Chapter 15 Portal Server

This chapter describes how to upgrade Portal Server from previous Java ES versions to Java ES 2005Q4 (Release 4): Sun Java System Portal Server 6 2005Q4.

The chapter provides a general overview of upgrade issues and procedures for the different upgrade paths supported by Java ES Release 4. The chapter covers the following:



Note	File locations in this chapter are specified with respect to a directory path referred to as PortalServer-base. At least part of this path might have been specified as an installation directory when Portal Server was initially installed. If not, the Java ES installer assigned a default value. The default value of PortalServer-base is C:/Sun/Portal Server.

Overview of Portal Server Upgrades

This section describes the following general aspects of Portal Server that impact upgrading to Java ES 2005Q4 (Release 4):

About Java ES Release 4 Portal Server

Java ES Release 4 Portal Server is functionally the same as Release 3, but contains bug fixes made since Release 3.

Portal Server Upgrade Roadmap

Table 15-1 shows the supported Portal Server upgrade paths to Java ES Release 4.

Table 15-1 Upgrade Paths to Java ES Release 4: Sun Java System Portal Server 6 2005Q4
Java ES Release	Portal Server Version	General Approach	Re-configuration Required
Release 3	Sun Java System Portal Server 6 2005Q1	Direct upgrade: Performed by applying patches. Some limitations apply (see procedures).	None

Portal Server Data

The following table shows the type of data that could be impacted by an upgrade of Portal Server software.

Table 15-2 Portal Server Data Usage
Type of Data	Location	Usage
Configuration data	PortalServer-base/config PortalServer-base Web Server web container: server.policy and server.xml files in WebServer-base/https-hostname/config Application Server web container: server.policy and domain.xml files in ApplicationServer-base/domain/domain1/config	Configuration of Portal Server and its web container instance.
Customization data	C:/Sun/Portal/Config/desktop	JAR files for customized modules Customized sample Portal Server desktop
Directory schema Services configuration User data	Directory Server	Portal Server depends on services configurations, such as the portal desktop, and user profile data that is stored in a directory.
Dynamic application data	None	Portal Server does not persistently store application data such as session state.

Compatibility Issues

Release 4 Portal Server does not introduce any interface changes. Portal Server components, including the mobile access component, are backwardly compatible with earlier versions.

Portal Server Dependencies

Portal Server dependencies on other Java ES components can impact the procedure for upgrading and re-configuring Portal Server software. Changes in Portal Server interfaces or functions, for example, could require upgraded version of components upon which Portal Server depends. The need to upgrade such components depends upon the specific upgrade path.

Shared components. Portal Server has dependencies on specific Java ES shared components (see Table 1-6).

Web Container. Portal Server depends upon web container services, which can be provided either by Java ES Web Server or Java ES Application Server (or by third-party web containers from Weblogic and WebSphere).

Access Manager (or Access Manager SDK). Portal Server depends upon Access Manager to provide authentication and authorization services for end users, including single sign-on.

Directory Server. Portal Server accesses user data stored in Directory Server. As a result, Portal Server upgrades might require extensions of directory schema.

Upgrading Portal Server from Java ES Release 3

This section includes information about upgrading Portal Server from Java ES 2005Q1 (Release 3) to Java ES 2005Q4 (Release 4).



Note	This section does not apply to the special case in which Portal Server is deployed in an Application Server web container and has been upgraded from Release 2 to Release 3 prior to being upgraded to Release 4. The aforementioned upgrade path is not currently supported. For more information, see the Sun Java System Portal Server 6 2005Q4 Release Notes (http://docs.sun.com/doc/819-2575).

Introduction

When upgrading Java ES Release 3 Portal Server to Release 4, consider the following aspects of the upgrade process:

General Upgrade Approach. The upgrade is performed by applying patches to the Release 3 version. Re-configuration of Portal Server is required only if the web container upon which Portal Server depends is upgraded or changed.

Upgrade Dependencies. While Portal Server has dependencies on a number of Java ES shared components (see Table 1-6), Release 4 Portal Server is compatible with the Release 3 version of these components. Upgrade of these shared components, except for Mobile Access Core (MA Core), is therefore optional with respect to upgrade of Portal Server to Release 4.

Portal Server Upgrade

This section describes how to perform an upgrade of Portal Server from Java ES Release 3 to Java ES Release 4. The section covers the following topics:

Pre-Upgrade Tasks

Upgrade Portal Server Dependencies

It is generally recommended that all Java ES components on a computer system (and in a computing environment) be upgraded to Java ES Release 4. However, Portal Server has a hard upgrade dependency only on the Mobile Access Core (MA Core) shared component. Upgrading of other Java ES Release 3 components upon which Portal Server depends is therefore optional.

However, if you choose to upgrade all Portal Server dependencies, they should be upgraded in the following order, all before you upgrade Portal Server. You can skip any that might already have been upgraded.

Shared Components. Instructions for upgrading Java ES shared components to Release 4 are provided in Chapter 2, "Upgrading Java ES Shared Components".

Directory Server. Instructions for upgrading Directory Server to Release 4 are provided in Chapter 3, "Directory Server and Administration Server".

Web Container Software. Instructions for upgrading Web Server or Application Server are provided in Chapter 5, "Web Server" and Chapter 8, "Application Server" respectively.



Note	Upgrading third-party web containers, such as those from WebLogic and WebSphere can cause Portal Server to break because customizations made to these containers to support Portal Server are overwritten by the container upgrade. In these cases you have to reinstall and re-configure Portal Server for the upgraded web container environments.

Back Up Release 3 Portal Server Configuration Information

Upgrade of Portal Server to Release 4 does not require the re-configuration of Portal Server software. However, as a safety measure you can back up the following directories where configuration information is stored:

Obtain Required Configuration Information and Passwords

You have to log in as superuser to perform the upgrade. If you are using Web Server as a web container, no configuration information is needed. However if you are using Application Server as a web container, you will need the Application Server administrator user ID and password.

Upgrading Portal Server

This section discusses considerations that impact the upgrade procedure for Portal Server followed by a description of the procedure itself.

Upgrade Considerations

The upgrade of Portal Server software to Java ES Release 4 takes into account the following considerations:

Upgrade Procedure

The procedure documented below applies to Portal Server on the computer where the upgrade is taking place.

Obtain the required patches, based on Table 1-3.

Patches can be downloaded from:

http://sunsolve.sun.com

Stop Portal Server by stopping its web container.

Web Server:

WebServer-base/https-instanceName/stopsvr.bat

Application Server:

ApplicationServer-base/bin/asadmin.bat stop-domain domainName

ApplicationServer-base/bin/asadmin.bat stop-node-agent hostName_domainName

Run the Prepatch.bat

Run the <Patch-id>.exe

Restart Portal Server by restarting its web container.

Web Server:

WebServer-base/https-instanceName/startsrv.bat

Application Server:

ApplicationServer-base/bin/asadmin.bat start-domain domainName
--user admin_ID --password password

Run the Postpatch.bat file

Re-configure the Portal Server:

PortalServer-base/Config/PSConfig.bat-s

Stop and restart the web container.

While not required in all situations, restarting the web container ensures that Portal Server starts in a clean state.

Verifying the Upgrade

The upgrade of Portal Server to Release 4 is verified by confirming that the upgrade patches have been properly applied.

You can verify that what previously worked still works and that bug fixes of interest have actually been fixed.

Post-Upgrade Tasks

Rolling Back the Upgrade

This section describes considerations that impact the upgrade rollback procedure for Portal Server followed by the procedure itself.

Rollback Considerations

The procedure for rolling back the upgrade to Release 4 of Portal Server is pretty much the reverse of the procedure for upgrading to Release 4. The re-configurations are rolled back and the patches are removed.

Rollback Procedure


Note	HKLM\SOFTWARE\Sun Microsystems\EntSys\Installer\Patches - Portal Server registry entry is not created for Portal Server.

Stop Portal Server by stopping its web container.

WebServer-base/https-instanceName/stopsvr.bat (Web Server)

ApplicationServer-base/bin/asadmin.bat stop-domain --d instanceName (Application Server)

Remove the patches by uninstalling the patch.

Restart Portal Server by restarting its web container.

Web Server:

WebServer-base/https-instanceName/startsrv.bat

Application Server:

ApplicationServer-base/bin/asadmin.bat start-domain domainName

--user admin_ID --password password

Run the Postbackout.bat file

Reconfigure the Portal Server web application to your web container.

PortalServer-base/config/PSConfig-s

Stop and restart the web container.

While not required in all situations, restarting the web container ensures that Portal Server starts in a clean state.

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