Node Manager

Utility/process running on a physical server that enables you to start, stop, suspend, and
restart WebLogic server instances remotely.

Server instances in a WebLogic Server and production environment are often distributed
across multiple domains, machines and geographical locations. So if you want to control them
remotely we need to use node manager.

Although Node Manager is optional, it is recommended that if your WebLogic Server

environment hosts applications with high-availability requirements.

Must run on each physical server that hosts WebLogic server instances that you want to
control with the Node Manager

Not associated with a domain. Can start any server instance that resides on the same
physical server.

Optional, but required to start/stop servers using the Administration console

Required for Whole server Migration and for some configurations of Automatic service
Migration.
Capabilities of Node Manager:
Node Manager can be used to:

Start, Shut down and Restart an Administration Server.

Start, Shut down, Suspend and Restart and Managed Servers.

Automatically Restart Administration and Managed Servers on failure.

Monitor Servers and collects log data.

Node Manager Types:
There are four types of Node Managers:

SSL

PLAIN

SSH

RSH
Node Manager Versions:

Java Based Node Manager

It is used in Windows, UNIX and Linux

Operating Systems.

Script Based Node Manager

It is used only in UNIX/Linux Operating

Systems and not supported in Windows

OS

It is more secured.

It is less secured when compare to Java

Based Node Manager.

Examples:

Examples:

PLAIN

SSH

SSL

RSH

How to start a Node Manager:

Navigate to the Following location:
WEBLOGIC_HOME\server\bin

Clicking on the startNodeManager script will launch the node manager

How to configure the Node Manager to start Admin

and Managed Servers

Before you can use the Node Manager utility, you need to configure/verify the Node Manager.
For this start the Admin Server as usual by running
the <Middleware_home>\user_projects\domains\soa_domain\startWebLogic.cmd.

Go to Weblogic Console and navigate to Machines-->LocalMachine->Configuration Tab-->Node Manager Tab. Specify the ListenAddress (where Node
Manager will run) and ListenPort as per you installation. By default the port is5556. Be
sure to provide the exact URL/Host name in ListenAddress as localhostwill disallow
starting the servers from remote location. See below image.

Go
to <Middleware_home>\wlserver_10.3\common\nodemanager\nodemanager.proper
ties. Set StartScriptEnabled=true.

Start WLST from <Middleware_home>\wlserver_10.3\common\bin\wlst.cmd in

a separate command prompt window. You can double click on the wlst.cmd also to start
WLST.

Once WLST starts, connect to Admin Server from the WLST console. To connect type
the connect() command on the WLST console and press Enter. Accept defaults or provide
inputs as required. Once it connects successfully, the WLST prompt will change
to wls:/mydomain/serverConfig>.

Now
type nmEnroll(<Middleware_home>\user_projects\domains\soa_domain). This
command enrolls the current machine with the Node Manager and creates some properties file
(nm_password.properties,SerializedSystemIni.dat).

If the message displays as "Successfully enrolled this machine with the

domain directory at", Enrollment is successful.

Exit from the WLST console using the exit() command and shut down your Admin
Server and Close the Browser Console window.

Starting Admin and Managed Servers using Node Manager and WLST
Node Manager is a WebLogic Server utility, independent of domains, that enables you to start,
shut down, and restart Administration Server and Managed Server instances from a remote
location. You can further use the Node Manager to control Administration Server and Managed
Server from a local location also as I used in my case. Below post explains how you can start
your Admin and Managed servers from the Node Manager.
Note : I have used Windows Vista OS and Oracle Database 11.2. All the commands for
Linux/Unix will change accordingly.
Please follow the following steps for the same.
1.) Firstly configure the Node Manager
2.) Verify the Node Manager
3.) Once you verify and complete the above steps, I recommend, stop and close everything
open till now. Then follow the following steps.
Start your Node Manager
using<Middleware_Home>\wlserver_10.3\server\bin\startNodeManager.cmd com
mand from the command prompt.

Open a fresh command prompt window and

run WLST.cmd from<Middleware_Home>\wlserver_10.3\common\bin\WLST.cmd.

Next task is to connect to the Node Manager using nmConnect(). In the WLST console
window type nmConnect('weblogic','welcome1','neerajpc','5556','soa_domain').

Once connected to Node Manager the command prompt will change.

Now to start your Admin server type nmStart() e.g. nmStart('AdminServer')

To start your managed server type nmStart() e.g. nmStart('soa_server1')

If it gives the success notification, you are done. Also, you can verify the same from
the Weblogic Console.