Administrative repository

WebSphere Application Server - Express stores configuration data for each 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 - Express instance. The configuration documents describe the servers, nodes, applications, and resources that are part of the instance.

Hierarchy of configuration directories

The administrative repository for each instance starts with the config directory located directly under the root directory for the instance. For the myAppSvr instance, the administrative respository is contained in the /QIBM/UserData/WebASE/ASE5/myAppSvr/config directory.

The administrative repository for an instance contains 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.
/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
For an instance of WebSphere Application Server - Express, the cell name is hostname_instance, where hostname is the iSeries system host name, and instance is the name of the instance.

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 - Express runtime code removes from the app.policy and was.policy files.
- integral-jms-authorizations.xml
  This file is not used by WebSphere Application Server - Express.
- multibroker.xml
  This file is not used by WebSphere Application Server - Express.
- 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
  This file is not used by WebSphere Application Server - Express.
- resources.xml
  Defines the resources that enterprise applications use. Resources include JDBC providers, data sources, and mail 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 log files, JDBC implmentation classes, and application install paths.
- virtualhosts.xml
  Contains configuration data for virtual hosts and their MIME types.
/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 the instance node.
/config/cells/cellname/nodes/nodename
Node names for instances of WebSphere Application Server - Express are hostname_instance, where hostname is the iSeries system host name, and 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, data sources, and mail 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, and security services 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/servername
The name of the subdirectory corresponds to the name of the server. The name of the application server is the same as the name of your instance.

The server directory contains a server.xml file, which provides configuration data specific to the server process. The server can also have files such as variables.xml and resources.xml, which provide additional configuration data that applies only to the server process.

The 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, data sources, and mail 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 implementation 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 and JDBC providers.

The WebSphere 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