Using wsadmin commands to customize the Workflow Server settings used to connect to Workflow Center

Using the WebSphere wsadmin command-line administration tool, you can run commands to update the server configuration that is used to connect a workflow server in your runtime environment to a different workflow center. You can also use wsadmin commands to connect an offline server or to modify other connection properties. Although a few settings are updated using authentication alias configuration, the rest of the properties can be updated using wsadmin commands.

To customize the settings that are used by a workflow server to connect to a workflow center, complete the following steps.

1. Stop the Workflow Server environment. In a network deployment environment, stop the deployment manager and the nodes.
2. Complete the following steps to update the server settings with the WebSphere command-line administration tool (wsadmin) AdminConfig commands.
   1. Start the wsadmin scripting tool. To start wsadmin using the Jython language, run the following command from the bin directory of the Business Automation Workflow installation:

      wsadmin -conntype NONE -lang jython -profileName profileName

      where profileName is the name of the deployment manager profile. For IBM Business Automation Workflow Express, profileName is the name of the stand-alone profile (and may be omitted if this is the only profile).
   2. Get the workflow server configuration of the application cluster.
      • For a clustered environment, specify the following command syntax:

        wsadmin> ps = AdminConfig.getid("/Cell:/ServerCluster:application_cluster_name/BPMClusterConfigExtension:/BPMProcessServer:/")

      • For a stand-alone environment, specify the following command syntax:

        wsadmin> ps = AdminConfig.getid("/Cell:/Node:node_name/Server:server_name/BPMServerConfigExtension:/BPMProcessServer:/")

   3. Update the processCenterUrl variable.
      This setting specifies the URL that the workflow server uses to connect to a pre-V8.5.0.1 process center. It uses Form-based Authentication. A pre-V8.5.0.1 process center supports only the processCenterUrl setting and it does not support the processCenterInternalUrl setting that is described in the next step. To ensure that the workflow server can connect to a workflow center from any release of Business Automation Workflow, this setting should always be specified.

      wsadmin> AdminConfig.modify(ps, [['processCenterUrl', 'https://new_server_name/ProcessCenter']])

   4. Update the processCenterInternalUrl variable.
      This setting specifies the URL that the workflow server uses to connect to a V8.5.0.1 or later workflow center. It uses Basic Authentication rather than Form-based Authentication. It has the same format as the processCenterUrl setting, except that it also has the literal string Internal appended at the end of the URL. A V8.5.0.1 or later workflow center supports both the processCenterUrl setting and the processCenterInternalUrl setting. However, the processCenterInternalUrl is the preferred method of communication and it is automatically used when it is available. To ensure that the workflow server can connect to a workflow center from any release of Business Automation Workflow, this setting should always be specified. The setting should be set to the same host and port as the processCenterUrl.

      wsadmin> AdminConfig.modify(ps, [['processCenterInternalUrl', 'https://new_server_name/ProcessCenterInternal']])

      Note: The processCenterInternalUrl setting no longer needs to be set. It is now computed automatically based on the processCenterUrl setting specified in the previous substep.
   5. To change the state of an offline workflow server to online, update the heartBeatInterval value to a number that is greater than 0 (zero). The heartbeat interval is the polling interval, in seconds, that is used by the workflow server to communicate its location and characteristics to the workflow center. For example, to set the value to 60 seconds, enter the following command:

      wsadmin> AdminConfig.modify(ps, [['heartBeatInterval', '60']])

      To bring the server offline, disable polling by setting the heartBeatInterval value to a number that is less than or equal to 0 (zero). For example:

      wsadmin> AdminConfig.modify(ps, [['heartBeatInterval', '-1']])

   6. Verify your updates.

      wsadmin> print AdminConfig.show(ps)

      The output looks something like the following example:

      ...
      [heartBeatInterval 60]
      ...
      [processCenterUrl https://hostname:9082/ProcessCenter]

   7. Save the changes and exit.

      wsadmin> AdminConfig.save()
      wsadmin> exit

3. Review the Business Automation Workflow security roles by navigating in the WebSphere Application Server administrative console to Servers > Deployment Environments > Deployment Environment Name > Related Items > Authentication Aliases.
   See Business Automation Workflow security roles.
4. Note the authentication alias for the ProcessCenterUser and BPMAuthor roles.
5. If it does not exist, create the ProcessCenterUserAlias, which is the default authentication alias that is used to connect from Workflow Server to Workflow Center. It includes a user name and password that can be used to log into Workflow Center. See Modifying authentication aliases.
   For ProcessCenterUserAlias, use a valid user name and password from the Workflow Center environment. The user will be used during the heartbeat to log into Workflow Center and it does not need any special authorization in Workflow Center.
6. Optional: If you plan to use a user other than DeAdmin (the default) to deploy snapshots from Workflow Center to the runtime workflow server, create a new BPMAuthorAlias (which is the default authentication alias that is used to connect from Workflow Center to Workflow Server). The BPMAuthorAlias receives a user name and password from Workflow Server that is used to log into Workflow Server.
   For BPMAuthorAlias, use a valid user name and password from the Workflow Server environment that has the authority to access and deploy snapshots to the runtime workflow server.
7. In the security roles screen, map the ProcessCenterUser role to ProcessCenterUserAlias and the appropriate alias to the BPMAuthor role.
8. Because Workflow Center connects to Workflow Server by HTTPS by default, you must verify that the Workflow Server root signer SSL certificate is imported into Workflow Center. If you configure the processCenterUrl variable or the processCenterInternalUrl variable to use HTTPS, then you also must verify that the Workflow Center root signer certificated is imported into Workflow Server.
   Follow the steps in Configuring Secure Sockets Layer (SSL) communication in a network deployment environment.

   Tip: If you want to connect Workflow Center to Workflow Server by HTTP, see Re-enabling HTTP access in Business Automation Workflow temporarily .
9. Restart the deployment manager after you have completed your updates.
10. Restart the workflow server cluster or server. For network deployment Workflow Server environments, synchronize the nodes and restart the application cluster member.