Installation and Deployment Roadmap

 

Installing and deploying your e-commerce Web site and portal consists of the following phases (see Figure 1-1):

1. Install Required Software.

2. Do one of the following:

   • If you are installing and deploying WebLogic Commerce Server and Personalization Server for the first time, Install and Deploy an RDBMS and Review and Modify Default Settings.

   • If you are upgrading from a prior release, Migrate from a Prior Release.

3. Configure and Deploy Your Web Application.

At any time during the installation and deployment process, you can Set Up Optional Services.

Figure 1-1 Installation and Deployment Roadmap

 

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Install Required Software

To install the required software, you must complete the following steps in order:

1. Install the JDK. For information on the JDK version that WebLogic Commerce Server and Personalization Server require, refer to "Supported Platforms" in the Release Notes.

2. Install WebLogic Server and all patches that WebLogic Commerce Server and Personalization Server require. For information on the patches that WebLogic Commerce Server and Personalization Server require, refer to "Supported Platforms" in the Release Notes. For information on installing WebLogic Server, refer to Installing and Setting Up WebLogic Server. Do not modify the WebLogic Server configuration at this phase of the deployment process. WebLogic Commerce Server and Personalization Server supply a properties file for WebLogic Server that you will modify later in the process.

3. Install WebLogic Commerce Server and Personalization Server and the separate documentation kit. The Commerce Server and Personalization Server installation also sets up three Web applications: a sample e-commerce Web site, an example portal, and the Administration tool you use to modify most WebLogic Commerce Server and Personalization Server properties.

   Note: At this point, we recommend that you test your WebLogic Commerce Server and Personalization Server installation by starting the server and reviewing the sample e-commerce Web site, example portal, and the Administration tool.

Figure 1-2 illustrates the results of this installation phase, and the documents you need to complete it.

Figure 1-2 Installation Phase

 

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Install and Deploy an RDBMS

The Cloudscape database that WebLogic Commerce Server and Personalization Server includes with its installation is intended only to demonstrate basic Commerce Server and Personalization features. For your production Web site, install and deploy a database management system that WebLogic Commerce Server and Personalization Server supports for production environments.

In addition to using the RDBMS installation media and setting properties in the RDBMS, you must modify settings in three WebLogic Commerce Server and Personalization Server configuration files: weblogic.properties, weblogicommerce.properties, and set-environment (see Figure 1-3).

For more information, refer to "Supported Platforms" in the Release Notes. For information on installing and deploying database schemas, refer to the Deployment Guide.

Figure 1-3 Database-Schema Deployment Phase

 

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Review and Modify Default Settings

Although the default settings that the WebLogic Commerce Server and Personalization Server installation program configures are sufficient for most development environments, we recommend that you review and, if necessary, modify the following settings:

• The default port numbers on which WebLogic Sever listens for communication through HTTP and HTTPS. For more information, see "Set the Listen Ports" under "Review Server Defaults" in the Deployment Guide.

• The document root, which establishes the top directory from which WebLogic Commerce Server and Personalization Server serve Web resources that are not deployed as Web applications. For more information, see "Change the Document Root" under "Review Server Defaults" in the Deployment Guide.

In addition, if you have created any EJBs that are not included with WebLogic Commerce Server and Personalization Server, see "Deploy Additional EJBs" under "Review Server Defaults" in the Deployment Guide.

For information on tuning these default settings for a production environment, refer to the Performance Tuning Guide.

 

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Migrate from a Prior Release

If you are upgrading from a previous release of WebLogic Commerce Server and Personalization Server, upgrade your database to the current schema and migrate your data into the new data structures. For information on migrating to a new release, refer to the Migration Guide.

 

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Configure and Deploy Your Web Application

Towards the end of your Web site development cycle, we recommend that you package the Web site as a Web application by configuring the weblogic.properties file and by creating a deployment descriptor for your Web application (see Figure 1-4). For more information, see "Deploying Web Applications" in the Deployment Guide.

Note: While the Web application specification provides many desirable features for a production environment, these features may slow your progress during the initial phases of your development cycle. For more information, see "Recommendation for Deploying Inside or Outside the Web Application Specification" under "Deploying Web Applications" in the Deployment Guide.

Figure 1-4 Web Application Deployment Phase

 

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Set Up Optional Services

Any time after the installation phase, you can set up optional services for WebLogic Commerce Server and Personalization Server (see Figure 1-5):

• SSL for secure communication. For more information, see "Using WebLogic SSL" on the WebLogic Server documentation Web site.

• A security realm that uses an LDAP server. For more information, see Using WebLogic Realms under "Creating and Managing Users" in the WebLogic Personalization Server User's Guide and Administering the WebLogic LDAP security realm" on the WebLogic Server documentation Web site.

• CyberCash, a credit-card validation service. For more information about CyberCash, refer to "Integration with CyberCash" under "Payment Services" in Order Processing Package. If you do not want to use CyberCash for credit card validation, refer to "What if I Don't Want to Use CyberCash for Credit Card Processing?" under "Payment Services."

• TAXWARE, a tax calculation service. For information about using TAXWARE, refer to "Integration with TAXWARE" under "Taxation Services" in the WebLogic Order Processing Package. If you do not want to use TAXWARE for tax calculation, refer to "What if I Don't Want to Use TAXWARE to Calculate My Taxes?" under "Taxation Services."

• A content-management system. For more information, refer to "Using Third-Party Tools" under "Creating and Managing Content" in the WebLogic Personalization Server Developer's Guide.

  Figure 1-5 Set Up Optional Services