name must be different from the name of the local cell in which the web server is located.
  
  The remote cell now displays in the remote cells list on the Intelligent Management configuration page.
3. Generate the plug-in configuration file.
  In the administrative console, click Servers > Server types > Web servers . Select your web server and click Generate plug-in.
4. Propagate the plug-in.
  In the administrative console, click Servers > Server types > Web servers . Select your web server and click Propagate plug-in.
5. If you imported certificates during the remote cell properties specification step, refresh the web server keystore.
  Click Servers > Server types > Web servers , and select your web server. Under Additional properties, select Plug-in properties. Click Copy to web server key store directory.
6. To establish a secure connection to the remote cell, import the local cell certificate into the remote cell.
  In the administrative console for the remote cell, click Security > SSL certificate and key management > Key stores and certificates > CellDefaultTrustStore > Signer certificates . Click Retrieve from port.
  Note: If you enable Intelligent Management on your web server, and change the global security setting, the HTTP or HTTPS protocol does not change on your Intelligent Management web server connectors. In order for the security change to be reflected on the Intelligent Management web server connectors, run the refreshCellForIntelligentManagement command on local and remote cells. To propagate the security change to remote cells, use the refresh button on the remote cell. In the administrative console for the remote cell, click Servers > Server types > Web servers > web_server_name > Intelligent Managment, and click the Refresh button.
7. Restart the web server.
  Go to Servers > Server types > Web servers , select your web server, and click Stop, then click Start to start your server again.
To disable Intelligent Management, follow this procedure:
1. In the administrative console, click Servers > Server types > Web servers > web_server_name > Intelligent Management, and clear the Enable check box. Click OK.
2. Generate the plug-in configuration file.
  In the administrative console, click Servers > Server types > Web servers . Select your web server and click Generate plug-in.
3. Propagate the plug-in.
  In the administrative console, click Servers > Server types > Web servers . Select your web server and click Propagate plug-in.
4. Restart the web server.
  Go to Servers > Server types > Web servers , select your web server, and click Stop, then click Start to start your server again.

Results

You configured your web server for Intelligent Management.