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BEA WebLogic Server

This topic describes how to set up and use a WebLogic server with the BEA Workshop Studio family of products. The topics discussed here are:

This topic assumes that you already have a server installed locally on your development machine, or on a server available for development. For information on installing, setting up and managing the server, consult the WebLogic Server documentation.

Defining the Server Inside the IDE

To define a server:

  1. Before you run an application for the first time, the Run > Debug command allows you to define your server.
  2. To define a new server, right click on J2EE Server and choose New.
  3. On the next screen, first specify a name for the server in the Name field. This name is for internal use in the IDE only.

  4. Next, click New to specify the server type.
  5. Choose the server by expanding BEA Systems and choosing the appropriate server. Click Next to continue.

  6. In the next dialog, you must specify the WebLogic Server settings.

    Note that you must specify the full JDK (not just the JRE that is the default).

    Click Next to continue.

  7. The next screen specifies additional WebLogic Server settings.

  8. Fill in the appropriate values and click Finish to continue.

  9. You will be returned to the Debug dialog. Click (beside the Deployed Projects box) to specify which projects will be deployed to this server.

  10. After you click Finish, the projects will be listed in the Deployed Projects box.

    Note that the first project is automatically selected in the Select Project to Debug field. You can use the pull-down to specify which project will be debugged.

    Only one project at a time can be debugged on the server. The project that is currently allowed to run in debug mode is the project displayed in the Select Project to Debug field. You are not required to run this project in debug mode, but if you wish to debug another project on the server, you must change this setting before debugging the application.

  11. Note the Connection Type default setting is for local servers that are managed within the IDE. Click Apply and the server definition is complete. A new server entry appears in Servers view.
  12. If you wish to debug your application at this point, click Debug to run the selected application in debug mode. Otherwise, click Close.

     

Updating the Server Definition

To update the definition for a server:

  1. Double click on the server name in the Servers view to see the Server Overview.

  2. From Server Overview you can view and set server properties.
  3. You can also click on the Properties tab to alter the properties that were set when the server was configured.

Running and Debugging Applications

Running and debugging applications is the same for all servers.

Deploying Applications Manually

To deploy an application manually requires that you create an alternate configuration. For information on how to create an alternate configuration, consult your server documentation.

To deploy the alternate configuration:

  1. Double click the server name in the Servers view. The Server Overview will be displayed.

    Manual deployment is only allowed when the Run module directly from the workspace option is selected.

    For WebLogic 8.1, you will see this screen that allows you to specify a custom configuration XML file OR to use the existing config.xml without updating.

    For WebLogic 9, you will see this screen that allows you to use the existing config.xml without updating. For WebLogic 9, you cannot specify the name of a custom configuration file. When you click on Manual deployment with existing configuration, the field specifying the config.xml file name is read-only and the Select button is disabled.

Using Remote Debugging

To debug on a remote server (or on a local server which is started and managed OUTSIDE of the IDE), you must configure the server for remote debugging, deploy the application manually and then define the remote server's address.

Step 1: Configuring the Server to Allow Remote Debugging

Configuring the server for remote debugging is a feature of the server. This information is provided for your convenience. For definitive documentation, consult your server documentation.

WebLogic 8.1

Workshop uses standard JPDA and self-generated line maps. The JSR-45 debug information has to be disabled. The class debug information has to be enabled by placing the following attributes in the application weblogic.xml file:

<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?> 
<!DOCTYPE weblogic-web-app PUBLIC "-//BEA Systems, Inc.//DTD Web Application 8.1//EN" "http://www.bea.com/servers/wls810/dtd/weblogic810-web-jar.dtd" >
<weblogic-web-app>
 <jsp-descriptor>
        <jsp-param>
            <param-name>compileFlags</param-name>
            <param-value>-g</param-value>
        </jsp-param>
        <jsp-param>
            <param-name>keepgenerated</param-name>
             <param-value>true</param-value>
        </jsp-param>
 </jsp-descriptor>
</weblogic-web-app> 

WebLogic 9.2

Workshop uses standard JPDA and self-generated line maps. The class debug information has to be enabled by placing the following attributes in the application weblogic.xml file:

<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?> 
<weblogic-web-app xmlns="http://www.bea.com/ns/weblogic/90";>
    <jsp-descriptor>
        <keepgenerated>true</keepgenerated>
<working-dir>D:\runtime-workspace-test2\.metadata\.plugins\com.m7.nitrox\struts-example_1_1\WebApp\.m7debugger\weblogic9\struts-example_1_1\work</working-dir>
        <backward-compatible>true</backward-compatible>
		<debug>true</debug>
    </jsp-descriptor>
    <context-root>/</context-root>
</weblogic-web-app>

WebLogic 8.1 AND 9.2

Add the following line to the script file used to start Weblogic server, e.g. startWeblogic.cmd

    set JAVA_OPTIONS=-Xdebug -Xnoagent -Xrunjdwp:transport=dt_socket,address=8453,server=y,suspend=n 

The Weblogic Server console should display the message:

   Listening for transport dt_socket at address: 8453

Step 2: Preparing the Application for Remote Debugging

Before attempting to debug an application on a remote server, you must:

  1. Build the application (not required if Build Automatically is set).
  2. Deploy the application manually. You can deploy as an exploded application or use a WAR or EAR file to deploy.
  3. Clear, the work/temp directory to remove files without debug information.
  4. Make sure the deployed application version matches with the one in IDE.

Step 3: (Optional) Enabling JSP Servlet Source Debugging on Separate Server

When remote debugging an application on a physically separate machine, the debugger will hit JSP breakpoints but the IDE will not show the correct source line in JSP, becasue Workshop Studio is trying to locate JSP servlet source for line mapping but the files are not available to the IDE.

To enable source debugging of servlets on a separate server, map the following directory (on the remote server) to a local directory, and use the Source Lookup Path dialog, or the Source tab in the Launch Configuration dialog (the Run > Run command), to add the mapped directory to Source Lookup Path.

For Weblogic 9.x:
The JSP servlet src output folder is specified in \WEB-INF\weblogic.xml in the web application,
this needs to be configured when setting up remote Weblogic server for debugging:
     <jsp-descriptor>
         <keepgenerated>true</keepgenerated>
         <working-dir>C:\temp\jsp-servlet\struts-example_1_1\work</working-dir>
         <backward-compatible>true</backward-compatible>
    <debug>true</debug>
     </jsp-descriptor>

For Weblogic 8.1:
$WLS_DOMAIN\server\.wlnotdelete\extract
e.g.:
C:\bea\user_projects\domains\mydomain\myserver\.wlnotdelete\extract\myserver___wstudio_autoconfig_deployment___struts-example_1_1_dbg

Step 4: Defining the Remote Server and Debugging the Application

To define a remote server:

  1. Define the server.
  2. Click Run > Debug to modify the server definition for remote operation. Click on the name of your server under J2EE Server.

    Change the Connection Type to Standard (Socket Attach) and specify the Host and Port.

  3. The Allow termination of remote VM checkbox is not recommended because it allows the IDE to do a hard stop of the server, even if the server is in mid-transaction.
  4. Click Apply to save your changes.
  5. Click Debug to run the application in debug mode.

Note that when debugging an application on a remote server, you must not disable the Run module directly from the workspace option when you update server settings.

Related Topics

Running and Debugging

 

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