How to determine the version of WebSphere Application Server programatically

Often times it becomes critical in operational scripting or even in your application code to determine the current runtime version of WAS. The Server mbean provides exactly this facility.
Below is a set of wsadmin script commands using AdminControl that you can use to query the Server mbean.


wsadmin>set server [$AdminControl completeObjectName cell=smitaNode02Cell,node=smitaNode02,name=server1,type=Server,*]
WebSphere:name=server1,process=server1,platform=proxy,node=smitaNode02,j2eeType=J2EEServer,version=8.0.0.0,type=Server,mbeanIdentifier=cells/smitaNode02Cell/nodes/smitaNode02/servers/server1/server.xml#Server_1183122130078,cell=smitaNode02Cell,spec=1.0,processType=UnManagedProcess


wsadmin>$AdminControl getAttribute $server state
STARTED


wsadmin>$AdminControl getAttribute $server platformName
ND


wsadmin>$AdminControl getAttribute $server platformVersion
8.0.0.0


wsadmin>$AdminControl getAttribute $server serverVersion
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
IBM WebSphere Product Installation Status Report
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------


Report at date and time April 26, 2011 3:09:10 PM EDT


Installation
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Product Directory        C:\WebSphere8\f1116.06
Version Directory        C:\WebSphere8\f1116.06\properties\version
DTD Directory            C:\WebSphere8\f1116.06\properties\version\dtd
Log Directory            C:\Documents and Settings\All Users\Application Data\IBM\Installation Manager\logs


Product List
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
NDTRIAL                  installed


Installed Product
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Name                  IBM WebSphere Application Server Network Deployment
Version               8.0.0.0
ID                    NDTRIAL
Build Level           f1116.06
Build Date            4/19/11
Architecture          x86-64 (64 bit)
Installed Features    IBM 64-bit SDK for Java, Version 6


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
End Installation Status Report
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------


wsadmin>$AdminControl getAttribute $server processType
UnManagedProcess


wsadmin>


This exact same code can be written in java as well using the AdminClient interface
See http://www.ibm.com/developerworks/websphere/techjournal/0302_cundiff/cundiff.html
also http://alvinabad.wordpress.com/2009/02/15/automating-websphere-using-jmx/

With these tools in hand you can interrogate all the characteristics of your current WAS server :
http://publib.boulder.ibm.com/infocenter/wasinfo/v6r1/index.jsp?topic=/com.ibm.websphere.javadoc.doc/public_html/mbeandocs/index.html