Using wsadmin to change the hostname of a WebSphere Application Server ... server

For various reasons ( don't ask ), it's been necessary to change the domain name portion of the fully qualified hostname of my Lotus Connections servers, which are running WebSphere Application Server Network Deployment 6.1.0.29 ( two nodes, one deployment manager ).

Now I remember doing this back in WAS V3 where it was necessary to update the underlying DB2 UDB database, via a SQL UPDATE command.

How the world has changed ...

The Information Centre here: -

Network Deployment (All operating systems), Version 6.1 > Setting up the application serving environment > Setting up the administrative architecture
Changing the node host names

describes how the Swiss Army Knife tool, wsadmin.sh, can be used to achieve the same ending.

Here are the steps that I followed: -

***CAUTION - THIS WILL POTENTIALLY BREAK YOUR WEBSPHERE ENVIRONMENT IF YOU DO IT WRONG***

Note that I've used the format wsadmin> to reflect that wsadmin has its own prompt and also used italics to indicate the commands that I typed

Change to the appropriate directory

cd /opt/IBM/WebSphere/AppServer/bin

Execute the wsadmin script ( this requires the server - be it server, node agent or deployment manager ) to be running - note the language is set to jython rather than the default JACL

wsadmin.sh -user wasadmin -password passw0rd -lang jython

Generate a listing showing the cell name

wsadmin> AdminConfig.list('ServerIndex')

-> this returns the path to the serverindex.xml - depending upon the environment, there may be more than one, as each node ( managed or unmanaged ) has one

-> in my case, this was (cells/cmwputCell01/nodes/cmwputCellManager01|serverindex.xml#ServerIndex_1)

Generate a listing showing the current hostname

wsadmin> AdminConfig.show('(cells/cmwputCell01/nodes/cmwputCellManager01|serverindex.xml#ServerIndex_1)', 'hostName')

-> this returns the hostname - in my case, this was '[hostName cmwput.uk.ibm.com]' 

Change the hostname

wsadmin> AdminConfig.modify('(cells/cmwputCell01/nodes/cmwputCellManager01|serverindex.xml#ServerIndex_1)', "[[hostName cmwput.demo.uk.ibm.com]]")

-> note the really peculiar syntax, with a plethora of apostrophes, quotation marks, brackets and square brackets

Save the configuration

wsadmin> AdminConfig.save()

Generate a listing showing the current hostname

wsadmin> AdminConfig.show('(cells/cmwputCell01/nodes/cmwputCellManager01|serverindex.xml#ServerIndex_1)', 'hostName')

-> this returns the hostname - in my case, this was '[hostName cmwput.demo.uk.ibm.com]' 

Restart WebSphere Application Server

Use the stop/startServer or stop/startNode or stop/startManager scripts as appropriate.

***CAUTION - THIS WILL POTENTIALLY BREAK YOUR WEBSPHERE ENVIRONMENT IF YOU DO IT WRONG***

A simple solution to a potentially complex problem.

Again, remember your mileage may, and almost certainly will, vary.