TroubleShooting: WebSphere Application Server (Windows Services) problems

Steps to help resolve WebSphere Application Server Service problems on Windows:

1. Debug to see if it is a service issue or a start/stop issue with WebSphere Application Server.
2. Go to Windows Services panel: Start > Control Panel > Administrator tools > services
   
   
3. Find the service that is having the issue and go into its properties. Under Start Type, set it to disabled.
   
   
4. From a command line, go to the following directory:
   
   install_root/profiles/profile_name/bin
   
   
5. Run the following command:
   
   startserver servername -trace
   
   Note: If it fails to start, the issue should now be worked as a start/stop issue. If you get "open for e-business", then the issue points to the wasservice being the problem.
   
   
6. Download the WASServicecmd tool tool and use it to create your Windows Service.
   
   Note: The preceding helper utility will check if the user is an Administrator and gather all the paths necessary for the user to create the service instead of having to manually input them.
   
   Note: The following 3 rights are needed for a service to work properly:

• Be an administrator or a member in the administrators group
• Act as part of the operating system
• Log on as a service
  
  

1. If you have a Services parameters containing directory paths ending in a backslash (\) then Windows treats that as an escape. This can cause the service to stop running.

Example of a bad service:

-profilePath "D:\websphere70\appserver\profiles\testprofile\"  

The correct way should be without the "\":

-profilePath "D:\websphere70\appserver\profiles\testprofile"


2. Are you having issues with the logs that are being generated by the service being in a different language other than what is expected?

• Yes, in Windows, go to the Control Panel > Regional and language options and make sure you have the correct language set there. Also look in the Advanced section of the Regional and Language options to make sure they are set to the correct language.
  
  
• No, continue to the What to do next.