Host name values
WebSphere Application Server requires a host name specification during installation, profile creation, and for some configuration activities. This article describes acceptable values for host name fields.
The host name is the network name for the physical machine on which the node is installed. The host name must resolve to a physical network node on the server. When multiple network cards exist in the server, the host name or IP address must resolve to one of the network cards. Remote nodes use the host name to connect to and to communicate with this node. The following guidelines can help in determining the appropriate host name for our machine:
- Select a host name that other machines can reach within the network.
- Do not use the generic identifier, localhost, for this value.
- Do not attempt to install WAS products on a machine with a host name that uses characters from the double-byte character set (DBCS). DBCS characters are not supported when used in the host name.
- Avoid using the underscore (_) character in machine names. Internet standards dictate that domain names conform to the host name requirements described in Internet Official Protocol Standards RFC 952 and RFC 1123. Domain names must contain only letters (uppercase or lowercase) and digits. Domain names can also contain dash characters ( - ) as long as the dashes are not on the ends of the name. Underscore characters ( _ ) are not supported in the host name. If we have installed WAS on a machine with an underscore character in the machine name, access the machine with its IP address until you rename the machine.
If we define coexisting nodes on the same computer with unique IP addresses, define each IP address in a DNS look-up table. Configuration files for standalone application servers do not provide domain name resolution for multiple IP addresses on a machine with a single network address.
The value specified for the host name is used as the value of the hostName property in configuration documents for the standalone application server. Specify the host name value in one of the following formats:
- Fully qualified DNS host name string, such as xmachine.manhattan.ibm.com
- The default short DNS host name string, such as xmachine
- Numeric IP address, such as 127.1.255.3
The fully qualified DNS host name has the advantage of being totally unambiguous and also flexible. We have the flexibility of changing the actual IP address for the host system without having to change the Application Server configuration. This value for host name is particularly useful if we plan to change the IP address frequently when using Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol (DHCP) to assign IP addresses. A format disadvantage is being dependent on DNS. If DNS is not available, then connectivity is compromised.
The short host name is also dynamically resolvable. A short name format has the added ability of being redefined in the local hosts file so the system can run the Application Server even when disconnected from the network. Define the short name to 127.0.0.1 (local loopback) in the hosts file to run disconnected. A format disadvantage is being dependent on DNS for remote access. If DNS is not available, then connectivity is compromised.
A numeric IP address has the advantage of not requiring name resolution through DNS. A remote node can connect to the node you name with a numeric IP address without DNS being available. A format disadvantage is that the numeric IP address is fixed. Therefore, do not use a numeric IP address if we use DHCP, or if we change IP addresses regularly. Another format disadvantage is that we cannot use the node if the host is disconnected from the network.