Node Manager is a Java utility that runs as a separate process from WebLogic Server and allows you to perform common operations for a managed server regardless of its location to the Administration Server. The WebLogic Scripting Tool (WLST) is a command-line scripting interface that system administrators use to monitor and manage WebLogic Server instances and domains.
Using the node manager and WLST is optional, but it provides benefits if your WebLogic Server environment hosts applications with high availability requirements. If you run the node manager on a machine that hosts managed servers, you can start and stop the managed servers remotely using the WebLogic Console or from the command line using WLST as a node manager client. Using the node manager and WLST to control a WebLogic domain will ensure you do not need to manually modify the domain file to pass customized application java parameters, which eliminates the risk of distorting the files.
Oracle recommends controlling a WebLogic Domain through the node manager for the P6 EPPM WebLogic domain, instead of using individual Windows services per administration and managed server.
Note: A node manager process is not associated with a specific WebLogic domain but with a machine. You can use the same node manager process to control server instances in any WebLogic Server domain as long as the server instances reside on the same machine as the node manager process. The node manager must run on each computer that hosts WebLogic server instances -- whether administration server or managed server -- that you want to control with the node manager.
Follow the steps in the following sections to control a WebLogic domain with the node manager. If you intend to control the node manager with Windows, refer to Using the WebLogic Scripting Tool on Windows. If you intend to control the node manager with Linux or UNIX, refer to Using the WebLogic Scripting Tool on Linux or UNIX.
For more information on the node manager and WLST, refer to the Oracle WebLogic server documentation.