Chapter 4 Java Web Console

The Java Web Console is designed to produce a common, web-based system management solution for Sun Microsystems. It serves as one location where users can access system management applications, all of which provide a consistent user interface.

The console is based on a web model for many reasons. However, the primary reason is to enable system administrators to use a web browser to access their system management applications.

The Java Web Console provides the following:

• Common authentication and authorization

• Common logging

• A single entry point for all system management applications though the same HTTPS-based port

• A common look and feel

An advantage of the console is that the administrator can log in once and use any application inside the console.

Installation

System Requirements

The Java Web Console supports multiple client and server operating systems as well as several browsers.

Client

• Netscape^TM 6.2x, and 7.x on Solaris 10

• Netscape 6.2x, and 7.x on Windows 98, 98 SE, ME, 2000, and XP

• Internet Explorer 5.5x and 6.x on Windows 98, 98 SE, ME, 2000, and XP

• Mozilla 1.4x on Solaris

• Firefox 1.0 on Solaris

Server

• Solaris 10 on x86 and SPARC® platforms

• J2SE^TM Version 1.4.1_03 or higher

  If J2SE 1.4.1 or earlier is detected on your server, the setup program prompts you to upgrade the installation using the J2SE version from the Java Desktop System Management Tools CD.

Installing the Java Web Console

The Java Web Console 2.2.4 is part of the Solaris^TM 10 operating system, however the Desktop Manager requires version 2.2.5. A copy of version 2.2.5 is provided in the Desktop Manager archive in the server/console directory. It can be installed by running ./setup in that directory.

If you have the Java Web Console 3.0 installed, then you meed to uninstall the 3.0 version, and then install Java Web Console 2.2.5 from the server/console directory, as mentioned above.

Running the Console

You typically only need to stop and to restart the Java Web Console server when you want to register a new application.

Before you start the Java Web Console for the first time, ensure that the Desktop Manager installation is completed. The Java Web Console will not run successfully until you have deployed at least one application in the console.

• To start the Java Web Console, type smcwebserver start.

• To stop the Java Web Console, type smcwebserver stop.

• To restart Java Web Console, type smcwebserver restart.

• To access the Java Web Console, enter the following URL in your browser: https://<hostname>.<domainname>:6789

Out of the box, the Java Web Console supports Unix-based authentication and Role-Based Access Control (RBAC). However, you can also configure other authentication mechanisms, such as LDAP authentication.

The default session time-out is 15 minutes. You can configure the time-out length with the smreg command. For example, to set the time-out length to 5 minutes, type smreg add -p -c session.timeout.value=5.

For more information on commands for the Java Web Console, see the smcwebserver and smreg man pages.

Removing the Java Web Console

If you are on Solaris, you can not remove the Java Web Console, because it is part of the operating system.

Java Web Console Troubleshooting

Cannot Install the Java Web Console

Symptom: at the end of the installation, a message states that the Java Web Console cannot start because there are no registered applications.

Possible causes: once Desktop Manager module is installed, it starts the Java Web Console.

Connection Refused

Symptom: you try to open the appropriate URL, for example https://<your.server>:6789, but the connection is refused.

Possible causes: the Java Web Console is not running on the server.

Cannot Log In

By default, the LDAP login module is not installed. As a result, login credentials are not compared to the ones stored in the LDAP server and only normal system logon credentials are required. This troubleshooting section only applies if you manually installed the LDAP login module.

Symptom: you reach the login page of the Web Console, but the user/password combination is rejected.

Possible causes:

• LDAP server is not running.

• Web Console LDAP authentication module is configured incorrectly

• User does not exist on the LDAP server.

• User has a different password on the LDAP server.

No Desktop Manager Link

Symptom: you log in to the Web Console, but the application list page does not contain the Desktop Manager.

Possible causes:

• Desktop Manager module is not installed

Null Pointer Exception, Tomcat/Java Error or Blank

Symptom: you open the Desktop Manager but nothing of value is displayed, just a blank page or some errors.

Possible causes: if the error mentions NoClassDefFoundError: sun/tools/javac/Main, the Java Web Console is using the wrong Java installation.

Other Issues

If the web server is not performing properly, the log files may provide information. They are located at /var/log/webconsole/. You can increase the log detail level by using smreg:

smreg add -p debug.trace.level=3
smreg add -p debug.trace.options=tmp

The original settings can be restored by:

smreg add -p debug.trace.level=0
smreg add -p debug.trace.options=m

A full dump of the configuration database is triggered by:

smreg list

It is possible that the web server hosting the Desktop Manager may not shut down correctly, leaving its ports in use. This prevents a newly started web server from starting at all. If the smcwebserver start/restart command issues an error messages, or if the Desktop Manager is still accessible even after a smcwebserver stop, or if the newly started server still behaves like the old instance, check if either port 6789 is still in use (netstat -a | grep 6789) or if the web server is still running (ps -ef | grep java). If the one or the other is the case, the according process should be killed and the port 6789 is not in use anymore.