Web console in AEM

The Web console in AEM is based on the Apache Felix Web Management Console. Apache Felix is a community effort to implement the OSGi R4 Service Platform, which includes the OSGi framework and standard services.

Note:
On the Web console any descriptions that mention default settings relate to Sling defaults. AEM has its own defaults and so the defaults set might differ from those documented on the console.

The Web console offers a selection of tabs for maintaining the OSGi bundles, including:

Configuration: used for configuring the OSGi bundles, and is, therefore, the underlying mechanism for configuring AEM system parameters
Bundles: used for installing bundles
Components: used for controlling the status of components required for AEM

Any changes made are immediately applied to the running system. No restart is required.

The console can be accessed from ../system/console; 

for example:
http://localhost:4502/system/console/components

Configuration
The Configuration tab is used for configuring the OSGi bundles and is, therefore, the underlying mechanism for configuring AEM system parameters.

The Configuration tab can be accessed by:
The URL; 

for example:
http://localhost:4502/system/console/configMgr
There are two types of configurations available from the drop-down lists on this screen:
Configurations
It allows you to update the existing configurations. These have a Persistent Identity (PID) and can be either:

• standard and integral to AEM; these are required if deleted the values return to the default settings.
• instances created from Factory Configurations; these instances are created by the user, deletion removes the instance.

Factory Configurations
It allows you to create an instance of the required functionality object.
This will be allocated a Persistent Identity and then listed in the Configurations drop-down list.
You can then update the parameters as required and:
Save
Save the changes made.
For a Factory Configuration, this will create a new instance with a Persistent Identity. The new instance will then be listed under Configurations.
Reset
Reset the parameters shown on the screen to those saved last.
Delete
Delete the current configuration. If standard, the parameters are returned to the default settings. If created from a Factory Configuration, then the specific instance is deleted.
Unbind
Unbind the current configuration from the bundle.
Cancel
Cancel any current changes.

Bundles
The Bundles tab is the mechanism for installing the OSGi bundles required for AEM. The tab can be accessed by either of the following methods:

The drop-down menu:
OSGi >
The URL; for example:
http://localhost:4502/system/console/bundles

Using this tab you can:
Install or Update
You can browse to find the file containing your bundle and specify whether it should Start immediately and at which Start Level.
Reload
Refreshes the list displayed.
Refresh Packages
This will check the references of all packages and refresh as necessary.
For example, after an update, both the old and new versions may still be running due to prior references. This option will check and move all references to the new version, allowing the old version to stop.
Start
Starts a bundle according to the start level specified.
Stop
Stops the bundle.
Uninstall
Uninstalls the bundle from the system.
see the status
The list specifies the current status of the bundle; clicking on the name of a specific bundle with show further information.

Note:
After Update, it is recommended to perform a Refresh Packages.

Components
The Components tab allows you to Enable and/or Disable the various components. It can be accessed by either:

The drop-down menu:
Main >
The URL; for example:
http://localhost:4502/system/console/components

A list of components will be shown. Various icons are available to enable you to enable, disable, or (where appropriate) open configuration details for a specific component.
Clicking on the name of a particular component will display further information on its status. Here you can also enable, disable, or reload the component.

Note:
Enabling, or disabling, a component will only apply until AEM/CRX is restarted.
The start state is defined within the component descriptor, which is generated during development and stored in the bundle at bundle creation time.