Configuration documents

WebSphere Application Server stores configuration data for servers in several documents in a cascading hierarchy of directories. The configuration documents describe the available application servers, their configurations, and their contents. Most configuration documents have XML content.

Hierarchy of directories of documents

The cascading hierarchy of directories and the documents' structure support multinode replication to synchronize the activities of all servers in a cell. In a Network Deployment environment, changes made to configuration documents in the cell repository, are automatically replicated to the same configuration documents that are stored on nodes throughout the cell.

At the top of the hierarchy is the cells directory. It holds a subdirectory for each cell. The names of the cell subdirectories match the names of the cells. For example, a cell named cell1 has its configuration documents in the subdirectory cell1.

On the Network Deployment node, the subdirectories under the cell contain the entire set of documents for every node and server throughout the cell. On other nodes, the set of documents is limited to what applies to that specific node. If a configuration document only applies to node1, then that document exists in the configuration on node1 and in the Network Deployment configuration, but not on any other node in the cell.

Each cell subdirectory has the following files and subdirectories:

• The cell.xml file, which provides configuration data for the cell

• Files such as security.xml, virtualhosts.xml, resources.xml, and variables.xml, which provide configuration data that applies across every node in the cell

• The clusters subdirectory, which holds a subdirectory for each
  cluster defined in the cell. The names of the subdirectories under clusters match the names of the clusters.

  Each cluster subdirectory holds a cluster.xml file, which provides configuration data specifically for that cluster.

• The nodes subdirectory, which holds a subdirectory for each node in the cell. The names of the nodes subdirectories match the names of the nodes.

  Each node subdirectory holds files such as variables.xml and resources.xml, which provide configuration data that applies across the node. Note that these files have the same name as those in the containing cell's directory. The configurations specified in these node documents override the configurations specified in cell documents having the same name. For example, if a particular variable is in both cell- and node-level variables.xml files, all servers on the node use the variable definition in the node document and ignore the definition in the cell document.

  Each node subdirectory holds a subdirectory for each server defined on the node. The names of the subdirectories match the names of the servers. Each server subdirectory holds a server.xml file, which provides configuration data specific to that server. Server subdirectories might hold files such as security.xml, resources.xml and variables.xml, which provide configuration data that applies only to the server. The configurations specified in these server documents override the configurations specified in containing cell and node documents having the same name.

• The applications subdirectory, which holds a subdirectory for each application deployed in the cell. The names of the applications subdirectories match the names of the deployed applications.

  Each deployed application subdirectory holds a deployment.xml file that contains configuration data on the application deployment. Each subdirectory also holds a META-INF subdirectory that holds a J2EE application deployment descriptor file as well as IBM deployment extensions files and bindings files. Deployed application subdirectories also hold subdirectories for all .war and entity bean .jar files in the application. Binary files such as .jar files are also part of the configuration structure.

An example file structure is as follows:

cells 
  cell1 
     cell.xml resources.xml virtualhosts.xml variables.xml security.xml      nodes 
        nodeX 
           node.xml variables.xml resources.xml serverindex.xml            serverA 
              server.xml variables.xml            nodeAgent 
              server.xml variables.xml         nodeY 
           node.xml variables.xml resources.xml serverindex.xml      applications 
        sampleApp1 
           deployment.xml            META-INF 
              application.xml ibm-application-ext.xml ibm-application-bnd.xml         sampleApp2 
           deployment.xml            META-INF 
              application.xml ibm-application-ext.xml ibm-application-bnd.xml

Changing configuration documents

You can use one of the administrative tools (console, wsadmin, Java APIs) to modify configuration documents or edit them directly. It is preferable to use the administrative console because it validates changes made to configurations. "Configuration document descriptions" states whether you can edit a document using the administrative tools or must edit it directly.

Related tasks
Working with server configuration files

Related reference
Configuration document descriptions