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WebExec Online Manual
WebExec Guide and Reference
Version 1.0 (Beta) April 1997

General Information Administrative Information


Overview of WebExec

Introduction

Web-based administration takes advantage of today's internet technology to perform administrative tasks for IBM's Software Servers in a centralized, integrated fashion.

This beta version of the WebExec product allows integration of basic software server administration tasks with proactive system monitoring and management capabilities, allowing your network administrator to more effectively and efficiently manage network operations. Organized as a set of modular functions, this integrated capability provides immediate benefits and future expandibility.

Today's challenge is to improve the effectiveness of managing the multiple elements of your network-including not only equipment, protocols and inventories, but also application software. This package offers an opportunity to meet this challenge.

WebExec does more than provide a basic set of administrative capabilities for software servers. It serves as an integrated administration shell for the individual IBM Software Servers and accommodates the integration of non-IBM software servers as well. WebExec can also seamlessly add Web-accessible applications to the administrative function set to expand the capabilities available to administrators. An illustration of this would be including access to a system management application such as IBM's TME 10 NetFinity, so that administrators can access system management functions along with their software administration functions.

Components

The WebExec product is a client-server implementation using the latest Java technology. A WebExec Java gateway application resides on each server machine to be administered. It manages requests from the WebExec client, which is a Java applet that is executed within a browser's Java virtual machine. The WebExec server application will use a user-specified port to process requests from the WebExec client applet. WebExec will initially support the following IBM Software Servers:

Software Servers

  • DB2 DataBase Server: Basic operational administrative task support. The server may be started and stopped, and statistical, configuration and log information may be viewed.
  • Internet Connection Server: Basic operational administrative task support. The server may be started, stopped and administered. Statistical, configuration and log information may also be viewed.
  • Lotus Domino Server: Basic operational administrative task support. The server may be started and stopped, and the public address book may be administered. Additionally, log and catalog databases may be accessed and configuration information viewed.

All the IBM Software Servers on Windows NT, IBM OS/2 and AIX platforms will be supported. This will enable you to administer the Software Servers via your company's intranet, using any standard Web browser that supports standard HTML Version 3.0, JavaScript, and Java.

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Download, Install and Operate

Table of Contents

Check the README.TXT

Prior to installing your WebExec server administration software, look at the README.TXT file for any late changes to the planning information, installation procedure, or other information in this guide.

Hardware Requirements:

Software Requirements:

Software Server Compatibility

For the NT environment, WebExec requires that the software servers are installed as services. IBM's Internet Connection Server may be started as an application using command line parameters through the properties function.

For the Lotus Domino Server, the HTTP Web server needs to be added to the server tasks in the NOTES.INI file. You can do this by editing the NOTES.INI file as described in the Domino documentation.

Download WebExec from the Web

WebExec can be downloaded directly from the World Wide Web.

First, register with the WebExec team to receive a user ID and password. Go to the URL "http://booksrv2.raleigh.ibm.com/eagle/" to register.

After registration you may proceed to the download Web page and follow these steps:

Install and Customize WebExec

Starting WebExec

To operate WebExec, the gateway server application needs to be executed on the server machine that is to be administered. This can be executed either interactively or as a background daemon.

If you have started the WebExec gateway server application interactively, you will get a WebExec server window that will display the requests made from the WebExec client applet.

You are now ready to access the WebExec client applet through your browser. Point your browser's URL to the specific fully qualified host machine followed by :XXXX/. XXXX is the port number with which you started your WebExec gateway server application. For example, the URL is : http://davidd.raleigh.ibm.com:5555/. If you created a high level grouping page through the wizard, you may point your browser to its URL. For example, http://davidd.raleigh.ibm.com :5555/DEPT60.html.

You will be presented with an index HTML page that identifies the software servers you have identified that are to be administered on this machine. You will see an indication on whether the respective software server is running or not. Moving your cursor over the status indicator light will display the status in text form. To administer a software server merely click on the appropriate Administer button.

After selecting a particular software server to administer, your browser window will contain a link to the on-line WebExec reference material as well as buttons to either Hide Remote or Show Remote. These functions will operate on the free floating remote control which is automatically launched for you. This remote control contains operations that you can perform on the software servers based on your selections in the install wizard.

Optional security is available in WebExec to restrict access to the WebExec functions. During the installation, the WebExec install wizard will make the security option available. You may specify a userid and password that will be required to be entered prior to the activation of the remote control interface.

Uninstall WebExec

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Administrative Tasks

Table-of-Contents

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Troubleshooting WebExec

WebExec installation / operation problems:

  1. Review the lastest README.TXT file for current updates, fixes, and installation problems.
  2. View the WebExec service forum for a previous report of a similar problem.
  3. If you are having problems finding the Java classes or executing the Java interpreter, check your path and classpath.

  4. Append to the WebExec service forum to report your problem to the WebExec team.

Problems encountered with remote control functions:

  1. Ensure your Web browser supports JavaScript.
  2. Ensure your Web browser has the lastest fixpack for JavaScript known problems.
  3. Ensure your Web browser supports Java 1.02

  4. Ensure your Web browser has the lastest fixpack for Java known problems.
  5. Hide and show remote are complementary functions. Show remote will not maximize a remote window that you minimized.

  6. Ensure the remote control properties are correct for the software server.
  7. If ICS remote administration button is unable to display the ICS administration page, ensure that the startup parameters on the properties page are valid.
  8. If ICS remote administration button is unable to display the ICS administration page, ensure that the ICS is started.
  9. If you are using the current Netscape browser you will not have right and left scrolling in the console window. The Find function may not work correctly, either.

  10. If you have an unsuccessful operation message returned but your status light indicator indicates the anticipated result, retry the command. It may be a network traffic or server response timing problem.
  11. If you start Domino as an application, it cannot be stopped from the Domino remote control.

  12. If you are using the current Netscape browser and your files exceed the 65 K browser limitation; you will not see the entire file in the console window.

  13. The ticker function will not display under Netscape 2.02 for OS/2.

  14. View the WebExec service forum for a previous report of a similar problem.
  15. Append to the WebExec service forum to report your problem to the WebExec team.

Problems encountered with Communications:

  1. Insure the port assigned to WebExec is not already in use.

  2. Isolate TCP/IP, domain name, or firewall problems.
  3. View the WebExec service forum for a previous report of a similar problem.
  4. Append to the WebExec service forum to report your problem to the WebExec team.

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Service of the WebExec Product

This software is being provided to IBM Software Server Licensees free of charge. Please refer to the license terms that were part of the registration process.

IBM is interested in your feedback regarding the use of the software. Please provide your feedback to IBM via the WebExec feedback chat forum. IBM is free to use all suggestions, inventions, improvements and written comments you furnish to IBM regarding your use of the software. IBM may use such feedback in our products, and claim a valid copyright in an IBM product that contains your feedback, without accounting to you. IBM may terminate this license at any time.

The WebExec team will provide feedback about problems encountered via the WebExec service chat forum. Please view this forum for any known problems before appending a request for service. The WebExec service chat forum is your forum. The WebExec team encourages all of our customers to append any answers, workarounds, or hints that may be of benefit to all WebExec users.

The WebExec team will provide fixes or functional updates to the WebExec product on a periodic basis. Any and all updates to the WebExec product will be packaged as a complete refresh of the WebExec Product. No individual fixes will be available. Fixpacks will be dated on the Download Web page. Fixpacks may contain both functional updates and new enhancements. Refer to the READ.ME file for functional details.

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IBM Software Servers

IBM Software Servers provide an easy path to using versatile client/server networks. This new server and client software is part of a family of products that allows you to quickly make use of multifunctional, compatible servers. These servers cover a broad range of needs: from database manipulation to comprehensive systems management of sophisticated networks. Other technology at your fingertips enables you to quickly get up and running on the Internet, perform guaranteed transaction processing, exploit workgroup functions with Lotus Notes, and many other functions.

The IBM Software Server family of products has been designed to satisfy your needs for:

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