This page enables community members to share evidence that can be gathered using command line techniques that enable administrators to determine whether IBM WebSphere Application Server is running on a server, how to differentiate between multiple running instances, determine version, edition, licensing data and other configuration attributes of interest.
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Foundation identifies software running on a host. This is achieved by identifying a 'prime process' which is always present when IBM WebSphere Application Server is running and as a result signifies the software product is present.
How to Determine the Product is Running
Windows
Unix/Linux
The Prime process is a java process, with args containing the following: com.ibm.ws.runtime.WsServer
* What is the 'prime process' that signifies that IBM WebSphere Application Server is running * Provide a sample process list output showing the typical deployment path and arguments for the process
How to Differentiate between Running Instances of the same Product
Windows
Unix/Linux
A combination of various Attributes for the Product can be used to tell a Running Instance apart from another Running Instance. The Installation Path, the Server Name, Cell Name and Node Name, can all be used to identify a unique Running Instance of the Product.
* Does only one instance of the IBM WebSphere Application Server run on a host at any given time? * If more than one instance is present but running from the same installation, is there a way of telling them apart? * If each instance corresponds to a different installation, is the installation path available when viewing the process list? * Can different versions of IBM WebSphere Application Server be installed at the same time and can they be running at the same time?
How to Determine Version of IBM WebSphere Application Server
The version of a software product can be determined using a range of methods. The aim is to use the method likely to provide the greatest level of detail and has the greatest confidence, but to also have alternative methods as fallback. Depending on the product, not all versioning methods are used or appropriate.
How to Determine Version From a Command Line Path
Windows
Unix/Linux
Version can be found in the Command Path. These are two examples of how Version may appear:
/usr/local/p005495/websphere-5.1
/cust/local/was5
* Provide samples of the full command-line obtained from the process list of the prime processes for this software product * Does this vary across an estate, if so when?
How to Determine Version From Installed Packages
Windows
Unix/Linux
These are 2 packages which, if present in the System, can return Version for the product: "WASserver", "IBM WebSphere Application Server"
* List the full package name that IBM WebSphere Application Server is installed under * Have any other package names been used in the past?
How to Determine Version From the Registry (Windows Only)
Windows
* List any registry keys (full path within registry) that can be queried to obtain version information * Specify whether part of the path to the key needs to be constructed from other information (e.g. MS SQL Server registry path requires that instance information is obtained from the command-line arguments and then inserted into the path to the key before the query can be made)
How to Determine Version From Running a Command
Windows
Unix/Linux
* Which command can be executed to retrieve version of IBM WebSphere Application Server? * The command should always be in the same location on the file system and should not be specific to your environment * Its location can be inferred from the path of the command-line or its arguments * Its location can be retrieved from somewhere (file, registry, etc) on the host * Does the command require elevated privileges. Likewise, please indicate if the files that may need to be retrieved have global 'read' privileges? * Provide sample output from the executed command
How to Determine Version From a File's Contents
Windows
Unix/Linux
Version can be collected py parsing a file which resides in the product Installation Path, under the "/properties/version" folder. The file extensions is ".product", and the file name is one of the following: "ND", "Base", "Express", "WAS", "PLG". You can try these names recursively, untill you find a match. After retrieving the file, you can retrieve Version by following this xml path: "/product/version/text".
* What is the name of the file? * What is the location of the file, this should not be specific to your environment * Can the file location be inferred from the path of the command-line or its arguments * Does file access require elevated privileges. Likewise, please indicate if the file has global 'read' privileges? * Provide sample file contents
How to Determine Product Edition of IBM WebSphere Application Server
Windows
Unix/Linux
The same file used to get Version, can be used to retrieve Edition. This file is in the product Installation Path, under the "properties/version" folder. The file extension is ".product", and its name can be one of the following: "ND", "Base", "Express", "WAS", "PLG". You can try these names recursively, untill you find a match. After retrieving the file, you can retrieve Edition by following this xml path: "/product/id/text".
* Can product Edition information for IBM WebSphere Application Server be extracted from the command line path, registry, file, command execution or any other source? * Provide sample output
How to Determine License Entitlement / Usage of IBM WebSphere Application Server
Windows
Unix/Linux
* Can license information for IBM WebSphere Application Server be extracted from the command line path, registry, file, command execution or any other source? * Provide sample output .
Additional Attributes of Interest
Windows
Unix/Linux
Attributes which may be of interest are: Server Name, Cell Name, and Node Name.
* Explain which Additional Attributes concerning IBM WebSphere Application Server may be of interest to you. * Examples include: a database Instance, a configuration parameter that you may want to monitor, to prevent bad configuration-related issues.
Relationships to external Products
Windows
Unix/Linux
* Explain which Products, local or remote, and functioning in relation with IBM WebSphere Application Server, may be of interest to you. * Explain their role: Application Server, Database, Backup Program, etc.
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