Creating WebLogic Configurations Using the Configuration Wizard

Configuring Managed Servers, Clusters, and Machines

WebLogic Platform gives you an opportunity to change the distribution of your domain across servers, clusters, and machines. The Managed Servers, Clusters, and Machines Options window prompts you to decide whether you want to define additional infrastructure components and distribute the domain across those components.

• If you select No, the wizard uses the configuration settings exactly as defined in the configuration source that you selected earlier.
• If you select Yes, you are prompted in subsequent windows to define the configuration you want, as described in the following table.

Task	Description
Configuring Managed Servers	Optionally, add Managed Servers or change the configuration of existing Managed Servers in your domain. In addition to the Administration Server, production environments typically deploy one or more Managed Servers to host enterprise applications.
Grouping Managed Servers into Clusters	A cluster is a group of WebLogic Server instances that work together to provide scalability and high-availability for applications. Before you can start configuring a cluster, you must define at least one Managed Server. To group Managed Servers into clusters, perform the following tasks: 1. Define the configuration information for the clusters in the domain, as described in Configuring Clusters. 2. Assign the Managed Servers to a cluster in the domain, as described in Assigning Managed Servers to Clusters. 3. Create an HTTP proxy for each cluster within the domain, as described in Creating HTTP Proxy Applications.
Mapping WebLogic Server Instances to Host Machines	In a domain, a machine is the computer hardware that hosts one or more WebLogic Server instances. To define the machines in a domain, perform the following tasks: 1. Specify values for the required parameters for the Windows and UNIX machines that reside within the domain, as described in Configuring Machines. 2. Assign each instance of WebLogic Server to the machine on which it runs, as described in Assigning Servers to Machines.


 

Related Topics

Tutorial: Creating a Custom Domain With Managed Servers, a Cluster, and Application Services

Using WebLogic Server Clusters at http://download.oracle.com/docs/cd/E13222_01/wls/docs81/cluster/index.html

 

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Configuring Managed Servers

The Configure Managed Servers window prompts you to provide the configuration information for one or more Managed Servers. Production environments typically deploy one or more Managed Servers, in addition to the Administration Server, to host enterprise applications. (For details, see Brief Introduction to Domains.) This step is optional.

Notes: When creating a domain using the Basic WebLogic Integration Domain or Basic WebLogic Portal Domain template (or any other custom template that supports WebLogic Integration or WebLogic Portal), after configuring one or more Managed Servers, you must assign them to a cluster. For more information, see Assigning Managed Servers to Clusters.

If you plan to use a Managed Server as an HTTP proxy server acting as a frontend host, you should make note of the values you enter in this window for that Managed Server. You will need to enter these values in the Frontend fields of the Configure Clusters window. For more information, see Configuring Clusters.

When you configure Managed Servers, the Configuration Wizard creates a startManagedWebLogic_Readme.txt file in the domain directory. This file lists the name for each Managed Server and provides the admin_url for the domain. It also provides basic instructions for starting Managed Servers on remote machines. For more information, see Setting Up and Starting Managed Servers on a Remote Machine.

To Configure Managed Servers:

Review the current list of Managed Server configurations. Default values may vary, based on the configuration source you selected earlier.

Note: The wizard provides two views: a concise tabular view of all the Managed Servers or an individual view of each Managed Server, where each server is represented by a tab—you switch between servers by selecting the corresponding tab. To toggle the display mode between table and tab formats, click Switch Display.

Add or modify entries as required by your configuration, using the guidelines provided in the following table. (Fields marked with an asterisk are required.) To delete a Managed Server configuration, click in one of its fields and click Delete. When you finish updating your settings, click Next.

In this field . . .	Do the following . . .
Name*	Enter a valid server name: a string of characters that can include spaces. Each server instance in your WebLogic environment must have a unique name, regardless of its function (Managed Server or Administration Server) and the domain or cluster in which it resides. In addition, the name of each Managed Server must be unique among all configuration component names within the domain. The default value in this field is new_managedServer_n, where n specifies a numeric value used to differentiate among default Managed Server names; the value of n for the first Managed Server is 1. The value is incremented by 1 for each Managed Server that is added. Note: This value is included for identification purposes only; it is not used as part of the URL for applications that are deployed on the server. The server name is displayed in the WebLogic Server Administration Console. In addition, if you use WebLogic Server command-line utilities or APIs, you must specify this name to identify the server.
Listen address (Optional)	Select a value for the listen address from the drop-down list. Valid values for the listen-address are as follows: All Local Addresses (default) IP address of the computer that hosts the server DNS name that resolves to the host localhost (valid only for requests that are issued from the computer on which the server is running) If you identify a server instance's listen address as localhost, non-local processes cannot connect to the server instance. Only processes on the machine that hosts the server instance can connect to the server instance. If the server instance must be accessible as localhost (for example, if you create administrative scripts that connect to localhost), and it must also be accessible by remote processes, select All Local Addresses. The server instance determines the address of the machine and listens on it. To learn more about listen addresses, see Specifying Listen Addresses.
Listen port (Optional)	Enter a valid value for the listen port to be used for regular, non-secure requests (via protocols such as HTTP and T3). The default value is 7001. If you leave this field blank, the default value is used. Any number between 1 and 65535 is a valid value. For more information, see Specifying Listen Ports.
SSL listen port (Optional)	Enter a valid value to be used for secure requests (via protocols such as HTTPS and T3S). The default value is 7002. If you leave this field blank, the default value is used. Any number between 1 and 65535 is a valid value. Note: By default, a server instance uses demonstration certificates to authenticate requests from a secure port. In a production environment, you must configure SSL to use certificates from a certificate authority. For more information, see "Configuring SSL" in Managing WebLogic Security at http://download.oracle.com/docs/cd/E13222_01/wls/docs81/secmanage/ssl.html. For more information, see Specifying Listen Ports.
SSL enabled (Optional)	Select the check box to enable the SSL Listen Port. The default is disabled.


 

Setting Up and Starting Managed Servers on a Remote Machine

In some configurations, you may want to run your Managed Servers on a machine that is remote from the Administration Server for the domain. To install and run Managed Servers on a remote machine, use the following procedure:

Install WebLogic Platform on each machine that you want to host a Managed Server for the domain.

Note: With the exception of the Administration Server, all WebLogic Server instances within a domain must run the same version of the WebLogic Server software. The Administration Server may run either the same version as the Managed Servers in the domain, or a later service pack. For more information about installing WebLogic Platform, see Installing BEA WebLogic Platform at the following URL:

http://download.oracle.com/docs/cd/E13196_01/platform/docs81/install/index.html

Using the Configuration Wizard, create a domain on each remote machine that you want to host a Managed Server. This ensures that you have all the required support files installed on the machine.
Establish a session with the remote machine that will host the Managed Server. You may use any valid method, such as telnet, to do so.
Start the Administration Server for the domain as described in "Starting and Stopping Servers" in the WebLogic Server Administration Console Online Help at http://download.oracle.com/docs/cd/E13222_01/wls/docs81/ConsoleHelp/startstop.html.
On the remote machine, navigate to the directory for the domain that you created in Step 2.
Start the Managed Server on the remote machine by doing one of the following:
• On a Windows system, open an MS-DOS command prompt window and enter the following at the prompt:

startManagedWebLogic.cmd my_managed_server admin-url

• On a UNIX system, enter the following at the prompt:

startManagedWebLogic.sh my_managed_server admin-url

In these command lines, my_managed_server is the name of the Managed Server to be started and admin-url specifies the listen address (host name or IP address) and port number of the machine hosting the Administration Server. For your convenience, the startManagedWebLogic_Readme.txt file provides a list of all the Managed Servers and the admin-url for the domain.

Related Topics

Tutorial: Creating a Custom Domain With Managed Servers, a Cluster, and Application Services

 

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Configuring Clusters

A cluster is a group of WebLogic Server instances that work together to provide scalability and high-availability for applications. Before you can start configuring a cluster, you must define at least one Managed Server.

Note: When creating a domain using the Basic WebLogic Integration Domain or Basic WebLogic Portal Domain template (or other custom template that supports WebLogic Integration or WebLogic Portal), after configuring one or more Managed Servers, you must assign them to a cluster.

The Configure Clusters window prompts you to administer the clusters in your domain. This step is optional.

To configure clusters:

Review the current list of cluster configurations. Default values may vary, based on the configuration source you selected earlier.

Note: The wizard provides two views: a concise tabular view of all the clusters or an individual view of each cluster, where each cluster is represented by a tab—you switch between clusters by selecting the corresponding tab. To toggle the display mode between table and tab formats, click Switch Display.

Add or modify entries as required by your configuration using the guidelines provided in the following table. (Fields marked with an asterisk are required.) To delete an entry, click in one of its fields and click Delete. When you finish updating your settings, click Next.

In this field . . .	Enter a  . . .
Name*	Valid cluster name: a string of characters that can include spaces. The name of the cluster must be unique among all configuration component names within the domain. The default value in this field is new_cluster_n, where n specifies a numeric value that is used to differentiate among all default cluster names; the value of n for the first cluster is 1. The value is incremented by 1 for each cluster that is added
Multicast address (Optional)	Multicast address for the cluster. This address is used by cluster members to communicate with each other. The default value is 237.0.0.1. Valid multicast addresses are any valid IP address of the form nnn.xx.xx.xxxx, where nnn is 237, 238, or 239.
Multicast port (Optional)	Multicast port for the cluster.The multicast port is used by cluster members to communicate with each other. The default value is 7777. Any number between 1 and 65535 is a valid value.
Cluster address (Optional)	Cluster address that identifies the Managed Servers in the cluster. A cluster address can be one of the following: Comma-separated list of IP addresses or DNS names and ports, for example: dns_name:port, dns_name:port DNS name that maps to multiple IP addresses localhost, DNS name, or IP address if all Managed Servers are listening on the same address with unique port numbers The cluster address is used in entity and stateless EJBs to construct the host name portion of URLs. If the cluster address is not set, EJB handles may not work properly.
Frontend host (Optional)	Name or listen address for the proxy server acting as a frontend host. Frontend settings should be used to ensure proper handling of URLs when a proxy or firewall is employed. For more information, see "Cluster --> Protocols --> HTTP" in the WebLogic Server Administration Console Online Help at http://download.oracle.com/docs/cd/E13222_01/wls/docs81/ConsoleHelp/domain_cluster_protocols_http.html. If you are using a Managed Server as a frontend HTTP proxy, you should enter the listen address that you specified for the Managed Server in the Configure Managed Servers window. For more information, see Configuring Managed Servers.
Frontend HTTP port (Optional)	The port number for the proxy server acting as a frontend host. Frontend settings should be used to ensure proper handling of URLs when a proxy or firewall is employed. For more information, see "Cluster --> Protocols --> HTTP" in the WebLogic Server Administration Console Online Help at http://download.oracle.com/docs/cd/E13222_01/wls/docs81/ConsoleHelp/domain_cluster_protocols_http.html. If you are using a Managed Server as a frontend HTTP proxy, you should enter the listen port that you specified for the Managed Server in the Configure Managed Servers window. For more information, see Configuring Managed Servers.


 

Related Topics

Configuring Managed Servers

Tutorial: Creating a Custom Domain With Managed Servers, a Cluster, and Application Services

 

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Assigning Managed Servers to Clusters

The Assign Servers to Clusters window prompts you to assign the available Managed Server(s) to a cluster within the domain. This window is displayed only if you have defined at least one cluster.

To assign Managed Servers to clusters:

In the Cluster pane, select the cluster to which you want to assign a Managed Server.
Assign the Managed Server to the designated cluster in one of the following ways:
• Double-click the name of the Managed Server in the Server pane.
• Select the Managed Server and click the right arrow.

The name of the Managed Server is removed from the Server pane and added, below the name of the target cluster, to the Cluster pane.

Note: Only Managed Servers are listed in the Server pane. The Administration Server is not listed because it cannot be assigned to a cluster.

If you are using a Managed Server as an HTTP proxy server, do not assign that Managed Server to the cluster. You can select the Managed Server to be used as the HTTP proxy server in the next configuration window.

Repeat steps 1 and 2 for each Managed Server that you want to assign to a cluster.
Review the cluster assignments.

If necessary, you can remove a Managed Server from a cluster in one of the following ways:

• Double-click the name of the Managed Server in the Cluster pane.
• Select the Managed Server and click the left arrow.

The name of the Managed Server is removed from the Cluster pane and restored to the Server pane.

Click Next to proceed to the next configuration window.

 

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Creating HTTP Proxy Applications

The Create HTTP Proxy Applications window prompts you to create an HTTP proxy application to proxy client requests to the cluster. An HTTP proxy application operates as an intermediary for HTTP requests.

This window is displayed if the following statements are true:

• At least one Managed Server has been assigned to a cluster.
• At least one Managed Server has not been assigned to a cluster.

To create HTTP proxy applications:

If you have multiple clusters, select the tab corresponding to the cluster for which you want to create HTTP proxy applications.
Click Create HTTP proxy for cluster clustername.

A list of the available servers is displayed in the Proxy Server drop-down list.

From the Proxy Server list, select a Managed Server onto which the proxy applications can be deployed.

Note: If you are using this proxy server as your frontend host, make sure that the values that you entered in the Frontend host and Frontend HTTP port fields in the Configure Clusters window match the values specified for this Managed Server in the Configure Managed Servers window.

A proxy application named BEA_Proxy_For_Cluster_clustername_on_servername is created and targeted to the Managed Server.

Repeat steps 1 through 3 for each cluster for which you want to create HTTP proxy applications.
Click Next to proceed to the next configuration window.

 

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Configuring Machines

The Configure Machines window prompts you to define the configuration information for the Windows and UNIX machines in the domain. This step is optional.

You may want to perform this step in circumstances such as (but not limited to) the following:

• The Administration Server uses the machine definition, in conjunction with the Node Manager application, to start remote servers.
• WebLogic Server uses configured machine names when determining which server in a cluster is best able to handle certain tasks, such as HTTP session replication. WebLogic Server then delegates those tasks to the identified server.

Note: In many production environments, Node Manager is run on a computer that does not host an Administration Server. In such an environment, you must create a machine configuration for each computer that runs a Node Manager process. The machine configuration must include values for the listen address and port number parameters. The Administration Server uses these values to connect with the Node Manager process running on that computer.

To configure Windows machines:

Select the machine tab and review the current list of configurations for Windows machines. Add or modify entries as required by your configuration using the guidelines provided in the following table. (Fields marked with an asterisk are required.) To delete an entry, click in one of its fields and click Delete. When you finish updating your settings, click Next.

Note: Default values may vary, based on the configuration source you selected earlier.

In this field . . .	Do the following . . .
Name*	Enter a valid machine name: a string of characters that can include spaces. The machine name: Is used to identify the machine within the WebLogic Server domain; it is not required to match the network name for the machine. Must be unique among all configuration component names within the domain. The default value in this field is new_machine_n, where n specifies a numeric value that is used to differentiate among all default machine names; the value of n for the first machine is 1. The value is incremented by 1 for each machine that is added.
Node manager listen address (Optional)	Select a value from the drop-down list for the listen address used by the Node Manager. By default, the IP addresses defined for the local system and localhost are shown in the drop-down list. The default is localhost. Valid values for the listen address are as follows: IP address of the computer that hosts the server DNS name that resolves to the host localhost All Local Addresses If you specify an IP address for a machine that will host the Administration Server and you need to access the WebLogic Server Node Manager, you must disable host name verification. For details and instructions, see "Using Host Name Verification" in Managing WebLogic Security at the following URL: http://download.oracle.com/docs/cd/E13222_01/wls/docs81/secmanage/ssl.html#host_name_verifier
Node manager listen port (Optional)	Enter a valid value for the listen port used by the Node Manager. Any number between 1 and 65535 is a valid value. The default value is 5555.

 

To configure UNIX machines:

Select the UNIX Machine tab and review the current list of UNIX machine configurations. Add or modify entries as required by your configuration, using the guidelines provided in the following table. (Fields marked with an asterisk are required.) To delete an entry, click in one of its fields and click Delete. When you finish updating your settings, click Next.

Note: Default values may vary, based on the configuration source you selected earlier.

In this field . . .	Do the following . . .
Name*	Enter a valid machine name: a string of characters that can include spaces. The machine name: Is used to identify the machine within the WebLogic Server domain; it is not required to match the network name for the machine. Must be unique among all configuration component names within the domain. The default value in this field is new_unixMachine_n, where n specifies a numeric value that is used to differentiate among all default machine names; the value of n for the first machine name is 1. The value is incremented by 1 for each machine that is added.
Post bind GID enabled (Optional)	Select the check box to enable server process binding to the UNIX group ID (see Post bind GID (Optional)). The default is Disabled (unchecked).
Post bind GID (Optional)	Enter a valid UNIX group ID (GID) assigned (bound) to the process under which the WebLogic Server instance runs once the machine has carried out all privileged startup actions.
Post bind UID enabled (Optional)	Select the check box to enable server process binding to the UNIX user ID (see Post bind UID (Optional)). The default is Disabled (unchecked).
Post bind UID (Optional)	Enter a valid UNIX user ID (UID) assigned (bound) to the process under which the WebLogic Server instance runs after the machine finishes all privileged startup actions.
Node manager listen address (Optional)	Select a value from the drop-down list for the listen address used by the Node Manager. By default, the IP addresses defined for the local system and localhost are shown in the drop-down list. The default is localhost. Valid values for the listen address are as follows: IP address of the computer that hosts the server DNS name that resolves to the host localhost All Local Addresses If you specify an IP address for a machine that will host the Administration Server and need to access the WebLogic Server Node Manager, you must disable host name verification. For details and instructions, see "Using Host Name Verification" in Managing WebLogic Security at the following URL: http://download.oracle.com/docs/cd/E13222_01/wls/docs81/secmanage/ssl.html#host_name_verifier
Node manager listen port (Optional)	Enter a valid value for the listen port used by the Node Manager. Any number between 1 and 65535 is a valid value. The default value is 5555.

 

Related Topics

"Overview of Node Manager" in Configuring and Managing WebLogic Server at http://download.oracle.com/docs/cd/E13222_01/wls/docs81/adminguide/nodemgr.html

 

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Assigning Servers to Machines

The Assign Servers to Machines window prompts you to assign Managed Server instances of WebLogic Server to the machines on which they run. This window is displayed only if you have defined at least one machine.

To assign WebLogic Server instances to machines:

In the Machine pane, select the Windows or UNIX machine to which you want to assign a WebLogic Server instance.
Assign the appropriate WebLogic Server instance to the designated machine in one of the following ways:
• Double-click the WebLogic Server instance in the Server pane.
• Select the appropriate WebLogic Server instance in the Server pane and click the right arrow.

Note: Although the Administration Server is listed in the Server pane, there is no benefit to assigning it to a machine.

The name of the WebLogic Server instance is removed from the Server pane and added, below the name of the target machine, to the Machine pane.

Repeat steps 1 and 2 for each WebLogic Server instance that you want to assign to a machine.
Review the machine assignments.

If necessary, you can remove a WebLogic Server instance from a machine in one of the following ways:

• Double-click the name of the appropriate WebLogic Server instance in the Machine pane
• Select the appropriate WebLogic Server instance in the Machine pane and click the left arrow

The name of the WebLogic Server instance is removed from the Machine pane and restored to the Server pane.

Click Next to proceed to the next configuration window.