IBM WebSphere server discovery using probes

  • Release version: Australia
  • Updated March 12, 2026
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    Summary of IBM WebSphere Server Discovery Using Probes

    The IBM WebSphere application server is a middleware framework for hosting Java-based web applications. The discovery process automatically creates or updates records in the Configuration Management Database (CMDB) when it detects a running instance of the WebSphere application server on either Windows or Linux systems. Starting with Visibility Content version 6.1.0, pattern-based discovery is the default method for identifying these servers.

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    Requirements for Discovery

    For successful discovery, specific requirements must be met:

    • Windows: Enable PowerShell on the MID Server.
    • Linux: Enable SSH on the WebSphere Application Server and set execute permissions to allow probes to run specific commands.

    Probes and Sensors

    Discovery employs various probes to identify WebSphere application servers:

    • Linux: The 'Unix - Active Processes' probe identifies running processes. If a match occurs, it triggers additional probes (WebSphere - Cell, Web Applications, Web Services) based on the contents of specific XML files (cell.xml, serverindex.xml, server.xml).
    • Windows: Similar to Linux, the 'Windows - Active Processes' probe detects running processes and triggers the respective probes to gather data from the same XML files.

    Data Collected

    The following data is collected during the discovery process:

    • Windows: Data fields from the cmdbciappserverwebsphere, cmdbciwebspherecell, cmdbciwebservice, and cmdbciwebapplication tables are populated based on the XML files found.
    • Linux: Comparable data fields are collected from the same tables, ensuring consistency across platforms.

    Relationships

    Discovery establishes relationships in the CI Relationship table, linking the discovered WebSphere instances to their parent classes such as Linux and Windows servers, as well as related web applications and services.

    The IBM WebSphere application server is a software framework with middleware that hosts Java-based web applications. Discovery creates or updates a CMDB record when it detects an instance of a WebSphere application server running on a Windows or Linux system.

    Note:
    Starting with Visibility Content version 6.1.0, pattern-based discovery is the default method for discovering IBM WebSphere Application Servers. The WebSphere probes are disabled by default. For more information, see IBM WebSphere Application Server discovery using patterns.

    Websphere discovery on Windows

    Requirements for discovery:

    For WebSphere application servers running on Windows systems, enable PowerShell on the MID Server.

    Websphere discovery on Linux

    Requirements for discovery:
    • Enable SSH on the WebSphere Application Server.
    • Set execute privileges to enable the following probes to run commands:
      • WebSphere - Get serverindex.xml: cat/read permissions on the serverindex.xml file
      • WebSphere - Get cell.xml: cat/read permissions on the cell.xml file
      • WebSphere - Get server.xml: cat/read permissions on the server.xml file

    For a list of privileged commands that you need for Discovery and Service Mapping, see Service Mapping commands requiring a privileged user. This list includes commands that require elevated rights to discover and map Unix-based hosts in your organization.

    Probes and sensors

    Discovery uses this process to identify Linux WebSphere application servers:

    1. The Unix - Active Processes probe detects a running process that matches the com.ibm.ws.runtime.WsServer. For example, the ...com.ibm.ws.bootstrap.WSLauncher com.ibm.ws.runtime.WsServer process output has a parameter of /opt/IBM/WPS/profiles/ccmdb/config localhostNode01Cell ccmdb01 server1. The values are:
      • last parameter = server_name = server1
      • last parameter - 1 = node_name = ccmdb01
      • last parameter - 2 = cell_name = localhostNode01Cell
      • last parameter - 3 = config_path = ‘/opt/IBM/WPS/profiles/ccmdb/config’
    2. If there is a match, a record is created in the IBM Websphere [cmdb_ci_app_server_websphere] table. The following probes are triggered:
      • WebSphere - Cell
      • WebSphere - Web Applications
      • WebSphere –Web Services
    3. The WebSphere - Cell probe searches for the cell.xml file for the instance by using the parameters in the running process, and then searching in the related <config_path>\cells\<cell_name>\ directory.
    4. If the probe successfully finds the cell.xml file, the sensor reads its contents and populates additional Websphere Cell [cmdb_ci_websphere_cell] table records as necessary.
    5. If the probe successfully finds the serverindex.xml file, the sensor reads its contents and populates additional Web Application [cmdb_ci_web_application] table records as necessary.
    6. If the probe successfully finds the server.xml file, the sensor reads its contents and populates additional Web Service [cmdb_ci_web_service] table records as necessary.

    Discovery uses this process to identify Windows WebSphere application servers:

    1. The Windows - Active Processes probe detects a running process that matches the com.ibm.ws.runtime.WsServer. For example, the ...com.ibm.ws.bootstrap.WSLauncher com.ibm.ws.runtime.WsServer process output has a parameter of /opt/IBM/WPS/profiles/ccmdb/config localhostNode01Cell ccmdb01 server1. The values are:
      • last parameter = server_name = server1
      • last parameter - 1 = node_name = ccmdb01
      • last parameter - 2 = cell_name = localhostNode01Cell
      • last parameter - 3 = config_path = ‘/opt/IBM/WPS/profiles/ccmdb/config’
    2. If there is a match, a record is created in the IBM Websphere [cmdb_ci_app_server_websphere] table. The following probes are triggered:
      • Windows - WebSphere - Cell
      • Windows - WebSphere - Web Applications
      • Windows - WebSphere –Web Services
    3. The Windows - WebSphere - Cell probe searches for the cell.xml file for the instance by using the parameters in the running process, and then searching in the related <config_path>\cells\<cell_name>\ directory.
    4. If the probe successfully finds the cell.xml file, the sensor reads its contents and populates additional Websphere Cell [cmdb_ci_websphere_cell] table records as necessary.
    5. The Windows - WebSphere - Web Applications probe searches the serverindex.xml file for the instance by using the parameters in the running process, and then searching in the related <config_path>\cells\<cell_name>\nodes\<node_name> directory.
    6. If the probe successfully finds the serverindex.xml file, the sensor reads its contents and populates additional Web Application [cmdb_ci_web_application] table records as necessary.
    7. The Windows WebSphere - Web Services probe searches for the server.xml file for the instance by using the parameters in the running process, and then searching in the related <config_path>\cells\<cell_name>\nodes\<node_name>\servers\<server_name> directory.
    8. If the probe successfully finds the server.xml file, the sensor reads its contents and populates additional Web Service [cmdb_ci_web_service] table records as necessary.

    Data collected

    Table 1. Data collected on Windows Websphere servers
    Table Field Source
    cmdb_ci_app_server_websphere Name (name) Running process
    cmdb_ci_websphere_cell Name (name) cell.xml
    cmdb_ci_websphere_cell Cell ID (cell_id) cell.xml
    cmdb_ci_websphere_cell Cell type (cell_type) cell.xml
    cmdb_ci_websphere_cell Cell discovery protocol (cell_discovery_protocol) cell.xml
    cmdb_ci_web_service Name (name) server.xml
    cmdb_ci_web_service Service ID (service_id) server.xml
    cmdb_ci_web_application Name (name) serverindex.xml
    Table 2. Data collected on Linux Websphere servers
    Label Table Name Field Name Source
    Name cmdb_ci_websphere_cell name server.xml
    App server cmdb_ci_web_service app_server Internal reference
    Name cmdb_ci_web_service name server.xml
    Name cmdb_ci_web_application name serverindex.xml
    App server cmdb_ci_web_application app_server serverindex.xml

    Relationships

    These relationships are created in the CI Relationship [cmdb_rel_ci] table.
    Parent class Relationship type Child class
    cmdb_ci_app_server_websphere Runs on::Runs cmdb_ci_linux_server
    cmdb_ci_win_server Runs on::Runs cmdb_ci_win_server
    cmdb_ci_app_server_websphere Contains::Contained by cmdb_ci_web_application
    cmdb_ci_web_service Runs on::Runs cmdb_ci_app_server_websphere
    cmdb_ci_websphere_cell Contains::Contained by cmdb_ci_app_server_websphere