Enterprise application settings

 

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Use this page to configure an enterprise application.

To view this administrative console page, click...

Applications | Enterprise Applications | appname

 

Configuration tab

Name

Specifies a logical name for the application. An application name must be unique within a cell and cannot contain an unallowed character.

An application name cannot begin with a period (.), cannot contain leading or trailing spaces, and cannot contain any of the following characters:

/ forward slash $ dollar sign ' single quote mark
\ backslash = equal sign " double quote mark
* asterisk % percent sign | vertical bar
, comma + plus sign < left angle bracket
: colon @ at sign > right angle bracket
; semi-colon # hash mark & ampersand (and sign)
? question mark ]]> No specific name exists for this character combination

Data type String

Application binaries

Directory to which the application EAR file will be installed. The default value is the value of APP_INSTALL_ROOT/cell, where the APP_INSTALL_ROOT variable is install_root/installedApps; for example, C:\WebSphere\AppServer\profiles\profile _name\installedApps\cell.

We can specify an absolute path or use a pathmap variable such as ${MY_APPS}. Use a pathmap variable in any installation though it is particularly needed when installing an application on a cluster with members on heterogeneous nodes because, in such cases, there might not be a single way to specify an absolute path. A WebSphere Application Server variable ${CELL} that denotes the current cell name can also be in the pathmap variable; for example, ${MY_APP}/${CELL}.

We can define WAS variables on the WebSphere Variables page of the administrative console, accessed by clicking Environment > WebSphere Variables.

Data type String
Units Full path name

Use metadata from binaries

Specifies whether the application server uses the binding, extensions, and deployment descriptors located with the application deployment document, the deployment.xml file (default), or those located in the enterprise application resource (EAR) file.

This Use metadata from binaries setting is the same as the Use Binary Configuration field on the application installation and update wizards. Select this setting for applications installed on 6.x deployment targets only. This setting is not valid for applications installed on 5.x deployment targets.

Data type Boolean
Default false

Enable distribution

Specifies whether WAS expands or deletes application binaries in the installation destination. The default is to enable application distribution. Application binaries for installed applications are expanded to the directory specified. The binaries are also deleted when you uninstall and save changes to the configuration. If you disable this option, then ensure that the application binaries are expanded appropriately in the destination directories of all nodes where the application runs.

Important: If you disable this option and you do not copy and expand the application binaries to the nodes, a later saving of the configuration or manual synchronization does not move the application binaries to the nodes for you.

This Enable distribution setting is the same as the Distribute application field on the application installation and update wizards.

Data type Boolean
Default true

Validation

Specifies whether WAS examines the application references specified during application installation or updating and, if validation is enabled, warns the users of incorrect references or fails the operation.

An application typically refers to resources using data sources for container managed persistence (CMP) beans or using resource references or resource environment references defined in deployment descriptors. The validation checks whether the resource referred to by the application is defined in the scope of the deployment target of that application.

The resource can be defined on the server, its node, cell or the cluster if the server belongs to a cluster. Select off for no resource validation, warn for warning messages about incorrect resource references, or fail to stop operations that fail as a result of incorrect resource references.

This Validation setting is the same as the Validate Input off/warn/fail field on the application installation and update wizards.

Data type String
Default warn

Class loader mode

Specifies whether the class loader searches in the parent class loader or in the application class loader first to load a class. The standard for development kit class loaders and WAS class loaders is Parent First. By specifying Parent Last, your application can override classes contained in the parent class loader, but this action can potentially result in ClassCastException or LinkageErrors if you have mixed use of overridden classes and non-overridden classes.

The options are Parent First and Parent Last. The default is to search in the parent class loader before searching in the application class loader to load a class.

Data type String
Default Parent First

WAR class loader policy

Specifies whether to use a single class loader to load all WAR files of this application or to use a different class loader for each WAR file.

The options are Application and Module. The default is to use a separate class loader to load each WAR file.

Data type String
Default Module

Enable class reloading

Specifies whether to enable class reloading when application files are updated.

For EJB modules or any non-Web modules, selecting Enable class reloading sets reloadEnabled to true in the deployment.xml file for the application. If an application's class definition changes, the application server run time stops and starts the application to reload application classes.

For Web modules such as servlets and JavaServer page (JSP) files, a Web container reloads a Web module only when the IBM extension reloadingEnabled in the ibm-web-ext.xmi file is set to true. We can set reloadingEnabled to true when editing your Web module's extended deployment descriptors in an assembly tool.

To enable reloading of a Web module, where you also want reloading of EJB and non-Web modules enabled:

  1. Set the IBM extension reloadingEnabled in the ibm-web-ext.xmi file to true.

  2. Select this Enable class reloading property.

  3. Set the Reloading interval property to a value greater than zero (for example, 1 to 2147483647).

To enable reloading of a Web module only, and not enable reloading of EJB or non-Web modules:

  1. Set the IBM extension reloadingEnabled in the ibm-web-ext.xmi file to true.

  2. Set the IBM extension reload interval attribute in the ibm-web-ext.xmi file to a value greater than zero (for example, 1 to 2147483647).

  3. Do not select this Enable class reloading property.

To disable reloading of a Web module, set the IBM extension reloadingEnabled in the ibm-web-ext.xmi file to false. Or, if the Web module has the IBM extension reloadingEnabled in the ibm-web-ext.xmi file set to true, to disable reloading using the administrative console:

  1. Select this Enable class reloading property.

  2. Set the Reloading interval property to zero (0).

Data type Boolean
Default false

Reloading interval

Number of seconds to scan the application's file system for updated files. The default is the value of the reloading interval attribute in the IBM extension (META-INF/ibm-application-ext.xmi) file of the EAR file.

This Reloading interval setting is the same as the Reload interval in seconds field on the application installation and update wizards.

To enable reloading, specify a value greater than zero (for example, 1 to 2147483647). To disable reloading, specify zero (0).

The reloading interval specified here overrides the value specified in the IBM extensions for each non-Web module in the EAR file (which in turn overrides the reload interval specified in the IBM extensions for the application in the EAR file). The reloading interval attribute takes effect only if class reloading is enabled.

The range is from 0 to 2147483647.

Data type Integer
Units Seconds
Default 3

Starting weight

Specifies the order in which applications are started when the server starts. The application with the lowest starting weight is started first.

Data type Integer
Default 1
Range 0 to 2147483647

Background application

Specifies whether the application must initialize fully before the server starts.

The default setting of false indicates that server startup will not complete until the application starts.

A setting of true informs WAS that the application might start on a background thread and thus server startup might continue without waiting for the application to start. Thus, the application might not be ready for use when the application server starts.

This setting applies only if the application is run on a V6 application server.

Data type Boolean
Default false

Create MBeans for resources

Specifies whether to create MBean files for various resources (such as servlets or JSP files) within an application when the application starts. The default is to create MBean files.

Data type Boolean
Default true


 

See Also


Class loaders
Enterprise (J2EE) applications
Installable module versions

 

Related Tasks


Deploying and administering applications