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Managing Server Startup and Shutdown

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Understanding Server Life Cycle

The series of states through which a WebLogic Server instance can transition is called the server life cycle. At any time, a WebLogic Server instance is in a particular operating state. Commands—such as start, stop, and suspend—cause specific changes to the operational state of a server instance. The following sections describe WebLogic Server states, state transitions, and life cycle commands.

 


Diagram of the Server Life Cycle

Figure 5-1 illustrates the server life cycle and the relationships between states and life cycle commands.

Figure 5-1 State Transitions for Server Life Cycle Commands

State Transitions for Server Life Cycle Commands


 


 

To understand each state and the relationships among states, see Understanding Server States in the Server Life Cycle. For information on life cycle commands, see Using Server Life Cycle Commands.

 


Getting and Using Server State

WebLogic Server displays and stores information about the current state of a server instance, and state transitions that have occurred since the server instance started up. This information is useful to administrators who:

Get server state as follows:

 


Understanding Server States in the Server Life Cycle

These sections describe each state in the WebLogic Server life cycle.

SHUTDOWN State

In the SHUTDOWN state, a WebLogic Server instance is configured but inactive.

A server instance enters the SHUTDOWN state as result of a Shutdown or Force Shutdown command. In addition, a server instance can kill itself when it detects, as a result of self-health monitoring, that it has become unstable. Only a server instance with its Auto Kill If Failed attribute is true will kill itself when it detects that it is failed. For more information, see Automatic Restart for Failed Server Instances.

You can transition a server instance in the SHUTDOWN state to the STARTING state with the Start, Start in Admin, or Start in Standby commands.

STARTING State

During the STARTING state, a WebLogic Server instance transitions from SHUTDOWN to STANDBY, as a result of a Start, Start in Admin, or Start in Standby command.

In the STARTING state, a server instance cannot accept any client or administrative requests.

The server instance obtains its configuration data:

The server instance starts the services listed in Table 5-1, in the order listed.

Table 5-1 Services Started in STARTING State

Service 

Function

weblogic.management.provider.internal.BeanInfoAccessService


weblogic.management.PropertyService


weblogic.management.internal.DomainDirectoryService


weblogic.upgrade.domain.DomainUpgradeServerService


weblogic.management.upgrade.ConfigurationMigrationService


weblogic.deploy.service.internal.DeploymentService


weblogic.management.provider.internal.RuntimeAccessDeploymentReceiverService


weblogic.management.provider.internal.RuntimeAccessService


weblogic.diagnostics.lifecycle.DiagnosticInstrumentationService


weblogic.t3.srvr.LicenseService


weblogic.t3.srvr.BootService

Includes basic services such as kernel, execute queues, and the server runtime.

weblogic.management.provider.internal.DomainAccessService

The root for Administration Server-only services.

weblogic.diagnostics.lifecycle.DiagnosticFoundationService

The container service for logging and debugging.

weblogic.nodemanager.NMService

The Node Manager service, responsible for reporting changes to server status to Node Manager via the server output stream.

weblogic.timers.internal.TimerService


weblogic.rjvm.RJVMService

During shutdown, closes all RJVMs except the Administration Server connection.

weblogic.protocol.ProtocolService


weblogic.t3.srvr.DomainLibService

Registers configured protocols, making them available for outbound traffic and inbound configuration. Managed Servers require this service to be available early in the startup sequence, to allow them to provide correct addressing information to the Administration Server.

weblogic.server.channels.Channel
Service

This service is dependent on consistent configuration, and protocols being registered. By this point in the startup sequence, all protocols should have been registered.

After this service starts, addressing information, such as ServerChannelManager.findDefaultLocalServer Channel(), is available.

weblogic.server.channels.AdminPort
Service


weblogic.t3.srvr.ListenerService


weblogic.transaction.internal.
PrimordialTransactionService

The transaction helper is initialized, providing utilities that associate transactions with threads, obtaining the Transaction Manager, obtain the UserTransaction object, and perform other tasks.

Note: The transaction service itself is not enabled at this point in the startup sequence.

weblogic.rmi.internal.RMIServerService

The RMI boot service that is used for initialization only.

weblogic.jndi.internal.NamingService


weblogic.iiop.IIOPClientService

Installs VM-wide delegates.

weblogic.management.Primordial
ManagementService


weblogic.ldap.EmbeddedLDAP


weblogic.security.SecurityService


weblogic.jndi.internal.RemoteNaming
Service


weblogic.security.acl.internal.Remote
SecurityService


weblogic.rmi.cluster.RemoteBinder
FactoryService


weblogic.cluster.ClusterService


weblogic.iiop.IIOPService


weblogic.protocol.ProtocolHandler
Service


weblogic.management.internal.AdminService


weblogic.xml.registry.XMLService


weblogic.messaging.interception.
MessageInterceptionService


weblogic.cluster.migration.rmiservice.MigratableRMIService


weblogic.messaging.interception.
configuration.Configurator


weblogic.drs.internal.DataReplication
Service


weblogic.management.provider.internal.EditAccessService

Start the Management Edit Service.

weblogic.health.HealthMonitorService


weblogic.cluster.migration.Migration
Service


weblogic.t3.srvr.T3Initialization
Service

Initializes deprecated T3 server services such as BootServicesImpl.

weblogic.server.channels.Channel
RuntimeService

Addressing information, such as ServerRuntime.getListenAddress(), and dynamic updates are available after this point in the startup sequence.

weblogic.store.admin.DefaultStore
Service


weblogic.transaction.internal.
TransactionService


weblogic.jdbc.common.internal.
JDBCService


weblogic.connector.common.
ConnectorService


weblogic.store.admin.Store
DeploymentService


weblogic.jms.JMSServiceServerLifeCycleImpl


weblogic.jms.BridgeService


weblogic.application.Application
ShutdownService

Checks pending application work during graceful shutdown. Applications are also shutdown here.

weblogic.messaging.saf.internal.
SAFServerService


weblogic.ejb20.deployer.EJB20Service


weblogic.io.common.internal.File
Service


weblogic.time.server.TimerService

Cancels application triggers during shutdown.

weblogic.rmi.internal.HeartbeatHelperService

Supports heartbeats in protocol-only clients.

weblogic.servlet.internal.WebService


weblogic.webservice.conversation.
internal.ConversationServiceImpl


weblogic.wtc.gwt.WTCServerLife
CycleImpl


com.beasys.CORBA.pool.weblogic.
WLECService


weblogic.management.service.Managed
ServerNotificationService


weblogic.webservice.WSServerService


weblogic.management.mbeanservers.
runtime.internal.RuntimeServerService

Run-time JMX services.

weblogic.management.mbeanservers.
edit.internal.EditServerService


weblogic.management.mbeanservers.compatability.internal.
CompatabilityMBeanServerService


weblogic.management.snmp.SNMPService


weblogic.management.deploy.
classdeployment.ClassDeploymentService

Adds handling of startup and shutdown classes.

weblogic.server.ServerLifeCycleService

Handles creation of the server life cycle runtime mbeans to allow for control of the domain.

weblogic.server.channels.EnableAdmin
ListenersService

Enables Admin port before server goes into ADMIN state.

domainweblogic.diagnostics.lifecycle.
DiagnosticSystemService



 

STANDBY State

A server instance in STANDBY does not process any request—its regular Listen Port is closed. The Administration Port is open, and accepts life cycle commands that transition the server instance to either the RUNNING or the SHUTDOWN state. Other Administration requests are not accepted.

Starting a server instance in standby is a method of keeping it available as a "hot" backup, a useful capability in high-availability environments.

The only life cycle command that causes a server instance to enter the STANDBY state and remain in that state is the Start in Standby command. A server instance transitions through the STANDBY state when you issue a Start or a Start in Admin command.

ADMIN State

In the ADMIN state, WebLogic Server is up and running, but available only for administration operations, allowing you to perform server and application-level administration tasks without risk to running applications. When a server instance is in the ADMIN state:

You can transition a server instance to the ADMIN state using the Start in Admin, Suspend, or Force Suspend commands.

A server instance transitions through the ADMIN state as a result of Start, Shutdown, and Force Shutdown commands.

You can transition a server instance in the ADMIN state to RUNNING with the Resume command, or to SHUTDOWN, with the Shutdown or Force Shutdown command.

RESUMING State

During this transitional state, WebLogic Server performs the operations required to move itself from the STANDBY or ADMIN state to the RUNNING state.

A server instance transitions to the RESUMING state when you issue the Resume command. A server instance transitions through the RESUMING state when you issue the Start command.

RUNNING State

In the RUNNING state, WebLogic Server is fully functional, offers its services to clients, and can operate as a full member of a cluster.

A server instance transitions to the RUNNING state as a result of the Start command, or the Resume command from the ADMIN or STANDBY states.

You can transition a server instance in the RUNNING state to the SUSPENDING state or the FORCE_SUSPENDING state using graceful and force Suspend and Shutdown commands.

SUSPENDING State

During this transitional state, WebLogic Server performs the operations required to place itself in the ADMIN state, suspending a subset of WebLogic Server subsystems and services in an ordered fashion, and completing a predefined portion of the application work currently in process ("in-flight" work).

A server instance transitions to the SUSPENDING state when you issue the Suspend command. A server instance transitions through the SUSPENDING state when you issue a Shutdown command.

For information about in-flight work, see Processing In-Flight Work During Suspend and Shutdown.

Note: While in the SUSPENDING state, Work Managers complete in-flight processing for pending work in application threads. For more information, see "Understanding Work Managers" in Configuring WebLogic Server Environments.

FORCE_SUSPENDING State

During this transitional state, WebLogic Server performs the operations required to place itself in the ADMIN state, suspending a subset of WebLogic Server subsystems and services in an ordered fashion. During the FORCE_SUSPENDING state, WebLogic Server does not complete in-flight work gracefully; application work in progress is abandoned.

A server instance transitions through the FORCE_SUSPENDING state when you issue the Force Suspend or Force Shutdown command.

SHUTTING_DOWN State

During this transitional state, WebLogic Server completes the suspension of subsystems and services and does not accept application or administration requests.

A server instance transitions to the SHUTTING_DOWN state when you issue a Shutdown or Force Shutdown command.

FAILED State

A running server instance can fail as a result of out-of-memory exceptions or stuck application threads, or if one or more critical services become dysfunctional. A server instance monitors its health, and upon detecting that one or more critical subsystems are unstable, it declares itself FAILED.

A FAILED server instance cannot satisfy administrative or client requests.

When a server instance enters the FAILED state, it attempts to return to a non-failed state. If it failed prior to reaching the ADMIN state, the server instance shuts itself down with an exit code that is less than zero. For information about server exit codes, see WebLogic Server Exit Codes and Restarting After Failure.

If the server instance fails after reaching the ADMIN state, in the RESUMING or RUNNING state, by default, it returns to the ADMIN state, if the administration port is enabled.

Note: If desired, you can configure a server instance that fails after reaching the ADMIN state, to shut itself down, rather than return to the ADMIN state

A server instance can enter the FAILED state from any other state.

 


Using Server Life Cycle Commands

This section describes each life cycle command, how to issue it, and its effect on the state of a server instance. For more information on:

For an illustration of the relationship between server states and server life cycle, see Figure 5-1.

Start

The Start command transitions a server instance from the SHUTDOWN state to the RUNNING state. Depending on the initial state of a server instance, the Start command causes these state transitions:

SHUTDOWN—>STARTING—>STANDBY—>ADMIN—>RESUMING—>RUNNING

The ServerMBean.StartupMode attribute lets you specify the state in which a server instance should be started. Its values are displayed and configurable in the Administration Console, using WLST, or when specified as a java weblogic.Server startup option. If you do not specify a startup mode value (either on the command line, in the Administration Console, or in config.xml), the default is to start in the RUNNING state.

For more information, see "Specify a Startup Mode" in the Administration Console Online Help and "Options for Configuring Server Attributes" in WebLogic Server Command Reference.

Command Usage

See "start", "startServer", and "nmStart" in WebLogic Scripting Tool and "Start Managed Servers from the Administration Console" in the Administration Console Online Help.

Start in Standby

The Start command, with Standby mode enabled, transitions a server instance from the SHUTDOWN state to the STANDBY state, with this sequence of state transitions.

SHUTDOWN—>STARTING—>STANDBY

Command Usage

See -Dweblogic.management.startupmode in WebLogic Server Command Reference and "Start Managed Servers in Standby Mode" in the Administration Console Online Help.

Start in Admin

The Start command, with Admin mode enabled, transitions a server instance from the SHUTDOWN state to the ADMIN state, with this sequence of state transitions:

SHUTDOWN—>STARTING—>STANDBY—>ADMIN

Command Usage

See -Dweblogic.management.startupmode in WebLogic Server Command Reference and "Start Managed Servers in Admin Mode" in the Administration Console Online Help.

Resume

The Resume command transitions a server instance from the STANDBY or ADMIN state to the RUNNING state, with this sequence of state transitions:

STANDBY—>ADMIN—>RESUMING—>RUNNING

Command Usage

See "resume" in WebLogic Scripting Tool and "Resume a Server" in the Administration Console Online Help.

Graceful Suspend

The Graceful Suspend command transitions a server instance from the RUNNING state to the ADMIN state, allowing work in process to be handled gracefully, with this sequence of state transitions:

RUNNING—>SUSPENDING—>ADMIN

Command Usage

See "suspend" in WebLogic Scripting Tool and "Suspend a Server" in the Administration Console Online Help.

Force Suspend

The Force Suspend command transitions a server instance from the RUNNING state to the ADMIN state, without handling work in process gracefully, with this sequence of state transitions:

RUNNING—>FORCE_SUSPENDING—>ADMIN

Command Usage

See "Forcibly Suspend Servers" in the Administration Console Online Help.

Graceful Shutdown

The Graceful Shutdown command transitions a server instance from the RUNNING state to the SHUTDOWN state, allowing work in process to be handled gracefully, with this sequence of state transitions:

RUNNING—>SUSPENDING—>ADMIN—>SHUTTING_DOWN—>SHUTDOWN

Command Usage

See "shutdown" in WebLogic Scripting Tool and "Shut Down a Server Instance" in the Administration Console Online Help.

Controlling Graceful Shutdown

ServerMBean has two attributes for controlling the length of the graceful shutdown process. Their values are displayed and configurable on the SERVER_NAME—>Control—>Start/Stop page:

See "Control Graceful Shutdowns" and "Shut Down Servers in a Cluster" in the Administration Console Online Help.

Shutdown Operations and Application Undeployment

During both graceful and forced shutdown, subsystems undeploy applications as appropriate. This processing can result in invocation of application code, such as servlet destroy() or ejbRemove() during shutdown. During the shutdown sequence, JMS, JDBC, and transactions are shutdown after applications are shutdown, allowing application code to access JMS, JDBC, and transaction services.

Force Shutdown

The Force Shutdown command transitions a server instance from the any state to the SHUTDOWN state, without allowing work in process to be handled gracefully. When run for a server instance in the RUNNING state, the Force Shutdown command results in these state transitions:

RUNNING—>FORCE_SUSPENDING—>ADMIN—>STANDBY—>SHUTDOWN

Command Usage

See "shutdown" in WebLogic Scripting Tool and "Forcibly Shutdown Servers" in the Administration Console Online Help.

A forced shutdown is immediate—WebLogic Server subsystems stop all application processing currently in progress. A forced shutdown can be performed on a server instance in any state.

If a fatal exception causes the forced shutdown to fail, the server will exit after the number of seconds specified by the ServerLifecycleTimeoutVal attribute in ServerMBean.

Note: When you force shutdown a server instance in a cluster, a clustered service will fail over to another server instance in the cluster, if its state is replicated on another server instance. However:

For information about undeployment processes during a forced shutdown, and related programming considerations, see Shutdown Operations and Application Undeployment.

 


Processing In-Flight Work During Suspend and Shutdown

The following sections describe how each subsystem handles work in process during SUSPENDING and SHUTTING_DOWN operations.

RMI Subsystem

The Remote Method Invocation (RMI) subsystem suspends in three steps. Each step in this process completes before the following step commences.

  1. Non-transaction remote requests are rejected by the Non-Transaction RMI Service.
  2. The Client Initiated Transaction Service waits for pending client transactions to complete.
  3. The Remote RMI Service rejects all remote requests with or without transactions.

After these steps are completed, no remote client requests are allowed. Requests with administrative privileges and internal system calls are accepted.

When a clustered server instance is instructed to prepare to suspend, the RMI system refuses any in-memory replication calls, to allow other cluster members to choose new hosts for replicated sessions.

Web Container

After the Web Container subsystem is instructed to prepare to suspend, it rejects new sessions requests. Existing sessions are handled according to the persistence method:

The completion of pending sessions is optional. To drop all sessions immediately, use the Ignore Sessions During Shutdown option on the SERVER_NAME—>Control—>Start/Stop page in the Administration Console, or the -ignoreSessions option with the WLST shutdown command.

In a cluster, when a primary session is dropped, the corresponding replicated sessions on another clustered instance will be also destroyed, in addition to the primary session on the server that is being gracefully shut down.

Timer Service

The Timer Service cancels all triggers running on application execute queues. Application execute queues include the default queue and queues configured through the ExecuteQueueMBean.

Application Service

The Application Service completes pending work in the application queues before suspending. Application execute queues include the default queue and queues configured through the ExecuteQueueMBean.

EJB Container

The EJB Container suspends Message Drive Beans (MDBs.)

JMS Service

The Java Messaging Service (JMS) marks itself as suspending, which causes new requests to be rejected. The JMS system suspends gracefully in this fashion:

If the server instance being shut down has a JMS server:

If the server instance being shutdown has a JMS connection factory:

Generally each step in the graceful suspend of the JMS subsystem occurs quickly—in less than a second. Potentially, completion of a client request could take longer, if the request requires higher than normal disk I/O, for example, a request for a persistent "send" of a 100-megabyte message.

You can monitor the number of connections to a JMS server, the number of consumers to a JMS connection factory, and related run-time information using JMS runtime MBeans, including JMSRuntimeMbean, JMSConnectionRuntimeMBean, JMSConsumerRuntimeMBean.

JDBC Service

The JDBC Service closes idle connections in the connection pools.

Note: If connections are still in use, the shutdown of the JDBC service will fail, and the graceful shutdown will not complete. To shut down a server instance while applications still hold connections, use a forced shutdown command, described in Force Shutdown.

Transaction Service

The Transaction Service waits for the pending transaction count in the Transaction Manager to drop to zero before suspending. Completing all pending transactions can be a lengthy process, depending on the configured transaction timeout.

If a graceful shutdown takes too long because of pending transactions, you can halt it with a forced shutdown command. Force Shutdown suspends all pending work in all subsystems.

 

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