+

Search Tips   |   Advanced Search

Application binary settings

Use this page to configure the location and distribution of application binary files. To view this console page, click Applications > Application Types > WebSphere enterprise applications > application_name > Application binaries.

If any value is modified on this page, all of the metadata files related to the application are refreshed in the configuration repository.

If an application is running, changing an application setting causes the application to restart. On stand-alone servers, the application restarts after you save the change. On multiple-server products, the application restarts after you save the change and files synchronize on the node where the application is installed. To control when synchronization occurs on multiple-server products, deselect Synchronize changes with nodes on the Console preferences page.


Location (full path)

Directory to which the EAR file is installed. This Location setting is the same as the Directory to install application field on the application installation and update wizards.

By default, an EAR file is installed in the profile_root/installedApps/cell_name/application_name.ear directory.

  • Set options include the following:

    • Do not specify a value and leave the field empty.

      The default value is ${APP_INSTALL_ROOT}/cell_name, where the ${APP_INSTALL_ROOT} variable is profile_root/installedApps. A directory having the EAR file name of the application being installed is appended to ${APP_INSTALL_ROOT}/cell_name. Thus, if we do not specify a directory, the EAR file is installed in the profile_root/installedApps/cell_name/application_name.ear directory.

    • Specify a directory.

      If we specify a directory, the application is installed in specified_path/application_name.ear directory. A directory having the EAR file name of the application being installed is appended to the path that specified for Directory to install application when installing the application. For example, if you installed Clock.ear and specify C:/myapps on Windows machines, the application is installed in the myapps/Clock.ear directory. The ${APP_INSTALL_ROOT} variable is set to the specified path.

    • Specify ${APP_INSTALL_ROOT}/${CELL} for the initial installation of the application.

      If we intend to export the application from one cell and later install the exported application on a different cell, specify the ${CELL} variable for the initial installation of the application. For example, specify ${APP_INSTALL_ROOT}/${CELL} for this setting. Exporting the application creates an enhanced EAR file that has the application and its deployment configuration. The deployment configuration retains the cell name of the initial installation in the destination directory unless specified the ${CELL} variable. Specifying the ${CELL} variable ensures that the destination directory has the current cell name, and not the original cell name.

      Important: If an installation directory is not specified when an application is installed on a single-server configuration, the application is installed in ${APP_INSTALL_ROOT}/cell_name. When the server is made a part of a multiple-server configuration (using the addNode utility), the cell name of the new configuration becomes the cell name of the deployment manager node. If the -includeapps option is used for the addNode utility, then the applications that are installed prior to the addNode operation still use the installation directory ${APP_INSTALL_ROOT}/cell_name. However, an application installed after the server is added to the network configuration uses the default installation directory ${APP_INSTALL_ROOT}/network_cell_name. To move the application to the ${APP_INSTALL_ROOT}/network_cell_name location upon running the addNode operation, explicitly specify the installation directory as ${APP_INSTALL_ROOT}/${CELL} during installation. In such a case, the application files can always be found under ${APP_INSTALL_ROOT}/current_cell_name.

    • If the application has been exported and to install the exported EAR file in a different cell or location, specify ${APP_INSTALL_ROOT}/cell_name/application_name.ear if you did not specify ${APP_INSTALL_ROOT}/${CELL} for the initial installation.

      The exported EAR file is an enhanced EAR file that has the application and its deployment configuration. The deployment configuration retains the value for Directory to install application that was used for the previous installation of the application. Unless specified a different value, the enhanced EAR file will be installed to the same directory as for the previous installation.

      If we did not specify the ${CELL} variable during the initial installation, the deployment configuration uses the cell name of the initial installation in the destination directory. If we are installing on a different cell, specify ${APP_INSTALL_ROOT}/cell_name/application_name.ear, where cell_name is the name of the cell to which to install the enhanced EAR file. If we do not designate the current cell name, cell_name will be the original cell name even though you are installing the enhanced EAR file on a cell that has a different name.

    • Specify an absolute path or a use pathmap variable.

      We can specify an absolute path or use a pathmap variable such as ${MY_APPS}. We can use a pathmap variable in any installation.

      A pathmap variable 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 WebSphere Application Server variables on the WebSphere Variables page, which we can access by clicking Environment > WebSphere variables in the console.

      (iseries)(dist) Avoid trouble: In a distributed operating system environment, the scope of the pathmap variable starts from the nodeagent-level scope instead of from a server-level scope. If the variable is not found in the nodeagent-level scope, then the variable is looked up in the node-level scope and finally in the cell-level scope. gotcha

    Information Value
    Data type String
    Units Full path name


    Use configuration information in binary

    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 EAR file.

    The default (false) is to use the binding, extensions, and deployment descriptors located in deployment.xml. To use the binding, extensions, and deployment descriptors located in the EAR file, enable this setting (true).

    This Use configuration information in binary 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 or later deployment targets only.

    Information Value
    Data type Boolean
    Default false


    Enable binary distribution, expansion and cleanup post uninstallation

    Whether the product expands application binary files in the installation location during installation and deletes application binary files during uninstallation. The default is to enable application distribution. Application binary files for installed applications are expanded to the directory specified.

    On single-server installations, the binary files are deleted when you uninstall the application and save changes to the configuration.

    The Enable binary distribution, expansion and cleanup post uninstallation is not intended to be changed after the application is installed. If we need to change this attribute, uninstall the application and install it with the new value for the attribute.

    On multiple-server installations, the binary files are deleted when you uninstall the application and save changes to the configuration and synchronize changes.

    If we disable this option, then you must ensure that the application binary files are expanded appropriately in the destination directories of all nodes where the application runs.

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

    This Enable binary distribution, expansion and cleanup post uninstallation setting is the same as the Distribute application field on the application installation and update wizards.

    Information Value
    Data type Boolean
    Default true


    File permissions

    Specifies access permissions for application binary files for installed applications that are expanded to the directory specified.

    The Enable binary distribution, expansion and cleanup post uninstallation option must be enabled to specify file permissions.

    We can specify file permissions in the text field. We can also set some of the commonly used file permissions by selecting them from the multiple-selection list. List selections overwrite file permissions set in the text field.

    We can set one or more of the following file permission strings in the list. Selecting multiple options combines the file permission strings.

    sets for list options. Select a list option or specify
    Multiple-selection list option File permission string set
    Allow all files to be read but not written to .*=755
    Allow executables to execute .*\.dll=755#.*\.so=755#.*\.a=755#.*\.sl=755
    Allow HTML and image files to be read by everyone .*\.htm=755#.*\.html=755#.*\.gif=755#.*\.jpg=755

    Instead of using the multiple-selection list to specify file permissions, we can specify a file permission string in the text field. File permissions use a string that has the following format:

      file_name_pattern=permission#file_name_pattern=permission

    where file_name_pattern is a regular expression file name filter (for example, .*\\.jsp for all JSP files), permission provides the file access control lists (ACLs), and # is the separator between multiple entries of file_name_pattern and permission. If # is a character in a file_name_pattern string, use \# instead.

    If multiple file name patterns and file permissions in the string match a uniform resource identifier (URI) within the application, then the product uses the most stringent applicable file permission for the file. For example, if the file permission string is .*\\.jsp=775#a.*\\.jsp=754, then the abc.jsp file has file permission 754.

    Best practice: Use regular expressions for file matching pattern compares an entire string URI against the specified file permission pattern. Provide more precise matching patterns using regular expressions as defined by Java programming API. For example, suppose the following directory and file URIs are processed during a file permission operation:best-practices

    permission operations. Results are shown following this
    Number Example URI
    1 /opt/WebSphere/profiles/AppSrv01/installedApps/MyCell/MyApp.ear/MyWarModule.war
    2 /opt/WebSphere/profiles/AppSrv01/installedApps/MyCell/MyApp.ear/MyWarModule.war/MyJsp.jsp
    3 /opt/WebSphere/profiles/AppSrv01/installedApps/MyCell/MyApp.ear/MyWarModule.war/META-INF/MANIFEST.MF
    4 /opt/WebSphere/profiles/AppSrv01/installedApps/MyCell/MyApp.ear/MyWarModule.war/WEB-INF/classes/MyClass.class
    5 /opt/WebSphere/profiles/AppSrv01/installedApps/MyCell/MyApp.ear/MyWarModule.war/mydir/MyClass2.class
    6 /opt/WebSphere/profiles/AppSrv01/installedApps/MyCell/MyApp.ear/MyWarModule.war/META-INF

    The file pattern matching results are:

    • MyWarModule.war does not match any of the URIs

    • .*MyWarModule.war.* matches all URIs

    • .*MyWarModule.war$ matches only URI 1

    • .*\\.jsp=755 matches only URI 2

    • .*META-INF.* matches URIs 3 and 6

    • .*MyWarModule.war/.*/.*\.class matches URIs 4 and 5

    If we specify a directory name pattern for File permissions, then the directory permission is set based on the value specified. Otherwise, the File permissions value set on the directory is the same as its parent. For example, suppose we have the following file and directory structure:

      /opt/WebSphere/profiles/AppSrv01/installedApps/MyCell/MyApp.ear/MyWarModule.war/MyJsp.jsp

    and specified the following file pattern string:

      .*MyApp.ear$=755#.*\.jsp=644

    The file pattern matching results are:

    • Directory MyApp.ear is set to 755

    • Directory MyWarModule.war is set to 755

    • Directory MyWarModule.war is set to 755

    Best practice: Regardless of the operation system, always use a forward slash (/) as a file path separator in file patterns.best-practices

    We cannot unset read permission on a file on Windows platforms. With POSIX style permission bits, the bit for denoting readable on a file is 4, writable is 2, and executable is 1. Thus, permission of a file on a Windows platform is either 5 or 7. Also, in POSIX style there are user, group and world permissions. We can only set the user permission for a file on Windows platforms. The group and world permission bits are ignored.

    Access permissions specified here are at the application level. We can also specify access permissions for application binary files in the node level configuration. The node level file permissions specify the maximum (most lenient) permissions that can be given to application binary files. Access permissions specified here at application level can only be the same as or more restrictive than those specified at the node level.

    This setting is the same as the File permission field on the application installation and update wizards.

    Information Value
    Data type String


    Application build level

    Specifies an uneditable string identifying build version of the application.

    Information Value
    Data type String


    Related tasks

  • Configure enterprise application files
  • Deploy

    Enterprise application settings