Overview of Installing WebLogic Server 5.1


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These pages provideThis chapter contains instructions on installing, setting up, and starting WebLogic Server and the WebLogic jDriver for Oracle type-2 JDBC driver. A PDF version of these installation documents is also available.

What's New in WebLogic Server, Version 5.1

See the Release Notes at http://www.weblogic.com/docs51/release_notes/index.html for complete coverage of new features and upgrade issues.

Users of previous versions of WebLogic Server should take note of the following:

Windows NT only: WebLogic Server is shipped with a Java Runtime Environment (JRE) that contains the Java classes for the Java Development Kit (JDK), version 1.2 (also called Java 2). Previous versions of WebLogic Server were shipped with both a 1.2 and 1.1.7 JRE, selectable from the Windows Start menu or with the wlconfig program. These JRE selection methods are no longer available.
You can run WebLogic Server with either version of the JDK, but some WebLogic Server features (such as JDBC 2.0) require the use of a version 1.2 JDK.
Windows NT only: The JRE mentioned above does not include classes that are required for use with certain tools such as the EJB compiler (ejbc). To use such tools you must install and configure a JDK for use with Weblogic Server. See "Installing WebLogic Server Using the InstallShield Distribution (Windows NT)" on page 8-1 for more information.
Oracle users only: The WebLogic jDriver for Oracle (formerly called jdbcKona/Oracle) is now available in several versions. The one you uses depends on your Oracle client installation, the version of the Oracle API you will use to connect to the Oracle server, and your platform. You must place the appropriate file in your system's path or shared library path for this driver to function. Unlike previous releases of WebLogic Server, which had only one such file that was always present in the default path, you now must specify this path setting explicitly. For details and instructions on setting these options, see "Setting Your Path and Client Libraries" on page 11-6.
WebLogic RMI over IIOP. If you are using WebLogic RMI over IIOP, you must use JDK 1.3. There are some important restrictions regarding the use of JDK 1.3. For details, see Using WebLogic RMI over IIOP at http://www.weblogic.com/docs51/classdocs/API_rmi_iiop.html#StartServer.

Checking Your Package

When you open the BEA WebLogic Enterprise box, it includes a J-Engine CD that contains installation packages for BEA WebLogic Server (including WebLogic Enterprise Connectivity) and BEA Jolt.

Hardware Requirements

64 MB of RAM
At least 80 MB of free hard disk space
One of the certified WebLogic Server platforms. See http://www.weblogic.com/docs51/platforms/index.html for more information.

Software Requirements

The software requirements vary among platforms and operating systems and are frequently updated by BEA. Check the Platforms Support page (http://www.weblogic.com/docs51/platforms/index.html) on the BEA Web site for the latest information on your platform and operating system.

Upgrading from an Earlier Release of WebLogic Server

Important Notes

Version 5.1 of WebLogic Server requires a different classpath and command line to start WebLogic Server than was required in earlier releases. These changes are discussed in detail in this document.
You will not be able to use any scripts or shortcuts you may have used to start previous versions of WebLogic Server with this release. New scripts are included with this release that you can modify for your environment. For more information, see "Starting WebLogic Server Using Scripts" on page 10-24.
If you are using either the WebLogic jDriver for Informix4 (formerly called jdbcKona/Informix4) or jDriver for Microsoft SQL Server (formerly called jdbcKona/MSSQLServer4) type 4 JDBC drivers, you must also upgrade them for use with WebLogic Server 5.1. You can obtain these drivers from the same location where you obtained WebLogic Server.

Steps to Take Before Installation

Save your current license files. Open the directory where your registered installation is located and copy your WebLogicLicense.xml or WebLogicLicense.class file into a safe place. You will be instructed where to place your license file later in these instructions.
Save your weblogic.properties and weblogic.policy files to a safe location.
Save any user-written code or compiled classes to a safe location.
To safeguard your applications and environment, BEA recommends that you copy your entire WebLogic distribution to a safe location or otherwise back up your previous installation. Do not install a new version of WebLogic Server on top of a previous version

Steps to Take After Installation

Rerun the WebLogic utility ejbc on your Enterprise Java Beans.
Rerun the WebLogic RMI compiler, rmic on any existing code to regenerate the wrapper classes so that they are compatible with the new version of WebLogic Server.

Installing WebLogic Server on Your Platform

The following documents contain detailed instructions for installing WebLogic Server: