This assumes you have already done the following:

• Installed IHS web server
• Installed the web server plugin (plugin-cfg.xml) package 
• Added IHS web server to the dmgr
• Configure applications to use one or more application servers and the IHS web server
• Generated the plugin-cfg.xml file

By default, the web server plugin (plugin-cfg.xml) will not have any custom properties. Custom Properties can be set in the WebSphere admin console at Servers > Server types > Web servers > your web server > Plug-in properties > Custom properties. For example, following are some of the more common Custom Properties.

• SecureHostVerification
• HostVerificationStartupCheck
• UseInsecure

It is important to recognize that you may have two (or more) plugin-cfg.xml files. 

• global plugin-cfg.xml file that would be used by all of the IHS HTTP servers that have been added in your WebSphere admin console
• dedicated plugin-cfg xml file(s), one for each IHS HTTP server that has been added in your WebSphere admin console

The Custom Properties would only apply to a dedicated plugin-cfg xml file. If you want to add Custom Properties to the global plugin-cfg.xml file, you would modify the plugin-cfg.xml file, perhaps like this. In this example, SecureHostVerification="false" was added to line 1 of the global plugin-cfg.xml file.

<Config 
 ASDisableNagle="false"
 AcceptAllContent="true"
 AppServerPortPreference="HostHeader"
 SecureHostVerification="false">

On the other hand, you can add Custom Properties for a dedicated plugin-cfg xml file at Servers > Server types > Web servers > your web server > Plug-in properties > Custom properties.

Or like this, using wsadmin.

~]$ /opt/WebSphere/AppServer/profiles/your_profile/bin/wsadmin.sh -lang jython -c "print AdminConfig.create('Property', '(cells/your_cell/nodes/your_web_node/servers/your_web_node|server.xml#PluginProperties_1665772887624)', '[[validationExpression \"\"] [name \"HostVerificationStartupCheck\"] [description \"\"] [value \"false\"] [required \"false\"]]')"
WASX7209I: Connected to process "dmgr" on node DevUnicaMgr10 using SOAP connector;  The type of process is: DeploymentManager
HostVerificationStartupCheck(cells/your_cell/nodes/your_web_node/servers/your_web_node|server.xml#Property_1698070993269)

And save the change to the master configuration.

/opt/WebSphere/AppServer/profiles/your_profile/bin/wsadmin.sh -lang jython -c "print AdminConfig.save()"

And then this wsadmin command can be used to verify the Custom Properties are set.

/opt/WebSphere/AppServer/profiles/your_profile/bin/wsadmin.sh -lang jython -c "print AdminConfig.list('Property', '(cells/your_cell/nodes/your_web_node/servers/your_web_server|server.xml#PluginProperties_1665772887624)')"
HostVerificationStartupCheck(cells/your_cell/nodes/your_web_node/servers/your_web_server|server.xml#Property_1698076787804)
SecureHostVerification(cells/your_cell/nodes/your_web_node/servers/your_web_server|server.xml#Property_1698076777219)
UseInsecure(cells/your_cell/nodes/your_web_node/servers/your_web_server|server.xml#Property_1696497760186)

And then when you generate the dedicated plugin-cfg.xml file, the plugin-cfg.xml file should contain the Custom Properties. There are various ways to go about generating the global or dedicated plugin-cfg.xml files.

• global or dedicated - Generate web server plugin (plugin-cfg.xml) using GenPluginCfg
• dedicated - Generate web server plugin (plugin-cfg.xml) using wsadmin
• dedicated - Generate web server plugin (plugin-cfg.xml) using wsadmin and httpPluginManagement.py
• global or dedicated - Generate web server plugin (plugin-cfg.xml) using the dmgr
• dedicated - Generate web server plugin (plugin-cfg.xml) using the PCT command

If for some reason one or more Custom Properties are not being added to your dedicated plugin-cfg xml file you can:

• Generate dedicated web server plugin (plugin-cfg.xml) using GenPluginCfg with the -debug option
• add com.ibm.websphere.plugincfg.*=all to the dmgr Log Level (this can be done using the dmgr or using wsadmin and httpPluginManagement.py)

For example, here is how you could generate dedicated web server plugin (plugin-cfg.xml) using GenPluginCfg with the -debug option

${WAS_INSTALL_ROOT}/bin/GenPluginCfg.sh -debug yes

And you should then have a plugin-cfg.log file located at.

/opt/WebSphere/AppServer/profiles/your_profile/logs/your_web_server/plugin-cfg.log

And the plugin-cfg.log file should include the Custom Properties being applied to the dedicated plugin-cfg xml file, something like this.

[10/20/23 3:14:27:132 CDT] 00000001 Configuration 3   PluginConfigData details:
[10/20/23 3:14:27:136 CDT] 00000001 Configuration 3      UseInsecure             : true