IBM WebSphere Application Server Interview Questions

1. What is the difference between Web Server and Application Server? Webserver: A Web server handles the HTTP protocol. When the Web server receives an HTTP request, it responds with an HTTP response, such as sending back an HTML page. To process a request, a Web server may respond with a static HTML page or image, send a redirect, or delegate the dynamic response generation to some other program such as CGI scripts, JSPs (JavaServer Pages), servlets, ASPs (Active Server Pages), server-side JavaScripts, or some other serverside technology. Whatever their purpose, such server-side programs generate a response, most often in HTML, for viewing in a Web browser. Application Server: As for the application server, according to our definition, an application server exposes business logic to client applications through various protocols, possibly including HTTP. While a Web server mainly deals with sending HTML for display in a Web browser, an application server provides access to business logic for use by client application programs. The application program can use this logic just as it would call a method on an object 2. What is JDBC? Java Database Connectivity JDBC technology is an API (included in both J2SE and J2EE releases) that provides crossDBMS connectivity to a wide range of SQL databases and access to other tabular data sources, such as spreadsheets or flat files. With a JDBC technology-enabled driver, you can connect all corporate data even in a heterogeneous environment 3. What is EJB? Enterprise JavaBeans (EJB) technology is the server-side component architecture for the Java 2 Platform, Enterprise Edition (J2EE) platform. EJB technology enables rapid and simplified development of distributed, transactional, secure and portable applications based on Java technology. 4. What are the different application servers and Web Servers supporting J2EE technologies? JBoss Is an Application Server that supports J2EE IBM Websphere and BEA WebLogic servers are a combination of Application Server, Web Server & container Jakarta Tomcat is a Servlet container and a Web server. Apache Sever is a Web server

5. What is the Web Sphere Application Server Console and what is its role? What is the default URL and port for accessing it? The administrative console is a browser-based interface that allows you to configure application server settings, deploy and manage applications, and perform additional tasks that are not included in the HTTP Server Administration interface. It used to be a Java application, however to be firewall safe it was made into a web-based application. It runs on the default install port 9060 e.g. http:\\hostname:9060\ibm\console; however this can be changed by editing virtual_hosts names. also when during installation i.e. GUI or responsefile install you can set the ports that will be used. 6. What Development Environment(s) are available to develop applications for WebSphere? IBM provides several industrial strength development environments based on Eclipse development framework the current IDE is Rational Developer for Websphere. Applications can also be developed with the Websphere Application Server Toolkit and third party tools like Jbuilder, and Eclipse/ANT etc. 7. In WebSphere how would you provide the ability for a Web application (JSP) to be able to provide authentication for both a local user and LDAP? Using the Administration Console: Turn on Administrative security. Federate a local repository and an LDAP repository together.

Restart server. Ensure Web application has a web.xml file to be able assign LDAP groups to roles.

8. What version of Websphere software is required to install WebSphere clustering? How would you configure Websphere for clustering: list basic steps? WebSphere Application Server Network Deployment is the software required to install a WebSphere cluster. Install base with Deployment Manager Create profiles for Deployment Manager and each node in the cell using with the Profile Management Tool ensuring the nodes are federated.

Use the Deployment Manager's Administration Console to create the cluster and set cluster settings as appropriate. Create Windows Services or Start up scripts for Deployment Manager, Node manager and Severs to ensure restart when OS is rebooted.

9. How would you ensure that a Websphere Application server or Websphere Application Server Node is started when the OS being windows 2000/2003 is re-booted?

Use the command WASService to register the Websphere Application Server or Websphere Application node as a Windows service. 10. What language is the default scripting language for Websphere and which language is the preferred scripting language? What Websphere tool can be used to run scripts and where is it located? JACL is the default scripting language for WAS, Both JACL and Jython can be used. Jython is the preferred scripting language as JACL is now deprecated. WSAdmin tool located in the <installroot>\bin directory 11. What type of files are required to deploy an application into Websphere. How can they be installed? WAR or EAR files. Can be installed using Administration Console or scripts. 12. How would use ensure WebSphere server logs are created on a different drive than the installation root? Change the WebSphere server's server variables using the Administrative Console or use scripts. 13. How to choose websphere over other application servers? A. Selecting application server is part of architectural process when infrastructure is defined. It depends on several facots: 1.External systems your application will be interacting 2.Type of application you have 3.Target availability of system. 4. Corporate standards 5.Budget. 14. What are deployment descriptors? How many types of Deployment descriptors are available? What are they? A. Deployment descriptor is an XML file that describes how to deploy a module or application by specifying configuration and container options. For example, an EJB deployment descriptor passes information to an EJB container about how to manage and control an enterprise bean. There are two types of deployment descriptor in websphere: Web application deployment descriptor and portlet deployment descriptor.Portlets are packaged as WAR files with a web

application deployment descriptor (web.xml). This defines each portlet as a servlet within the web application, including unique identifiers for each portlet, the portlet class, and initialization parameters. 15. How many ways can you deploy applications in websphere? A. 1.Directly copy files to deployedapplication folder in websphere- hot deployment. 2. Use websphere specific ant tasks and building automated scripts for deploying application. 3. through administration console. 16. What language is the default scripting language for Websphere and which language is the preferred scripting language? What Websphere tool can be used to run scripts and where is it located? A.1.JACL is the default scripting language for WAS, Both JACL and Jython can be used. 2. Jython is the preferred scripting language as JACL is now deprecated. 3. WSAdmin tool located in the \bin directory 17. What type of files is required to deploy an application into Websphere? How can they be installed? A. WAR or EAR files can be installed using Administration Console or scripts. 17. How would use ensure WebSphere server logs are created on a different drive than the installation root? A.Change the WebSphere server's server variables using the Administrative Console or use scripts. 18. How to import jaxp package in IBM WSAD? A. 1.open WSAD 2.go to project 3.click properties 4.select javaBuildPath 5.add any jar file like jaxp select add external jars.

19. How to implement JDBC-ODBC bridge driver (Type 1) in Websphere? A. If you use JDBC type (I) driver you dont need to add any driver in websphere. you simply created DSN and use it locally, same we use java class, if you use Type(2) and Type(4) so first go to admin console then go to connection, then add driver there fill other info like conn. Size, uname pass, max conn. And connect it to you applications. 20. Is there any difference between weblogic and websphere? A. Webpshere tends to focus more on integration, connectivity and web services. It has rich implementation of J2EE, better performance, more extensive integration and transaction management. In terms of transaction weblogic is having default transaction attribute as supports, but websphere does not have any default transaction attribute. 21. State some of the features present in web sphere. A. The following are the features of WebSphere: 1.Suports the Servlet/JSP container functionality which runs on top of HTTP. 2. Supports HTTP servers such as IBM HTTP server, MS IIS and Netscape iPlanet server. 3. Supports HTML pages, Setvlets, Java Server Pages and XML. 4. Supports EJB component model, Workload Management. WLM supports multiple servers within a single administrative domain. 22. What is IBM Web Sphere edge server? A. WebSphere Edge Server allows deploying parts of an application that contains servlets or JSP components to a proxy cache and executes at the cache. The cache, called edge server, in this context works with the original WebSphere Application Server. This feature is called offloading 23.What is extended deployment in Web Sphere? A. WebSphere Extended Deployment is a new product for IBM WebSphere software. WED extends the WebSphere software platform. The new features / notions include dynamic operations, high performance computing and extended management.

24. What is asymmetric clustering in Web Sphere? A. In asymmetric clustering, the partitions can be declared dynamically and usually run on a single cluster at a time. The task which is specific to an appropriate cluster can be routed to that cluster. The Asymmetric Clustering applications are used in electronic trading systems which are utilized by banks. 25. What is Web sphere MQ JMS Provider? A. The usage of WebSphere MQ is employed to use as Java Message Service provider for JEE applications which are deployed in WebSphere Application Server. The WebSphere MQ JMS is message service provider for WebSphere MQ systems. It is a set of Java classes. These classes allow the usage of JMS applications to access WebSphere MQ systems. The models point-to-point and publish/subscribe of JMS are supported by MQ JMS provider. 26. Explain the attribute CHANNEL in web sphere MQ. A. A channel is a connection that is to establish a link between sending channel and receiving channel. A channel has a sender channel at the local queue manager and receiver channel at the remote queue manager. These two channels consist of same name, and together make one channel. The CHANNEL attribute is used with WebSphere MQ applications to specify the channels for receiving and sending messages in a file that defines sender and receiver channels. 27. Explain about web sphere MQ Real time transport. A. It is a lightweight protocol. This protocol is optimized for use with messages that are nonpersistent. WebSphere MQ Real Time Transport is utilized only by JMS clients. WebSphere MQ Real Time Transport is right suitable for the applications to send large number of messages. All the applications that use this protocol must rely on TCP/IP for quality considerations and which do not require persistent delivery. For example, this protocol can be used in situations where the data is updated very frequently, such as stock market share values, updating scoreboard of a sporting event.

How to delete a profile from a WebSphere 6.1 application server? Step 1. Location of tool: <root>\AppServer\bin\manageprofiles.bat syntax: manageprofiles.bat -delete -profileName <profile_name> (case sensitive commands) Note: This used to be wasprofile.bat in version 6.0.x and is depricated in 6.1. The Windows service for the profile will have been set to disabled now. Step 2. Delete the folder e.g. <root>\ApplicationServer\profiles\<profile_name> Step 3. manageprofiles.bat -validateAndUpdateRegistry this process validates the profile registry and lists the non-valid profiles that it purges. Step 4. Remove the Windows service that is set to run the profile. WASService.exe -remove service_name e.g. If the service name is "IBM Websphere Application Server V6.1 <computername>Node<xx>" Then the command will be: WASService.exe -remove "<computername>Node<xx>" You can also look at this document on WebSphere NT Services http://www.webspheretools.com/sites/webspheretools.nsf/docs/Using%20WASService.exe %20to%20help%20with%20configuring%20windows%20services%20for%20IBM%20W

What is a WebSphere Profile? You can create, which are sets of files that define the runtime environment. At least one profile must exist to run the WebSphere product. A profile defines the runtime environment. The profile includes all of the files that the server processes in the runtime environment and that you can change. There are command line and GUI tools supplied with each version of WebSphere which allow you to create and delete profiles. Each release of Websphere does have different locations and names of these scripts. WebSphere 61. http://publib.boulder.ibm.com/infocenter/wasinfo/v6r1/index.jsp? topic=/com.ibm.websphere.nd.doc/info/ae/ae/tpro_profiles.html You can create a runtime environment either through the manageprofiles command or the Profile Management tool graphical user interface. You can use the wizard to enter most of the parameters that are described in this topic. Some parameters, however, require you to use the manageprofiles command. You must use the manageprofiles command to delete a profile, for instance because the Profile Management tool does not provide a deletion function. Use the Profile Management tool to complete tasks that the manageprofiles command does not support. For instance, the wizard creates the cell in a single step whereas the command version requires two separate invocations of the manageprofiles command. WebSphere 7 http://publib.boulder.ibm.com/infocenter/wasinfo/v7r0/index.jsp You can create a runtime environment either through the manageprofiles command or the Profile Management Tool graphical user interface. You can use the Profile Management Tool to enter most of the parameters that are described in this topic. Some parameters, however, require you to use the manageprofiles command. You must use the manageprofiles command to delete a profile, for instance, because the Profile Management Tool does not provide a deletion function. You can use either the Profile Management Tool or the manageprofiles command to create a cell profile. The Profile Management Tool creates the cell in a single step, whereas the manageprofiles command requires two separate invocations.

JDBC Minimum Connections

In the Administrative Console click Resources > JDBC Providers > JDBC_provider > Data Sources > data_source > Connection Pool. The path for JMS queue connection factories is: Resources > JMS Providers > Default Messaging > JMS Queue Connection Factory > JMS_queue_connection_factory > Connection Pool Properties. Specifies the minimum number of physical connections to maintain. If the size of the connection pool is at or below the minimum connection pool size, the Unused Timeout thread does not discard physical connections. However, the pool does not create connections solely to ensure that the minimum connection pool size is maintained. Also, if you set a value for Aged Timeout, connections with an expired age are discarded, regardless of the minimum pool size setting. For example, if the Minimum Connections value is set to 3, and one physical connection is created, the Unused Timeout thread does not discard that connection. By the same token, the thread does not automatically create two additional physical connections to reach the Minimum Connections setting. Data type Integer, Default 1, Range 0 to max int This JDBC connection pool setting will be influence by other connection pool settings. You need to spend time testing in a test environment to understand the effect of all combination of settings.

Application Server

An application server is a software framework that provides an environment in which applications can run, no matter what the applications are or what they do. It is dedicated to the efficient execution of procedures (programs, routines, scripts) for supporting the construction of applications.
Profiles Deployment Manager Profile A Deployment Manager administrates Application Servers that are federated (made a part of) its Cell. Application Server Profile An Application server runs your Enterprise Applications

The Application Server can be managed from its own administrative console and function independent of other application servers and deployment managers. Alternatively it can be federated into a cell and managed by the deployment manager Custom Profile A Custom Profile contains an empty node, which does not contain an administrative console or any servers. The typical use for a custom profile is to federate its node to a deployment manager. After federating the node, use the deployment manager to create a server or a cluster of servers within the node.