The wsadmin tool is a

command shell In computing, a shell is a computer program that exposes an operating system's services to a human user or other programs. In general, operating system shells use either a command-line interface (CLI) or graphical user interface (GUI), depending ...

for the purpose of performing systems administration on all the artifacts in an

IBM WebSphere Application Server WebSphere Application Server (WAS) is a software product that performs the role of a web application server. More specifically, it is a software framework and middleware that hosts Java (software platform), Java-based web applications. It is t ...

(WAS) cell. It gets its name from the name of the

shell script A shell script is a computer program designed to be run by a Unix shell, a command-line interpreter. The various dialects of shell scripts are considered to be scripting languages. Typical operations performed by shell scripts include file manip ...

that invokes this command shell. This command shell can execute connected to a WAS cell or completely disconnected from a WAS cell (local mode). The wsadmin tool can be used to execute scripts written in Jacl and

Jython Jython is an implementation of the Python programming language designed to run on the Java platform. The implementation was formerly known as JPython until 1999. Overview Jython programs can import and use any Java class. Except for some stand ...

, or it can be used interactively to execute individual commands. These scripts and commands perform administrative tasks like application deployment, configuration changes and run-time monitoring and control of IBM WAS.

History of WebSphere Application Server command shells

The ''wscp'' stands for

WebSphere IBM WebSphere refers to a brand of proprietary computer software products in the genre of enterprise software known as "application and integration middleware". These software products are used by end-users to create and integrate applications w ...

Control Program. It was used in older versions of WAS like Version 4.0 and Version 3.5. The ''wsadmin'' command shell replaced ''wscp'' in WebSphere Application Server Version 5.0 and all subsequent versions. It can perform almost all of the tasks which can be done through the browser based administrative console, and it can perform some tasks that the administrative console cannot do.

Two Modes of ''wsadmin''

The ''wsadmin'' could be operated by two ''modes''; a ''Remote mode'' and a ''Local mode''. * Use: The ''Remote mode'' is used when IBM WAS's Deployment Manager (Dmgr) is running. The ''Local Mode'' is used when the server is in down status. * How to enable: The ''Remote mode'' is connected through TCP network connection while the ''Local mode'' does not need TCP connection. * Advantages: ** ''Remote mode'': It can be accessed from the same or other

LPAR A logical partition (LPAR) is a subset of a computer's hardware resources, virtualized as a separate computer. In effect, a physical machine can be partitioned into multiple logical partitions, each hosting a separate instance of an operating ...

. Two ''Remote mode'' clients will never face conflict. Their respective changes will be intellectually handled by the IBM WAS. ** ''Local mode'': It would not have any problems related to SSL certificates. It can work even when the server is down. * Disadvantages: ** ''Remote mode'': The IBM WAS must not be in ''down'' status. There may be an issue of SSL certifications conflict. ** ''Local mode'': It will not work efficiently with multiple access because in the multiple access through ''Local mode'' the synchronization of changes may create a serious issue. The ''Local mode'' is weaker than ''Remote mode'' in respect of the security.

Scripting languages: Jacl and Jython

The ''wsadmin'' supports Jacl (an alternate implementation of TCL written in Java) and Jython (Java, Python) scripting languages. The choice of Jacl or Jython may depend on the programmer's comfort level. The

Java Java (; id, Jawa, ; jv, ꦗꦮ; su, ) is one of the Greater Sunda Islands in Indonesia. It is bordered by the Indian Ocean to the south and the Java Sea to the north. With a population of 151.6 million people, Java is the world's mo ...

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or C programmer may be more comfortable with Jython whereas

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experts may prefer Jacl. Though the script syntax is different, Jacl and Jython are equally powerful. The IBM Jacl to Jython Conversion Assistant program is used to convert ''wsadmin'' Jacl scripts into Jython.

Basic difference between Jacl and Jython syntaxes

Here, five basic commands (for getting help for the relevant ''objects'') are written in their particular syntaxes. The case-sensitiveness in the scripting must be the crucial thing to be taken care of.

References

{{reflist

External links

WebSphere Application Server v6.1 DocumentationWebSphere Application Server Administration using Jython
IBM WebSphere