2022 Update: In recent versions, the Jacl (Java port of Tcl) scripting in WebSphere administration is deprecated, and Jython (Java-based Python) is recommended as its replacement. See for example this section of WebSphere docs . Note also, the Websphere that still supports Jacl (albeit as deprecated) is called "Traditional", and the newer "Liberty" branch of WebSphere does not include Jacl at all.
"WSCP" is the WebSphere Control Program--WebSphere's Java-coded "console". Structurally, it's similar to OEM. Since version 3.5 of WebSphere, WSCP has shipped with a (modified?) Jacl 8.0 (1.2.5, in fact) (for WS 4.0, and maybe for 3.5) that permits Tcl-simple scripting of administrative actions. WSCP is available only with the Commercial Version of WebSphere, NOT any of the Single Servers or such.
The "Admin Console" is what WSAS users regard as the more traditional, GUI-based administrative utility.
"IBM Websphere Control Program" [L1 ]
Faults reported for the WSCP Jacl:
IBM published an article entitled "Tcl for WebSphere Application Server Administrators" [L2 ]. IBM's rather weird about the product, though; public relations staffers in the US repeatedly have told CL that there's no product manager who can speak about WSCP.
Recently on comp.lang.tcl, Tom Poindexter writes:
The best WSCP reference seems to be the chapter from the WebSphere Handbook, 'Command-line administration and scripting'. However, I've found that the docs don't always agree with the current code base, especially when building up a list of attributes for a specific WSCP Tcl command. The next best doc for WSCP is WSCP itself: just crank up an interactive session 'wscp.sh' and type 'Help'. Most of the WSCP commands also have varying degrees of help text embedded, e.g. 'ApplicationServer help'.
Get the WebSphere V4.0 Advance Edition Hanbook in PDF from http://www.redbooks.ibm.com
As far as additional packages, remember that WSCP is using Jacl v1.2.5, the Tcl implementation written in Java. The only other package shipped with WSCP is the Jacl 'java' pacakge, which allows access to any Java class on your CLASSPATH. E.g.:
$ wscp.sh
wscp> package require java
1.2.5
wscp> set ht [java::new java.util.Hashtable]
java0x1
wscp> $ht put foo bar
java0x0
wscp> $ht toString
{foo=bar}
wscp> [$ht get foo] toString
bar
I'm building up scripts to automate JDBC/JNDI configuration and .ear deployment. No rocket science, just simplifing the WSCP specific commands.
Flash: as of fall 2002, the word from IBM is that "WSCP is being dropped in WAS V5 and a new component called wsadmin is replacing WSCP. wsadmin supports [or will support] tcl plus several other scripting languages."
Tom Poindexter is good with WSCP.
IBM apparently claims to support WSCP through the "WS 5 forum" news://news.software.ibm.com/ibm.software.websphere.application-server.v5 There are other Web fora that also claim to cover WS; CL finds none of them satisfying.
However, in November 2005, Patrick Finnegan offered this more constructive information: "IBM have essentially OEMed JACL for use as the scripting interface for WebSphere to simply the JMX bean based administration interface. It's possible to automate administration using pure java but adminstrators need a dynamic language solution for short utility scripts.
There is an Austin based 'department' within IBM that architected the WAS JMX interface. Some of [the] lead developers worked on the IBM WebSphere System Adminstration guide [L3 ].
Leigh Williamson <[email protected]> led the design and implementation of the WebSphere Version 5 new administrative architecture.
Roger Cundiff <[email protected]> was the first development team member for application server management at IBM in Austin, Texas, and continues to work on WebSphere systems management there.
Shawn Lauzon <[email protected]> is working on the next release of WebSphere with Aspect-Oriented Software Design."
Note that Williamson wrote http://www-128.ibm.com/developerworks/websphere/techjournal/0301_williamson/williamson.html#scriptingtool
By 2005, IBM had been, to put it bluntly, mismanaging WSCP for several years. In 2010, such articles as this [L4 ] appeared: Jython-for-WSAS is supported, Tcl ignored.