Introducing the Management Console

The WSO2 Carbon Management console is a Web-based user interface powered by JSP and AJAX. It allows users to interact with a running Carbon instance, without having to directly interfere with any underlying configuration files.

The Management Console makes use of the default HTTPS servlet transport, which is configured in the catalina-server.xml file in directory <PRODUCT_HOME>/repository/conf/tomcat. It is essential for this transport to be properly configured in this file for the Management Console to be accessible by users.

Accessing the Management Console

Make sure you have run the product by executing the shell script (for Linux/Solaris) or the batch file (for Windows) as explained in the previous section. With any WSO2 product properly installed, you can access its Management Console (Web interface) by opening a Web browser and typing in the management console's URL as it appears in the start script's log. For example,

For instructions on running WSO2 API Manager, refer to section Running the API Manager.

Accessing from Internet/LAN

To connect to the product's Web Interface from any computer connected to Internet/LAN, follow the instructions below.

1. Open a Web browser and access the real IP of the server. Typically, it is the IP address of the computer.

The URL should be in the format: https://<Server Host>:<Server Port>/<Context>. For WSO2 API Manager, the URL is as follows:

https://<Host Name>:9443/carbon

2. The product's homepage opens.

Accessing from Local Machine

1. You can also connect to the product's Web Interface from the computer where it is installed by typing "localhost" instead of the IP.

https://localhost:9443/carbon

2. Once you have established a connection, the Management Console opens in the anonymous mode.

Notice

When the product's homepage opens, it is possible that the Internet browser will display an "insecure connection" message, requiring your confirmation of being aware of the risks.

The Management Console is based on HTTPS protocol, which is a combination of HTTP and SSL protocols. This protocol is generally used to encrypt the traffic from the client to server for security reasons. The certificate it works with is used for encryption only, and does not prove the server identity. So when the users try to access the Management Console, a warning of untrusted connection is usually displayed. In order to continue working with this certificate, some steps should be taken to "accept" the certificate before access to the site is permitted. In case Mozilla Firefox browser is used, this usually occurs only on the first access to the server. Then the certificate is stored in the browser database marked as trusted. In case of some other browsers are used, insecure connection warning may be displayed every time server is accessed.

This scenario is suitable for testing purposes, or for running the program on the company's internal networks. But in case there is a need to provide an interface to the outside world, a company should obtain a certificate signed by a well-known CA. The role of a CA is to verify that the server accessed actually has the name it is accessed by, and that this server actually belongs to the given organization.

Sign-in to the Management Console

You can log-in to the Management Console using the log-in panel at the right-hand-side of the Home page. Type in admin as the default Username and admin as the default Password. Click on "Sign-in".

You will be logged in to the Management Console.

WSO2 API Manager administrators need the Management Console to create users and assign privileges. Currently, the other controls in the Management Console are not explicitly used for any configuration purpose. For instructions on adding and managing users, refer to section User Management.