Overview of config.xml


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The following sections provide an overview of the WebLogic Server^TM configuration file (config.xml):

About WebLogic Server Management and the config.xml File

WebLogic Server management and configuration services are based on the Java Management Extensions (JMX) API from Sun Microsystems. The config.xml file is a persistent store for the managed objects that WebLogic Server creates and modifies during its execution using the BEA implementation of the JMX API. The purpose of config.xml is to store changes to managed objects so that they are available when WebLogic Server is restarted.

You should normally use the Administration Console to configure WebLogic Server's manageable objects and services and allow WebLogic Server to maintain the config.xml file.

Although config.xml is a well-formed XML document that you can modify using a text editor, you should think of it as a database that you would only directly update under unusual circumstances.

The config.xml file is not a formal XML document with a document type definition (DTD) that can be used to validate its contents. Is is truly a repository, where each XML element contains data saved at the request of an in-memory instance of a management object in WebLogic Server. However, the objects that store their data in config.xml are defined within the WebLogic Server Management API and so it is possible to substantially document the contents of the config.xml file. In fact, the reference information in this document is extracted from Javadocs for the weblogic.management.configuration package which contains the WebLogic Server management MBeans. You can see a different view of the same information in the Javadocs and in the Administration Console online help system.

There are cases where config.xml can contain data that is not described in this document:

Some MBean attributes are intentionally not documented because they concern internal mechanisms that are not intended to be exposed and may not be supported in future releases.
MBeans and attributes may be created dynamically by applications executing in WebLogic Server. These applications may include the Administration Console, other BEA products that work with WebLogic Server, and applications supplied by users or third-party vendors.

If you are using other BEA products with WebLogic Server or third-party applications, see the documentation accompanying the other product for additional information about config.xml elements and attributes.

Editing the config.xml File

BEA recommends that you use the Administration Console to modify or monitor a domain configuration. You can also modify the config.xml file in the following ways:

The WebLogic Server Application Programmatic Interface (API) allows other programs to modify configuration attributes of resources in the domain.
You can access the attributes of a domain with the WebLogic Server command-line utility. This utility allows you to create scripts to automate domain management.

Warning: Consider the following issues before you edit the configuration file manually:

Always save your config.xml file before editing it.

Do not edit the config.xml file for a domain when a domain is active. If you manually edit the configuration file while the domain is active, any changes you make are likely to be overwritten by the system. Furthermore, all manual changes you make while the domain is active are ignored by the system at run time.

Because no validation or value checking occur while or after you edit config.xml with the command-line utility, type-checking occurs when you load the edited configuration file for the first time, that is, when you restart the domain Server. At that point, any invalid XML or attribute value is detected and the domain fails to boot.

BEA XML Editor

The BEA XML Editor is a simple, user-friendly tool for creating and editing XML files. It can validate XML code according to a specified DTD or XML Schema. See the BEA XML Editor on BEA dev2dev.