Using command-line tools

The product provides many tools that you can call from a command line.

About this task

There are several command-line tools that you can use to start, stop, and monitor application server processes and nodes. These tools only work on local servers and nodes. They cannot operate on a remote server or node. To administer a remote server, you can use the wsadmin scripting program connected to the deployment manager for the cell in which the target server or node is configured.

The following information is common for each command:

• Unless otherwise specified, all of the application server commands are located in the app_server_root/bin directory.
• Parameter values that specify a server name, a node name or a cell name are case sensitive. For example, if you want to start the application server MyServer for the profile test, invoke startServer MyServer -profileName test. If you specify myserver for the server name, the startServer script fails.

Running command line tools on the Microsoft Windows Vista or later Microsoft operating system: On the Windows Vista, Windows Server 2008, and Windows 7 operating systems, you can install WebSphere Application Server as either Administrator or non-Administrator. When it is installed as Administrator, certain operations (such as those involving Windows Services) require Administrator privileges. To ensure that WebSphere Application Server command-line tools have sufficient privileges, run them with elevated administrator authority on systems that have the Windows User Account Control (UAC) Run all administrators in Admin Approval Mode policy enabled. When you run these command-line tools from a Command Prompt, run them from a Command Prompt window that is launched by performing the following actions:

• Right-click a Command Prompt shortcut.
• Click Run As Administrator.

  When you open the Command Prompt window as Administrator, an operating-system dialog appears that asks you if you want to continue. Click Continue to proceed.

Examples of these tools are the startServer command, stopServer command, startManager command, stopManager command, startNode command, stopNode command, firststeps command, and the Profile Management Tool.

If you are using a Windows Server Core installation of Windows Server 2008, any WebSphere Application Server commands that require a graphical interface are not supported since a Windows Server Core system does not have a graphical user interface. Therefore, commands such as launchpad.exe or ifgui.bat are not supported on that type of Windows Server 2008 installation.

Use the following general steps to run a command:

1. Open a system command prompt.
2. From the IBM® i command line, start a Qshell session by issuing the STRQSH CL command.
3. Determine whether to run the script from the profile or application server root directory.
   Most command-line tools function relative to a particular profile. To determine if a command requires the -profileName parameter, refer to the documentation for that specific command. If you run a command from the app_server_root/bin directory and do not specify the -profileName parameter, the default profile for the product sets profile-specific variables. To specify a different profile, use one of the following options:

   • Navigate to the app_server_root/bin directory and run the following command, specifying the profile of interest as the value for the profileName parameter:

     startServer server1 -profileName AppServerProfile

   • When a profile is created, the application server creates a proxy script in the profile_root/bin directory for each script in the app_server_root/bin directory that is applicable to the type of profile created. When a proxy script is invoked, the profile-specific variables for the script are set based on the profile from which the script is invoked. To run the command for a specific profile, navigate to the profile_root/bin directory for the profile of interest to run the command.
4. Run the command of interest.