Administer ColdFusion

Although you use the ColdFusion Administrator to perform most ColdFusion administration tasks, you can also manage databases, web server configurations, and ColdFusion Search Server.

The ColdFusion Administrator provides a browser-based interface for managing your ColdFusion environment. You can configure many settings to provide optimal levels of security and functionality. The available options are based on your edition of ColdFusion Standard or Enterprise as well as your configuration: server, or J2EE. For more information on ColdFusion configurations, see Preparing to Install ColdFusion in Installing ColdFusion.

The default location of the ColdFusion Administrator login page is http://servername:8500/CFIDE/administrator/index.cfm, where  servername  is the fully qualified domain name of your web server. Common values for  servername  are localhost or 127.0.0.1 (each refers to the web server on the local computer).

The directory and the contents are automatically created when you install ColdFusion. The default port number for the server configuration is 8500. If the port is occupied, then the next available port number is taken.

To access the ColdFusion Administrator, enter the password specified when you installed ColdFusion.If your ColdFusion Administrator is on a remote computer, use the Domain Name Services (DNS) name or Internet Protocol (IP) address of the remote host.

For more information, see Using the ColdFusion Administrator.

Key features of the ColdFusion Administrator

• Server configuration: The Server area of the Administrator lets you set up and manage the functionality of ColdFusion. You can define caching preferences, connect to data sources for use in ColdFusion applications, select debugging options, manage variables, set up task automation, and register Java applets, settings, and custom tags.
• Security: The Security area of the Administrator lets you secure your development environment. You can enable password protection for the Administrator, enable password protection for remote access, and control access by using ColdFusion tags and functions to server resources.
• ColdFusion resources:The ColdFusion Administrator home page provides access to the following information and support:
  • Local resources - release notes, new features documentation, product documentation, and example applications
  • Technical support - installation, support, resources, and TechNotes
  • Online resources - product registration, developer information, white papers, training, enhancement requests, and security

What you can do in ColdFusion Administrator

Some of the tasks that you can perform in ColdFusion Administrator:

• Set up and maintain your server
• Create and manage ColdFusion cluster
• Monitor system performance
• Secure your resources
• Manage and analyze log files
• Connect to ColdFusion data sources
• Schedule tasks
• Integrate Java applets and custom tags
• Download and install Server Manager
• Configure OpenOffice
• Manage undelivered mails
• Access online product documentation, release notes, product upgrades, and TechNotes
• Download and install product updates and hotfixes.

Optional configuration overview

After you perform basic configuration tasks in the Administrator pages, consider taking these actions:

• Determine the identity of a website visitor: ColdFusion lets you use client variables to determine the identity of a client visiting your site. By managing client variables, you can use this information to customize page content for your clients. Select Server Settings > Client Variables in the ColdFusion Administrator navigation pane to specify a default storage mechanism for client variables and to optionally specify the data source used to store client information.
• Create logical aliases for physical directories: You can create logical aliases for paths to directories on your server. Select Server Settings > Mappings in the ColdFusion Administrator navigation pane. By creating aliases for directories on your server, you can use them in your ColdFusion applications. These are referred to as mappings. You typically use two types of mappings:
• ColdFusion mappings: Equates a logical path (for example, /payroll) with a physical directory path (for example, C:\finance\payroll). ColdFusion uses these mappings for the cfinclude tag, the cfmodule tag, and when locating ColdFusion components.
• Web server mappings: Web server mappings also equate a logical path to a physical path, but at the web server level. Web server mappings are in effect for all requests made to a web server. In many cases, web server mappings render ColdFusion mappings unnecessary.
• Register Java applets and CFX tags: You can use Java applets and CFX tags in your ColdFusion applications. Register the applets on the appropriate Extensions pages by selecting Extensions > Java Applets or Extensions > CFX Tags in the ColdFusion Administrator navigation pane. After they are registered, you can incorporate the applets and tags in your applications.
• Configure standard debugging options: You can get useful debugging information about your application page requests from browsers by setting debugging preferences. Select Debugging & Logging > Debug Output Settings in the ColdFusion Administrator navigation pane to set up debugging.
• Perform advanced administration tasks: If you require granular security control over your ColdFusion resources, or need to decentralize ColdFusion administrative responsibilities, implement ColdFusion Security. In the ColdFusion Administrator navigation pane, select Security > Sandbox Security (Enterprise Edition) or Security > Resource Security (Standard Edition). To take advantage of additional capabilities that ColdFusion provides for controlling access by applications to resources on the server (such as data sources, files, directories, and IP addresses), consider configuring Sandbox Security. For details, see Administering ColdFusion Security.  

Services and processes

ColdFusion uses services in Windows operating systems and processes on UNIX systems.

If you enable or disable security or change any option in the Java and JVM Settings page in the ColdFusion Administrator, you must stop and restart ColdFusion for your changes to take effect. 

Installing the server configuration

ColdFusion services in Windows

The ColdFusion installation creates the following services in Windows 2000, Windows XP, and Windows 2003:

ColdFusion processes in UNIX

The ColdFusion process discussion does not apply when deploying ColdFusion on a J2EE server

Manage the ColdFusion process in UNIXThe ColdFusion installation creates a single process in UNIX called cfusion. To check whether it is running, use the following command:
    ps - eaf | grep coldfusion
    If it is running, your computer returns a line like the following: 
    nobody 4528 1 10 12:44 pts/0 00:00:07 /opt/coldfusion/bin/coldfusion -start

1. Log in as root.
2. Enter the following command: cd cf_root/bin
3. Enter the appropriate command, as the following table describes:

Layout of the ColdFusion Administrator

To become familiar with the layout of the ColdFusion Administrator pages, open the Administrator and refer to the following descriptions:

Verify that the web server is running

Before you install ColdFusion, ensure that your web server is installed and running.

1. Open a web browser.
2. In the address line, enter the URL for a web page or site. For example, if the file myindex.htm is in your web document root directory, load the page in your browser, using the localhost URL, as follows: http://127.0.0.1/myindex.htm}}or{{http://127.0.0.1:8500/myindex.htm (built-in web server)
3. Press Enter. If the web server is running, the page appears, otherwise, an error message appears.

System information

Use the ColdFusion System Information page to do the following:

• Update or upgrade a Trial or Developer Edition of ColdFusion as follows:

1. On the System Information page, enter your product serial number in the New License field.
2. Click Submit Changes.

• See the expiration date of your Trial copy of ColdFusion Administrator.
• Identify values that correspond to several ColdFusion server variables.
      To access the ColdFusion System Information page, click the System Information button in the top right of the ColdFusion Administrator.

Accessing the ColdFusion Administrator

If you are using the Developer Edition of ColdFusion, in the previous releases, only two IP addresses are allowed to access ColdFusion Administrator concurrently. Even if either or both of the IP addresses do not access ColdFusion Administrator, a third IP address is denied the right. In this release, access is permitted to any two IP addresses concurrently. For example, Client1 and Client2 already have access to ColdFusion Administrator. When either Client1 or Client2 does not access ColdFusion Administrator, Client3 is allowed access.

Restricting access to ColdFusion Administrator

For details, see Restricting access to ColdFusion Administrator

Logging Administrator actions

By default all major ColdFusion Administrator actions are logged. The log contains details that include current user, date, time, and action taken. Note that the logs cover only high-level actions for most pages of the ColdFusion Administrator, such as the following:

However, for the following pages on the ColdFusion Administrator, all actions performed on the page are written to the audit logs:

• Server Settings
• Request tuning
• CACHING
• Memory VARIABLES
• Java and JVM
  The default log location is cfusion\logs\audit.log.

Changes to default settings

The following default settings in the previous releases of ColdFusion have been revised in this release:

Session cookie settings

The following settings can be made at the server level using ColdFusion Administrator (Server Settings > Memory Variables > Session Cookie Settings). Adobe recommends that you use the new settings.