Managing the Server > Using the Administration Console

Using the Administration Console

You can do common server administration and monitoring tasks using the graphical user interface of the Administration Console and, in Flash MX, the Communication App inspector. These are Flash applications that Macromedia created using public APIs (application programming interfaces). The source files for these applications are available to registered users on Macromedia's Flash MX Support Center. You can use the same ActionScript APIs to create your own custom administration tools or extend the ones provided with the server.

When you install Flash Communication Server in Windows and on UNIX systems, the installer places the Administration Console (admin.swf) in the admin directory. If you have the Flash Player installed, you can monitor and control the server's activity by launching the Administration Console and connecting to the server.

To run the Administration Console from a computer other than the computer where the server is installed, you can either copy the admin directory to the other computer; or, you can ensure that the admin directory is located in a web server publishing directory that can be accessed remotely. In either case, you'll need to ensure the <Allow> and <Deny> tags in the Server.xml file allow connections from the other computer's IP address. For more information, see About the configuration files.

With the Administration Console, you can perform the following tasks:

	Check the status of the server and the applications running on it
	Shut down or restart the server, a virtual host, or individual client applications
	Add and edit administrators
	View logs of server connections and other server events
	View and update the server's license key and its bandwidth and connection limits

As a security feature, when you connect to the server with the Administration Console, the console actually connects to a separate Admin service that runs in parallel with the server service. The Admin service then communicates with the server to perform its administration functions. On UNIX, you must first explicitly start the Admin service using the fcsmgr utility. Once the Admin service is started, authorized administrators can access the Administration Console.

 
To start the Admin service on a UNIX system:

1	Log in as a root user.
2	Change to the directory where the server is installed.
3	Open a shell window and type:
	fcsmgr adminserver start

For more information on fcsmgr commands, see Using the fcsmgr utility.

 
To connect to the Flash Communication Server with the Administration Console:

1	In Windows, from the Windows Start menu, select Programs > Macromedia > Flash Communication Server MX > Administration Console, or open the admin.swf file in a web browser on a computer with the Flash Player installed.
2	In the Host text box, enter the address of the server you want to connect to.
	The default address is localhost, which refers to the computer that the Administration Console is running on. If you are connecting remotely by running the Administration Console on another computer, enter the address of the server you want to connect to, such as FlashComServer.myCompany.com or 12.34.56.78. If the <HostPort> tag in the Server.xml file is set to a port other than 1111, include the port number after the host name, separated by a colon. (For more information about server configuration, see Configuring Flash Communication Server.)
3	In the Name and Password boxes, enter the name and password you entered during the Flash Communication Server installation. If you've changed the administrator user name and password using the Administration Console or manually in the Server.xml file, enter the new user name and password.
	When logging on to a virtual host that is not on the default adaptor, virtual host administrators must specify the name of the adaptor. For example, if a virtual host administrator is logging on to a virtual host on the adaptor _secondAdaptor_, the administrator JLee would enter the following information in the Name box: _secondAdaptor_/JLee.
4	If you want the Administration Console to remember your login and password when you use it in the future, select the Remember Connection Data option.
5	If you want the Administration Console to automatically connect to the server when you open it, select the Automatically Log In option.
6	Click the Connect button.

You are now connected to the server, and the Diagnostics, Maintenance, Admin Users, Live Log, and License panels appear. These panels perform the following functions:

	The Diagnostics panel displays information about the applications that are connected to the server and the number of instances and users of each one.
	The Maintenance panel allows you to shut down the server, virtual hosts, or an individual application connected to the server.
	The Admin Users panel allows you to add and edit administrators' log-on information.
	The Live Log panel lets you view information about connections, disconnections, and other server events as they happen.
	The License panel displays the server serial number and information about the number of connections and bandwidth enabled by that serial number.

Tip: If you installed Flash Communication Server on a UNIX computer but did not enter the serial number during installation, the serial number is not displayed. You can enter it using the License panel. (See Viewing and editing license information.)