Saving large EAR files

Things have been quiet here at 'wsadminlib central' lately, since many contributors have been focused on getting WAS V8 out the door.  Now that WAS V8 has shipped, here is a brief update...

Frequent wsadminlib contributor Chris in Australia reported a problem saving a large EAR file, on the order of 300 Mb.  He had trouble starting the application immediately after doing a save and sync.  He also observed that the file system was still growing for a short time after the sync.

Now I always thought that an application was fully deployed and ready to start when wsadminlib's method saveAndSync() returned, but not true...

WAS V8 and wsadminlib.py

The IBM WebSphere Application Server version 8.0 was released a few weeks ago, and wsadminlib helped deliver it.  Wsadminlib was used internally within IBM as part of many automated testcases.  This included the original prototypes, all the betas, and the final verifications.

So as you move forward migrating from prior versions of WAS to V8, you may continue using wsadminlib knowing it performed yeoman's service throughout the latest release's development and delivery.

How to enable memory-to-memory session replication for an existing server?

I received this interesting question last week from a wsadminlib user in Chicago.   Wsadminlib.py contains two methods which make the task easy:  createReplicationDomain() and setServerSessionReplication().

First, I connected my wsadmin client to the deployment manager and execfile'd wsadminlib.py:

root@ding6:/home/ding/tmp# /opt/WAS70/profiles/v7default/bin/wsadmin.sh -lang jython -host zwasxxxx.raleigh.ibm.com -port 8879 -user xxxxxx -password xxxxxx
WASX7209I: Connected to process "dmgr" on node WAS00Manager using SOAP connector;  The type of process is: DeploymentManager
WASX7031I: For help, enter: "print Help.help()"
wsadmin>
wsadmin>execfile('wsadminlib.py')
$Id: wsadminlib.py 104 2010-02-15 19:06:18Z ding $
wsadmin>

Presentation on wsadminlib.py

I gave a presentation introducing wsadminlib.py to the WebSphere User Group meeting in Research Triangle Park, NC last week.  You can fetch a PDF copy from the WebSphere User Group site.  [here] from [here]

You can also view the presentation online at slideshare.net, thanks to my teammate and fellow wsadminlib contributor Rohit K.  [here]

Please let us know if you would like a presentation at your local WebSphere User Group meeting, and we will try to find a local contributor.

Beware of mail methods

I have received two problem reports from wsadminlib users about the mail methods in wsadminlib.py. I will post an update after the original authors and users have a chance to investigate.

Sorry for the nuisance.

Fixes for compareIntLists(), etc.

Here are fixes for two problems reported by a user...

The first problem, in method compareIntLists(), is significant. This method is used to determine whether one version of WAS is greater than another. The original method has two tests at the bottom, for greater-than and less-than, and both tests returned the same value of 'negative one'. Not good.

 Unfortunately, this bug has been present for several years. If you are using it to steer config options or to select testcases, beware they might change with this fix.

I rewrote the method to be simpler and more understandable than the original, and I tested it well. A complete replacement appears below the jump...

Updated wsadminlib.py now available

An updated version of wsadminlib.py has been published on IBM developerWorks.

It provides:

• 35 new methods covering a variety of functional areas: applications, security, caching, JVM properties, SIBus, etc.  It also provides several methods to configure the new High Performance Extensible Logging (HPEL) feature available in the WebSphere Application Server V8 (currently in beta).
• 7 updates to existing methods.  These are few small fixes and a few new parameters for existing methods.
• 1 useless method was deleted; it was in the original version by mistake.
• The ability to access methods in wsadminlib.py using the python import statement. 

The full list of method changes is attached below the jump.

The new wsadminlib.py has the same terms and conditions as the original.  To summarize, it is a free. 'as-is', sample script package, not supported by IBM.  The official statement is in the prologue of wsadminlib.py.

This update replaces the original version of wsadminlib.py published in April 2010.  Be sure to save your original copy in case you have modified it or don't like something in the new update.

You may fetch the updated version of wsadminlib from the same location:
- go to [IBM developerWorks WebSphere Sample Scripts]
- search for 'wsadminlib'.

On behalf of the more than 30 contributors, we hope you continue to find wsadminlib.py to be an incredibly useful resource.

PS: The new update contains SVN revision number 115:

        print "$Id: wsadminlib.py 115 2011-01-03 15:51:00Z dingsor $"

A review of wsadminlib.py

I recently happened upon a review of wsadminlib.py written by a fellow IBM employee.

He writes...
        "I recently downloaded the wsadminlib.py script and began constructing WebSphere CloudBurst script packages to utilize it. To say I am impressed would be an understatement. This file makes so many tasks so incredibly simple..."

Click here to read the full review:   [Tools from the experts] 

Thanks Dustin!

IBM Impact 2011

- Are you attending the IBM Impact 2011 conference?
- Do you use wsadminlib?
- Would you like to give a brief presentation with me?

I have proposed a session on wsadminlib to the Impact committee.  I proposed introducing wsadminlib and explaining how to use it.  If the session is accepted, I would like to recruit a wsadminlib user to speak along with me, to give a brief perspective and testimonial.

There are some perks for speakers too.

Please let me know:  dingsor [at] us dot ibm dot com