Configuring and Using the WebLogic Diagnostics Framework
The following sections describe the contents and audience for this guide—Configuring and Using the WebLogic Diagnostic Framework:
The WebLogic Diagnostic Framework (WLDF) is a monitoring and diagnostic framework that defines and implements a set of services that run within BEA WebLogic Server® processes and participate in the standard server life cycle. Using WLDF, you can create, collect, analyze, archive, and access diagnostic data generated by a running server and the applications deployed within its containers. This data provides insight into the run-time performance of servers and a
WLDF includes several components for collecting and analyzing data:
WLDF provides a set of standardized application programming interfaces (APIs) that enable dynamic access and control of diagnostic data, as well as improved monitoring that provides visibility into the server. Independent Software Vendors (ISVs) can use these APIs to develop custom monitoring and diagnostic tools for integration with WLDF.
WLDF was a new feature in WebLogic Server 9.0. WLDF enables dynamic access to server data through standard interfaces, and the volume of data accessed at any given time can be modified without shutting down and restarting the server.
This document describes and tells how to configure and use the monitoring and diagnostic services provided by WLDF.
WLDF provides features for monitoring and diagnosing problems in running WebLogic Server instances and clusters and in applications deployed to them. Therefore, the information in this document is directed both to system administrators and to application developers. It also contains information for third-party tool developers who want to build tools to support and extend WLDF.
It is assumed that readers are familiar with Web technologies and the operating system and platform where WebLogic Server is installed.
This document is organized as follows:
DyeInjection
monitor and how to use dye filtering with diagnostic monitors.weblogic.WLST
) to configure and use WLDF components.
diagnostics.xsd
schema, available at http://www.bea.com/ns/weblogic/90/diagnostics.xsd. See WebLogic Server Diagnostics Configuration Schema Reference for documentation.
In addition to this document, BEA Systems provides a variety of samples and tutorials that show WLDF configuration and use.
MedRec is an end-to-end sample J2EE application shipped with WebLogic Server that simulates an independent, centralized medical record management system. The MedRec application provides a framework for patients, doctors, and administrators to manage patient data using a variety of different clients.
MedRec demonstrates WebLogic Server and J2EE features, and highlights BEA-recommended best practices. MedRec is included in the WebLogic Server distribution, and can be accessed from the Start menu on Windows machines. For Linux and other platforms, you can start MedRec from the WL_HOME\samples\domains\medrec
directory, where WL_HOME is the top-level installation directory for WebLogic Platform.
The WebLogic Diagnostic Framework was introduced in WebLogic Server 9.0. The following features are new in this release.
WebLogic Server supports deployment plans, as specified in the J2EE Deployment Specification API (JSR-88). With deployment plans, you can modify an application's configuration after the application is built, without having to modify the application archives.
In release 9.0, you had to redeploy an application after making changes to its diagnostic configuration, even when using a deployment plan.
In WebLogic Server 9.1, WLDF supports a feature called "hot swap" when using deployment plans. If you enable hot swap and then deploy your application with a deployment plan, you can dynamically update diagnostic instrumentation settings without redeploying the application.
See Using Deployment Plans for Dynamically Controlling Instrumentation Configuration.
The WebLogic Diagnostic Framework (WLDF) Console Extension is an extension that you can add to the WebLogic Server Administration Console. It provides views and tools for graphically presenting ("visualizing") diagnostic data in charts and graphs. See Using the WebLogic Diagnostic Framework Console Extension.