7 Preparing the File System for an Enterprise Deployment

This chapter describes how to prepare the file system for an Oracle Fusion Middleware enterprise deployment. This preparation involves understanding the requirements for local and shared storage, as well as the terminology used to reference important directories and file locations during the installation and configuration of the enterprise topology.

This chapter contains the following sections:

7.1 Overview of Preparing the File System for an Enterprise Deployment

It is important to set up your storage in a way that makes the enterprise deployment easier to understand, configure, and manage. Oracle recommends setting up your storage according to information in this chapter. The terminology defined in this chapter is used in diagrams and procedures throughout the guide.

Use this chapter as a reference to help understand the directory variables used in the installation and configuration procedures.

Other directory layouts are possible and supported, but the model adopted in this guide was designed for maximum availability, providing both the best isolation of components and symmetry in the configuration and facilitating backup and disaster recovery. The rest of the document uses this directory structure and directory terminology.

7.2 Shared Storage Recommendations When Installing and Configuring an Enterprise Deployment

Before you implement the detailed recommendations in this chapter, be sure to review the recommendations and general information about using shared storage in the High Availability Guide.

The recommendations in this chapter are based on the concepts and guidelines described in the High Availability Guide.

Table 7-1 lists the key sections you should review and how those concepts apply to an enterprise deployment.

Table 7-1 Shared Storage Resources in the High Availability Guide

Section in High Availability Guide Importance to an Enterprise Deployment

"Shared Storage Prerequisites"

Describes guidelines for disk format and the requirements for hardware devices that are optimized for shared storage.

"Using Shared Storage for Binary (Oracle Home) Directories"

Describes your options for storing the Oracle home on a shared storage device that is available to multiple hosts.

For the purposes of the enterprise deployment, Oracle recommends using redundant Oracle homes on separate storage volumes.

If a separate volume is not available, a separate partition on the shared disk should be used to provide redundant Oracle homes to application tier hosts.

"Using Shared Storage for Domain Configuration Files"

Describes the concept of creating separate domain homes for the Administration Server and the Managed Servers in the domain.

For an enterprise deployment, the Administration Server domain home location is referenced by the ASERVER_ADMIN variable.

"Shared Storage Requirements for JMS Stores and JTA Logs"

This guide provides instructions in later chapters for setting the location of the transaction logs and JMS stores for an enterprise deployment. These instructions comply with the guidelines described in the High Availability Guide.


7.3 Understanding the Recommended Directory Structure for an Enterprise Deployment

The following diagrams show the recommended directory structure for a typical Oracle Fusion Middleware enterprise deployment.

The directories shown in the diagrams contain binary files that are installed on disk by the Oracle Fusion Middleware installers, domain-specific files generated via the domain configuration process, as well as domain configuration files that are propagated to the various host computers via the Oracle WebLogic Server pack and unpack commands:

  • Figure 7-1 shows the resulting directory structure on the shared storage device after you have installed and configured a typical Oracle Fusion Middleware enterprise deployment. The shared storage directories are accessible by the application tier host computers.

  • Figure 7-2 shows the resulting directory structure on the local storage device for a typical application tier host after you have installed and configured an Oracle Fusion Middleware enterprise deployment. The managed servers in particular are stored on the local storage device for the application tier host computers.

  • Figure 7-3 shows the resulting directory structure on the local storage device for a typical Web tier host after you have installed and configured an Oracle Fusion Middleware enterprise deployment. Note that the software binaries (in the Oracle home) are installed on the local storage device for each Web tier host.

Where applicable, the diagrams also include the standard variables used to reference the directory locations in the installation and configuration procedures in this guide.

Figure 7-1 Recommended Shared Storage Directory Structure for an Enterprise Deployment

Description of Figure 7-1 follows
Description of ''Figure 7-1 Recommended Shared Storage Directory Structure for an Enterprise Deployment''

Figure 7-2 Recommended Local Storage Directory Structure for an Application Tier Host Computer in an Enterprise Deployment

Description of Figure 7-2 follows
Description of ''Figure 7-2 Recommended Local Storage Directory Structure for an Application Tier Host Computer in an Enterprise Deployment''

Figure 7-3 Recommended Local Storage Directory Structure for a Web Tier Host Computer in an Enterprise Deployment

Description of Figure 7-3 follows
Description of ''Figure 7-3 Recommended Local Storage Directory Structure for a Web Tier Host Computer in an Enterprise Deployment''

7.4 File System and Directory Variables Used in This Guide

Table 7-2 lists the file system directories and the directory variables used to reference the directories. Throughout this guide, the instructions for installing and configuring the topology refer to the directory locations using the variables shown here.

You can also define system variables for each of these directories listed in this section. If you define these variables for the particular UNIX shell you are using, you can then use the variables as they are used in this document, without having to map the variables to the actual values for you environment.

Workbook Note:

As you configure your storage devices to accommodate the recommended directory structure, note the actual directory paths in the Enterprise Deployment Workbook. You will use these addresses later when you enable the IP addresses on each host computer.

For more information, see Chapter 4, "Using the Enterprise Deployment Workbook"

Table 7-2 Sample Values for Key Directory Variables on the Application Tier

Directory Variable Description Sample Value on the Application Tier

ORACLE_HOME

The read-only location for the product binaries. For the application tier host computers, it is stored on shared disk.

The Oracle home is created when you install the Oracle Fusion Middleware Infrastructure software.

You can then install additional Oracle Fusion Middleware products into the same Oracle home.

/u01/oracle/products/fmwnnnn

In this example, replace nnnn with the release number. For example:

/u01/oracle/products/fmw1213/

ORACLE_COMMON_HOME

The directory within the Oracle Fusion Middleware Oracle home where common utilities, libraries, and other common Oracle Fusion Middleware products are stored.

/u01/oracle/products/fmwnnnn/oracle_common

WL_HOME

The directory within the Oracle home where the Oracle WebLogic Server software binaries are stored.

/u01/oracle/products/fmwnnnn/wlserver

PROD_DIR

Individual product directories for each Oracle Fusion Middleware product you install.

/u01/oracle/products/fmwnnnn/soa

EM_DIR

The product directory used to store the Oracle Enterprise Manager Fusion Middleware Control software binaries.

/u01/oracle/products/fmwnnnn/em

JAVA_HOME

The location where you install the supported Java Development Kit (JDK).

/u01/oracle/products/jdk_version

ASERVER_HOME

The Administration Server domain home, which is installed on shared disk.

/u01/oracle/config/domains/domain_name

In this example, replace domain_name with the name of the WebLogic Server domain; for example, soa_domain.

MSERVER_HOME

The Managed Server domain home, which is created via the unpack command on the local disk of each application tier host.

/u02/oracle/config/domains/domain_name

APPLICATION_HOME

The Application home directory, which is installed on shared disk, so the directory is accessible by all the application tier host computers.

/u01/oracle/config/applications
      /domain_name

DEPLOY_PLAN_HOME

The deployment plan directory, which is used as the default location for application deployment plans.

/u01/oracle/config/dp

OHS_ADMIN_CONFIG_DIR

This is the location of the Oracle HTTP Server configuration files (for example, httpd.conf and moduleconf/*.conf) in the Administration Server domain home directory (ASERVER_HOME).

When modifying the Oracle HTTP Server instance configurations, edit the Web server configuration files in this location only; on restart, the Administration Server will propagate the changes automatically to the Web tier hosts.

/u01/oracle/config/domains/domain_name
      /config/fmwconfig/components/OHS
      /instance_name

Table 7-3 Sample Values for Key Directory Variables on the Web Tier

Directory Variable Description Sample Value on the Web Tier

ORACLE_HOME

The read-only location for the product binaries. For the Web tier host computers, it is stored on local disk.

The Oracle home is created when you install the Oracle Fusion Middleware Infrastructure software.

You can then install additional Oracle Fusion Middleware products into the same Oracle home.

/u02/oracle/products/fmwnnnn

In this example, replace nnnn with the release number. For example:

/u02/oracle/products/fmw1213/

ORACLE_COMMON_HOME

The directory within the Oracle Fusion Middleware Oracle home where common utilities, libraries, and other common Oracle Fusion Middleware products are stored.

/u02/oracle/products/fmwnnnn
    /oracle_common

WL_HOME

The directory within the Oracle home where the Oracle WebLogic Server software binaries are stored.

/u02/oracle/products/fmwnnnn/wlserver

PROD_DIR

Individual product directories for each Oracle Fusion Middleware product you install.

/u02/oracle/products/fmwnnnn/ohs

EM_DIR

The product directory used to store the Oracle Enterprise Manager Fusion Middleware Control software binaries.

/u02/oracle/products/fmwnnnn/em

MSERVER_HOME

The Managed Server domain home, which is created via the unpack command on the local disk of each Web tier host.

/u02/oracle/config/domains/domain_name

APPLICATION_HOME

The Application home directory, which unlike the application tier, is installed on local disk on each Web tier host.

/u02/oracle/config/applications
    /domain_name

JAVA_HOME

The location where you install the supported Java Development Kit (JDK).

/u02/oracle/products/jdk

OHS_WEBHOST_CONFIG_DIR

This is the location of the Oracle HTTP Server configuration files (for example, httpd.conf and moduleconf/*.conf) on each Web host.

Use this location on the Web tier local disk to verify that changes made in the OHS_ADMIN_CONFIG_DIR were propagated after the restart of the Administration Server.

/u02/oracle/config/domains
    /domain_name/config/fmwconfig
    /components/OHS/instances
    /instance_name

7.5 About Creating and Mounting the Top-Level Directories for an Enterprise Deployment

When creating or mounting the top-level directories, note the following best practices:

  • For the application tier, install the Oracle home (which contains the software binaries) on a second shared storage volume or second partition that is mounted to SOAHOST2. Be sure the directory path to the binaries on SOAHOST2 is identical to the directory path on SOAHOST1.

    For example:

    /u01/oracle/products/fmw1213/
    

    For more information, see Section 7.2.

  • For WEBHOST1 and WEBHOST2, install the Oracle home on local storage.

    As with the application tier servers (SOAHOST1 and SOAHOST2), use the same directory path on both computers.

    For example:

    /u02/oracle/products/fmw1213/