Configuring a Clustered Deployment

This section describes the tasks that you must perform to configure AquaLogic Service Bus for deployment in a clustered environment.

After planning the architecture of your clustered domain, as described in Designing a Clustered Deployment, you are ready to set up AquaLogic Service Bus in a clustered environment. To do this, you must configure an administration server and managed servers, and then deploy AquaLogic Service Bus resources to the servers. You also need a router (hardware or software), if you need inbound HTTP load balance functions. The persistent configuration for a domain of WebLogic Server instances and clusters is stored in an XML configuration file (config.xml) in the config directory of the root directory of your AquaLogic Service Bus domain.

To set up and deploy AquaLogic Service Bus in a clustered domain, complete the following steps:

Step 1. Comply with Configuration Prerequisites

This section describes prerequisites for configuring AquaLogic Service Bus to run in a clustered environment:

Obtain a WebLogic Server cluster license for each required installation.

To use WebLogic Server in a clustered configuration, you must have a special cluster license. Contact your BEA representative for information about obtaining one.

Obtain an IP address for the administration server you will use for the cluster.

All WebLogic Server instances in a cluster use the same administration server for configuration and monitoring. When you add servers to a cluster, you must specify the administration server that each will use.

Define a multicast address for each cluster

Note:

You are prompted to provide a multicast address when you create a BEA AquaLogic Service Bus domain using the Configuration Wizard. (See Step 2. Prepare a AquaLogic Service Bus Domain.)

The multicast address is used by cluster members to communicate with each other. Clustered servers must share a single, exclusive multicast address. For each cluster on a network, the combination of multicast address and port must be unique. If two clusters on a network use the same multicast address, they should use different ports. If the clusters use different multicast addresses, they can use the same port or accept the default port, 7001. To support multicast messages, the administration server and the managed servers in a cluster must be located on the same subnet.

Define IP addresses for the servers in your cluster. You can do this in a number of ways:

Note:

You are prompted to provide listen addresses for servers when you create a BEA AquaLogic Service Bus domain using the Configuration Wizard. (See Step 2. Prepare a AquaLogic Service Bus Domain.)

Assign a single IP address and different listen port numbers to the servers in the cluster.

By assigning a single IP address for your clustered servers with a different port number for each server, you can set up a clustered environment on a single machine without the need to make your machine a multihomed server.

To access such an IP address from a client, structure the IP address and port number in your URL in one of the following ways:

ipAddress:portNumber-portNumber	When the port numbers are sequential, for example: `127.0.0.1:7003-7005`
ipAddress:portNumber+...+portNumber	When the port numbers are not sequential, for example: `127.0.0.1:7003+7006+7008`
ipAddress:portNumber,ipAddress:portNumber,...	Verbose, explicit specification, for example: `127.0.0.1:7003,127.0.0.1:7004,127.0.0.1:7005`

Assign a static IP address for each WebLogic Server instance to be started on each machine in the cluster.

In this case, when multiple servers are run on a single machine, that machine must be configured as a multihomed server, that is, multiple IP addresses are assigned to a single computer. Under these circumstances, you structure the cluster address as a comma-separated list of IP addresses.

For example, the following listing is an example of a cluster address specified in a config.xml file. It specifies a static IP address for each of the four servers in a cluster named MyCluster:

<Cluster ClusterAddress="127.0.0.1:7001,127.0.0.2:7001,127.0.0.3,127.0.0.4:7001" Name="MyCluster"/>

You can also use a DNS approach to identifying servers.

For more information on addressing issues, see “Avoiding Listen Address Problems” in Setting Up WebLogic Clusters in Using WebLogic Server Clusters.

Note:

In test environments, it is possible to have multiple WebLogic Server instances on a single machine. In these circumstances, you can have some WebLogic Server instances on the same node with different port numbers and some on different nodes with the same port number.

Configure one of the following databases for your clustered domain:

Microsoft SQL Server
Oracle

Note:

The local copy of the PointBase database that is installed with WebLogic Server is for evaluation purposes only. Non-evaluation development or other use of the PointBase Server requires that a separate PointBase license be obtained by the end user directly from DataMirror.

It is important to configure your database appropriately for production use. You must provide adequate space to store data and log messages, and follow best practices for administering your database.

Note:

You can configure your database to use concurrent access.

For the latest information about issues regarding specific databases, see the BEA AquaLogic Service Bus Release Notes.

Include a shared file system. A shared file system is required for any cluster you want to be highly available. We recommend either a Storage Area Network (SAN) or a multiported disk system.

For information about configuring a highly available cluster, see “Configuring WebLogic JMS Clustering” in Configuring Clustered WebLogic JMS Resources in Configuring and Managing WebLogic JMS.

Configure a hardware or software router for your system. Load balancing can be accomplished using either the built-in load balancing capabilities of a WebLogic proxy plug-in or separate load balancing hardware.

For information about hardware and software routers, see Using WebLogic Server Clusters.

Note:

Additional requirements apply when you design your domain to include one or more firewalls. For a description of how to add firewall information to your domain configuration file, see Adding Proxy Server or Firewall Information to your Domain Configuration. For additional information, see Communications in a Cluster in Using WebLogic Server Clusters.

AquaLogic Service Bus load balances File, Email, and FTP transport processing across the managed servers in a cluster. All managed servers in the cluster should be able to access the Archive, Stage, and Error directories specified in any File, Email, or FTP proxy service configuration. These directories should be configured in a shared file system such as NFS. By using a shared file system, users and programs can access files on remote systems almost as if they were local files.

For information on how to configure the Archive, Stage, and Error directories, see “Viewing and Changing Proxy Services” in Proxy Services in the Using the AquaLogic Service Bus Console.

For more information about setting up clustered WebLogic Server instances, see Setting Up WebLogic Clusters in Using WebLogic Server Clusters.

Step 2. Prepare a AquaLogic Service Bus Domain

When preparing an AquaLogic Service Bus domain, you must add a definition for each managed server to the domain configuration file (config.xml), assign all managed servers to a cluster, specify the AquaLogic Service Bus components on the servers in your domain, and so on.

To prepare an AquaLogic Service Bus environment in a clustered domain, complete the tasks described in the following sections:

Creating an AquaLogic Service Bus Domain Using the Configuration Wizard

You begin the definition of an AquaLogic Service Bus deployment by creating a domain using the Configuration Wizard.

To create an AquaLogic Service Bus domain using the Configuration Wizard, complete the following steps:

From the Start Menu, choose All ProgramsBEA ProductsToolsConfiguration Wizard.

The Configuration Wizard is launched. It prompts you for data with which to configure your domain.

Respond to the Configuration Wizard prompts by providing the information described in the following table.

Note:

To comply with WebLogic Server resource naming rules, you must specify unique names for domains, WebLogic Server instances, JMS servers, and JMS stores. AquaLogic Service Bus has the same interoperability naming requirements as the WebLogic Messaging Bridge. For more information, see “Naming Guidelines for WebLogic Servers and Domains” in “Interoperating with Different WebLogic Server Releases” in Interoperating with Different WebLogic Server Releases or Foreign Providers in Configuring and Managing the WebLogic Messaging Bridge.

In this window . . .

Perform the following action . . .

Welcome

Select Create a new WebLogic domain.

Select Domain Source

Select AquaLogic Service Bus.

Configure Administrator Username and Password

Enter user name and password.

Configure Server Start Mode and JDK

Select Production Mode. Select either the Sun SDK or JRockit SDK, or specify the location of another JDK.

Customize Environment and Services Settings

Select Yes.

Configure the Administration Server

If your configuration requires SSL, select the SSL enabled check box.

Configure Managed Servers

Add as many managed servers as required.

Note:

If you need a software HTTP router with WebLogic HttpClusterServlet in your domain for load balancing, add one extra server here.

If your configuration requires SSL, select the SSL enabled check box for each managed server.

Configure Machines

Configure the type of physical machines used in the cluster.

Configure Clusters

Add a cluster.

Note:

AquaLogic Service Bus domains can support a single cluster.

Assign Servers to Clusters

Add the previously created managed servers to the cluster.

Note:

If you had previously configured a managed server as an HTTP router, do not add it to the cluster. Select this managed server from the Proxy Server drop-down list on the next window, Create HTTP Proxy Applications.

Configure Machines

Configure the type of physical machines used in the cluster.

Assign Servers to Machines

Assign each instance of WebLogic Server to the machine in the cluster on which it runs.

Configure JDBC Data Sources

Accept the default values for Name and JNDI name of wlsbjmsrpDataSource.

Select one of the following to identify the database type and driver for the JMS Reporting Provider Data Store:

Oracle and BEA’s Oracle Driver (Type 4) Versions: 9.0.1, 9.2.0, 10
MS SQL Server and BEA’s MS SQL Server Driver (Type 4) Versions: 7.0, 2000

Confirm that the Supports global transactions check box and Logging last resource option are selected. For more information about Logging last resource (LLR), see “Understanding the Logging Last Resource Transaction Option” in Configuring JDBC Data Sources in Configuring and Managing WebLogic JDBC.

Enter your environment-specific database information in the remaining text boxes. For more information, see “Configure JDBC Data Sources” in Customizing Existing JDBC and JMS Settings in Creating WebLogic Configurations Using the Configuration Wizard.

Note:

Click Test Connections to verify that you can contact the database you want to use for the JMS Reporting Provider Data Store using this data source configuration.

Run Database Scripts

Select wlsbjmsrpDataSource from the Available JDBC Data Sources list.

Select the version of the database from the DB Version drop-down list.

Click Run Scripts.

The scripts create the tables and indexes for the JMS Reporting Provider Data Store. The SQL output is displayed in the Results box and written to jdbc.log. If you want the results written to a different file, click the Log File check box and specify the file.

Note: AquaLogic Service Bus does not automatically run database scripts for the JMS Reporting Provider Data Store the first time you start a production domain, as it does for domains in development mode. If you do not run the database scripts while creating your AquaLogic Service Bus production domain, you must run the scripts manually. The scripts are located in BEA_HOME/weblogic90/integration/common/dbscripts, where BEA_HOME is the directory in which you installed AquaLogic Service Bus.

Configure JMS File Stores

Accept the defaults for rmfilestore and add any file stores needed by proxy services or business services.

Review WebLogic Domain

Accept the default values.

Create WebLogic Configuration

Enter a name and location for your domain.

Creating Domain

After your domain is created, select Start Admin Server to start AquaLogic Service Bus when you exit the Configuration Wizard.

When you complete the domain configuration using the Configuration Wizard, your new domain is created in the location you specified.

Your AquaLogic Service Bus domain includes a configuration file (config.xml) that contains a definition for the administration server. For more information, see “config.xml” in Domain Configuration Files in Understanding Domain Configuration.

Adding Proxy Server or Firewall Information to your Domain Configuration

If you will be using Web services behind a proxy server or firewall, you must edit the config.xml file to include information about that proxy server or firewall.

To add proxy server or firewall information to your domain configuration, complete the following steps:

Open config.xml with an ASCII editor.
Find the line that starts with the following tag in the config.xml file:

<Cluster

Add the following three attributes to the Cluster attribute list:

FrontendHTTPPort=”proxyPort” FrontendHTTPSPort=”proxySSLPort” FrontendHost=”proxyServerHost”

For example, the following listing is an example of a cluster address with a firewall specified in a config.xml file for a cluster named MyCluster and a proxy server named MyProxy:

<Cluster ClusterAddress="127.0.0.1:7001,127.0.0.2:7001,127.0.0.3,127.0.0.4:7001" FrontendHTTPPort=”7006” FrontendHTTPSPort=”7007” FrontendHost=”MyProxy” MulticastAddress="127.0.0.5" MulticastPort="7010" Name="MyCluster"/>

Save your changes and close the config.xml file.

Configuring JMS Resources

In addition to configuring JMS file stores in the Configuration Wizard, proxy services and business services that use JMS require configuration of the following resources:

JMS queues/topics. AquaLogic Service Bus automatically configures JMS queues for proxy services that are implemented using BEA JMS. You must configure JMS queues/topics for all business services using JMS and for any proxy services that are implemented using non-BEA JMS.

Proxy services can consume messages from a remote queue on a separate BEA domain. In this case, AquaLogic Service Bus will not create the queue for you. The JMS queues can be created for proxy services only if the queues are on the same local AquaLogic Service Bus domain.

JMS connection factories. You must configure JMS connection factories for all business services and proxy services implemented using JMS.

Step 3. Configure AquaLogic Service Bus Security

AquaLogic Service Bus leverages the security features of WebLogic Server to ensure message confidentiality and integrity (message-level security), secure connections between clients and WebLogic Server (transport-level security), and authentication and authorization (access control). For information about the tasks you must complete, see Securing Inbound and Outbound Messages in the BEA AquaLogic Service Bus User Guide.

If you want to configure SSL for your cluster, you can do so when creating your domain or by using the WebLogic Server Administration Console. For a domain in which security functionality is deployed in a multinode cluster, you also need to configure keystores, server certificate and private key for each managed server, and so on, for every machine in a cluster. You either need to use a separate keystore for each machine or you can use a single keystore if it is available to all machines.

Step 4. Starting, Stopping, and Monitoring Managed Servers

This section describes the basic management tasks for the managed servers in your clustered domain:

Starting and Stopping Managed Servers

Node Manager is a utility that enables you to start, stop, and migrate your WebLogic Server instances. You can start your managed servers using Node Manager in conjunction with the WebLogic Server Administration Console, or you can create WLST scripts to automate Node Manager functionality.

By default, when the Configuration Wizard generates an AquaLogic Service Bus cluster domain:

The WLIAggregator (wliaggregator.ear) is targeted to the first managed server in the cluster. For data aggregation to function properly, the server that wliaggregator.ear is targeted to must be started first and must be available when other managed servers are started.
The PurgingMDB (msgpurger.ear) is targeted to the first managed server in the cluster. For message purging to function properly, the server where msgpurger.ear is targeted must be available.

For more information on Node Manager, see Using Node Manager to Control Servers in Managing Server Startup and Shutdown. For a complete overview of methods to start and stop managed servers, see Starting and Stopping Servers in Managing Server Startup and Shutdown.

Monitoring Your Servers

Once startup is complete, you can use the AquaLogic Service Bus Console to verify the status of servers. For information about using AquaLogic Service Bus Console to monitor your servers, see “Listing and Locating Servers” in Monitoring in Using the AquaLogic Service Bus Console.

Step 5. Deploy an AquaLogic Service Bus Configuration

You deploy an AquaLogic Service Bus configuration in a clustered environment following the same procedure as for a single-server deployment. For a description of the deployment procedure, see Step 4. Deploy an AquaLogic Service Bus Configuration.

Step 6.Update Your Domain as Your Production Environment Changes

Production environments change over time and as application use increases. This section describes how to update your domain in response to common production environment change scenarios:

Adding a Managed Server

As use of AquaLogic Service Bus grows, you can add new managed servers to your AquaLogic Service Bus cluster to increase capacity. You add a managed server to the cluster using the WebLogic Server Administration Console. Depending on your configuration, you may also need to perform administrative tasks using the AquaLogic Service Bus Console.

Adding A Managed Server to an AquaLogic Service Bus Cluster

To add a new managed server to your AquaLogic Service Bus cluster, perform the steps below using the WebLogic Server Administration Console:

Verify that the managed server that you want to add to the AquaLogic Service Bus cluster is not running. Stop the server, if necessary. For information on how to stop a managed server, see Starting and Stopping Servers in Managing Server Startup and Shutdown.
If you have not already done so, in the Change Center, click Lock & Edit.
Expand Environment, and select Clusters. On the Summary of Clusters panel, change the cluster address to include the address of the new server.
Expand Services, and select Persistent Stores. Define a new FileStore on the new server, and assign it to a non-migratable server.

Note:

Be sure to create the directory that you specify in the FileStore definition on the new server.

Expand Services and Messaging, and then select JMS Servers. Create a new JMS server on the new server using the new FileStore, and target it to the same non-migratable server.
On the Summary of JMS Servers panel, click the name of the new JMS server. Select jmsResources in the Module Containing Temporary Template list, enter TemporaryTmplt in the Temporary Template Name box, and click Save.
Create the necessary queues and add them to the corresponding distributed destinations by performing the following steps:

If you have not already done so, expand Services and Messaging.
Select JMS Modules, and click jmsResources.
Create a new queue named QueueIn_auto_x, accept the default value for Template, and target the queue to the new server.

Note: For the names of queues specified in this step through step 8, x is the number of managed servers currently in the AquaLogic Service Bus cluster incremented by 1. For example, if you were adding a managed server to a cluster that currently contains two managed servers, then x equals 3. You would be creating QueueIn_auto_3 in this step, and the names of the queues you create in step d through step g would also end with 3.

While defining QueueIn_auto_x, create a new subdeployment (for example, sub_new), and then select the JMS server on the new server as the target.

Note:

You will reuse this subdeployment in step d through step g, instead of creating a new subdeployment for each queue.

Create wli.reporting.jmsprovider.queue_auto_x, and target it to the new server.
Create wlsb.internal.transport.task.queue.email_auto_x, and target it to the new server.
Create wlsb.internal.transport.task.queue.file_auto_x, and target it to the new server.
Create wlsb.internal.transport.task.queue.ftp_auto_x, and target it to the new server.

Expand Services, Messaging, and JMS Modules, and then select the configwiz-jms module. Add the queues that you created in step c through step g to their corresponding distributed destinations:

Add QueueIn_auto_x to dist_QueueIn_auto.
Add wli.reporting.jmsprovider.queue_auto_x to dist_wli.reporting.jmsprovider.queue_auto.
Add wlsb.internal.transport.task.queue.email_auto_x to dist_wlsb.internal.transport.task.queue.email_auto.
Add wlsb.internal.transport.task.queue.file_auto_x to dist_wlsb.internal.transport.task.queue.file_auto.
Add wlsb.internal.transport.task.queue.ftp_auto_x to dist_wlsb.internal.transport.task.queue.ftp_auto.

In the Change Center, click Activate.
You can now start the new managed server. For information on how to start a managed server, see Starting and Stopping Servers in Managing Server Startup and Shutdown.
If your cluster has an HTTP load balancer (software or hardware), add the new managed server to the server list of the load balancer. For example, if you are using the WebLogic HttpClusterServlet, you should add the new server to the web.xml file for the corresponding application. For more information, see Load Balancing in a Cluster in Using WebLogic Server Clusters.

Updating Business Service Configurations for an Expanded Cluster

If your AquaLogic Service Bus configuration includes one or more business services that use JMS request/response functionality, then you must also perform the following procedure using the AquaLogic Service Bus Console after adding the new managed server to the cluster:

Updating Proxy Service Configurations for an Expanded Cluster

If your AquaLogic Service Bus configuration includes one or more proxy services that use JMS endpoints with cluster addresses, then you must also perform the following procedure using the AquaLogic Service Bus Console after adding the new managed server to the cluster:

Dropping a Managed Server

Using WebLogic Server administration tools, you can drop a managed server from your AquaLogic Service Bus cluster. Before deciding to drop a managed server, you should take into account the following considerations:

If your AquaLogic Service Bus configuration includes one or more proxy services that use File, FTP, or Email transports that have pinned transport pollers to the managed server that you want to remove from the cluster, then you must select a different managed server for each of those proxy services before removing the managed server from the cluster. For information on how to edit the Managed Server value for a proxy service, see “Viewing and Changing Proxy Services” in Proxy Services in Using the AquaLogic Service Bus Console.
The managed server that hosts the WLI Aggregator application must not be dropped from the cluster. If the managed server that hosts the WLI Aggregator application fails, you must perform a manual migration.
If you want to remove the managed server that hosts the Message Reporting Purger application, you must select a different manager server for the Message Reporting Purger and its associated queue (wli.reporting.purge.queue).

For information about dropping a managed server from a cluster, see “Delete Managed Servers” in Configure Domains in the WebLogic Server Administration Console Online Help.

Changing a Business Service in a Cluster

The procedure for changing a business service is the same in both single-server and cluster environments. For information about changing a business service, see Changing a Business Service.

However, the procedure for deploying changes to a business service in a cluster depends on the types of changes made to the business service and the nature of any other changes that might be deployed simultaneously. For more information, see the description of installation strategies in the following section.

Installing a New Version of a Proxy Service in a Cluster

As your business requirements change, you may need to make changes to your proxy services. You can make these changes dynamically online, partially offline, or completely offline. If your changes are backward compatible (that is, you are making no changes to interfaces), you can make your changes dynamically online using the AquaLogic Service Bus Console. Making other types of changes should be done partially or completely offline, which requires additional system administration steps.

Making non-backward compatible interface changes to resources referenced by a proxy service requires a partial offline deployment to avoid causing transient problems for messages being processed. To install the new version, follow the procedure below:

Making changes that include non-backward compatible changes to proxy service interfaces requires complete offline deployment. To install the new version, follow the procedure below while all servers are operational:

Deployment Guide

Configuring a Clustered Deployment

Step 1. Comply with Configuration Prerequisites

Step 2. Prepare a AquaLogic Service Bus Domain

Creating an AquaLogic Service Bus Domain Using the Configuration Wizard

Adding Proxy Server or Firewall Information to your Domain Configuration

Configuring JMS Resources

Step 3. Configure AquaLogic Service Bus Security

Step 4. Starting, Stopping, and Monitoring Managed Servers

Starting and Stopping Managed Servers

Monitoring Your Servers

Step 5. Deploy an AquaLogic Service Bus Configuration

Step 6.Update Your Domain as Your Production Environment Changes

Adding a Managed Server

Adding A Managed Server to an AquaLogic Service Bus Cluster

Updating Business Service Configurations for an Expanded Cluster

Updating Proxy Service Configurations for an Expanded Cluster

Dropping a Managed Server

Changing a Business Service in a Cluster

Installing a New Version of a Proxy Service in a Cluster