53 Administering Spaces and Templates

This chapter describes how a WebCenter Spaces administrator with Spaces-Manage All or Space Templates-Manage All permissions can manage everyone's Spaces and Space templates in WebCenter Spaces.

It includes the following sections:

For more information about exporting and importing an entire WebCenter Spaces application, see "Exporting and Importing WebCenter Spaces for Data Migration" Oracle Fusion Middleware Administrator's Guide for Oracle WebCenter.

Audience

This chapter is intended for WebCenter Spaces administrators with the Manage Configuration, and Spaces-Manage All or Space Templates-Manage All permissions.

53.1 Understanding Space Management and Migration

WebCenter Spaces administrators with Spaces-Manage All or Space Templates-Manage All permissions can manage any Space or Space template from WebCenter Spaces Administration (Figure 53-1). From here, you can take any Space temporarily offline and close down any Spaces deemed inactive. Administrators can rename and edit any Space, as well as delete Spaces when they are no longer required.

Space moderators do not have access to this page. While moderators may perform some of these tasks for Spaces that they own through Space administration pages, the WebCenter Spaces administrator can manage all of them.

The WebCenter Spaces Administration pages also offers import and export services that enable you to back up or move information between WebCenter applications, and stage or production environments. Import and export options are only available to users with full administrative permission, that is, have the Application-Manage All permission. See also Section 53.5, "Importing and Exporting Spaces and Space Templates".

Figure 53-1 WebCenter Administration - Spaces

WebCenter Administration - Spaces Tab

Table 53-1 shows which application-level permissions are required to perform administrative tasks through these tabs. See also, Section 20.3, "Understanding Application Roles and Permissions".

Table 53-1 Permission Requirements for Space Administration and Migration

Administrative Tasks Application Permissions Required

Spaces Tab

Application-Manage Configuration

- About Spaces

Application-Manage Configuration

- Create Spaces

Spaces-Create

- Edit Spaces

Spaces-Manage All

- Delete Spaces

Spaces-Manage All

- Import/Export Spaces

Application-Manage All

   

Space Templates Tab

Application-Manage Configuration

- About Space Templates

Application-Manage Configuration

- Create Space Templates

Space Templates-Create

- Edit Space Templates

Space Templates-Manage All

- Delete Space Templates

Space Templates-Manage All

- Import/Export Space Templates

Application-Manage All


53.2 Performing Administrative Tasks For All Spaces

WebCenter Spaces administrators can change the status of any Space. This section describes the steps to perform the following tasks:

53.2.1 Viewing Space Information

WebCenter Spaces administrators can view and manage any Space through WebCenter Spaces Administration. From here, you can quickly see whether Spaces are active, online, offline, how recently the Space was accessed, as well as membership numbers.

The toolbar offers additional options for editing, changing status, and deleting Spaces, and if you select About Space you can access useful information such as the Spaces's direct URL and internal ID (Figure 53-2).

Figure 53-2 About Space Dialog

About Group Space

By default, Spaces are listed alphabetically. To view the information sorted by a different column, click the sort icon for the column. Sort icons appear when you hover the mouse cursor over the column header.

To display the Space administration page:

  1. Open WebCenter Spaces Administration.

    For details, see Chapter 4, "Accessing WebCenter Spaces Administration Pages.".

  2. Click Spaces, then Spaces (Figure 53-1).

53.2.2 Taking Any Space Offline

When a Space is offline, members of the Space who do not have Spaces-Manage All permission are unable to access the Space. If members try to access the Space, they will see the Space Unavailable page. See also Section 7.3, "Working with System Pages.".

Administrators and members with the Spaces-Manage All permission can access a Space that is offline. So if, for example, an administrator who notices inappropriate content can take a Space offline, fix the content, and bring it back online later.

To permanently close down a Space that is not being used any more, see Section 53.2.4, "Closing Any Space".

To take a Space offline:

  1. Open WebCenter Spaces Administration.

    For details, see Chapter 4, "Accessing WebCenter Spaces Administration Pages."

  2. Click Spaces (Figure 53-1).

  3. On the Spaces page, select the Space you require by highlighting the row in the table. Ctrl-Click rows to select more than one.

  4. From the Edit menu, select Offline for Maintenance (Figure 53-3).

    Figure 53-3 Taking a Space Offline

    Taking a Group Space Offline
  5. Click OK.

53.2.3 Bringing Any Space Back Online

To bring any Space back online:

  1. Open WebCenter Spaces Administration.

    For details, see Chapter 4, "Accessing WebCenter Spaces Administration Pages."

  2. Click Spaces (Figure 53-1).

  3. On the Spaces page, select the required Space by highlighting the row in the table. Use Ctrl-Click to select more than one.

  4. From the Edit menu, select Bring the Space Online (Figure 53-4).

    Figure 53-4 Bringing a Space Online

    Bringing a Group Space Online
  5. Click OK.

53.2.4 Closing Any Space

A WebCenter Spaces administrator can close any Space that is no longer being used. When you close a Space, the content is archived. The Space is removed from everyone's "Spaces switcher menu" to avoid clutter but it remains on the Spaces page. The Space's content remains accessible and searchable to those who still want to reference it and Space members can continue working in the Space.

If you want to close down a Space temporarily, take the Space offline instead. See Section 53.2.2, "Taking Any Space Offline".

To close a Space:

  1. Open WebCenter Spaces Administration.

    For details, see Chapter 4, "Accessing WebCenter Spaces Administration Pages."

  2. Click Spaces (Figure 53-1).

  3. On the Spaces page, select the required Space by highlighting the row in the table. Use Ctrl-Click to select more than one.

  4. From the Edit menu, select Close to All Users (Figure 53-5).

    Figure 53-5 Closing a Space

    Closing a Group Space
  5. Click OK.

53.2.5 Reactivating Any Space

WebCenter Spaces administrators and Space moderators may close a Space if it is no longer being used. If you want to reopen a Space, you can do so.

To reactivate a Space:

  1. Open WebCenter Spaces Administration.

    For details, see Chapter 4, "Accessing WebCenter Spaces Administration Pages."

  2. Click Spaces (Figure 53-1).

  3. On the Spaces page, select the required Space by highlighting the row in the table. Use Ctrl-Click to select more than one.

  4. From the Edit menu, select Activate the Space (Figure 53-6).

    Figure 53-6 Activating a Space

    Activating a Group Space
  5. Click OK.

53.2.6 Deleting a Space

WebCenter Spaces administrators with the Spaces-Manage All permission can delete any Space. Once a Space is removed from WebCenter Spaces, it cannot be recovered. Spaces are permanently removed and current members will no longer see the Space in their view.

When you delete a Space:

  • All pages associated with the Space are deleted.

  • WebCenter Spaces data associated with the Space is deleted (links, lists, notes, tags, and Space events).

  • Space roles and membership details are deleted.

  • Content managed by discussions and announcements is deleted when it is stored in the default forum or category created by WebCenter Spaces. Content managed by nondefault forums or categories is not deleted (for details, see Section 51.10.3, "Modifying Discussion Forum Settings for a Space").

  • The Space mail distribution list that is automatically created by WebCenter Spaces is deleted. However, distribution lists that are customized by the Space moderator are not deleted (for details, see Section 51.10.2, "Configuring a Custom Space Mail Distribution List").

  • Content managed by external services, such as content repositories, mail, and so on, is removed.

  • If the Space is a parent in a Space hierarchy, child Subspaces are deleted too.

You cannot delete a Space while the moderator is editing Space settings, but there are no other restrictions.

To delete a Space that is no longer required:

  1. Open WebCenter Spaces Administration.

    For details, see Chapter 4, "Accessing WebCenter Spaces Administration Pages."

  2. Click Spaces (Figure 53-1).

  3. On the Spaces page, select the required Space by highlighting the row in the table. Use Ctrl-Click to select more than one.

  4. Select the Edit menu, and choose Delete the Space(s) (Figure 53-7).

    Figure 53-7 Deleting a Space

    Deleting a Group Space
  5. Click Delete to confirm that you want to delete the Space(s).

If the delete process fails for any reason, the Space is not removed from the administrator's Spaces tab; this sometimes happens when a back-end server cannot be contacted. If the administrator clicks Delete again from here, the Space will be removed.

53.3 Performing Administrative Tasks For All Space Templates

WebCenter Spaces administrators with the Space Templates-Manage All permission can review, publish, hide, and delete any Space template. This section describes how to perform these tasks:

53.3.1 What You Should Know About Managing Space Templates

Several Space templates are provided out-of-the-box: Group Project, Community of Interest, and Basic. In addition to these, users with the Spaces-Create permission can create customized templates from Spaces and share them with other users. For more information, see Section 50.2, "Creating a Custom Space Template".

WebCenter administrators with the Space Templates-Manage All permission can manage every Space template from WebCenter Spaces Administration (Figure 53-8). You can see which Space templates are currently available and delete Space templates when they are no longer required. You can also publish templates—making them available to everyone—or restrict them to private use only.

It is important to keep the template list up to date and valid. Anyone who creates a Space will see public templates as well as their own private templates.

The Templates page provides import and export services, too. For more information, see Chapter 53, "Importing and Exporting Spaces and Space Templates".

Figure 53-8 WebCenter Administration - Templates Page

WebCenter Administration - Templates Tab

53.3.2 Viewing Space Templates

WebCenter Spaces administrators with the Space Templates-Manage All permission can view and manage any Space through WebCenter Spaces Administration. From here, you can quickly see who created each Space template (a Space moderator), and the date on which it was created. The Actions menu offers additional options for deleting Space templates, and you can publish and hide templates from here, too.

By default, Space templates are listed alphabetically. To view the information sorted by a different column, click the sort icon for the column. Sort icons appear when you hover the mouse cursor over the column header.

To see a list of every Space template in WebCenter Spaces, together with their description, creator, and other useful information:

  1. Open WebCenter Spaces Administration.

    For details, see Chapter 4, "Accessing WebCenter Spaces Administration Pages."

  2. Click Spaces, then Templates (Figure 53-8).

53.3.3 Publishing and Hiding Space Templates

While WebCenter Spaces can accommodate any number of templates, a limited number of templates is sometimes more effective. The WebCenter Spaces administrator or users granted the Space Templates-Manage All permission can maintain the template list through WebCenter Spaces Administration. To view the Space Templates page, a user must additionally be granted Application-Configure permission by the WebCenter Spaces administrator.

To publish or hide a Space template:

  1. Open WebCenter Spaces Administration.

    For details, see Chapter 4, "Accessing WebCenter Spaces Administration Pages."

  2. Click Spaces, then Templates (Figure 53-8).

  3. Select the required Space templates by highlighting the row in the table. Ctrl-Click rows to select more than one.

  4. From the Edit menu, choose:

    • Make Public to share the template with everyone.

    • Remove Public Access to remove the template from the Space template list. The template owner can use the template, but nobody else will see it.

  5. Confirm your selection.

Note:

The seeded (out-of-the-box) templates can be made private and published by the WebCenter Spaces administrator or users granted the Space Templates - Manage All permission. If made private, they are not shown on the Templates page in a user's Home Space; they can only be seen on the WebCenter Administration-Space Templates page.

53.3.4 Deleting a Space Template

WebCenter Spaces administrators with the Space Templates-Manage permission can delete any Space template except the seeded (out-of-the-box) templates: Basic, Community of Interest, Group Project.

To delete a Space template that is no longer required:

  1. Open WebCenter Spaces Administration.

    For details, see Chapter 4, "Accessing WebCenter Spaces Administration Pages."

  2. Click Spaces, then Templates (Figure 53-8).

  3. Select the required Space templates by highlighting the row in the table. Ctrl-Click rows to select more than one.

  4. From the Edit menu (Figure 53-9), select Delete Space Template.

    Figure 53-9 Deleting a Space Template

    Deleting a Group Space Template
  5. Click Delete to confirm that you want to delete the selected template(s).

53.4 Enabling and Disabling Services

You can enable and disable services for individual Spaces. In most cases, the Space moderator will manage service requirements for their own Space, but WebCenter Spaces administrators can also perform this task if required to do so. For details, see Section 51.10.1, "Enabling and Disabling Services Available to a Space".

WebCenter Spaces services, such as Discussions and Mail, are configured by your Fusion Middleware Administrator through Fusion Middleware Control or using the WLST command-line tool. All services automatically become available in WebCenter Spaces when the application starts up—no additional configuration is required inside WebCenter Spaces.

There is no facility to disable services for the entire application as the Fusion Middleware Administrator takes care of this through Fusion Middleware Control. See "Getting WebCenter Spaces Up and Running" in Oracle Fusion Middleware Administrator's Guide for Oracle WebCenter.

53.5 Importing and Exporting Spaces and Space Templates

WebCenter Spaces provides a set of export and import utilities that enable you to back up or move information between WebCenter applications, and stage or production environments. To use these utilities you must have the WebCenter Spaces Administrator role or a custom role that grants the Application-Manage All permission.

This section describes how to export and import Spaces and Space templates through WebCenter Spaces administration pages. It includes the following sections:

Fusion Middleware Administrators can also export and import Spaces and Space templates using WLST commands. To find out more about these WLST commands, how to migrate the back-end data associated with Spaces, and also how to export an entire WebCenter Spaces application, see "Exporting and Importing WebCenter Spaces for Data Migration" in Oracle Fusion Middleware Administrator's Guide for Oracle WebCenter.

53.5.1 Exporting Spaces

WebCenter Spaces administrators can export Spaces and import them into other WebCenter Spaces applications. Spaces must be taken offline, even if only temporarily, to prevent data conflicts during the export process. See, Section 51.4.3, "Taking a Space Offline."

Space information is exported into a single export archive (.ear file). The EAR file contains a metadata archive (.mar file) and, optionally, a single XML file containing Space security policy information. You can save export archives to your local file system or to a remote server file system.

For more information about what is exported, read "Understanding WebCenter Spaces Export and Import" in Oracle Fusion Middleware Administrator's Guide for Oracle WebCenter.

The export process does not include data associated with external services such as Mail, Discussions, Announcements, Instant Messaging and Presence, Events, and Documents, as all this data is stored on external servers. To learn how to move data associated with these services, refer to documentation for that product. See also, "Migrating Back-end Components for Individual Spaces" in Oracle Fusion Middleware Administrator's Guide for Oracle WebCenter.

Note:

Space artefacts must be located in the content directory to be exported. For example, icons and images, and so on, associated with a page template must be placed in the page template's content directory to be exported. For more information, see Section 10.4.2.1, "What You Should Know About a Resource's Properties".

If the Space contains Web Service data controls, all the associated Web Services must be up and accessible for the export to succeed.

Out-of-the-box templates and user customizations are never exported. For information on user customizations, see Section 29.4.2, "Performing User Customizations on Your Page View."

WebCenter Spaces administrators can export Spaces through WebCenter Spaces Administration as described here. Fusion Middleware administrators can also export Spaces using WLST commands. For details, see "Importing Spaces Using WLST" in Oracle Fusion Middleware Administrator's Guide for Oracle WebCenter.

You can also export Space templates but this is a separate process. You cannot export Spaces and Space templates into a single archive. For details, see Section 53.5.3, "Exporting Space Templates".

To export one or more Spaces through WebCenter Spaces Administration

  1. Open WebCenter Spaces Administration.

    For details, see Chapter 4, "Accessing WebCenter Spaces Administration Pages."

  2. Click Spaces.

  3. Select the Space required by highlighting the row in the table.

    Ctrl-click rows to select more than one.

    Ensure that all the Spaces you select are offline. Spaces must be taken offline, even if only temporarily, to prevent data conflicts during the export process. Unsaved changes are not exported. See also Section 51.4.3, "Taking a Space Offline."

    Note:

    Other members with the Spaces-Manage All permission should not edit Spaces during the export process.
  4. Click Export in the toolbar.

    The Export Spaces dialog box opens (Figure 53-10).

    Figure 53-10 Exporting Spaces

    Exporting Group Spaces
  5. Change the Archive Name or accept the default name.

    To ensure uniqueness, the default .ear filename contains a timestamp: webcenter_<timestamp>.ear

  6. Click Export.

    Progress information is displayed during the export process (Figure 53-11).

    Figure 53-11 Exporting Spaces In Progress

    Exporting Group Spaces In Progess
  7. When the export process is complete, specify a location for the export archive (.ear). Select one of:

    • Download - Saves the export EAR file to your local file system.

      Your Browser downloads and save the archive locally. The actual download location depends on your Browser set up.

    • Save to Server - Saves the export .ear file to a server location.

      When the Save to Server dialog box displays (Figure 53-12), enter a suitable path in Server Location, for example, /tmp, and then click Save. Ensure that the server directory you specify has write permissions.

      Figure 53-12 Saving Space Export Archives to a Server Location

      Download
      Description of "Figure 53-12 Saving Space Export Archives to a Server Location"

  8. Click Close to dismiss the Export Spaces window.

The export archive (.ear) is saved to the specified location.

53.5.2 Importing Spaces

WebCenter Spaces administrators can import a Space archive (.ear) into another WebCenter Spaces application.

On import, all Spaces included in the archive are created or re-created on the target application. Existing Spaces are deleted then replaced, and new Spaces are created. Spaces are locked during an import operation to prevent simultaneous imports/exports of the same Space. If someone else is importing a particular Space, all subsequent attempts to import (or export) the same Space are blocked.

All Spaces need a security policy to work properly so, when you import a brand new Space for the first time, you must ensure that the Space's security policy is included in the export archive. Existing Spaces have a security policy in place so in this case, it's up to you whether to overwrite the security information on import or maintain the existing security policy.

If data migration is important, documents, and discussions can be migrated for individual Spaces. For details, see "Migrating Back-end Components for Individual Spaces" in Oracle Fusion Middleware Administrator's Guide for Oracle WebCenter.

WebCenter Spaces administrators can import Spaces through WebCenter Spaces Administration as described here. Fusion Middleware administrators can also import Spaces using WLST commands. For details, see "Importing Spaces Using WLST" in Oracle Fusion Middleware Administrator's Guide for Oracle WebCenter.

To import one or more Spaces or Subspaces:

  1. Open WebCenter Spaces Administration.

    For details, see Chapter 4, "Accessing WebCenter Spaces Administration Pages."

  2. Click Spaces.

  3. Click Import in the toolbar.

    Tip:

    To import one or more Spaces as a SubSpace of an existing Space, select the target Space before clicking the Import button.

    The Import Spaces dialog box opens (Figure 53-13).

    Figure 53-13 Importing Spaces

    Importing Group Spaces
  4. Specify the location of your Space archive (.ear). Select one of:

    • On Local System - Enter the location in the text box. Alternatively, click Browse to locate the directory on the local file system where the .ear file is stored.

    • On Server - Enter the path, including the archive filename, in the text box. For example, /tmp/MySpaceExport.ear. You can specify any shared location accessible from this WebCenter Spaces application.

  5. Click Browse Archive to review the content available for import.

  6. Set import options as required. For details, see Table 53-2:

    Table 53-2 Space Import Options

    Field Description

    Include Services Data

    Select to import the following

    • Data stored in the WebCenter repository for the following services: Activity Streams, Events, Feedback, Lists, Links, Message Boards, People Connections, Profiles, and Tags

    • Default settings for Profiles, Message Boards, Feedback, Connections, Activity Streams

    • Activity Stream Task Flow Customizations

    If the Spaces selected for export contain a large amount of data, consider using the database import utilities to move the WebCenter schema data instead. For example:

    DB_ORACLE_HOME/bin/expdp \"sys/password@serviceid as sysdba\" OWNER=srcrcuprefix_WEBCENTER DUMPFILE=/tmp/WCS.dmp STATISTICS=none
    
    DB_ORACLE_HOME/bin/impdp \"sys/password@serviceid as sysdba\"remap_schema=srcrcuprefix_WEBCENTER:tgtrcuprefix_WEBCENTER remap_tablespace=source_tablespace:target_tablespaceDUMPFILE=/tmp/WCS.dmp STATISTICS=none TRANSFORM=oidn
    

    For details, refer to the Oracle Database Utilities guide.

    Deselect this option if you do not want to export any data associated with lists, events, tags, links, connections, profiles, message boards, activity streams, and feedback. For example, when moving a Space from a test environment to a stage or production environment where test data is not required.

    Include Customizations

    Select to import Space customizations. For information about which customizations are optional on import, read "Understanding WebCenter Spaces Export and Import" in Oracle Fusion Middleware Administrator's Guide for Oracle WebCenter.

    If you deselect this option, WebCenter Spaces is imported without Space customizations.

    Portlet and page customizations are always imported.

    Include Security Policy

    Select to import security information with the Space.

    When selected, the following security related information is imported:

    • Space roles (and permissions assigned to each role).

    • Space members (and member role assignments).

    Deselect this option if you do not want to import Space security information. This option is useful when importing Spaces between a stage and production environments, where:

    • Members used during testing are not required in the production environment.

    • The Space exists on the production instance and you do not want to overwrite the security information.

    Note: When importing a brand new Space, always select (check) this option as you cannot import a new Space without a security policy.


  7. Click Import.

    If you try to import Spaces that exist in the target WebCenter Space application, you must confirm whether you want to overwrite them. To delete existing Spaces and replace them with imported versions, answer Yes. Answer No to cancel the import process.

    If the import process detects a conflict between the Spaces you are trying to import and those which exist on the target, a message displays to help you resolve the issue. For example, conflict messages display if a Space on the target application has the same name but a different GUID to a Space you are trying to import. In this instance you could change the name of the source Space and create a new export archive, or rename the conflicting Space in the target application and import the same archive.

    An information message displays when all Spaces import successfully.

  8. Click Close to dismiss the Import Space window.

Imported Spaces are offline initially because, mostly, some additional work is required before they are ready for general use. For example, you may want to migrate data associated with back-end components. For details, refer to the "Migrating Back-end Components for Individual Spaces" in the Oracle Fusion Middleware Administrator's Guide for Oracle WebCenter:

Once content and membership details are finalized you may bring the Space online, see Section 51.4.4, "Bringing a Space Back Online."

53.5.3 Exporting Space Templates

WebCenter Spaces administrators can export Space templates and import them into other WebCenter Spaces applications. Out-of-the-box templates cannot be exported.

Space templates can include pages, resources, discussions, lists, service information, and security information such as custom roles and current members; no other data, such as documents, are stored with the template.

While export and import utilities are primarily used to move information between WebCenter Spaces applications, the Space template export feature is also useful as a backup service, and for sharing and exchanging templates with others.

Space template information is exported into a single export archive (.ear file). The EAR file contains a metadata archive (.MAR file) and a single XML file containing Space security policy information.

You can save export archives to your local file system or to a remote server file system.

WebCenter Spaces administrators can export Space templates through WebCenter Spaces Administration as described here. Fusion Middleware administrators can also export Space templates using WLST commands. For details, see "Exporting Space Templates Using WLST" in Oracle Fusion Middleware Administrator's Guide for Oracle WebCenter.

Note:

You can also export Space information but this is a separate process. For details, see Section 53.5.1, "Exporting Spaces". You cannot export Spaces and Space templates into a single archive.

To export one or more Spaces templates using WebCenter Spaces:

  1. Open WebCenter Spaces Administration.

    For details, see Chapter 4, "Accessing WebCenter Spaces Administration Pages."

  2. Click Spaces, then Templates.

  3. Select the Space template required by highlighting the row in the table.

    Ctrl-click rows to select more than one.

  4. Click Export on the toolbar.

    The Export Space Template dialog box opens (Figure 53-14).

    Figure 53-14 Exporting Space Templates

    Exporting Group Space Templates
  5. Change the Archive Name or accept the default name.

    To ensure uniqueness, the default .ear filename contains a timestamp: webcenter_<timestamp>.ear

  6. Click Export.

    Progress information is displayed during the export process (Figure 53-15).

    Figure 53-15 Exporting Space Templates In Progress

    Exporting Group Spaces In Progess
  7. When the export process is complete, specify a location for the export archive (.ear). Select one of:

    • Download - Saves the export EAR file to your local file system.

      Your Browser downloads and save the archive locally. The actual download location depends on your Browser set up.

    • Save to Server - Saves the export .ear file to a server location. For example, /tmp. Ensure that there are write permissions on the server directory that you specify.

      After clicking Save to Server, enter the Server Location and then click Save.

  8. Click Close to dismiss the Export Space Templates window.

The export archive (.ear) is saved to the specified location.

53.5.4 Importing Space Templates

WebCenter Spaces administrators can import a Space template archive (.ear) into another WebCenter Spaces application.

On import, all Space templates included in the archive are re-created on the target application. If a Space template exists on the target, then it is deleted and replaced. If a Space template does not exist, then it is created.

Newly imported Space templates are not immediately available for general use. You must publish the imported templates to make them available to everyone. See Section 10.4.3, "Showing and Hiding Resources."

If you want the Documents service to be enabled in Spaces created from imported templates you must migrate the Space template's folder (on Oracle Content Server) to the target instance as well. For details, see "Importing the Back-end Folder for a Space Template" in Oracle Fusion Middleware Administrator's Guide for Oracle WebCenter.

WebCenter Spaces administrators can import Space templates through WebCenter Spaces Administration as described here. Fusion Middleware administrators can also import Space templates using WLST commands. For details, see "Importing Space Templates Using WLST" in Oracle Fusion Middleware Administrator's Guide for Oracle WebCenter.

To import one or more Space templates using WebCenter Spaces:

  1. Open WebCenter Spaces Administration.

    For details, see Chapter 4, "Accessing WebCenter Spaces Administration Pages."

  2. Click Spaces, then Templates.

  3. Click Import on the toolbar.

    The Import Space Templates dialog box opens (Figure 53-16).

    Figure 53-16 Importing Space Templates

    Importing Group Space Templates
  4. Specify the location of your Space template archive (.ear). Select one of:

    • On Local System - Enter the location in the text box. Alternatively, click Browse to locate the directory on the local file system where the .ear file is stored.

    • On Server - Enter the path, including the archive filename, in the text box. For example, /tmp/MySpaceTemplateExport.ear. You can specify any shared location accessible from this WebCenter Spaces application.

  5. Click Import.

    If you try to import a Space template that exists in the WebCenter Spaces application, you must confirm whether you want to continue. To delete existing Space templates and replace them with imported versions, answer Yes. Answer No to cancel the import process.

    An information message displays when all templates import successfully.

  6. Click Close to dismiss the Import Space Templates window.

Newly imported Space templates are not immediately available for general use. You must publish the imported templates to make them available to everyone. See Section 10.4.3, "Showing and Hiding Resources."

53.6 Troubleshooting

This section includes troubleshooting information in the following sections:

53.6.1 Troubleshooting WebCenter Spaces Workflows

If you experience issues with WebCenter Spaces workflows, review the following sections:

53.6.1.1 Validating the WebCenter Workflow Configuration

The Oracle Fusion Middleware Installation Guide for Oracle WebCenter describes how to install and configure WebCenter Spaces workflows. For details, see "Back-End Requirements for WebCenter Spaces Workflows". You can validate the workflow configuration as follows:

  1. Log in to WebCenter Spaces.

  2. Create a Space and then navigate to the Members tab (Space Administration).

  3. Invite a new member with any role (say User2).

  4. Log out, and then log in to WebCenter Spaces as User2.

  5. Navigate to a Worklist task flow.

  6. Open the invite notification and click the Accept button.

  7. Open the Spaces page.

If the WebCenter Spaces workflows are working properly, the newly created Space appears in the Spaces page for User2. If the Space is not listed, there is some issue with the configuration.

53.6.1.2 Troubleshooting Issues with WebCenter Spaces Workflows

If WebCenter Spaces workflows are not working properly, follow these steps to help troubleshoot the issue:

  1. Check that WebCenter Spaces workflows are deployed on the Oracle SOA server:

    1. Log in to Fusion Middleware Control.

    2. Check that WebCenterWorklistDetailApp.ear is deployed.

    3. Verify that sca_CommunityWorkflows_rev1.0.jar is deployed.

    See "Oracle SOA Server - Workflow Deployment" in Oracle Fusion Middleware Installation Guide for Oracle WebCenter.

  2. Ensure the Web Service connection between the Oracle SOA server and WebCenter Spaces is secure:

    1. Check the alias in the keystore file on the Oracle SOA server.

      For example, use the following command to list the content of the keystore file on the Oracle SOA server:

      keytool -list -v -keystore bpel.jks -storepass <password>

      There should be an entry with:

      Alias name: webcenter_spaces_ws
      
      

      See "Oracle SOA and Oracle WebCenter - WS-Security Configuration" in Oracle Fusion Middleware Installation Guide for Oracle WebCenter.

    2. Verify that the credential stores for both WebCenter Spaces and Oracle SOA server are configured correctly.

      See "Updating the Credential Stores" in the Oracle Fusion Middleware Administrator's Guide for Oracle WebCenter.

    3. Check that keystores exist at both ends of the connection, for example:

      - webcenter.jks (copied to WebCenter Spaces end)

      - bpel.jks (copied to Oracle SOA server end)

      For example, the following commands generate webcenter.jks and bpel.jks:

      keytool -genkeypair -keyalg RSA -dname "cn=webcenter,dc=us,dc=oracle,dc=com" -alias webcenter -keypass mypassword -keystore webcenter.jks -storepass mypassword -validity 360
      keytool -exportcert -v -alias webcenter -keystore webcenter.jks -storepass mypassword -rfc -file webcenter.cer
      keytool -importcert -alias webcenter_spaces_ws  -file webcenter.cer -keystore bpel.jks -storepass mypassword
      keytool -genkeypair -keyalg RSA -dname "cn=bpel,dc=us,dc=oracle,dc=com" -alias bpel -keypass mypassword -keystore bpel.jks -storepass mypassword -validity 360
      keytool -exportcert -v -alias bpel -keystore bpel.jks -storepass mypassword -rfc -file bpel.cer
      keytool -importcert -alias bpel -file bpel.cer -keystore webcenter.jks -storepass mypassword
      

      See "Generating the Keystores" in the Oracle Fusion Middleware Administrator's Guide for Oracle WebCenter.

    4. Configure role members for the BPMWorkflowAdmin application role in Oracle SOA server (soa-infra).

      When associating the domain with an identity store that does not contain the user weblogic, you must assign some other valid user to the application role BPMWorkflowAdmin. Use WLST commands to do this from the SOA Oracle home, for example, to assign a user named "monty" that exists in LDAP:

      cd $SOA_ORACLE_HOME/common/bin/
      wlst.sh
       
      connect('<admin username>','<admin password>', 'mysoahost.us.oracle.com:7001')
      revokeAppRole(appStripe="soa-infra", appRoleName="BPMWorkflowAdmin", principalClass="oracle.security.jps.service.policystore.ApplicationRole", principalName="SOAAdmin")
      grantAppRole(appStripe="soa-infra", appRoleName="BPMWorkflowAdmin", principalClass="weblogic.security.principal.WLSUserImpl", principalName="monty")
      
      

      See "Security Commands" in the Oracle Fusion Middleware WebLogic Scripting Tool Command Reference.

53.6.2 Troubleshooting WebCenter Service Issues

When you create a Space, an error similar to the following may display if enabling a service exceeds the time allowed:

Space created with the following warning(s) : Issues were faced while
provisioning the service(s) - List Service. Check the Space services
settings page if these services have been provisioned.

When a Space is created, services are enabled in parallel in multiple threads. If provisioning a service exceeds the specified timeout, the thread is interrupted. The timeout may be exceeded due to time needed to copy the metadata when the latency between the midtier and the database is too high, network issues, database performance issues, and so on.

To check if the issue is due to exceeding the timeout, search the log file for a message similar to the following:

[2009-10-19T08:43:22.659+00:00] [WLS_Spaces] [WARNING] []
[oracle.webcenter.webcenterapp] [tid: [ACTIVE].ExecuteThread: '0' for queue:
'weblogic.kernel.Default (self-tuning)'] [userId: weblogic] [ecid:
0000IHfxTHMDScX_TtCCyc1Ar22000002f,0] [APP: webcenter] Concurr: The thread is
timed out in 5000 milisec. for oracle.webcenter.list:Execution timedout[[
    queued :   13 ms
    suspended :    0 ms
    running : 5787 ms
    timeout : 5000 ms
    service : oracle.webcenter.community
    resource : oracle.webcenter.list
    source : oracle.webcenter.concurrent.RunnableTask@43c4d1
             (oracle.webcenter.concurrent.RunnableTask)
    submission : 3
]]

In this case, the running time of 5787 ms exceeded the timeout of 5000 ms.

If possible, the root cause of the timeout should be addressed; for example, resolve networking or database performance issues. Once this is done, the Space can be created again and the error should not be encountered. If the performance cannot be improved and the error persists, the timeout value may be increased for the service encountering the error. Refer to the chapter "Oracle WebCenter Performance Tuning" in the Oracle Fusion Middleware Performance and Tuning Guide for more information on setting concurrency management parameters in adf-config.xml.

53.6.3 Troubleshooting Issues with Space Import and Export

This section contains the following subsections:

53.6.3.1 Space Blocked After Unsuccessful Export or Import

If an error occurs during a Space export/import operation, some Space(s) may appear blocked. To unblock a Space, bring the Space back online temporarily, and then take the Space offline again to complete the export/import operation. Switching between the online and offline modes will unblock the Space.

53.6.3.2 Page or Space Not Found Message After Import

When users first login to WebCenter Spaces after an import operation they may see a "Page not found" or "Space not found" message if the page or Space they last visited no longer exists. Last accessed page information is retained during import operations which is why these messages display sometimes.

53.6.3.3 Space Import Archive Exceeds Maximum Upload File Size

Problem

There is a file size limitation uploading content to WebCenter Spaces. If your export archive exceeds the maximum upload size then the import operation through WebCenter Spaces administration will fail.

Solution

Ask your system administrator to import the Space archive using WLST. For details, see "Importing Individual Spaces Using WLST" in Oracle Fusion Middleware Administrator's Guide for Oracle WebCenter.

Alternatively, modify the maximum upload size in webcenter-config.xml. The default maximum upload size is 2 MB. See also, "Changing the Maximum File Upload Size" in Oracle Fusion Middleware Administrator's Guide for Oracle WebCenter.

53.6.3.4 Maximum Number of Spaces Exceeded on Export

Problem

The maximum number of Spaces that you can export must be less than or equal to 80% of the connection pool size specified for the MDS Data Source. If you try to export too many Spaces you might see a ResourceLimitException error:

Weblogic.common.resourcepool.ResourceLimitException

Solution

Export fewer Spaces. Alternatively, ask your system administrator to modify the connection pool setting. For details, see "Setting JDBC Data Source" in Oracle Fusion Middleware Performance and Tuning Guide.

53.6.3.5 Lists Not Imported Properly

Problem

Lists are not importing properly due to list definition differences in the source and target systems.

Solution

Consider exporting and importing list data. This ensures that list data is consistent with the list definitions being imported.

If you choose to import without data, the list data in the target system is migrated to be consistent with the imported list definitions. If a list column data type is changed, the column values are converted from the target data type to the imported data type, if possible, otherwise the value is deleted. If a list column is removed during import, the column values are deleted.

53.6.3.6 Importing from the Subspaces Page

Problem

When you import a Space from the Space Administration-Subspaces page, the imported Space does not automatically become a Subspace of the current Space. The newly imported Space displays in the Spaces Switcher menu, Spaces Browser task flow, or the Spaces page, which display all the Spaces that are available to you.

Solution

You can import a Space as a Subspace from WebCenter Administration, by selecting the parent Space before you import the archive.