Setting the connection to the WebSphere Application Server

The administrative ports are used to communicate requests between the workbench and the server.

About this task

Important: Applicable to WebSphere® Application Server traditional
The following ports are used for making Java™™ Management Extensions (JMX) connections with the server:
  • The remote method invocation (RMI), also known as the ORB bootstrap, port is designed to improve performance and communication with the server. The RMI connection is JSR 160 RMI compliant. The default setting of the RMI port is 2809
  • The SOAP connector port is more firewall compatible. The default setting of the SOAP port is 8880
  • The InterProcess Connector (IPC) port is a more stable and robust connection between the workbench and the local server. The default setting of the IPC port is 9633
If your operating system is configured with Federal Desktop Core Configuration (FDCC) and you want to connect to a WebSphere Application Server on another server as your workbench, you need to use the SOAP connector port to cross the firewall that is typically present between the workbench and the remote application server.

To configure the server connection type and port number for WebSphere Application Server:

Procedure

  1. In the Servers view, double-click the WebSphere Application Server you want to modify. The server editor opens.
  2. Click the Overview tab.
  3. Expand the Server section.
  4. Under the Server connection types and administrative ports, use one of the following radio buttons to select how you want the workbench to connect to the server:
    • The Automatically determine connection settings option is available only for local servers and by default is selected when you are working with a local server. It retrieves the port values directly from the configuration files of the server that is defined in its profile and attempts to connect to one of these available ports.
    • The Manually provide connection settings option allows you to select which connection types you want to use. It is available for both local and remote servers. If you are using a remote server, you are restricted to using this option and you must provide the correct port numbers for each connection type you choose.
  5. In the case you selected the Manually provide connection settings the radio button, complete the table:
    1. Under the Connection Type column, you can select more than one connection type for communicating between the development environment and the server. The workbench determines the preferred ordering for which connection type to use. This decision depends on factors such as the version-level of the server and whether the server is local or remote. If the workbench loses a connection during a session, the workbench is going to switch connection types and attempt to establish another connection to the server.
    2. Under the Port column, if the server is remote, specify the port value for each of the connection type you selected in the previous step. If the server is local, the port values are automatically retrieved from the configuration files of the server that is defined in its profile.
      Tip: The default port value that is assigned to each connection type is referenced under the default port column. To determine the actual port values of a configured profile reference its server configuration files. The port values are stored in the serverindex.xml file that is located in the following directory: x:\profiles\<profileName>\config\cells\<cellName>\nodes\<nodeName>, where x is the directory WebSphere Application Server is installed.
  6. Optional: Click the Test Connection link to verify if you have a successful connection between the workbench and the server. Before you use the Test Connection link, the server requires to be started.
    Tip: To ensure a successful connection, verify that:
    • The actual server is started.
    • A profile to the server runtime environment is correctly specified under the Profile name field.
    • If you are manually providing the connection settings, verify that the correct port values are specified.
  7. Save and close the editor.
    When you save the modifications to the server editor, the server tools attempts to make a connection to the server using your latest saved changes.