A generic server is a server that is managed in the WebSphere® Application Server administrative domain even though the server is not
a server that is supplied by WebSphere Application Server. The WebSphere Application Server generic servers function enables you to define a
generic server as an application server instance within the WebSphere Application Server administration, and associate it with a
non-WebSphere WebSphere Application Server or process.
About this task
There are two basic types of generic application servers:
- Non-Java applications or processes.
- Java™
applications or processes
Therefore, a generic server can be any server or process that is
necessary to support the Application Server environment, including:
- A Java server
- A C or C++ server or process
- A CORBA server
- A Remote Method Invocation (RMI) server
Generic application servers must be non-Java application processes that are either
a started task or a shell script. You cannot create a Java application as a generic server for the
product.
The following processes can be created as a generic server provided that they are
either started tasks or a shell scripts:
- A C or C++ server or process
- A CORBA server
- A Remote Method Invocation (RMI) server
You can use the wsadmin tool or the administrative console to create a generic server.
Procedure
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Create a non-Java application as a generic server.
The following steps describe how to use the administrative console to create a non-Java
application as a generic application server.
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Select Servers > Generic servers
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Click New.
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Type in a name for the generic server.
The name must be unique within the node. It is recommended that you
use a naming scheme that makes it easy to distinguish your generic application servers from regular
WebSphere Application Server servers.
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Click Next
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Click Finish.
The generic server now appears as an option on the Generic servers page in the
administrative console.
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On the Generic servers page, click on the name of the generic server.
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Under Additional Properties, click Process Definition.
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In the Executable name field, enter the name of the non-java process that is launched when you
start this generic server.
For example, if you are using a perl script as a generic server, enter the path to the perl.exe
module in the Executable name field.
If you have additional arguments, such as the name of the perl script and its parameters, enter
them in the Executable arguments field. Multiple arguments must be separated by carriage returns.
Use the Enter key on your keyboard to create these carriage returns in the Executable arguments
field. The following example illustrates how a perl script application that requires two arguments
should appear in this field:
perl_application.pl
arg1
arg2
Avoid trouble: The Executable target type and Executable target
properties are not used for non-Java applications. Executable target type and Executable target
properties are only used for Java applications.
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Click OK.
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Create a Java application as a generic server:
The following steps describe how to use the administrative console to create a Java
application as a generic application server.
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Select
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Click New.
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Type in a name for the generic server.
The name must be unique within the node. It is highly
recommended that you use a naming scheme that makes it easy to distinguish your generic application
servers from regular WebSphere Application Server servers.
-
Click Next
-
Click Finish.
The generic server now appears as an option on the Application servers page in the
administrative console.
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Click Finish.
The generic server now appears as an option on the Generic servers page in the
administrative console.
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On the Generic servers page, click on the name of the generic server.
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Under Additional Properties, click Process definition.
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In the Executable name field under General Properties, enter the path for the WebSphere Application Server default JVM,
${JAVA_HOME}/bin/java, which is used to run the Java application when you start
this generic server.
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In the Executable target type field under General Properties, select whether a Java class name,
JAVA_CLASS, or the name of an executable JAR file, EXECUTABLE_JAR, is used as the
executable target of this Java process. The default value for the product is
JAVA_CLASS.
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In the Executable target field under General Properties, enter the name of the executable
target. Depending on the executable target type, this is either a Java class containing a main()
method, or the name of an executable JAR file.) The default value for WebSphere Application Server is com.ibm.ws.runtime.WsServer.
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Click OK.
Note: If the generic server is to run on an application server other than a WebSphere Application Server server, leave the Executable name field set to the
default value and specify the Java class containing the main function for your application serve in
the Executable target field.
What to do next
After you define a generic server, use the Application Server administrative console to
start, stop, and monitor the associated non-WebSphere Application Server
server or process when stopping or starting the applications that rely on them.Avoid trouble: You use the Terminate or Stop buttons in the administrative
console to stop any application server, including a generic application server.