firststeps command

The firststeps command starts the First steps console. The First steps console is a post-installation ease-of-use tool for directing WebSphere® Application Server elements from one place. Options display dynamically on the First steps console, depending on features that you install and the availability of certain elements on a particular operating system platform. Options include verifying the installation, starting and stopping application server processes, accessing the tools for creating and managing profiles, accessing the administrative console, and accessing the online documentation.

First steps overview

You can also start the First steps console from the command line as described later in this topic.

Option descriptions

Installation verification

This option starts the installation verification test (IVT). The test consists of starting and monitoring the application server during its start up.

If this is the first time that you have used the First steps console for this application server profile, click Installation verification to verify the installation. The verification process starts the application server.

The Start the server option is unavailable while the IVT runs.

The IVT provides the following useful information about the application server:

Server name
Name of the profile
Profile file path
Type of profile: default
Cell name
Node name
Current encoding
Port number for the administrative console
Various informational messages that include the location of the SystemOut.log file and how many errors are listed within the file
Completion message

Start the server

This option toggles to Stop the server when the application server runs.

This option displays when the First steps console is in a standalone application server profile.

After selecting the Start the server option, an output screen displays with status messages. The success message informs you that the server is open for e-business. Then the menu item toggles to Stop the server and the Administrative console option enables

If you select the Start the server option, the Installation verification option is unavailable while the application server runs.

Start the administrative agent

This option toggles to Stop the administrative agent when the administrative agent runs.

After selecting the Start the administrative agent option, an output screen displays with status messages. The success message informs you that the administrative agent is open for e-business. Then the menu item changes to Stop the administrative agent.

If you select the Start the administrative agent option, the Installation verification option is unavailable while the administrative agent runs.

Administrative console

This option is unavailable until the application server runs.

The administrative console is a configuration editor that runs in one of the supported web browsers. The administrative console lets you work with XML configuration files for the standalone application server .

To launch the administrative console, click Administrative console or point your browser to http://localhost:9060/ibm/console. Substitute the host name for localhost if the address does not load. Verify the installation to verify the administrative console port number, if 9060 does not load.

Avoid trouble: If you are installing the product on Windows 7, then you must disable IPv6 and restart the machine to view and log on to the administrative console. See Guidance for configuring IPv6 in Windows for advanced users for more information on disabling IPv6.

The administrative console prompts for a login name. This is not a security item, but merely a tag to identify configuration changes that you make during the session. Secure signon is also available when administrative security is enabled.

The installation procedure in the documentation cautions you to write down the administrative user ID and password when security is enabled during installation. Without the ID and password, you cannot use the administrative console or scripting.

WebSphere Customization Toolbox

This option opens the WebSphere Customization Toolbox, which contains the Profile Management Tool and the Configuration Migration Tool.

Profile Management Tool

The Profile Management Tool can create a standalone application server profile or a management profile.

Each profile has its own administrative interface.

Each profile also has its own First steps console.

Configuration Migration Tool

The Configuration Migration Tool is the graphical interface to the migration tools.

See the migration documentation for more information about the Configuration Migration Tool.

Knowledge Center for WebSphere Application Server

This option links you to the online product documentation. IBM Documentation replaced Knowledge Center.

IBM® Education Assistant

This option links you to the IBM Education Assistant. The IBM Education Assistant is no longer available. See the IBM Training website.

Exit

This option closes the First steps console.

Location of the command file

The location of the firststeps command that starts the First steps console for a profile is:

profile_root/firststeps/firststeps.sh
profile_root\firststeps\firststeps.bat

Parameters

No parameters are associated with this command.

Syntax for the firststeps command

Use the following syntax for the command:

./firststeps.sh
firststeps.bat

Link tips

The following links exist on the First steps console for the WebSphere Application Server base and Express products::

Table 1. Links on the First steps console.
Links that display on the First steps console are shown in the following table:
Option	Link
Installation verification	Calls the ivt command. The location of the installation verification test command is: `profile_root`/bin/ivt.sh `profile_root`\bin\ivt.bat
Start the server	Calls the startServer command. The location of the startServer command is: `profile_root`/bin/startServer.sh `server_name` `profile_root`\bin\startServer.bat `server_name` When you have more than one application server on the same machine, the command starts the same application server that is associated with the First steps console.
Stop the server	Calls the stopServer command. The location of the stopServer command is: `profile_root`/bin/stopServer.sh `server_name` `profile_root`\bin\stopServer.bat `server_name`
Administrative console	Opens the default browser to the http://localhost:9060/ibm/console web address. When you have more than one application server on the same machine, the port varies. The First steps console starts the administrative console that is associated with the First steps console.
WebSphere Customization Toolbox	The command file is located at: `profile_root`/bin/wct.sh `profile_root`\bin\wct.bat
Knowledge Center for WebSphere Application Server products	Opens the default browser to the online product documentation.
IBM Education Assistant	Opens the default browser to the IBM Education Assistant.

Note: This topic references one or more of the application server log files. As a recommended alternative, you can configure the server to use the High Performance Extensible Logging (HPEL) log and trace infrastructure instead of using SystemOut.log , SystemErr.log, trace.log, and activity.log files on distributed and IBM i systems. You can also use HPEL in conjunction with your native z/OS® logging facilities. If you are using HPEL, you can access all of your log and trace information using the LogViewer command-line tool from your server profile bin directory. See the information about using HPEL to troubleshoot applications for more information on using HPEL.