Creating WebLogic Configurations Using the Configuration Wizard

Creating Configuration Templates Using the WebLogic Configuration Template Builder

A configuration template defines the full set of resources within a domain, including infrastructure components, applications, services, security options, and general environment and operating system parameters. As part of the WebLogic Platform product, BEA provides several templates and template extensions for developers who want to create new applications. These templates are described in "Template Reference" at the following URL:

http://download.oracle.com/docs/cd/E13196_01/platform/docs81/confgwiz/tempref.html

The Configuration Template Builder makes it easy to create your own templates. It does this, for example, by enabling the:

Definition and propagation of a standard domain across a development project
Distribution of a domain along with an application that has been developed to run on that domain

Any template you create with the Configuration Template Builder is used as input to the Configuration Wizard. The Configuration Wizard uses it, in turn, as the basis for creating a domain that is customized for your target environment.

For information about creating a domain using the Configuration Wizard, see Creating a New WebLogic Domain.

Overview of Creating a Configuration Template Using the Configuration Template Builder

The following table summarizes the procedure for creating a configuration template using the Configuration Template Builder.

You can quit the Configuration Template Builder at any time by clicking Exit.

Table 12-1 Steps for Creating a Configuration Template

Step	Description
Creating a New Template	Choose the type of template you want to create: configuration or extension. To create a configuration template, choose Create a Configuration Template. For details about creating an extension template, see Creating Extension Templates Using the WebLogic Configuration Template Builder.
Selecting a Template Configuration Source	Select the configuration template or the directory of the domain from which you want to create a new configuration template.
Describing the Template	Specify a description of the template that will be displayed within the Select a Configuration Template window of the Configuration Wizard. (For more information about the Configuration Template window, see Selecting a Configuration Template.)
Adding Applications to Your Configuration Template	Review and modify, if desired, the list of applications to be included in the template.
Adding Files to Your Configuration Template	Review and modify, if desired, the files to be included in the template.
Adding SQL Scripts Into Your Configuration Template	Add SQL scripts for each database that you expect to be used with the domains created from this template and specify the order in which the scripts are executed.
Configuring the Administration Server	Define parameters for the Administration Server, a designated server from which the domain is managed.
Configuring Managed Servers, Clusters, and Machines When Creating Configuration Templates	Optionally, define parameters for the Managed Servers, clusters, and host machines in your domain.
Configuring JDBC When Creating Configuration Templates	Optionally, define parameters for Java Database Connectivity (JDBC).
Configuring JMS When Creating Configuration Templates	Optionally, define parameters for Java Message Service (JMS).
Targeting Servers and Clusters When Creating Configuration Templates	Optionally, define parameters for the target servers and clusters onto which you want to deploy application components (such as Web applications and EJB modules) and application services (such as JDBC or JMS components), or startup and shutdown classes.
Configuring Security When Creating Configuration Templates	Specify a user name and password to be used for starting the Administration Server and, if desired, configure additional security.
Building Start Menu Entries	Optionally, define entries for the Windows Start Menu.
Preparing Scripts and Files With Replacement Variables	Replace specific paths, filenames, and other configuration environment settings with replacement variables in text files contained in the template. The Configuration Wizard later substitutes the variables with exact strings to set up a specific WebLogic configuration.
Creating Your Configuration Template	Review the configuration template details, specify the name and directory for the configuration template, and launch the process that creates it.

Creating a New Template

The Create a New Template window prompts you to choose the type of template you want to create: a configuration template or an extension template.

Choose this option . . .	When you want to . . .
Create a Configuration Template	Create a template that defines the full set of resources within a domain, including infrastructure components, applications, services, security options, and general environment and operating system parameters. You can then use this template as input to the Configuration Wizard to create a new domain.
Create an Extension Template	Create a template that defines applications and services that can be used to extend an existing domain.The applications and services stored in the selected extension templates are imported into the domain. To learn more about creating an extension template, see Creating Extension Templates Using the WebLogic Configuration Template Builder.

Selecting a Template Configuration Source

The Select a Template Configuration Source window prompts you to choose the configuration template or domain from which you want to create a configuration template. You may need to create a configuration template for a variety of reasons. For example, you may want to:

Create a template from a domain to enable the definition and propagation of a standard domain across a development project
Enable the distribution of a domain, along with an application that has been developed to run on that domain.

To choose a domain configuration:

Select the Select a Configuration tab.

Navigate to the directory of the domain from which you want to create a configuration template. Valid domain directories are indicated by a

icon.

Click Next to proceed to the next configuration window.

The Configuration Wizard verifies that the directory you selected contains a valid configuration. If it does not, an error message is displayed.

To choose a configuration template:

Note: WebLogic Platform is installed with a set of predefined configuration templates, which are described in "Template Reference" at the following URL:

http://download.oracle.com/docs/cd/E13196_01/platform/docs81/confgwiz/tempref.html

Select the Select a Template tab.

Review the list of templates displayed in the Templates pane. The templates displayed for selection reside in the directory specified in the Locate Additional Templates field. If you need to select an alternate directory:

Click Browse to invoke a dialog box called Select a Template Directory.

In the dialog box, navigate to the appropriate directory or manually enter its pathname in the Location field.

Click OK to return to the Select a Template Configuration Source window.

A list of the configuration templates available in the selected directory is displayed in the Templates pane. Templates are organized by category. For example, the predefined configuration templates provided with the product installation are listed together under the heading BEA.

Select a configuration template from the list.

Click Next to proceed to the next configuration window.

Describing the Template

The Describe the Template window prompts you to provide a description that will be displayed in the Select a Configuration Template or the Select a Configuration Extension Template window of the Configuration Wizard.

To enter template description information:

Do one of the following:

If you selected a domain directory in the previous window, enter the information required for your configuration, as described in the following table, and click Next.
If you selected a template in the previous window, the information from the selected template is displayed here. Review the information, and modify it, if necessary, to meet the requirements of your configuration, as described in the following table. Then click Next.

Note: Fields marked with an asterisk are required.

In this field . . .	Do the following . . .
Name*	Enter a valid name for the configuration template: a string of characters that can include spaces. If you are creating a configuration template, the name that you enter identifies the configuration template within the WebLogic Configuration Templates area of the Select a Configuration Template window of the Configuration Wizard. If you are creating an extension template, the name that you enter identifies the extension template within the Configuration Extensions area of the Select a Configuration Extension Template window of the Configuration Wizard.
Author (Optional)	Enter an author name to be displayed in the Author field of the Select a Configuration Template or Select a Configuration Extension Template window of the Configuration Wizard. Valid names consist of a string of characters that can include spaces. For example, the name "BEA Systems, Inc." is displayed in the Author field of the default templates provided by BEA.
Category (Optional)	Enter the name of the category in which you want this template to be displayed. A valid name consists of a string of characters that can include spaces. This information is used to group configuration templates in the following areas of the Configuration Wizard: Within the WebLogic Configuration Templates area of the Select a Configuration Template window Within the Configuration Extensions area of the Select a Configuration Extension Template window For example, the default templates provided by BEA are grouped together in the category `BEA`.
Description (Optional)	Enter a description of the configuration template. A valid description consists of a string of characters that can include spaces. For example, the description provided for the Basic WebLogic Server Domain template provided by BEA contains the following text: `Create a basic WebLogic Server domain without installing sample applications.` If you are creating a configuration template, this information is displayed within the Description area of the Select a Configuration Template window of the Configuration Wizard. If you are creating an extension template, this information is displayed within the Descriptions area of the Select a Configuration Extension Template window in the Configuration Wizard.

Adding Applications to Your Configuration Template

Note: The Add Applications window is displayed if applications are included in the configuration template or domain selected in Selecting a Template Configuration Source.

The Add Applications window allows you to:

Review the list of applications that are currently defined
Review the pathnames of the current and imported applications
If necessary, change the relative directory into which applications are imported
If necessary, omit applications from the list of files to be imported

To add applications to the template:

In the Applications pane, review the list of applications to be included in your template. By default, all applications are checked, indicating that they will be included.

The applications displayed reside in the directory specified in the Current Application Path field. The applications are copied into your template from this location.

To change the relative path of the directory into which an application will be imported, do the following:

Select the application in the Applications pane.

In the Imported Application Path field, enter the relative path you want to use after the application is imported into your template.

Note: Some of the applications listed in the Applications pane may be provided with your WebLogic Platform software. You cannot change the relative paths for these applications. When you select these applications in the Applications pane, the Imported Application Path field is replaced by an Internal Application Path. When you select these applications for inclusion in your template, this path will point to the application files contained in your WebLogic Platform installation directory. Because these files already exist on your system, they are not copied into the template.

Clear the check box for any application that you do not want to include in the template.

Click Next to proceed to the next configuration window.

Adding Files to Your Configuration Template

By default, the Configuration Template Builder includes files from the domain or template you specified as the source for the template you are creating. For example:

If you selected an existing template as the source for your new template, all files from the source template are automatically included.
If you selected a domain as the source for your new template, all files in the root of the domain, such as start scripts, are included.

You may also want to include other files from your system or network.

The Add Files window prompts you to review, add, or remove files in the template.

To add files into the template you are creating:

To view the current list of files in your template, expand the Domain Root Directory and Applications Root Directory in the Current Template View pane.

To add or remove files, perform the following steps:

To add a file, navigate to the file within the File System View pane and select Add File. You can limit the files displayed in this pane by using the filters available in the Show File Types drop-down list. For example, to display only files with the .cmd extension, select *.cmd from the drop-down list.
To remove a file, select the file that you want to delete from the Current Domain Directory area, and select Remove File.

Repeat steps 1 and 2 for each file that you want to add or remove.

Click Next to proceed to the next configuration window.

Adding SQL Scripts Into Your Configuration Template

Adding SQL scripts to your template is optional. The Add SQL Scripts window prompts you to add SQL scripts for each database that you expect to be used with the domains created from this template. You can also specify the order in which the scripts are executed. When you create a domain using this template, the databases and associated SQL scripts that you include are displayed in the Test JDBC Connection Pools and Setup JDBC Database window of the Configuration Wizard.

To add SQL scripts to your template:

In the Database Type and Version pane, select a database from the Type drop-down list.

Select the database version from the Version drop-down list or enter a version number directly in the field.

Click Add SQL File.

The Add SQL File(s) dialog box is displayed.

In the Add SQL File(s) dialog box, navigate to the directory that contains the SQL scripts for the selected database.

Select the SQL files to be added.

Click Add SQL File(s).

The SQL files that you added are displayed in the Selected SQL Files list and the Selected Database Scripts pane of the Add SQL Scripts window. The Selected Database Scripts pane displays a tree-view of all the databases and associated SQL scripts included in the template.

To specify the order in which SQL files are executed, select a file from the Selected SQL Files list and use the up and down arrows to change the order of the files in the list.

The current sequence is reflected in the Selected Database Scripts pane. When you create a domain based on this template, this information is displayed in the Test JDBC Connection Pools and Setup JDBC Database window of the Configuration Wizard.

Repeat steps 1 through 7 for each database for which you want to include SQL files.

Click Next to proceed to the next configuration window.

What Is the Next Step?

If you are . . .	Go to . . .
Creating a new configuration template	Configuring the Administration Server
Creating an extension template	Configuring a Database Service

Configuring the Administration Server

In every domain, one server must be designated the Administration server: the central point from which the whole domain is managed. The Configure the Administration Server window prompts you to define configuration information for the Administration Server. (For details, see Brief Introduction to Domains.) This information is used to access the server in the domain.

Review the values displayed in the Configure the Administration Server window and modify them as necessary. For more information, see Configuring the Administration Server.

Configuring Managed Servers, Clusters, and Machines When Creating Configuration Templates

All machine configuration settings from the original domain or template are included in your new configuration template. If you want to customize the template further, you may do so by adding, modifying, or removing these Managed Servers, clusters, or machines.

The minimal requirement for your new WebLogic configuration is a single Administration Server on a single machine. In addition, however, you have the option of configuring other resources to be managed by the Administration Server and distributing them across multiple machines. You can:

Add, change, or delete Managed Servers
Add, change, or delete clusters
Group Managed Servers into clusters, or change current groupings
Assign servers to machines, or change current assignments

The Managed Servers, Clusters, and Machines Options window prompts you to specify whether you want to distribute your WebLogic configuration across Managed Servers, clusters, and physical machines. For more information, see Configuring Managed Servers, Clusters, and Machines.

Configuring JDBC When Creating Configuration Templates

JDBC services and settings from the configuration or template you selected previously are replicated in your new template. If you want to customize the template further, you may do so by adding, modifying, or removing these services.

WebLogic JDBC enables Java programmers to interact with common database management systems (DBMS), such as Oracle, Microsoft SQL Server, and Sybase. The WebLogic Configuration Template Builder gives you the option of configuring a database service for your template by defining several WebLogic JDBC components:

Connection pools—Ready-to-use groups of connections to your DBMS
MultiPools—Groups of connection pools
Data sources—Interfaces between applications and connection pools

The Database (JDBC) Options window prompts you to specify whether you want to define a database service. For more information, see Configuring a Database Service.

Configuring JMS When Creating Configuration Templates

JMS services and settings from the configuration or template you selected earlier are replicated in your new template. If you want to customize the template further, you may do so by adding, modifying, or removing these services.

WebLogic JMS provides access to enterprise messaging systems that enable applications to communicate with one another. To familiarize yourself with the features of WebLogic JMS, see Programming WebLogic JMS at the following URL:

http://download.oracle.com/docs/cd/E13222_01/wls/docs81/jms/index.html

The wizard allows you to change JMS attributes, especially those affected by changes to the JDBC configuration. Specifically, you can:

Create and/or customize JMS connection factories
Create JMS templates
Create JMS destination keys and assign them to JMS templates
Designate destinations and persistent stores
Create and/or customize distributed destinations
Create and/or customize JMS servers and assign them to specific WebLogic Server instances

For more information about configuring WebLogic JMS, see Configuring a Java Messaging Service.

Targeting Servers and Clusters When Creating Configuration Templates

All target settings from the original domain or template are included in your new configuration template. If you want to customize the template further, you may do so by modifying these settings. If you add services or configure your domain for distribution across servers or clusters, it is a good idea to target the servers and clusters onto which you want to deploy the applications or services.

The Applications and Services Targeting Options window prompts you to target the servers and clusters onto which you want to deploy applications and services. For more information, see Configuring Targets.

Configuring Security When Creating Configuration Templates

When you create a configuration template, the administrative username and password from the original domain or template are included in your new configuration template. If addition, you have the option to:

Modify this username and password as described in Configuring an Administrative Username and Password.
Provide extra security for application resource, using the following security features:

Users and groups—Classification of individuals and collections of individuals who may be granted a security role. Typically, a group is a collection of users who share a role or function within a company, such as working in the same department.
Global security roles—Dynamically computed privileges that are used to restrict access to WebLogic resources. These privileges are granted to or withheld from users according to which roles they are assigned.

For information about providing security for application resources when creating a configuration template, see Configuring Security.

Building Start Menu Entries

The Build Start Menu Entries window prompts you to create items to be added to the Windows Start Menu.

To build Start Menu entries:

Review the current list of Start Menu entries. Add, modify, or delete entries as required by your configuration, using the guidelines provided in the following table. To delete an entry, click the tab for the Start Menu entry and click Delete. When you finish updating your settings, click Next.

In this field . . .	Do the following . . .
Shortcut Link Name	Enter a valid name for the shortcut to be displayed in the Start menu: a string of characters that can include space characters.
Program	Specify the program to be run when the shortcut is selected. Do one of the following: Select a program from the drop-down list. A list of the programs defined by the configuration template are shown in the drop-down list, by default. Click Browse to navigate through the local installation directory so you can find and select the desired program.
Argument	Enter any parameter that you want to pass to the shortcut program.
Working Directory	No action required. When generating templates, you cannot predict the final directory structure of the local system. This field is grayed out.

Preparing Scripts and Files With Replacement Variables

When you are creating a template, you want the scripts and files that you are packaging with your template to be free of local configuration environment settings and ready for use by the Configuration Wizard. The Configuration Template Builder automatically updates any standard scripts included in a template, such as start scripts, by replacing hard-coded values for various configuration environment settings with replacement variables. The Configuration Wizard can later replace these variables with new hard-coded values during the configuration of a new domain.

The Prepare Scripts and Files with Replacement Variables window allows you to replace hard-coded strings with replacement variables in files that have not been updated by the Configuration Template Builder.

Note: Files that were automatically updated by the Configuration Template Builder contain a check in the check box.

To insert replacement variables into your files:

Open the file in one of the following ways:

Double-click the appropriate filename in the Select File list
Select the appropriate filename in the list and click Edit

The Instructions pane is replaced by an Edit File pane, in which the contents of the file are displayed. An editing toolbar is provided at the top of the window.

To insert a replacement variable:

Select the string to be replaced.

Click the right mouse button; a list of replacement variables is displayed.

Select the desired variable.

The replacement variable replaces the selected string. The Configuration Wizard later substitutes the replacement variables with literal strings to set up a specific WebLogic configuration. For definitions of the available replacement variables, see Replacement Variables.

Repeat steps 1 and 2 for each string for which you want to substitute a variable.

Review your changes and click Save, to preserve your changes, or Revert to replace the current version of the file with the last version saved. If you have edited the file since the last time you saved it, you are prompted to confirm the revert operation.

Note: You can also click Reset within the Select File area to revert to the saved version of the file.

If you saved the edited file, select the check box next to the filename the Select File pane.

Repeat steps 1 through 5 for each file in which you want to insert replacement variables.

Click Next to proceed to the next configuration window.

Replacement Variables

The following table defines the replacement variables available for use in your files.

Variable	Definition
`BEAHOME`	BEA Home directory containing the installation of WebLogic Platform associated with the domain. By default, the pathname for this directory is `c:\bea`.
`WL_HOME`	Root directory of your WebLogic Platform installation. By default, the pathname for this directory is `c:\bea\weblogic81`.
`JAVA_HOME`	Location of the JDK used to start WebLogic Server.
`DOMAIN_NAME`	Name of the domain.
`DOMAIN_USER`	Administration username required to start the server
`SERVER_NAME`	Name of the server to be started.
`SAMPLES_HOME`	Directory containing the samples provided with WebLogic Platform. By default, the pathname for this directory is `c:\bea\weblogicxx\samples`. In this pathname, `xx` is the version of the WebLogic Platform software.
`USERDOMAIN_HOME`	Directory containing the user domains created with the Configuration Wizard. By default, the pathname for this directory is `c:\bea\user_projects`.
`STARTMODE`	Mode in which the server is started: development or production.
`PRODUCTION_MODE`	Mode in which the server starts. If set to true, the server starts in production mode. If set to false, the server starts in development mode.
`ADMIN_SERVER_URL`	URL specifying the listen address (host name or IP address) and port number of the Administration Server for the domain.
`JAVA_VM`	Mode in which you want the JVM to run, such as `-jrockit`, `-server`, `-hotspot`.
`JAVA_VENDOR`	Vendor of the JVM, for example, BEA, HP, IBM, and Sun.
`DOCSWEBROOT`	The URL specifying the location of the WebLogic Platform documentation on the BEA Web site

Creating Your Configuration Template

The Create Template window prompts you to review details about the configuration template, specify the name and directory for the configuration template, and launch the process that creates it.

To create your configuration template:

Review details about the configuration in the Configuration Summary and Configuration Details areas. If you need to modify any information, select Previous to return to the desired configuration windows.

You can limit the type of information displayed in this window by selecting a filter from the Summary View drop-down list.

Make sure that the Configuration Template Location field contains the name of the directory in which you want the template to reside. If you need to change the value in this field:

Click Browse to invoke the Select the Template Creation Directory dialog box.

In the dialog box, navigate to the appropriate directory or manually enter the pathname for it in the Location field and click OK.

The template directory can be located anywhere on your system. By default, it resides in BEA_HOME\user_templates, where BEA_HOME is the directory that contains the product installation (by default, this directory is c:\bea on Windows).

Specify a name for the template in the Template Jar Name field by clicking within the field and modifying the string displayed there.

After you verify the information displayed in the window, click Create.

The Creating Configuration window is opened to display status messages during the template creation process. The Configuration Template Builder generates a JAR file that contains all the components required by the Configuration Wizard to generate a new domain, including the configuration settings that you provided.

Click Done in the Creating Configuration window.