Upgrade Guide

This document includes procedures for upgrading WebLogic Portal applications built on Version 7.0 SP2 to run on Version 8.1; it also describes upgrading from earlier Version 8.1 service packs to Service Pack 5.

This document covers the following topics:

Overview of the Upgrade Process from WebLogic Portal 7.0 SP2 to 8.1, gives an overview of the procedures and elements to be considered when undertaking any upgrade project.
Version 8.1 Compatibility Domain, describes the features and limitations of the Portal Compatibility Domain, and details the process for creating one and for upgrading an existing 7.0 SP2 application to run within it.
Upgrading to WebLogic Portal 8.1, details significant changes to the WebLogic Portal platform architecture, including implementation considerations where possible.
Upgrading 8.1 to Service Pack 2, provides instructions for applying service pack changes to your portal applications after you install the service packs. It walks you through the steps of creating a new SP2 domain, upgrading existing applications and projects, and redeploying the upgraded application.
Upgrading to Service Pack 3, provides instructions for applying service pack changes to your portal applications after you install the service packs. It walks you through the steps of creating a new SP3 domain, upgrading the existing Version 8.1 database schema, upgrading existing applications and projects, and redeploying the upgraded application.
Upgrading to Service Pack 4, provides instructions for applying service pack changes to your portal applications after you install the service packs. It walks you through the steps of creating a new SP4 domain, upgrading the existing Version 8.1 database schema, upgrading existing applications and projects, and redeploying the upgraded application.
Upgrading to Service Pack 5, provides instructions for applying service pack changes to your portal applications after you install the service packs. It walks you through the steps of creating a new SP4 domain, upgrading the existing database markup, upgrading existing applications and projects, and redeploying the upgraded application.
Functional Changes Affecting Your WebLogic Portal Environment, describes functional changes in WebLogic Portal Version 8.1 and service packs that affect your upgraded environment and might require that you perform manual tasks.
Changes to Visitor Tools for SP4, describes the functional and general code changes made to the Visitor Tools for SP4.
Database Changes for SP4, includes details about WebLogic Portal Version 8.1 database changes for SP4.
Database Changes for SP3, includes details about WebLogic Portal Version 8.1 database changes for SP3.
Framework Reference for Portal Upgrades from 7.0 to 8.1,, includes details about the WebLogic Portal Framework and the changes between Version 7.0 and 8.1.

This document is intended mainly for application developers and architects needing to upgrade an existing WebLogic Portal application in the new platform. It assumes a familiarity with the WebLogic Portal platform and Java programming.

BEA product documentation is available on the BEA corporate Web site. From the BEA Home page, click Product Documentation or go directly to the "e-docs" Product Documentation page at http://www.oracle.com/technology/documentation/index.html.

You can print a copy of this document from a Web browser, one file at a time, by using the File —>Print option on your Web browser.

A PDF version of this document is available on the WebLogic Portal documentation Home page on the e-docs Web site (and also on the documentation CD). You can open the PDF in Adobe Acrobat Reader and print the entire document (or a portion of it) in book format. To access the PDFs, open the WebLogic Portal documentation Home page, click the PDF files button and select the document that you want to print.

If you do not have the Adobe Acrobat Reader, you can obtain it for free from the Adobe Web site at http://www.adobe.com/.

The following BEA WebLogic Portal documents contain information that is relevant to using the idltojava compiler and understanding how to implement Java CORBA applications in the WLE system.

For more information in general about Java IDL and Java CORBA applications, refer to the following sources:

The OMG Web Site at http://www.omg.org/
The Sun Microsystems, Inc. Java site at http://java.sun.com/

Your feedback on the BEA WebLogic Portal documentation is important to us. Send us e-mail at docsupport@bea.com if you have questions or comments. Your comments will be reviewed directly by the BEA professionals who create and update the WebLogic Portal documentation.

In your e-mail message, please indicate that you are using the documentation for the BEA WebLogic Portal 8.1 release.

If you have any questions about this version of BEA WebLogic Portal, or if you have problems installing and running BEA WebLogic Portal, contact BEA Customer Support through BEA WebSupport at www.bea.com. You can also contact Customer Support by using the contact information provided on the Customer Support Card, which is included in the product package.

When contacting Customer Support, be prepared to provide the following information:

Your name, e-mail address, phone number, and fax number
Your company name and company address
Your machine type and authorization codes
The name and version of the product you are using
A description of the problem and the content of pertinent error messages

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