Administrative repository

WebSphere Application Server stores configuration data for each WebSphere Application Server instance in XML documents, which reside in a cascading hierarchy of directories beneath the root directory for the instance. This hierarchy of directories makes up the administrative repository for a WebSphere Application Server instance. The configuration documents describe the servers, nodes, applications, and resources that are part of an instance.

Hierarchy of configuration directories

In a Network Deployment environment, the cascading hierarchy of directories and the documents' structure support multi-node replication to synchronize the activities of all processes in a cell. By default, changes made to configuration documents in the Network Deployment instance's cell repository are automatically replicated to the same configuration documents that are stored on nodes throughout the cell.

The administrative repository for each WebSphere Application Server and Network Deployment instance starts with the config directory located directly under the root directory for the instance. For the default instance, the administrative respository is contained in the /QIBM/UserData/WebAS5/edition/default/config directory, where edition is Base for WebSphere Application Server and ND for WebSphere Application Server Network Deployment respectively.

The administrative repository for an instance has the following directories and files:

• /config
  The config directory is the repository root directory for an instance. It contains a single file, plugin-cfg-service.xmi. The plugin-cfg-service file defines the custom service that causes the Web server plugin file, plugin-cfg.xml, to be regenerated each time the application server is started. For more information about custom services, see Custom services.

• /config/cells
  The cells subdirectory contains a single subdirectory for the cell to which the instance belongs. The cells directory also contains the Web server plugin file, plugin-cfg.xml. The Web server plugin that runs in your HTTP server instance uses this file to determine which web resources are installed in your instance.

• /config/cells/cellname
  The name of the cell for the default instance of WebSphere Application Server is the same as the iSeries system host name. For additional instances of WebSphere Application Server, the cell names are hostname_instance, where hostname is the iSeries system host name, and instance is the name of the instance.

  The name of the cell for the default instance of WebSphere Application Server Network Deployment is hostnameNetwork, where hostname is the iSeries system host name. For additional instances of WebSphere Application Server Network Deployment, the cell names are instanceNetwork, where instance is the name of the instance. When a WebSphere Application Server instance is federated (added) into a Network Deployment cell, the cell name is changed to the cell name of the Network Deployment instance. The subdirectory name for the cell is changed to reflect this.

  For a Network Deployment instance, the subdirectories under the cell contain the entire set of documents for every node and server throughout the cell. For WebSphere Application Server instances, 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.

  The cell directory contains these files, which provide configuration data for the cell and for all of the nodes in the cell:

  • admin-authz.xml
    Contains configuration data for authorizations to administrative functions.
  • cell.xml
    Contains configuration data for the cell.
  • filter.policy
    Enterprise applications use app.policy and was.policy files. The filter.policy file contains permissions that the WebSphere Application Server runtime code removes from the app.policy and was.policy files.
  • integral-jms-authorizations.xml
    Contains authorization data for the embedded Java Message Service (JMS) provider.
  • multibroker.xml
    Contains configuration data for session state replication support.
  • namestore.xml
    Contains persistent name binding data for the naming service.
  • naming-authz.xml
    Contains the configuration information for authorizations to naming service functions.
  • pmirm.xml
    Contains configuration data for Performance Monitoring Infrastructure (PMI) request metrics.
  • resources.xml
    Defines the resources that enterprise applications use. Resources include JDBC providers, JMS resources, Mail providers, and URL providers.
  • security.xml
    Contains configuration data for the security service.
  • variables.xml
    Contains configuration variables used to specify directory paths. The variables can then be substitiuted for the actual path when specifying locations for WebSphere log files, JDBC implmentation classes, and application install paths.
  • virtualhosts.xml
    Contains configuration data for virtual hosts and their MIME types.

• /config/cells/cellname/clusters
  The clusters subdirectory contains a subdirectory for each cluster defined in the cell.

  Note: The clusters directory only exists in enviroments that use workload management with clusters and cluster members. Workload management is only available with WebSphere Application Server Network Deployment.

• /config/cells/cellname/clusters/clustername
  The names of the subdirectories under clusters match the names of the clusters. Each cluster subdirectory contains a cluster.xml file, which provides configuration data specific to that cluster.

• /config/cells/cellname/applications
  The applications subdirectory contains a subdirectory for each application deployed in the cell.

• /config/cells/cellname/applications/application
  The names of the applications subdirectories match the names of the application's EAR files. For example, if an application is packaged in App1.ear, its subdirectory is also named App1.ear. Each deployed application subdirectory contains the EAR file for the application and a deployments subdirectory. The deployments subdirectory contains these files and subdirectories:

  • deployment.xml
    The file that contains configuration data on the application deployment.
  • META-INF
    The subdirectory that contains a J2EE application deployment descriptor file as well as IBM deployment extensions files and bindings files.
  • Subdirectories for all WAR and JAR files in the application. These subdirectories contain the XML and XMI configuration files for the web modules and enterprise bean modules that are included in the application.

• /config/cells/cellname/nodes
  The nodes subdirectory contains a subdirectory for each node in the cell. For WebSphere Application Server instances that are not part of a Network Deployment cell, there is only one node per instance.

• /config/cells/cellname/nodes/nodename
  The node name for the default instance of WebSphere Application Server is the iSeries system host name. Node names for additional instances of WebSphere Application Server are hostname_instance, where hostname is the iSeries system host name, and instance is the name of the instance.

  The default instance of WebSphere Application Server Network Deployment has a node name of hostnameManager, where hostname is the iSeries system host name. Node names for additional instances of WebSphere Application Server Network Deployment are instanceManager, where instance is the name of the instance.

  Each node subdirectory contains these files:

  Note: Some of these files have the same names as those in the containing cell directory. The configurations specified in node-level documents override the configurations specified in cell documents having the same name.

  • app.policy
    Contains default security permissions for application code.
  • library.policy
    Contains security permissions for shared libraries.
  • namestore.xml
    Contains persistent name binding data for the naming service.
  • node.xml
    Contains the configuration data for the node.
  • resources.xml
    Defines the resources that enterprise applications use. Resources include JDBC providers, JMS resources, Mail providers, and URL providers.
  • serverindex.xml
    Specifies the TCP/IP ports for special endpoints for each server under the node. Port values of services such as the naming service, SOAP service, security services, and data replication client service are specified here. This file also contains information on which enterprise applications are installed on each server.
  • spi.policy
    Contains security permissions for service provider libraries such as resource providers.
  • variables.xml
    Contains configuration variables used to specify directory paths. The variables can then be substitiuted for the actual path when specifying locations for WebSphere log files, JDBC implmentation classes, and application install paths.

• /config/cells/cellname/nodes/nodename/servers
  The servers subdirectory contains a subdirectory for each server process defined on the node. When an instance is part of a Network Deployment cells, the servers directory contains subdirectories for the application servers, nodeagent server, and JMS server.

• /config/cells/cellname/nodes/nodename/servers/servername
  The names of the subdirectories match the names of the servers. The name of the application server for the default instance of WebSphere Application Server is server1. If you do not specify the -server parameter when you create a new instance, the application server name defaults to instance, where instance is the value specified for the -instance parameter of the crtwasinst script.

  The name of the default instance of WebSphere Application Server Network Deployment is dmgr. If you do not specify the -server parameter when you create a new instance, the application server name defaults to instance, where instance is the value specified for the -instance parameter of the crtwasinst script.

  All server directories contain a server.xml file, which provides configuration data specific to that server process. Some servers have additional files such as variables.xml and resources.xml, which provide additional configuration data that applies only to the server process.

  Each server subdirectory can contain any of these files:

  Note: Some of these files have the same names as those in the containing node or cell directory. The configurations specified in server-level documents override the configurations specified in node and cell documents having the same name.

  • namestore-cell.xml
    Contains persistent cell-level name binding data for the naming service.
  • namestore-node.xml
    Contains persistent node-level name binding data for the naming service.
  • resources.xml
    Defines the resources that enterprise applications use. Resources include JDBC providers, JMS resources, Mail providers, and URL providers.
  • server.xml
    Contains configuration data for the services and components that run in the server process.
  • variables.xml
    Contains configuration variables used to specify directory paths. The variables can then be substitiuted for the actual path when specifying locations for WebSphere log files, JDBC implmentation classes, and application install paths.

• config/templates
  The templates directory contains two subdirectories, named default and system, which contain template XML files for several configuration object types such as servers, JDBC providers and JMS providers.

  The administrative console uses these templates when displaying default properties for a resource you are creating. You can also use these templates with the wsadmin scripting tool to create new resources based on the templates.

Here is an example of the structure.

config
  cells
    cell1
       cell.xml resources.xml virtualhosts.xml variables.xml security.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
       nodes
          nodeX
             node.xml variables.xml resources.xml serverindex.xml
             servers
               serverA
                  server.xml variables.xml
               nodeAgent
                  server.xml variables.xml
          nodeY
             node.xml variables.xml resources.xml serverindex.xml

When you perform administrative tasks, WebSphere Application Server generates temporary configuration files and backup configuration files. For information on these files, see Temporary and backup configuation files.