Administration Tools

For the most part, you can perform the same tasks by using either the graphical Administration Console or the asadmin command-line utility, however, there are exceptions.

The following GlassFish Server administration tools are described here:

• Administration Console

• asadmin Utility

• REST Interfaces

• Update Tool

• keytool Utility

• Java Monitoring and Management Console (JConsole)

Administration Console

The Administration Console is a browser-based utility that features an easy-to-navigate graphical interface that includes extensive online help for the administrative tasks.

To use the Administration Console, the domain administration server (DAS) must be running. Each domain has its own DAS, which has a unique port number. When GlassFish Server was installed, you chose a port number for the DAS, or used the default port of 4848. You also specified a user name and password if you did not accept the default login (admin with no password).

When specifying the URL for the Administration Console, use the port number for the domain to be administered. The format for starting the Administration Console in a web browser is http://hostname:port. For example:

http://kindness.example.com:4848

If the Administration Console is running on the host where GlassFish Server was installed, specify localhost for the host name. For example:

http://localhost:4848

For Microsoft Windows, an alternate way to start the GlassFish Server Administration Console is by using the Start menu.

You can display the help material for a page in the Administration Console by clicking the Help button on the page. The initial help page describes the functions and fields of the page itself. Associated task instructions can be accessed on additional pages by clicking a link in the See Also list.

asadmin Utility

The asadmin utility is a command-line tool that runs subcommands for identifying the operation or task that you want to perform. You can run asadmin subcommands either from a command prompt or from a script. Running asadmin subcommands from a script is helpful for automating repetitive tasks. Basic information about how the asadmin utility works can be found in the asadmin(1M) help page. For instructions on using the asadmin utility, see Using the asadmin Utility.

To issue an asadmin subcommand in the standard command shell (single mode), go to the as-install/bin directory and type the asadmin command followed by a subcommand. For example:

asadmin list-jdbc-resources

You can invoke multiple command mode (multimode) by typing asadmin at the command prompt, after which the asadmin> prompt is presented. The asadmin utility continues to accept subcommands until you exit multimode and return to the standard command shell. For example:

asadmin> list-jdbc-resources

You can display a help page for any asadmin subcommand by typing help before the subcommand name. For example:

asadmin> help restart-domain

or

asadmin help restart-domain

A collection of the asadmin help pages is available in HTML and PDF format in the Oracle GlassFish Server 3.1-3.1.1 Reference Manual.

REST Interfaces

GlassFish Server provides representational state transfer (REST) interfaces to enable you to access monitoring and configuration data for GlassFish Server, including data that is provided by newly installed add-on components. For more information, see Using REST Interfaces to Administer GlassFish Server.

Update Tool

GlassFish Server provides a set of image packaging system (IPS) tools for updating software on a deployed GlassFish Server. Typical updates include new releases of GlassFish Server, and new or revised releases of GlassFish Server add-on components or modules.

• The Update Tool graphical utility can either be run in the Administration Console, or invoked from the command line by using the updatetool command. You can use either tool to add components. However, to update or remove existing components, you must use the standalone version. Instructions for using the graphical versions of the Update Tool are contained in the Administration Console online help and the standalone Update Tool online help.

• The pkg command is the command-line version of Update Tool. Instructions for using the pkg command with add-on components are contained in Chapter 11, Extending and Updating GlassFish Server.

Two distributions are supported for GlassFish Server: the Web Profile and the Full Platform. After installation, you can view the modules on your system by using the graphical Update Tool or the pkg command.

You can add and delete individual modules from a distribution, but such configurations are not supported.

If you need information on upgrading your domain configuration data to work with a new version of GlassFish Server, see Oracle GlassFish Server 3.1 Upgrade Guide.

keytool Utility

The keytool utility is used to set up and work with Java Security Socket Extension (JSSE) digital certificates. See Administering JSSE Certificates in Oracle GlassFish Server 3.1 Security Guide for instructions on using keytool.

Java Monitoring and Management Console (JConsole)

Java SE provides tools to connect to an MBean server and view the MBeans that are registered with the server. JConsole is one such popular JMX Connector Client and is available as part of the standard Java SE distribution. For instructions on implementing JConsole in the GlassFish Server environment, see Configuring JConsole to View GlassFish Server Monitoring Data.