Oracle WebLogic Server 11g Administration Handbook

Using WLST with the Node Manager

Although there are multiple ways to start and stop the WebLogic Servers, in practice you'll mostly use WLST and the Node Manager together to manage the server instances. WLST can act as a client of the Node Manager when you connect it to the Node Manager on a specific host and use the Node Manager to control the Admin and Managed Servers running on the machine where the Node Manager is running. WLST can also work as a client of the Admin Server by connecting to the Admin Server (and not to the Node Manager) to control Managed Servers throughout the domain. In the latter case, the Admin Server uses the Node Managers running on each of the machines in the domain to control the Managed Servers running on that machine. ...