1 Introduction

This document describes the procedures to upgrade your WebLogic Server application environment to WebLogic Server 11g Release 1 (10.3.6). An application environment includes applications, the WebLogic domains in which they are deployed, and any application data associated with the domain, and may include external resources, such as database servers, firewalls, load balancers, and LDAP servers.

Note:

For information about upgrading your Java EE environment and your deployed applications from Oracle Application Server 10g and Oracle Containers for Java EE (OC4J) to WebLogic Server 11g Release 1 (10.3.6), see Oracle Fusion Middleware Upgrade Guide for Java EE.

Oracle does not require WebLogic domains to be upgraded from WebLogic Server 10.3 to 10.3.6. WebLogic domains based upon WebLogic Server 10.3 run on WebLogic Server 10.3.6 without modification.

WebLogic Server 10.3.6 includes powerful tools to assist you with upgrading your application environments including the WebLogic Upgrade Wizard for upgrading domains, custom security providers, and custom node managers.

Most WebLogic Server applications can be run without modifications in the new WebLogic Server 10.3.6 application environment.

The following sections provide an overview of the topics discussed in this chapter:

Important Terminology

We recommend that, before proceeding, you familiarize yourself with the following terminology:

  • Upgrade—To update WebLogic products from a previous release or service pack to a more recent one. This process may include updating an existing application or domain configuration to run in a more recent version of WebLogic Server.

  • Migrate—To move an application or domain configuration from a third-party product to an Oracle product.

  • Interoperability—(1) The ability of an application deployed in one release or service pack to communicate with another application that is deployed in a different release or service pack. (2) The ability of Oracle product components to communicate with third-party software using standard protocols.

  • Compatibility—The capability of an application built using one release or service pack to run in another release or service pack, regardless of whether the application was rebuilt.

Overview of the Upgrade Process

The process required to upgrade an application environment depends on the scope of the application. An application environment includes a WebLogic domain and any applications and application data associated with the domain. It may also include external resources, such as firewalls, load balancers, and LDAP servers. Figure 1-1 shows an example of a WebLogic application environment.

Figure 1-1 Example WebLogic Application Environment

Description of Figure 1-1 follows
Description of "Figure 1-1 Example WebLogic Application Environment"

Table 1-1 lists the components of the WebLogic application environment shown in Figure 1-1 and the upgrade requirements for each.

Table 1-1 Upgrade Requirements for Components in Example WebLogic Application Environment

Component Description Upgrade Requirements

WebLogic domain

Includes the Administration Server (AS) and optionally one or more Managed Servers (for example, MS1, MS2, MS3, and MS4). The servers in a domain may span multiple machines. Furthermore, you can group Managed Servers into clusters to support load balancing and failover protection for critical applications. For more information about WebLogic domains, see "Understanding Oracle WebLogic domains" in Understanding Domain Configuration for Oracle WebLogic Server.

Upgrade the domain directory on each computer in the domain.

Custom security provider

Supports custom security requirements. For information about developing custom security providers, see Developing Security Providers for Oracle WebLogic Server.

Upgrade the custom security providers on each computer in the domain.

Node Manager

Provides high availability to Managed Servers. For more information about Node Manager, see "Node Manager Overview" in Node Manager Administrator's Guide for Oracle WebLogic Server.

Upgrade custom Node Manager on each computer in the domain.

Applications

Any Java EE applications, including Web applications, EJBs, and so on. Typically, applications are deployed to one or more Managed Servers in a domain. Depending on the deployment strategy, applications may reside locally on a computer or be accessible using a shared directory. In addition, external client applications may access the application environment from outside a firewall.

Most WebLogic Server applications can be run without modifications in the new WebLogic Server 10.3.6 application environment. For more information, see Interoperability and Compatibility with Previous Releases.

External resources

Software components, such as databases for storing domain and application data, load balancers, and firewalls.

Verify that all external resources are compatible with WebLogic Server 10.3.6. For more information, see "Supported Configurations" in What's New in Oracle WebLogic Server.


How the Upgrade Wizard Simplifies the Upgrade Process

The WebLogic Upgrade Wizard guides you through the steps required to upgrade a WebLogic domain that is compatible with WebLogic Server 8.1 or later such that it runs in a WebLogic Server 10.3.6 application environment. As part of the upgrade process, you must upgrade any custom security providers and Node Managers used in the domain.

You can also use the WebLogic Upgrade Wizard to upgrade to 10.3.6 a WebLogic domain that is compatible with WebLogic Server 9.x or 10.0, but this is optional. This type of domain runs under WebLogic Server 10.3.6 without modification.

You can step through the upgrade process interactively, using the graphical user interface (GUI), or "silently", by creating an upgrade script and running it. Silent Mode is supported for upgrading a WebLogic domain, security providers, and Node Manager.

Interoperability and Compatibility with Previous Releases

Application environments that run with WebLogic Server 10.3.6 can interact with application environments built on WebLogic Server Version 8.1, 9.x, 10.0, or 10.3.

Most existing WebLogic Server applications can be run without modification in the new WebLogic Server 10.3.6 application environment. You should review the compatibility information described in Appendix B, "WebLogic Server 10.3.6 Compatibility with Previous Releases," to determine whether any feature changes affect the applications in your environment. If your application uses APIs that have been deprecated or removed, then you may encounter warnings or exceptions at run time (see "Deprecated Functionality (WebLogic Server 11g Release 1)" in What's New in Oracle WebLogic Server).