WAS v8.5 > New features > What has changed in this releaseTransitioning notes for administration topics
When you upgrade the application server to a newer version, be aware of the following settings that you might want to change.
- Application Server property settings for a web server plug-in
The Use read/write timeout setting on the dmgr console corresponds to the ServerIOTimeout attribute in the plugin-cfg.xml file. Beginning with v8.0, the default value for this setting is different from the default value in previous versions of the product.
- BLAManagement command group for AdminTask using wsadmin.sh
In the WebSphere Application Server v7 Feature Pack for OSGi Applications and Java Persistence API 2.0, bundle changes to the asset are applied by restarting the business-level application. In v8.x, these changes are applied by updating the composition unit. The new approach in v8.x means that many bundle changes can be applied in place, without restarting the running business-level application. To enable this new approach, the UpdateAppContentVersionsStep parameter has been replaced with the UpdateAppContentVersions parameter, and instead of restarting the business-level application you run the editCompUnit command with the CompUnitStatusStep parameter.
- Configure work managers
Applies to the main thread pool for work submitted to the work manager. Maximum number of threads to be created in the thread pool. Maximum number of threads can be exceeded temporarily when the Growable check box is selected. These additional threads are discarded when the work on the thread completes.
- HTTP transport channel settings
In previous versions, a "Discrimination failed" exception in the HTTP Channel responds with a 403 response code. In v8.5, the server responds with a 500 response code.
- JSP specific web container custom properties
Most properties that are defined in a JSP property group apply to an entire translation unit, for example, the requested JSP file that is matched by its URL pattern and all the files it includes using the include directive. The exceptions are the page-encoding and is-xml properties, which apply separately to each JSP file that is matched by its URL pattern. To revert the behavior to a setting before WAS v8.x, set the custom property to true to apply the two property values to the entire translation unit.
- Java virtual machine custom properties
- Beginning with v8.5, the default value for this property is false. In earlier versions, the default value for the com.ibm.websphere.logging.useJULThreadID property is true.
- Prior to v8.0, if a value was not specified for the com.ibm.ws.management.event.max_polling_interval property, client polls for notification were based on the built-in adaptive algorithm that changes the polling interval based on the number of notifications the client receives.
- Prior to version 8.0, if a value was not specified for the com.ibm.ws.management.event.pull_notification_timeout property, the server returned to the client right away even if no notification was available.
- In versions later than 6.0.2, by default, the <required> attribute is evaluated along with all of the other attributes to determine if a cache ID is generated.
- Java virtual machine settings
v7.0 and previous versions use the optthruput garbage page algorithm. In v8.0 and later, the default is set to the generational garbage collector. This garbage page algorithm can increase performance. The following JVM option is added to the WAS startup command: -Xgcpolicy:gencon. If you prefer to use the optthruput garbage page alogorithm, we can remove -Xgcpolicy:gencon and the default optthruput garbage page algorithm is used.
- JSP engine configuration parameters
Most properties that are defined in a JSP attribute group apply to an entire translation unit, for example, the requested JSP file that is matched by its URL pattern and all the files it includes using the include directive. The exceptions are the page-encoding and is-xml properties, which apply separately to each JSP file that is matched by its URL pattern. To revert the behavior to a setting prior to WAS v8.0, set the attribute to true to apply the two property values to the entire translation unit.
- JVM log interpretation
We can configure the thread ID used in the log and trace files of WAS v8.5 as either the hexadecimal representation of the thread ID from java.util.logging.LogRecord, or the hexadecimal representation of the thread ID from java.lang.Thread. Set the Java system property, com.ibm.websphere.logging.useJULThreadID. to true to have the thread ID match the java.util.logging.LogRecord thread ID. Set the system property to false to have the thread ID match the java.lang.Thread thread ID. If the system property is not specified, the thread ID matches the java.lang.Thread thread ID.
- Migration scenario for the getHeaderNames method
To ensure the most successful migration, the return type of the StoredResponse getHeaderNames method was changed to com.ibm.websphere.servlet.response.CollectionEnumerationHybrid<String>. This type implements both Collection<String> and Enumeration.
- Object Request Broker custom properties
The default for the com.ibm.CORBA.ConnectTimeout property for v8 and later is 10. Earlier than v8, the default is 0.
- RepositoryCheckpointCommands command group for AdminTask using wsadmin.sh
- To delete a delta checkpoint, specify the name of the oldest delta checkpoint.
- After the configuration repository is restored from a delta checkpoint, the product creates a checkpoint containing the configuration before restoration.
- SCA programming model support in OSGi applications
If the application previously used SDO version 1.0.0, change the Import-Package to:
Import-Package: commonj.sdo;version="[2.0.0,3.0.0)"
- SIP container custom properties
The JSR 289 API requires that for any SIP URI containing address parameters, enclose the SIP URI in angle brackets. The default behavior of the sip.jsr289.parse.address property is compliant with JSR 289 and correctly parses the address parameter as if it belongs to the SIP address. For example, when the property is set to false, the SIP address, sip:fred@acme.com;param1=1, is converted to <sip:fred@acme.com;param1=1>. When the property is set to true, the SIP address sip:fred@acme.com;param1=1, is converted to <sip:fred@acme.com;>param1=1.
- Thread pool settings
The default value was changed in version 8.0 from 35000 milliseconds as documented in version 6.0 to the correct default of 60000 milliseconds.
- Use the Administration Thin Client
If we are using the Oracle JDK, set the com.ibm.websphere.thinclient JVM property to true.
- Web container custom properties
The default value for this custom property has changed from v7.0. In v7.0, the default value is false.
- Web server plug-in request and response optimization properties
The Accept content for all requests setting on the dmgr console corresponds to the AcceptAllContent attribute in the plugin-cfg.xml file. Beginning with v8.0, the default for the setting is checked and for the attribute is true. Before v8, the default for the setting is not checked and for the attribute is false.
- Web server plug-in request routing properties
Beginning with version 8.5, the default value is 0.
- Work manager settings
The work request queue is a buffer that holds scheduled work objects and can be a value of 1 or greater. The thread pool pulls work from this queue. If we do not specify a value or the value is 0, the queue size is managed automatically. When the queue size is managed automatically, it is computed as the larger of (maximum_number_of_threads) or 20. Large values can consume significant system resources.
- wsadmin scripting tool
For WAS v8.5, the %javaoption% in wsadmin.bat and $javaOption in wsadmin.sh are located at the end of JAVA_EXE arguments. This allows you to override Java system properties, such as CLIENTSOAP and CLIENTSAS properties.