Sun N1 Service Provisioning System User's Guide for BEA WebLogic 9 Plug-in 1.0

Deploying WebLogic Applications

The WebLogic 9 Plug-In includes several WebLogic-specific component types. These component types enable you to quickly model many of the most common WebLogic application components and to automatically associate install, uninstall, export, and snapshot behavior with a particular resource. Many of the component types are used by the software when you create and manage servers and clusters. As a result, you will only work with a few component types on a regular basis.

The WebLogic 9 Plug-In provides the following component types for modeling and defining your applications.

Application Archive Component Type – Use this component type to model enterprise applications, web applications, and Java archive (JAR) files. The component can contain either an application archive, such as an enterprise application archive (EAR), a web application (WAR), or JAR file, or the expanded version of an archive as a package. You can deploy this component directly from the component procedures, or you can group this component with a Deployment Plan to deploy the application with an Application Archive With Plan container component.
Deployment Plan Component Type – Use this component type to create your own XML plans to deploy your application. If you want to use Deployment Plan components, you must include the Deployment Plan and an associated Application Archive component in an Application Archive With Plan container component.
Application Archive With Plan Container Component Type – Use this component type to group Application Archive components with Deployment Plans. You can use this component type to pair existing application components with deployment plans that define the tasks for your deployment. If you use an Application Archive With Plan container for your deployment, any changes you make to the container variable set override the variable values for the Application Archive that you want to deploy.

Shared J2EE Library Component Type – Use this component type to enable your applications to access a shared J2EE library.

For instructions about how to create these components, see Capturing and Editing WebLogic Applications.

Based on the needs of your application, you might need to configure the WebLogic services before you can deploy the application components. To configure the services, you might need to rely on the component types that are described in Configuring Services for WebLogic Applications.

This section describes how to perform the following deployment tasks.

How to Install an Application

To install an Application Archive component, either directly from the component procedures or with an Application Archive With Plan component, you must use a WebLogic Managed Server or cluster as the target host. The installation process performs two main tasks:

Installs the application archive on the target.
Registers the application archive with the WebLogic Administration Server.

Steps

In the Common Tasks section in the browser interface, click WebLogic 9.

Click the Components link.

The Components page is displayed.

Navigate to the location of the Application Archive or Application Archive With Plan component that you want to deploy.

Click the Change Folder link to browse through the file system to select the location of the application archive.

In the Component column, click the Application Archive or Application Archive With Plan component that you want to deploy.

The Components Details page is displayed.

In the Component Procedures table, select the type of deployment that you want to perform.
- To deploy the application and start the application on the target host, click the Run link in the Install: Default row.
  
  Use this procedure to directly install an Application Archive component.
- To deploy the application with a Deployment Plan, click the Run link in the Install: deployAppPlan row.
  
  Use this procedure to install an Application Archive component that is grouped with a Deployment Plan in an Application Archive With Plan container component.
- To deploy the application to the target host, but not start and activate the application, click the Run link in the Install: Distribute or Install: DistributeAppPlan row.
  
  Use this procedure if you want to start the application in Administration Mode, rather than in general mode. Click the Run link for the Install: DistributeAppPlan procedure if you are using an Application Archive With Plan component.
The Plans Details Run page is displayed.

In the Plan Parameters area, select the variable settings for the ApplicationArchive component that you plan to deploy.
- If the variable settings have been established for this component, select the appropriate settings from the menu.
- If the settings are not available from the menu, click Select From List.
  
  The Select Variable Settings From List window displays.
  - To create a new set of variable settings, select Create Set.
    
    The following list provides commonly updated variables for the ApplicationArchive component.
    
    variable set name
    
    Required. A name for the new variable set you create
    
    deploymentName
    
    Required. Specifies the deployment name for the application.
    
    installName
    
    Required. Specifies the name of the Application Archive to deploy.
    
    appVersion
    
    Optional. Specifies the version of the application to deploy. Specify a value for this variable to enable the redeployment of your application.
    
    stagingMode
    
    Required. Specifies the staging mode for the deployment of the application. The valid values are stage(default), nostage, and external_stage.
    
    stage deploys the container resources to the Administration Server, and the WebLogic software copies the application archive files to the target hosts.
    
    nostage makes the application archive files accessible to the target hosts, but does not copy the application archive files to the target hosts.
    
    external_stage deploys the container resources to the Administration Server, and the N1 SPS software deploys the application archive files to the staging area of the target hosts.
    
    target
    
    Required. Specifies the target host for the deployment.
    
    subModuleTargets
    
    Optional. Specifies the application submodule targets for the deployment.
    
    adminServerHostName
    
    Required. Specifies the logical host name for the Administration Server for the domain.
    
    adminDomainRootDir
    
    Required. Specifies the root directory for the Administration Server for the domain.
    
    installPath
    
    Required. Specifies the installation location for the application archive.
    
    If you specify stage or external_stage for the stagingMode variable, specify the location on the Administration Server to install the application archive.
    
    If you specify nostage for the stagingMode variable, specify the network path to the application archive. This location must be accessible to the target host through NFS.
  - If you want to use another component's variable settings, click Import Set From Component.
    
    The Import Variable Settings window displays.
    1. If necessary, navigate to the Folder that contains the component with the variable settings you want to import.
    2. Select the component version.
      
      Note –
      Variable settings can vary between component versions. Ensure that the current components and the component from which you want to import variable settings share common variables. If the component from which you want to import variable settings does not share common variables with the component you want to use in your plan, the variable settings are not imported.
    3. Click Import Variable Settings.
      
      The variables settings are imported, and are displayed in the table.
    4. On the Plan Details Run page, select the variable settings that you imported from the Variable Settings drop-down list, then click Select.
  - If you want to use component variable settings that are stored in a file, follow these steps.
    1. In the Import Sets from File text field, enter the path to the variable settings file that you want to use.
      
      To browse through the file system to find the appropriate file, click the Browse button.
    2. Click Import.
      
      The variables settings are imported, and are displayed in the table.
      
      Note –
      If the file from which you want to import variable settings does not share common variables with the component you want to use in your plan, the variable set is not imported.
    3. On the Plan Details Run page, select the variable settings that you imported from the Variable Settings drop-down list, then click Select.

Select the target host or target host set.

Target either a Managed Server or WebLogic Cluster.

Note –
The target host must be a member of the com.sun.weblogic#DeploymentTargetHS host set.

In the Plan Parameters section, specify any options that you want to use with the install plan.
- (Optional) If you want to pass any Java arguments to the weblogic.Deployer command during the installation, type the arguments in the Java Arguments Used for weblogic.Deployer field.
  
  For information on how to perform deployment tasks using the weblogic.Deployer command, see BEA's WebLogic Server weblogic.Deployer Command-Line Reference document.
- If you want to wait for a specified period to enable the previous version of the application to retire before installing the application, type a numerical value in seconds in the Optional: Second to Wait Before Previous Application Retires text field.
- If you want to install and start the application in Administration Mode, type true in the Start Application in Admin Mode text field.
  
  You might want to start the application in Admin Mode for development systems.
  
  If you want to start the application in General Mode for production systems, set this value to false.

Click Run Plan (includes preflight).

The application is deployed to the target host or host set.

How to Install a Shared J2EE Library

Steps

In the Common Tasks section in the browser interface, click WebLogic 9.

Click the Components link.

The Components page is displayed.

Navigate to the location of the shared J2EE library component that you want to deploy.

Click the Change Folder link to browse through the file system to select the location of the library.

In the Component column, click the J2EE Library component that you want to deploy.

The Components Details page is displayed.

In the Component Procedures table, click the Run link in the Install: Default row.

The Plans Details Run page is displayed.

In the Plan Parameters area, select the variable settings for the J2EE Library component that you plan to deploy.
- If the variable settings have been established for this component, select the appropriate settings from the menu.
- If the settings are not available from the menu, click Select From List.
  
  The Select Variable Settings From List window displays.
  - To create a new set of variable settings, select Create Set.
    
    The following list provides commonly updated variables for the J2EELibrary component.
    
    variable set name
    
    Required. A name for the new variable set you create
    
    extensionName
    
    Required. Specifies the name of the library that you want to install. This name must match the name of the library in the manifest.
    
    libspecver
    
    Optional. Specifies the version of the library. This value must match the version number in the archive, or be left blank.
    
    installPath
    
    Required. Specifies the path to the library.
    
    installUser
    
    Required. Specifies the user who will own the deployed library.
  - If you want to use another component's variable settings, click Import Set From Component.
    
    The Import Variable Settings window displays.
    1. If necessary, navigate to the Folder that contains the component with the variable settings you want to import.
    2. Select the component version.
      
      Note –
      Variable settings can vary between component versions. Ensure that the current components and the component from which you want to import variable settings share common variables. If the component from which you want to import variable settings does not share common variables with the component you want to use in your plan, the variable settings are not imported.
    3. Click Import Variable Settings.
      
      The variables settings are imported, and are displayed in the table.
    4. On the Plan Details Run page, select the variable settings that you imported from the Variable Settings drop-down list, then click Select.
  - If you want to use component variable settings that are stored in a file, follow these steps.
    1. In the Import Sets from File text field, enter the path to the variable settings file that you want to use.
      
      To browse through the file system to find the appropriate file, click the Browse button.
    2. Click Import.
      
      The variables settings are imported, and are displayed in the table.
      
      Note –
      If the file from which you want to import variable settings does not share common variables with the component you want to use in your plan, the variable set is not imported.
    3. On the Plan Details Run page, select the variable settings that you imported from the Variable Settings drop-down list, then click Select.

Select the target host or target host set.

Target either a Managed Server or WebLogic Cluster.

Note –
The target host must be a member of the com.sun.weblogic#DeploymentTargetHS host set.

If you want to pass any Java arguments to the weblogic.WLST tool during the installation, type the arguments in the Java Arguments field.

For information on how to perform deployment tasks using the weblogic.Deployer command, see BEA's WebLogic Server Using the WebLogic Server Scripting Tool document.

Click Run Plan (includes preflight).

How to Start an Application

You can start an application in Administration Mode or General Mode.

Steps

In the Common Tasks section in the browser interface, click WebLogic 9.

Click the Components link.

The Components page is displayed.

Navigate to the location of the Application Archive component that you want to start.

Click the Change Folder link to browse through the file system to select the location of the application archive.

In the Component column, click the Application Archive component that you want to start.

The Components Details page is displayed.

In the Component Procedures table, click the Run link in the startApp row.

The Plans Details Run page is displayed.

Select the target host or target host set.

Target either a Managed Server or WebLogic Cluster.

Note –
The target host must be a member of the com.sun.weblogic#DeploymentTargetHS host set.

In the Plan Parameters section, specify any options that you want to use with the uninstall plan.
- (Optional) If you want to pass any Java arguments to the weblogic.Deployer command, type the arguments in the Java Arguments Used for weblogic.Deployer field.
  
  For information on how to perform deployment tasks using the weblogic.Deployer command, see BEA's WebLogic Server weblogic.Deployer Command-Line Reference document.
- If you want to wait for a specified period to enable the previous version of the application to retire before starting the application, type a numerical value in seconds in the Optional: Second to Wait Before Previous Application Retires text field.
- If you want to start the application in Administration Mode, type true in the Start Application in Admin Mode text field.
  
  You might want to start the application in Admin Mode for development systems.
  
  If you want to start the application in General Mode for production systems, set this value to false.

Click Run Plan (includes preflight).

How to Stop an Application

You can stop an application, or transfer the application from General Mode to Admin Mode.

Steps

In the Common Tasks section in the browser interface, click WebLogic 9.

Click the Components link.

The Components page is displayed.

Navigate to the location of the Application Archive component that you want to stop.

Click the Change Folder link to browse through the file system to select the location of the Application Archive.

In the Component column, click the Application Archive component that you want to stop.

The Components Details page is displayed.

In the Component Procedures table, click the Run link in the stopApp row.

The Plans Details Run page is displayed.

Select the target host or target host set.

Target either a Managed Server or WebLogic Cluster.

Note –
The target host must be a member of the com.sun.weblogic#DeploymentTargetHS host set.

In the Plan Parameters section, specify any options that you want to use with the stop plan.
- (Optional) If you want to pass any Java arguments to the weblogic.Deployer command, type the arguments in the Java Arguments Used for weblogic.Deployer field.
  
  For information on how to perform deployment tasks using the weblogic.Deployer command, see BEA's WebLogic Server weblogic.Deployer Command-Line Reference document.
- If you want to wait for all existing HTTP sessions to complete before stopping the application, type true in the Wait for Existing HTTP Clients to Complete text field.
- If you want to stop the application and transfer the application to Administration Mode, type true in the Start Application in Admin Mode text field.
  
  You might want to transfer the application to Admin Mode for development systems.

Click Run Plan (includes preflight).

The application is uninstalled from the target host or host set.

How to Uninstall an Application

Steps

In the Common Tasks section in the browser interface, click WebLogic 9.

Click the Components link.

The Components page is displayed.

Navigate to the location of the Application Archive component that you want to uninstall.

Click the Change Folder link to browse through the file system to select the location of the Application Archive.

In the Component column, click the Application Archive component that you want to uninstall.

The Components Details page is displayed.

In the Component Procedures table, select the correct procedure to uinstall the application.
- Click the Run link in the Uninstall: Default row to directly redeploy an application from an Application Archive component.
- Click the Run link in the Uninstall: UninstallFromContainer row to redeploy an application from an Application Archive With Plan container.
The Plans Details Run page is displayed.

Select the target host or target host set.

Target either a Managed Server or WebLogic Cluster.

Note –
The target host must be a member of the com.sun.weblogic#DeploymentTargetHS host set.

In the Plan Parameters section, specify any options that you want to use with the uninstall plan.
- (Optional) If you want to pass any Java arguments to the weblogic.Deployer command during the uninstallation, type the arguments in the Java Arguments Used for weblogic.Deployer field.
  
  For information on how to perform deployment tasks using the weblogic.Deployer command, see BEA's WebLogic Server weblogic.Deployer Command-Line Reference document.
- If you want to wait for all existing HTTP sessions to complete before uninstalling the application, type true in the Wait for Existing HTTP Clients to Complete text field.
- If you want to uninstall the application without waiting for current HTTP client sessions to complete, type true in the Ignore Current HTTP Client Sessions text field.
- If you want to remove the Application Archive files from the Administration Server, type true in the Remove Deployment Files text field.

Click Run Plan (includes preflight).

The application is uninstalled from the target host or host set.

How to Uninstall Previous Versions of an Application

If you installed an application without N1 SPS software, and want to install an updated version of the application with N1 SPS, you can uninstall the previous version of the application. The application must be versioned to enable the WebLogic 9 Plug-In to uninstall the previous version of the application.

Steps

In the Common Tasks section in the browser interface, click WebLogic 9.

Click the Components link.

The Components page is displayed.

Navigate to the location of the Application Archive component that you want to uninstall.

Click the Change Folder link to browse through the file system to select the location of the Application Archive.

In the Component column, click the Application Archive component that you want to uninstall.

The Components Details page is displayed.

In the Component Procedures table, click the Run link in the undeployPreviousVersion row.

The Plans Details Run page is displayed.

Select the target host or target host set.

Target either a Managed Server or WebLogic Cluster.

Note –
The target host must be a member of the com.sun.weblogic#DeploymentTargetHS host set.

In the Plan Parameters section, specify any options that you want to use with the uninstall plan.
- In the Version of This App Needed to Review text field, specify the version of the application that you want to uninstall.
- (Optional) If you want to pass any Java arguments to the weblogic.Deployer command, type the arguments in the Java Arguments Used for weblogic.Deployer field.
  
  For information on how to perform deployment tasks using the weblogic.Deployer command, see BEA's WebLogic Server weblogic.Deployer Command-Line Reference document.

Click Run Plan (includes preflight).

The application is uninstalled from the target host or host set.

How to Update an Application

If you want to update an application with changes that you have made to the Application Archive, you can redeploy the application to your Managed Servers or cluster.

Steps

In the Common Tasks section in the browser interface, click WebLogic 9.

Click the Components link.

The Components page is displayed.

Navigate to the location of the Application Archive component that you want to update.

Click the Change Folder link to browse through the file system to select the location of the Application Archive.

In the Component column, click the Application Archive component that you want to update.

The Components Details page is displayed.

In the Component Procedures table, select the correct procedure to update the application.
- Click the Run link in the Install: Redeploy row to directly redeploy an application from an Application Archive component.
- Click the Run link in the Install: RedeployAppPlan row to redeploy an application from an Application Archive With Plan container.
The Plans Details Run page is displayed.

Select the target host or target host set.

Target either a Managed Server or WebLogic Cluster.

Note –
The target host must be a member of the com.sun.weblogic#DeploymentTargetHS host set.

In the Plan Parameters section, specify any options that you want to use with the redeployment plan.
- If you want to pass any Java arguments to the weblogic.Deployer command, type the arguments in the Java Arguments Used for weblogic.Deployer field.
  
  For information on how to perform deployment tasks using the weblogic.Deployer command, see BEA's WebLogic Server weblogic.Deployer Command-Line Reference document.
- If you are using an Application Archive With Plan component to deploy your application, specify the location of the Deployment Plan in the Path for Deployment Plan text field.
- In the Required WebLogic Target for Deployment text field, specify the systems that you want to update.
- In the Optional WebLogic Submodule Targets for Deployment text field, specify the application submodules to target with your redeployment.
- In the Deployment Name Used for This Application text field, specify the name of the Application Archive or Application Archive With Plan component that you want to redeploy.
- In the App Version text field, specify the version number of the application that you want to redeploy.

Click Run Plan (includes preflight).

The application is uninstalled from the target host or host set.

How to Update a Deployment Plan in an Application Archive With Plan Component

If you change a Deployment Plan component that you are using with an Application Archive With Plan container component, you can update your Managed Servers or clusters with the new Deployment Plan.

Steps

In the Common Tasks section in the browser interface, click WebLogic 9.

Click the Components link.

The Components page is displayed.

Navigate to the location of the Application Archive With Plan component that you want to update with a new Deployment Plan.

Click the Change Folder link to browse through the file system to select the location of the Application Archive With Plan component.

In the Component column, click the Application Archive With Plan component that you want to update.

The Components Details page is displayed.

In the Component Procedures table, click the Run link in the Install: updatePlan row.

The Plans Details Run page is displayed.

Select the target host or target host set.

Target either a Managed Server or WebLogic Cluster.

Note –
The target host must be a member of the com.sun.weblogic#DeploymentTargetHS host set.

In the Plan Parameters section, specify any options that you want to use with the uninstall plan.
- (Optional) If you want to pass any Java arguments to the weblogic.Deployer command, type the arguments in the Java Arguments Used for weblogic.Deployer field.
  
  For information on how to perform deployment tasks using the weblogic.Deployer command, see BEA's WebLogic Server weblogic.Deployer Command-Line Reference document.
- If you want to specify the version of the plan to use, type the version number in the Optional Plan Version text field.

Click Run Plan (includes preflight).

The application is uninstalled from the target host or host set.

Error Conditions

Table 5–1 WebLogic Enterprise Application Error Conditions


Action	Condition	Result
Install	The topology is incorrectly configured (target host does not point at correct domain host)	Targeting fails
Install	The target host is not a valid WebLogic target	Installation prohibited
Browsing/Install/Uninstall	Credentials are not properly configured	Operation fails
Browsing	Path not correctly configured in domain host	Browsing fails