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What's New in WebLogic Server 6.0
The following release notes apply to WebLogic Server 6.0 and all subsequent WebLogic Server 6.0 Service Pack releases. The sections below describe changes and features in WebLogic Server 6.0:
WebLogic Server 6.0 reflects improvements in the J2EE specifications. It supports J2EE version 1.2, EJB 2.0, and JMX features of J2EE version 1.3.
Enterprise Java Beans (EJBs)
WebLogic Server 6.0 includes many enhancements to WebLogic EJBs. For more information, see Programming WebLogic EJBs.
WebLogic Server 6.0 is compliant with the JavaSoft EJB 1.1 Specification. The WebLogic Server EJB documentation describes key features of the EJB 1.1 Specification that you need to understand in order to use WebLogic Server. However, you should also read the JavaSoft EJB 1.1 Specification to familiarize yourself with basic EJB development practices.
See Programming WebLogic EJBs for a summary of EJB 1.1 changes that may require updates to your EJB classes, interfaces, and client applications.
Additional new features include:
Download the EJB 2.0.jar file to use the EJB 2.0 features. The download is available at http://commerce.bea.com/downloads/products.jsp.
The EJB 2.0 for BEA WebLogic Server container is based on a nonfinal specification. It provides many new EJB 2.0 features, including:
In addition to EJB 2.0 features, the new container provides several new features specific to WebLogic Server:
Because the container is based on pre-release versions of the EJB 2.0 Specification, certain EJB 2.0 features are not yet available. Known differences between this container and the publicly available EJB 2.0 Specification are acknowledged in the EJB documentation where applicable.
The following EJB 2.0 container and WebLogic Server features will not be supported until a future release of the EJB 2.0 for BEA WebLogic Server container:
Hypertext Transfer Protocol (HTTP) 1.1
The following sections refer to HTTP features supported with WebLogic Server 6.0.
Web Server
WebLogic Server 6.0 is a functional Web server that can handle high volume Web sites, serving static HTML (text) files as well as servlets and JavaServer Pages (JSP). WebLogic Server 6.0 can also fully integrate with hardware- and software-based Web load balancing solutions. WebLogic Server 6.0 supports the HTTP 1.1 standard.
Each WebLogic Server 6.0 hosts a default Web Server and any number of additional Web Servers that you define. Each of these additional Web Servers is configured to respond to a different DNS name, in a process called Virtual Hosting.
You configure the attributes for Web Servers using the new WebLogic Server Administration Console.
For more information, see Programming WebLogic HTTP Servlets.
HTTP Plug-ins for Apache, Netscape, and IIS
WebLogic Server 6.0 automatically implements keep-alive connections between the plug-ins and WebLogic Server. As of Service Pack 1, WebLogic Server 6.0 now also supports SSL when using the plug-ins.
JavaMail
WebLogic Server 6.0 includes an implementation of the JavaMail Specification. This is the standard reference implementation of the JavaMail Specification. For more information, see Developing WebLogic Server Applications.
Java Transaction API (JTA)
WebLogic Server 6.0 supports distributed transactions and the two-phase commit protocol with a specification-compliant JTA implementation. This implementation works with any certified XA-compliant resource such as WebLogic JMS and the WebLogic jDriver for Oracle.
For more information, see Programming WebLogic JTA.
The following services are supported with WebLogic Server 6.0.
Clustered JMS
Using clustered JMS, you can configure multiple JMS servers and assign them to defined WebLogic Servers. Each JMS server can be deployed on a single WebLogic Server and handles requests for a set of destinations. This supports load balancing across multiple servers in a cluster.
You can establish cluster-wide, transparent access to destinations from any server in the cluster by configuring multiple connection factories. Applications use JNDI to look up a connection factory and create a connection to communicate with a JMS server.
For more information, see Programming WebLogic JMS.
Multicasting
WebLogic JMS supports multicasting, allowing for the delivery of messages to a select group of hosts using an IP multicast address. Multicasting reduces the number of messages required to be delivered by a JMS server. The JMS server forwards only a single copy of a message to each host group associated with a multicast IP address, regardless of the number of applications that have subscribed.
XML Message Types
WebLogic JMS supports messages containing Extensible Markup Language (XML). Use of the XMLMessage type facilitates message filtering, which is more complex when performed on XML content shipped in a TextMessage.
Java Database Connectivity (JDBC) MultiPools
JDBC MultiPools create a list of connection pools to be used by a single WebLogic Server. A configurable algorithm determines which connection is returned. MultiPools provide support for load balancing and high availability. MultiPools make it easier for an application to switch to another RDBMS for distributed processing or during a failover situation.
For more information, see Programming WebLogic JDBC.
In-Memory Replication of Stateful Session EJBs
WebLogic Server 6.0 extends the existing HTTP session replication model to session EJBs. It has the ability to do in-memory replication of stateful session EJBs. This feature provides performance failover of business logic.
For more information, see Programming WebLogic EJBs.
New Installation Infrastructure
A completely new installation program makes it easier to install WebLogic Server on both Windows and UNIX systems. The installer unpacks the distribution, performs basic configurations, and sets up shortcuts for using WebLogic Server. In addition, the JDK is included in the package so that the server is ready to run.
For details, see the WebLogic Server Installation Guide.
Class Loader and CLASSPATH Improvements
CLASSPATH and the class loader are easier to use. For details see Resolving Class References.
ZAC (Zero-Administration-Client)
WebLogic Zero Administration client (ZAC) is now supported with WebLogic Server 6.0 as of Service Pack 1. For more information see the documentation at Using the Zero Administration Client.
WebLogic Server 6.0 provides a new management architecture which enables you to make dynamic changes to the configuration of running WebLogic Servers. A new Web-based Administration Console is your window into the WebLogic Administration Service, an implementation of the Java Management Extension (JMX) standard. Using the Administration Console, you can configure attributes, deploy applications and components, monitor resource usage, view log messages, and perform other management activities. Features include:
For more information, see the WebLogic Server Administration Guide.
The security functionality of WebLogic Server is being continuously improved. WebLogic Server 6.0 includes:
For more information, see Programming WebLogic Security.
Default and Custom Login Modules
WebLogic Server uses the default LoginModule (weblogic.security.internal.ServerLoginModule) to gather authentication information during server initialization. To replace the default Login module, edit the server.policy file and replace the name of the default Login module with the name of a custom Login module.
Optionally, custom Login modules can be specified in the server.policy file ahead of the default LoginModule. The JAAS implementation in WebLogic Server uses Login modules in the order in which they are defined in the server.policy file. The default Login module checks for existing system user authentication definitions prior to execution and does nothing if they are already defined.
The default Login Module is required to define JVM properties for both the system username and password. These properties are specified as weblogic.management.username and weblogic.management.password respectively. In order to use a custom Login module, these properties must be set accordingly.
Internationalization
WebLogic Server 6.0 is able to handle content and deliver it in any language, including those languages that require double byte character sets. For information about using the new internationalization API, see the WebLogic Server Internationalization Guide.
In addition, a Kanji version of WebLogic Server 6.0 will be available. For more information, contact your BEA sales representative.
XML
WebLogic Server 6.0 supports XML as an essential component. JSPs can be used to generate and consume XML between servers or between a server and clients. WebLogic Server 6.0 supports XSL processing tags for JSPs. EJBs use XML to describe deployment properties, which provides data portability. The server provides an XML schema repository for DTDs, managed by the new Administration Console.
For more information, see Programming WebLogic XML.
WebLogic Server Tour
The WebLogic Server Tour is completely revised. It provides an overview of WebLogic Server using the Pet Store application to demonstrate features. The Tour is available from the Start menu.
BEA Jolt
The BEA Jolt® product is no longer packaged with WebLogic Server. For information on upgrading the BEA Jolt client for WebLogic Server 6.0, refer to Upgrading BEA Jolt
Important Service Pack Information
BEA has released WebLogic Server 6.0 with Service Pack 2. Service Pack 2 includes many new improvements and fixes to the original 6.0 release; it also includes the fixes that were made in Service Pack 1.
For a list of issues fixed in Service Pack 2, see Chapter 5, Resolved Issues. For a list of open issues still found in WebLogic 6.0 with Service Pack 2, see Known Problems. The following section summarizes changes included in Service Pack 2. Users who have installed WebLogic Server 6.0 with Service Pack 2 should read the following sections carefully.
Administration Console
The Administration Console is updated. The Service Pack installer contains a new version of the console.war file and places it in the default domain (in config/mydomain/applications). If you have previously created any new domains, you must manually copy the new console.war into the /config/domain name/applications directory for each domain.
Clustering
Clusters of WebLogic Servers no longer require the use of a shared network drive. Both the WebLogic Server installations and your applications can now reside on local file systems.
EJB
A new column, wl_max_inactive_interval, has been added to the wl_servlet_sessions table used for JDBC-based persistence. This change was tracked as issue number 041867. For information on the wl_servlet_sessions table, see our Configuring Web-Applications documentation.
jDriver for Oracle
New binaries have been added for 8.1.7 Oracle client libraries.
Platforms
WebLogic Server 6.0 Service Pack 1 and Service Pack 2 support the HotSpot virtual machine (VM) and the Classic VM for HP-UX, but the default start script uses the Classic VM.
Security
ACLs on MBeans
Access Control Lists (ACLs) have been added to the WebLogic MBeans to enable secure remote access to the MBeans. This new ability only applies to remote access of MBeans. By default, only clients authenticated as the system user have access to the MBeans.
To allow other users to access an MBean, add following ACL:
access.weblogic.admin.mbean.Mbean.instance name=user or group with access
For example, the following ACL enables access to the Server MBean named myserver2 for users that are members of the Testing Group:
access.weblogic.admin.mbean.myserver2=Testing
Use the following ACL to grant access to all the WebLogic MBeans:
access.weblogic.admin.mbean=user or group with access
If clients fail in their attempt to access an MBean, a weblogic.management.NoAccessRuntimeException is returned. The server log contains the details indicating which user attempted to access which resource.
Using the Java Security Manager with WebLogic Server 6.0 Service Pack 2
When you run WebLogic Server under Java 2 (JDK 1.2 or 1.3), WebLogic Server can use the Java Security Manager in Java 2 to provide additional access control for WebLogic Server resources. The Java Virtual Machine (JVM) has security mechanisms built into it that can be managed through a security policy file. The Java Security Manager can enforce a set of permissions granted to CodeSource or SignedBy classes. The permissions allow certain classes running in that instance of the JVM to do or not do certain run-time operations. In many cases, where the threat model does not include malicious code being run on the JVM, the Java Security Manager is unnecessary. When an Application Service Provider uses WebLogic Server and unknown classes are being run, the Java Security Manager is necessary. To use the Java Security Manager with WebLogic Server, specify the -Djava.security.manager property when starting WebLogic Server.
Note: In past releases of WebLogic Server, the Java Security Manager was enabled by using the -Dweblogic.security.manager property when starting WebLogic Server. Please note the change in the property for WebLogic Server version 6.0 and greater. The property is now named -Djava.security.manager.
The Java Security Manager uses a security policy file that defines permissions. The full pathname of the security policy file is specified in the -Djava.security.policy property when starting WebLogic Server. If you enable the Java Security Manager but do not specify a security policy file, the Java Security Manager uses the default security policies defined in the java.security and java.policy files in the $JAVA_HOME/lib/security directory.
WebLogic Server includes an example security policy file named weblogic.policy. This file contains a set of default permissions. You need to make the following edits to the file in order to use the file with your WebLogic Server deployment.
grant codebase "file://BEA/-"{
permission java.io.FilePermission "D:${/}BEA${/}=", ...
Note: In this example it is assumed that your installation directory structure is the same as the one described in "BEA Home Directory" in the BEA WebLogic Server Installation Guide.
grant {
permission java.io.FilePermission
"D:{/}BEA${/}wlserver600${/}weblogic${/}management${/}console${/}-",
"read";
permission java.io.FilePermission
"D:{/}BEA${/}wlserver600${/}config${/}mydomain${/}applications${/}.wl_te
mp_do_not_delete${/}weblogic${/}management${/}console${/}-", "read";
permission java.util.PropertyPermission "user.*", "read";
};
BEA also recommends taking the following precautions:
To use the Java Security Manager and the weblogic.policy file with your WebLogic Server deployment, use the following properties when starting WebLogic Server:
$java... -Djava.security.manager\
-Djava.security.policy==D:/BEA/wlserver600/lib/weblogic.policy
For more information about the Java Security Manager, see the Javadoc shipped with Java 2.
The RecordingSecurityManager utility can be used to detect permission problems that occur when starting and running WebLogic Server. The utility outputs permissions that can be added to your security policy file to resolve the permission problems that the utility finds. The RecordingSecurityManager is available at the BEA Developer's Center.
SSL with Plug-ins for Apache, Netscape, and IIS
With Service Pack 1 or higher, WebLogic Server 6.0 now supports SSL when you use the plug-ins. The WebLogic Administration Guide contains information on SSL and each plug-in.
Miscellaneous
If your domain is active, do not edit the config.xml file, as explained in the config.dtd. It is strongly recommended that changes to your configuration file be made through the Administration Console. Changes made to config.xml by any other means than the Administration Console may not be saved if the domain is active.
WebLogic uses an open source product called Beanshell. The initial developer of the original Beanshell code is Pat Niemeyer. Portions created by Pat Niemeyer are Copyright (C) 2000. All Rights Reserved. Beanshell is available under the Sun Public License and the GNU Lesser General Public License. The source code to Beanshell can be found at http://www.beanshell.org.
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Copyright © 2000 BEA Systems, Inc. All rights reserved.
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