Configuring IBM WebSphere, Version 5.1.1

This section describes the required configurations as well as the optional configurations available for the Solution Package for IBM WebSphere in the RTView Configuration Application. You must define the classpath to the IBM WebSphere Admin API jar files and you must also define data source connections for each connection that you want to monitor.

Configuring Data Collection

To configure data collection:

  • Navigate to the Solution Package Configuration > IBM WebSphere  > CONNECTIONS tab.
  • On the CONNECTIONS tab, provide the correct full path to the directory containing the IBM WebSphere Admin API  jar files in the Classpath field. If your jars are in multiple directories, copy them to a common directory and add the path to that directory here.

  • Click the  icon.

The Add Connection dialog displays.

  • Specify the connection information and click SAVE where:

Connection Name: The name of the connection (this must be unique).

URL: Specify the path to the JMX connection of the IBM WebSphere Server to which you want to connect. For example, service:jmx:iiop://somehost:2809/jndi/JMXConnector.

Username: The username defined to secure the connection. This value is only required when the connection has been secured.

Password: This password defined to secure the connection. This value is only required when the connection has been secured. By default, the password entered is hidden. Click the  icon to view the password text.

Properties

com.ibm.SSL.ConfigURL: Specify the full path (URL) that points to the ssl.client.props file. For example: file:/opt/WebSphere/AppServer/profiles/AppSrv01/properties/ssl.client.props

com.ibm.SOAP.ConfigURL: Specify the full path (URL) that points to the soap.client.props file. For example: file:/opt/WebSphere/AppServer/profiles/AppSrv01/properties/soap.client.props

java.com.ibm.CORBA.ConfigURL: Specify the full path (URL) that points to the sas.client.props file. For example: file:/opt/WebSphere/AppServer/profiles/AppSrv01/properties/sas.client.props

java.naming.factory.initial: Specify the initial context factory to use when creating a new initial context object. For example: com.ibm.websphere.naming.WsnInitialContextFactory

Additional Properties

Name: Specify the Name and Value of any additional properties you want to use for monitoring your IBM WebSphere Servers.

Value: Enter the value for the property. You can enter multiple properties by entering the name and value and clicking the associated Add button. The added property then displays on the line below. Once entered, you can click the X next to the property name to remove them. By default, the  icon sets the defined Value as secured once the connection is saved. Click this icon prior to clicking Add to make the defined Value visible when the connection is saved.

Once saved, the new connection displays in the Connections region on the CONNECTIONS tab.

  • Repeat the previous two steps for each IBM WebSphere server to be monitored.

Configuring Collection of Historical Data (Optional)

You can specify the number of history rows to store in memory, the compaction rules, the duration before metrics are expired and deleted, and the different types of metrics that you want the Historian to store in the DATA STORAGE tab in the RTView Configuration Application. This section is optional.

Defining the Storage of In Memory History

You can modify the maximum number of history rows to store in memory in the DATA STORAGE tab. The History Rows property defines the maximum number of rows to store for the WasEjbStats, WasEjbTotalsByApp, WasEjbTotalsByModule, WasJspStats, WasJspTotalsByModule, WasJspTotalsByApp, WasJDBCProvider, WasThreadPool, WasJvmRuntime, WasSystemMetrics, WasServletTotalsByModule, WasServletTotalsByApp, WpsScaComponentStats, WpsScaMethodStats, WpsScaStats, and WpsScaTotals caches. The History Rows Large property defines the maximum number of rows to store for the WasSessionTotalsByServer, WasServerStats, WasServletStats, WasSessionManager, and WasSessionTotalsByApp caches. The default setting for History Rows is 50,000, and the default setting for History Rows Large is 100,000. If either field is set to 0, then no History table is created for that field (and the respective caches).To update the default settings:

  • Navigate to the Solution Package Configuration > IBM WebSphere > DATA STORAGE tab.
  • In the Size region, click the History Rows and History Rows Large fields and specify the desired number of rows.

Defining Compaction Rules

Data compaction, essentially, is taking large quantities of data and condensing it using a defined rule so that you store a reasonably sized sample of data instead of all of your data, thus preventing you from potentially overloading your database. The available fields are:

Condense Interval -- The time interval at which the cache history is condensed for the following caches: WasEjbStats, WasEjbTotalsByApp, WasEjbTotalsByModule, WasJspStats, WasJspTotalsByModule, WasJspTotalsByApp, WasJDBCProvider, WasThreadPool, WasJvmRuntime, WasSystemMetrics, WasSessionTotalsByServer, WasServerStats, WasServletStats, WasServletTotalsByModule, WasServletTotalsByApp, WasSessionManager, and WasSessionTotalsByApp. The default is 60 seconds.

Condense Raw Time -- The time span of raw data kept in the cache history table for the following caches: WasEjbStats, WasEjbTotalsByApp, WasEjbTotalsByModule, WasJspStats, WasJspTotalsByModule, WasJspTotalsByApp, WasJDBCProvider, WasThreadPool, WasJvmRuntime, WasSystemMetrics, WasSessionTotalsByServer, WasServerStats, WasServletStats, WasServletTotalsByModule, WasServletTotalsByApp, WasSessionManager, and WasSessionTotalsByApp. The default is 1200 seconds.

Compaction Rules -- This field defines the rules used to condense your historical data in the database for the following cache: WasServerStats. By default, the columns kept in history will be aggregated by averaging rows with the following rule 1h -;1d 5m;2w 15m, which means the data from 1 hour will not be aggregated (1h - rule), the data over a period of 1 day will be aggregated every 5 minutes (1d 5m rule), and the data over a period of 2 weeks old will be aggregated every 15 minutes (2w 15m rule).

To modify these settings:

  • Navigate to the Solution Package Configuration > IBM WebSphere > DATA STORAGE tab.
  • In the Compaction region, click the Condense Interval, Condense Raw Time, and Compaction Rules fields and specify the desired settings.

Note: When you click in the Compaction Rules field, the Copy default text to clipboard link appears, which allows you copy the default text (that appears in the field) and paste it into the field. This allows you to easily edit the string rather than creating the string from scratch.

Defining Expiration and Deletion Duration Metrics

The data for each metric is stored in a specific cache and, when the data is not updated in a certain period of time, that data will either be marked as expired. By default, metric data will be set to expired when the data in the cache has not been updated within 35 seconds.

The following caches are impacted by settings in the Expire Time field: WasJvmRuntime, WasSystemMetrics, WasServerInfo, WasSessionTotalsByServer, and WasServerStats. To modify these defaults: To modify these defaults:

  • Navigate to the Solution Package Configuration > IBM WebSphere > DATA STORAGE tab.
  • In the Duration region, click the Expire Time field and specify the desired setting.

Enabling/Disabling Storage of Historical Data

The History Storage section allows you to select which metrics you want the Historian to store in the history database. By default, historical JDBC Providers (WasJDBCProvider cache), Server Stats (WasServerStats cache), and Threadpools (WasThreadPool cache) are saved to the database. To disable the collection of this historical data, perform the following steps:

  • Navigate to the Solution Package Configuration > IBM WebSphere > DATA STORAGE tab.
  • In the History Storage region, (de)select the toggles for the various metrics that you (do not) want to collect. Blue is enabled, gray is disabled.

Defining a Prefix for All History Table Names for Metrics

The History Table Name Prefix field allows you to define a prefix that will be added to the database table names so that the Monitor can differentiate history data between data servers when you have multiple data servers with corresponding Historians using the same solution package(s) and database. In this case, each Historian needs to save to a different table, otherwise the corresponding data server will load metrics from both Historians on startup. Once you have defined the History Table Name Prefix, you will need to create the corresponding tables in your database as follows:

  • Locate the .sql template for your database under rtvapm/wsm/dbconfig and make a copy of the template.
  • Add the value you entered for the History Table Name Prefix to the beginning of all table names in the copied .sql template.
  • Use the copied .sql template to create the tables in your database.

Note: If you are using Oracle for your Historian Database, you must limit the History Table Name Prefix to 2 characters because Oracle does not allow table names greater than 30 characters (and the longest table name for the solution package is 28 characters).

To add the prefix:

  • Navigate to the Solution Package Configuration > IBM WebSphere > DATA STORAGE tab.
  • Click on the History Table Name Prefix field and enter the desired prefix name.