If your application cannot use libscf library interfaces to read properties, you can use a stencil to create a configuration file. A stencil service creates configuration files by using a stencil file and property values defined in the stencil service. A stencil file contains a structural definition of a configuration file that is required by a service even though that service is now managed by SMF. Stencil services enable you to take advantage of SMF configuration management with no change to the existing application.
The stencil is used to generate a configuration file immediately before the service instance start method is executed. If you update the stenciled property values, restart the service to incorporate the changes into the configuration file before the application starts and reads the configuration file.