Oracle Fusion Middleware Node Manager Administrator's Guide for Oracle WebLogic Server, 11g Release 1 (10.3.6)

11g Release 1 (10.3.6)

E13740-05

Contents

Title and Copyright Information

Preface

- Documentation Accessibility

- Conventions

1 Introduction and Roadmap

- Document Scope and Audience

- Guide to This Document

- Related Documentation

- New and Changed Features in This Release

2 Node Manager Overview

- Introduction

- Node Manager Versions

- Java-based Node Manager

- Script-based Node Manager

- Determining Which Node Manager Version to Use

- Accessing Node Manager

- What You Can Do with Node Manager

- Start, Shut Down, and Restart an Administration Server

- Start, Shut Down, Suspend, and Restart Managed Servers

- Restart Administration and Managed Servers

- Monitor Servers and View Log Data

- How Node Manager Works in the WebLogic Server Environment

- Diagram of Node Manager and Servers

- How Node Manager Starts an Administration Server

- How Node Manager Starts a Managed Server

- How Node Manager Restarts an Administration Server

- How Node Manager Restarts a Managed Server

- How Node Manager Shuts Down a Server Instance

- Node Manager and System Crash Recovery

- Node Manager Configuration and Log Files

- Configuration Files

- nodemanager.properties

- nodemanager.domains

- nm_data.properties

- nm_password.properties

- boot.properties

- startup.properties

- server_name.addr

- server_name.lck

- server_name.pid

- server_name.state

- Log Files

- nodemanager.log

- server_name.out

- WebLogic Server Log Files

3 General Node Manager Configuration

- Overview of Node Manager Configuration

- Step 1: Configure Your Computer to Run Node Manager

- Controlling and Configuring Node Manager Using WLST

- Using nmConnect in a Production Environment

- Step 2: Specify Node Manager Username and Password

- Step 3: Configure a Machine to Use Node Manager

- Step 4: Configuring nodemanager.domains File

- Step 5: Configuring Remote Startup Arguments

- Step 6: Setting Server Startup Properties

- startup.properties

- Setting Startup Properties Using WLST

- Server Startup Properties

- Step 7: Define the Administration Server Address

- Step 8: Set the Node Manager Environment Variables

4 Configuring Java Node Manager

- Running Node Manager as a Service

- Reconfigure Startup Service for Windows Installations

- Configuring Java-based Node Manager Security

- Remote Server Start Security for Java-based Node Manager

- Reviewing nodemanager.properties

- Deprecated Node Manager Properties

- Configuring Node Manager to Use Start and Stop Scripts

- Script Location

- Best Practices When Using Start and Stop Scripts

- Using Start Scripts

- Using Stop Scripts

- Using SSL With Java-based Node Manager

- Configuring Node Manager on Multiple Machines

- Configuring Node Manager as an xinetd Service

5 Configuring Script Node Manager

- Overview

- Step 1: Create User Accounts

- Step 2: Configure Node Manager Security

- Step 3: Install WebLogic Server

- Step 4: Create a WebLogic Domain

- Step 5: Start the Administration Server

- Step 6: Configure Node Manager on the Managed Servers

- Step 7: Test Node Manager Setup and Configuration by Starting Managed Servers

- Step 8: Configure UNIX Machines

- Step 9: Assign Servers to Machines

- Step 10: Start Managed Servers

- Overriding the Default SSH Port

- Configuring Security for WebLogic Server Scripts

- Configuring Remote Server Start Security for Script-based Node Manager

- Generating and Distributing Key Value Pairs

- Shared Key Value Pair

- Individual Key Value Pairs

6 Using Node Manager

- Starting Node Manager

- Running Node Manager as a Startup Service

- Starting Java-based Node Manager Using Scripts

- Command Syntax for Starting Java-based Node Manager

- Running Script-based Node Manager

- Stopping Node Manager

- Using Node Manager to Control Servers

- Starting the Administration Server Using Node Manager

- Starting Managed Servers

- Starting Managed Servers without an Administration Server

Oracle® Fusion Middleware

Node Manager Administrator's Guide for Oracle WebLogic Server

11g Release 1 (10.3.6)

E13740-05

November 2011

This document describes how to configure and use Node Manager to control and manage servers within a WebLogic Server environment.

Oracle Fusion Middleware Node Manager Administrator's Guide for Oracle WebLogic Server, 11g Release 1 (10.3.6)

E13740-05

Copyright © 2007, 2011, Oracle and/or its affiliates. All rights reserved.

This software and related documentation are provided under a license agreement containing restrictions on use and disclosure and are protected by intellectual property laws. Except as expressly permitted in your license agreement or allowed by law, you may not use, copy, reproduce, translate, broadcast, modify, license, transmit, distribute, exhibit, perform, publish, or display any part, in any form, or by any means. Reverse engineering, disassembly, or decompilation of this software, unless required by law for interoperability, is prohibited.

The information contained herein is subject to change without notice and is not warranted to be error-free. If you find any errors, please report them to us in writing.

If this is software or related documentation that is delivered to the U.S. Government or anyone licensing it on behalf of the U.S. Government, the following notice is applicable:

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Preface

This preface describes the document accessibility features and conventions used in this guide—Node Manager Administrator's Guide for Oracle WebLogic Server.

Documentation Accessibility

For information about Oracle's commitment to accessibility, visit the Oracle Accessibility Program website at http://www.oracle.com/pls/topic/lookup?ctx=acc&id=docacc.

Access to Oracle Support

Oracle customers have access to electronic support through My Oracle Support. For information, visit http://www.oracle.com/pls/topic/lookup?ctx=acc&id=info or visit http://www.oracle.com/pls/topic/lookup?ctx=acc&id=trs if you are hearing impaired.

Conventions

The following text conventions are used in this document:

Convention

Meaning

boldface

Boldface type indicates graphical user interface elements associated with an action, or terms defined in text or the glossary.

italic

Italic type indicates book titles, emphasis, or placeholder variables for which you supply particular values.

monospace

Monospace type indicates commands within a paragraph, URLs, code in examples, text that appears on the screen, or text that you enter.

1 Introduction and Roadmap

The following sections describe the contents and organization of this guide—Node Manager Administrator's Guide for Oracle WebLogic Server.

- Document Scope and Audience

- Guide to This Document

- Related Documentation

- New and Changed Features in This Release

Document Scope and Audience

This document describes how to configure and use Node Manager to control and manage servers within a WebLogic Server environment.

This document is a resource for system administrators and operators responsible for using Node Manager. It is relevant to all phases of a software project, from development through test and production phases.

It is assumed that the reader is familiar with Java Platform, Enterprise Edition (Java EE) and Web technologies, object-oriented programming techniques, and the Java programming language.

Guide to This Document

The document is organized as follows:

- This chapter, Chapter 1, "Introduction and Roadmap" describes the scope of the guide and lists related documentation.

- Chapter 2, "Node Manager Overview" provides a general description of Node Manager and describes how it works within a WebLogic Server domain. It also provides detailed descriptions of the configuration and log files used by Node Manager.

- Chapter 3, "General Node Manager Configuration" describes configuration procedures that are applicable to the both the Java and scripted versions of Node Manager.

- Chapter 4, "Configuring Java Node Manager" describes the configuration procedures for the Java version of Node Manager.

- Chapter 5, "Configuring Script Node Manager" describes the configuration procedures for the scripted version of Node Manager.

- Chapter 6, "Using Node Manager" provides procedures for starting Node Manager and servers. This chapter also includes recommendations for starting servers to take advantage of WebLogic Server's failover and migration features.

Related Documentation

- Creating Domains Using the Configuration Wizard

- Understanding Domain Configuration for Oracle WebLogic Server

- Oracle WebLogic Server Administration Console Help

New and Changed Features in This Release

For a comprehensive listing of the new WebLogic Server features introduced in this release, see What's New in Oracle WebLogic Server.

2 Node Manager Overview

The following sections provides an introduction to Node Manager:

- Introduction

- Node Manager Versions

- Accessing Node Manager

- What You Can Do with Node Manager

- How Node Manager Works in the WebLogic Server Environment

- Node Manager and System Crash Recovery

- Node Manager Configuration and Log Files

Introduction

Server instances in a WebLogic Server production environment are often distributed across multiple domains, machines, and geographic locations. Node Manager is a WebLogic Server utility that enables you to start, shut down, and restart Administration Server and Managed Server instances from a remote location. Although Node Manager is optional, it is recommended if your WebLogic Server environment hosts applications with high availability requirements.

A Node Manager process is not associated with a specific WebLogic domain but with a machine. You can use the same Node Manager process to control server instances in any WebLogic Server domain, as long as the server instances reside on the same machine as the Node Manager process. Node Manager must run on each computer that hosts WebLogic Server instances—whether Administration Server or Managed Server—that you want to control with Node Manager.

Node Manager Versions

WebLogic Server provides two versions of Node Manager, Java-based and script-based, with similar functionality. However, each version has different configuration and security considerations.

Java-based Node Manager

Java-based Node Manager runs within a Java Virtual Machine (JVM) process. It is recommended that you run it as a Windows service on Windows platforms and as an operating system service on UNIX platforms, allowing it to restart automatically when the system is rebooted.

Oracle provides native Node Manager libraries for Windows, Solaris, HP UX, Linux on Intel, Linux on Z-Series, and AIX operating systems.

Note:

Node Manager is not supported on Open VMS, OS/390, AS400, UnixWare, or Tru64 UNIX.

This version of Node Manager determines its configuration from the nodemanager.properties file. See Reviewing nodemanager.properties.

Java-based Node Manager provides more security than the script-based version. See Configuring Java-based Node Manager Security.

Script-based Node Manager

For UNIX and Linux systems, WebLogic Server provides a script-based version of Node Manager. This script is based on UNIX shell scripts, but uses SSH for increased security. SSH uses user-id based security.

For information on configuring the script version of Node Manager, see Configuring Script Node Manager.

This version does not provide as much security as the Java-based version. However, the advantage of the script-based Node Manager is that it can remotely manage servers over a network that has been configured to use SSH. No additional server installation is required. The scripts merely have to be copied to the remote machine.

Note:

It is recommended that you run script-based Node Manager as an operating system service, which allows it to restart automatically when the system is rebooted.

Determining Which Node Manager Version to Use

Which version of Node Manager to use depends on the requirements of your WebLogic Server environment. The following considerations can help you decide which version is ideal for your environment:

- If you are installing WebLogic Server on a Windows system, you must use the Java version of Node Manager. The scripted version of Node Manager is not supported on Windows.

- In order to use consensus leasing, you may see faster performance when using the Java version of Node Manager.

- The script-based Node Manager requires a much simpler security configuration than the Java version. RSH and SSH are generally easier to configure than SSL which is the security method used by the Java version of Node Manager. The script version of Node Manager also requires a smaller footprint than the Java version.

- The Java version of Node Manager can be used in conjunction with inetd on supported UNIX systems. inetd allows Node Manager to be automatically restarted upon receiving a request on the configured port.

Accessing Node Manager

A Node Manager client can be local or remote to the Node Managers with which it communicates. You access either version of Node Manager—the Java version or the script-based (SSH) version—from the following clients: (In addition, an SSH client in the form of a shell command template is provided for use with the script-based Node Manager.)

- Administration Server

- Administration Console, from the Environments > Machines > Configuration > Node Manager page.

For example, you can create JMX utilities that communicate with the Administration Server and perform operations on the ServerLifeCycleRuntimeMBean which in turn uses Node Manager internally to perform operations. For more information about JMX, see Developing Custom Management Utilities With JMX for Oracle WebLogic Server.

- WLST commands and scripts—WLST offline serves as a Node Manager command-line interface that can run in the absence of a running Administration Server. You can use WLST commands to start, stop, and monitor a server instance without connecting to an Administration Server. Starting the Administration Server is the main purpose of the stand-alone client. However, you can also use WLST to:

- Stop a server instance that was started by Node Manager.

- Start a Managed Server.

- Access the contents of a Node Manager log file.

- Obtain server status for a server that was started with Node Manager.

- Retrieve the contents of the server output log.

For more information on using WLST and Node Manager to control servers, see Using Node Manager to Control Servers.

What You Can Do with Node Manager

The following sections describe basic Node Manager functionality.

Start, Shut Down, and Restart an Administration Server

Using the WebLogic Scripting Tool (or SSH client for script-based Node Manager only), you connect to the Node Manager process on the machine that hosts the Administration Server and issue commands to start, shut down, or restart an Administration Server. The relationship of an Administration Server to Node Manager varies for different scenarios.

- An Administration Server can be under Node Manager control—You can start it, monitor it, and restart it using Node Manager.

- An Administration Server can be a Node Manager client—When you start or stop Managed Servers from the Administration Console, you are accessing Node Manager using the Administration Server.

- An Administration Server supports the process of starting up a Managed Server with Node Manager—When you start a Managed Server with Node Manager, the Managed Server contacts the Administration Server to obtain outstanding configuration updates.

Start, Shut Down, Suspend, and Restart Managed Servers

From the WebLogic Server Scripting Tool (WLST) command line or scripts, you can issue commands to Node Manager to start, shut down, suspend, and restart Managed Server instances and clusters.

Node Manager can restart a Managed Server after failure even when the Administration Server is unavailable if Managed Server Independence (MSI) mode is enabled for that Managed Server instance. This is enabled by default.

Note:

Node Manager cannot start a Managed Server for the first time in MSI mode, because the Administration Server for the domain must be available so the Managed Server can obtain its configuration settings.

Note:

Node Manager uses the same command arguments that you supply when starting a Managed Server with a script or at the command line. For information about startup arguments, see "weblogic.Server Command-Line Reference" in Command Reference for Oracle WebLogic Server.

Restart Administration and Managed Servers

If a server instance that was started using Node Manager fails, Node Manager automatically restarts it.

Note:

Node Manager can only restart a server that was started using Node Manager.

The restart feature is configurable. Node Manager's default behavior is to:

- Automatically restart server instances under its control that fail. You can disable this feature.

- Restart failed server instances no more than a specific number of times. You define the number of restarts by setting the RestartMax property in the Node Manager startup.properties file.

If Node Manager fails or is explicitly shut down, upon restart, it determines the server instances that were under its control when it exited. Node Manager can restart any failed server instances as needed.

Note:

It is advisable to run Node Manager as an operating system service, so that it restarts automatically if its host machine is restarted.

Monitor Servers and View Log Data

Node Manager creates a log file for the Node Manager process and a log file of server output for each server instance it controls. You can view these log files, as well as log files for a server instance using the Administration Console or WLST commands.

How Node Manager Works in the WebLogic Server Environment

The following sections provide a "big picture" diagram of Node Manager's role in the WebLogic Server environment, as well as illustrations and descriptions of the processes Node Manager uses to communicate with servers:

- Diagram of Node Manager and Servers

- How Node Manager Starts an Administration Server

- How Node Manager Starts a Managed Server

- How Node Manager Restarts an Administration Server

- How Node Manager Restarts a Managed Server

- How Node Manager Shuts Down a Server Instance

Diagram of Node Manager and Servers

Figure 2-1 illustrates the relationship between Node Manager, its clients, and the server instances it controls.

Figure 2-1 Node Manager in the WebLogic Server Environment

Description of "Figure 2-1 Node Manager in the WebLogic Server Environment"

How Node Manager Starts an Administration Server

Figure 2-2 illustrates the process of starting an Administration Server with Node Manager.

This section assumes that you have installed the Administration Server and created its domain directory using the Configuration Wizard.

Node Manager is running on Machine A, which hosts the Administration Server. The stand-alone Node Manager client is remote.

Figure 2-2 Starting an Administration Server

Description of "Figure 2-2 Starting an Administration Server"

1. An authorized user issues the WLST offline command nmConnect to connect to the Node Manager process on the machine that hosts the Administration Server. (If the Node Manager instance is the SSH version, the user can connect using the SSH client). The nmConnect command provides the Node Manager username and password that are used to authenticate the user with the Node Manager.
Then, the user issues the nmStart command and provides the credentials for starting the Administration Server. For example:

prps = makePropertiesObject("username=weblogic, password=welcome1")
nmStart("AdminServer",props=prps)

Note:

If the user has previously connected to the Node Manager, a boot.properties file exists, and the user does not have to supply username and password.

The nmStart command identifies the domain and server instance to start.

2. Node Manager looks up the domain directory in nodemanager.domains, and authenticates the user credentials using a local file that contains the encrypted username and password.

3. Node Manager obtains the startup properties for the Administration Server.

4. Node Manager creates the Administration Server process.

5. The Administration Server obtains the domain configuration from its config directory.

Note:

After the Administration Server is running, you can update the user credentials and startup properties using the WLST online command, nmGenBootStartupProps.
Alternatively, when the Administration Server and Node Manager are running, you can update the user credentials and startup properties in the Administration Console, on the AdminServer > Configuration > Server Start page. The Administration Server then pushes the updates to the running Node Manager and the Node Manager writes the information to the disk.

How Node Manager Starts a Managed Server

Figure 2-3 illustrates the process of starting a Managed Server with Node Manager.

Node Manager is running on Machine B, which hosts Managed Server 1. The Administration Server for the domain is running on Machine A.

Figure 2-3 Starting a Managed Server

Description of "Figure 2-3 Starting a Managed Server"

1. From the Administration Console, the user issues a start command for Managed Server 1.

Note:

A stand-alone client can also issue a start command for a Managed Server.

2. The Administration Server issues a start command for Managed Server 1 to the Node Manager on the Machine B, providing the remote start properties configured for Managed Server 1. For information about the arguments and how to specify them, see Step 5: Configuring Remote Startup Arguments.

3. Node Manager starts Managed Server 1.
Node Manager starts the Managed Server using the same root directory where the Node Manager process is running. To run the Managed Server in a different directory, set the Root Directory attribute in the Server > Configuration > Server Start Administration Console page.

4. Managed Server 1 contacts the Administration Server to check for updates to its configuration information.

5. If there are outstanding changes to the domain configuration, Managed Server 1 updates its local cache of configuration data.

How Node Manager Restarts an Administration Server

Figure 2-4 illustrates the process of restarting an Administration Server with Node Manager.

Node Manager is running on the machine that hosts the Administration Server. The Administration Server, which was initially started with Node Manager, has exited. The Administration Server's AutoRestart attribute is set to true.

Note:

If a server instance's AutoRestart attribute is set to false, Node Manager will not restart it.

Figure 2-4 Restarting an Administration Server

Description of "Figure 2-4 Restarting an Administration Server"

1. Node Manager determines from the Administration Server process exit code that it requires restart.

2. Node Manager obtains the username and password for starting the Administration Server from the boot.properties file, and the server startup properties from the server_name/data/nodemanager/startup.properties file.

3. Node Manager starts the Administration Server.

4. The Administration Server reads its configuration data and starts up.

How Node Manager Restarts a Managed Server

Figure 2-5 illustrates process of restarting a Managed Server with Node Manager.

Node Manager is running on Machine B, which hosts Managed Server 1. Managed Server 1, which was initially started with Node Manager, has exited. Managed Server 1's AutoRestart attribute is set to true.

Note:

If a server instance's AutoRestart attribute is set to false, Node Manager will not restart it.

Figure 2-5 Restarting a Managed Server

Description of "Figure 2-5 Restarting a Managed Server"

1. Node Manager determines from Managed Server 1's last known state that it requires restarting.

2. Node Manager obtains the username and password for starting Managed Server 1 from the boot.properties file, and the server startup properties from the startup.properties file. These server-specific files are located in the server directory for Managed Server 1.

3. Node Manager starts Managed Server 1.

Note:

Node Manager waits RestartDelaySeconds after a server instances fails before attempting to restart it.

4. Managed Server 1 attempts to contact the Administration Server to check for updates to its configuration data. If it contacts the Administration Server and obtains updated configuration data, it updates its local cache of the config directory.

5. If Managed Server 1 fails to contact the Administration Server, and if Managed Server Independence mode (MSI) is enabled, Managed Server 1 uses its locally cached configuration data.

Note:

Managed Server Independence mode is enabled by default.

How Node Manager Shuts Down a Server Instance

Figure 2-6 illustrates the communications involved in shutting down a Managed Server that is under Node Manager control. Depending on the state and availability of the Managed Server, Node Manager might need to try alternative strategies to successfully initiate the shutdown.

Node Manager is running on Machine B, which hosts Managed Server 1.

Figure 2-6 Shutting Down a Server Instance Under Node Manager Control

Description of "Figure 2-6 Shutting Down a Server Instance Under Node Manager Control"

1. Through the Administration Console, an authorized user issues a shutdown command for Managed Server 1.

2. The Administration Server issues the shutdown command directly to Managed Server 1. If it successfully contacts Managed Server 1, Managed Server 1 performs the shutdown sequence described in "Graceful Shutdown" in Managing Server Startup and Shutdown for Oracle WebLogic Server.

3. If, in the previous step, the Administration Server failed to contact Managed Server 1, it issues a shutdown command for Managed Server 1 to Node Manager on Machine B.

4. Node Manager issues a request to the operating system to kill Managed Server 1.

5. The operating system ends the Managed Server 1 process.

Node Manager and System Crash Recovery

To ensure that Node Manager properly restarts servers after a system crash, you must perform the following:

- For Java-based Node Manager, ensure that CrashRecoveryEnabled is set to true.
The CrashRecoveryEnabled configuration property allows Node Manager to restart servers after a system crash. The property is not enabled by default.

- For script-based Node Manager, place this line in machine start scripts or, if desired, run periodically on a given schedule:

wlscontrol.sh -d domain_name CRASHRECOVERY

- You should start the Administration Server using Node Manager.

- All Managed Servers should be started using the Administration Server. You can accomplish this using WLST or the Administration Console.

After the system is restarted, Node Manager checks each managed domain specified in the nodemanager.domains file to determine if there are any server instances that were not cleanly shutdown. This is determined by the presence of any lock files which are created by Node Manager when a WebLogic Server process is created. This lock file contains the process identifier for WebLogic Server startup script. If the lock file exists, but the process ID is not running, Node Manager will attempt to automatically restart the server.

If the process is running, Node Manager performs an additional check to access the management servlet running in the process to verify that the process corresponding to the process ID is a WebLogic Server instance.

Note:

When Node Manager performs a check to access the management servlet, an alert may appear in the server log regarding improper credentials.

Node Manager Configuration and Log Files

In managing multiple servers, Node Manager uses multiple configuration files and outputs log files to multiple directories, as shown in Figure 2-7.

Figure 2-7 Node Manager Configuration and Logging Environment

Description of "Figure 2-7 Node Manager Configuration and Logging Environment"

The following sections describe Node Manager configuration and log files:

- Configuration Files

- Log Files

Configuration Files

Except where noted, configuration files apply to both Java-based and script-based Node Manager.

nodemanager.properties

This is the configuration file used by the Java-based version of Node Manager. See Reviewing nodemanager.properties.

This file is located in WL_HOME/common/nodemanager, where WL_HOME is the location in which you installed WebLogic Server.

nodemanager.domains

This file contains mappings between the names of domains managed by Node Manager and their corresponding directories. See Step 4: Configuring nodemanager.domains File.

This file is located in WL_HOME/common/nodemanager.

nm_data.properties

This file stores the encryption data the Node Manager uses as a symmetric encryption key. The data is stored in encrypted form.

This file is located in WL_HOME/common/nodemanager.

nm_password.properties

This file stores the Node Manager username and password. See Step 2: Specify Node Manager Username and Password.

This file is located in DOMAIN_HOME/config/nodemanager.

boot.properties

Node Manager uses this file to specify user credentials when starting a server. See General Node Manager Configuration.

This file is located in DOMAIN_HOME/servers/server_name/data/nodemanager.

startup.properties

Each Managed Server instance has its own startup.properties file with properties that control how Node Manager starts up and controls the server. Node Manager automatically creates this file by using properties passed to Node Manager when the Administration Server was last used to start the server. This allows a Node Manager client or startup scripts to restart a Managed Server using the same properties last used by the Administration Server.

For more information on startup.properties, see Step 6: Setting Server Startup Properties. These properties correspond to the server startup attributes contained in ServerStartMBean and the health monitoring attributes in ServerStartMBean.

This file is located in DOMAIN_HOME/servers/server_name/data/nodemanager.

server_name.addr

server_name.addr stores the IP address added when a server starts or is migrated. This file is generated after the server IP address is successfully brought online during migration. server_name.addr is deleted when the IP address is brought offline. The server IP address is used to validate remove requests to prevent addresses being erroneously removed while shutting down the server.

This file is located in DOMAIN_HOME/servers/server_name/data/nodemanager.

server_name.lck

server_name.lck is generated by each server and contains an internally used lock ID.

This file is located in DOMAIN_HOME/servers/server_name/data/nodemanager.

server_name.pid

server_name.pid is generated by each server and contains the process ID of the server. Node Manager checks the process ID generated by the server during crash recovery.

This file is located in DOMAIN_HOME/servers/server_name/data/nodemanager.

server_name.state

server_name.state is generated by the server and contains the server's current state. Node Manager monitors the contents of this file to determine the current state of the server.

Note:

Do not delete or alter this file. Without this file Node Manager cannot determine the current state of the server.

This file is located in DOMAIN_HOME/servers/server_name/data/nodemanager.

Log Files

Use the Node Manager and WebLogic Server log files to help troubleshoot problems in starting or stopping individual Managed Servers.

Table 2-1 Node Manager Log File Locations

Log File

Location

Node Manager Log File

For Java-based Node Manager only, NodeManagerHome/nodemanager.log, where NodeManagerHome is WL_HOME/common/nodemanager

Node Manager Server Instance Log Files

DOMAIN_HOME/servers/server_name/logs/server_name.out, where DOMAIN_HOME is the location in which you installed your WebLogic Server domain, such as d:\oracle\user_projects\domains\domain-name

WebLogic Server Log Files

DOMAIN_HOME/servers/server_name/logs/server_name.log

nodemanager.log

Node Manager creates a log file located in NodeManagerHome/nodemanager.log. This log file stores data about all of the domains administered by Node Manager.

nodemanager.log is created for Java-based Node Manager only; it is not created for script-based Node Manager. This log file is generated by Node Manager and contains data for all domains that are controlled by Node Manager on a given physical machine. The file is located in WL_HOME/common/nodemanager.

Log output is appended to the current nodemanager.log. Log rotation is disabled by default, but can be enabled by setting LogCount in nodemanager.properties.

You can view the Node Manager log file by:

- Selecting Machines > Monitoring > Node Manager Log page in the Administration Console

- Using the WLST nmLog command

server_name.out

For each server instance that it controls, Node Manager maintains a log file that contains stdout and stderr messages generated by the server instance. If the remote start debug property is enabled as a remote start property for the server instance, or if the Node Manager debug property is enabled, Node Manager will include additional debug information in the server output log information.

Note:

You cannot limit the size of the log files Node Manager creates. Logging to stdout is disabled by default.

This file is located in domain_name/servers/server_name/logs.

Node Manager creates the server output log for a server instance in the server instance's logs directory, with the name:

server_name.out

where server_name is the name of the server instance.

You can view the Node Manager log file for a particular server instance by:

- Selecting Diagnostics > Log Files.

- Using the WLST nmServerLog command.

There is no limit to the number of server output logs that Node Manager can create.

WebLogic Server Log Files

A server instance under Node Manager control has its own log file, in addition to the log file created by Node Manager.

You can view the log file for a server instance by selecting Diagnostics > Log Files selecting the server log file, and clicking View.

3 General Node Manager Configuration

The following sections describe general procedures that are applicable to both the Java and scripted version of Node Manager:

- Overview of Node Manager Configuration

- Step 1: Configure Your Computer to Run Node Manager

- Step 2: Specify Node Manager Username and Password

- Step 3: Configure a Machine to Use Node Manager

- Step 4: Configuring nodemanager.domains File

- Step 5: Configuring Remote Startup Arguments

- Step 6: Setting Server Startup Properties

- Step 7: Define the Administration Server Address

- Step 8: Set the Node Manager Environment Variables

Overview of Node Manager Configuration

This section describes general Node Manager configuration that applies to the Java and script version of Node Manager. You should ensure than you have performed all of the items outlined in the following sections.

After you have you have performed general Node Manager configuration, you should perform the configuration procedures outlined in Chapter 4, "Configuring Java Node Manager" or Chapter 5, "Configuring Script Node Manager" depending on which version of Node Manager you are using.

Step 1: Configure Your Computer to Run Node Manager

Node Manager must run on each computer that hosts a WebLogic Server instance. Configure each computer as a machine resource in WebLogic Server, and assign each server instance that you will control with Node Manager to the machine upon which it runs.

Ideally, Node Manager should run as an operating system service or daemon, so that it is automatically restarted in the event of system failure or reboot. See "About Installing Node Manager as a Windows Service" in the Oracle WebLogic Server Installation Guide.

Note:

On UNIX platforms, do not run Node Manager as the root user.

Node Manager is ready-to-run after WebLogic Server installation if you run Node Manager and the Administration Server on the same machine, and use the demonstration SSL configuration. By default, the following behaviors are configured:

- You can start a Managed Server using Node Manager through the Administration Console.

- Node Manager monitors the Managed Servers that it has started.

- Automatic restart of Managed Servers is enabled. Node Manager restarts server instances that it killed or were killed by another method.

Controlling and Configuring Node Manager Using WLST

The WebLogic Scripting Tool (WLST) is a command-line scripting interface that system administrators and operators use to monitor and manage WebLogic Server instances and domains. You can start, stop, and restart server instances remotely or locally, using WLST as a Node Manager client. In addition, WLST can obtain server status and retrieve the contents of the server output log and Node Manager log. For more information on WLST commands, see "WLST Command and Variable Reference" in WebLogic Scripting Tool Command Reference.

Using nmConnect in a Production Environment

WLST can connect to a Node Manager that is running on any machine and start one or more WebLogic Server instances on the machine. A domain's Administration Server does not need to be running for WLST and Node Manager to start a server instance using this technique.

However, by default, the nmConnect command cannot be used in a production environment. You must first perform the following procedures to use nmConnect in a production environment.

1. Start the Administration Server.

2. Using the Administration Console, update the Node Manager credentials from the Advanced options under domain_name > Security > General.

3. Invoke WLST and connect to an Administration Server using the connect command. See "Using the WebLogic Scripting Tool" in Oracle WebLogic Scripting Tool.

4. Run nmEnroll using the following syntax:

nmEnroll([domainDir], [nmHome])

For example,

nmEnroll('C:/oracle/user_projects/domains/prod_domain',
'C:/oracle/wlserver_10.3/common/nodemanager')

Running nmEnroll ensures that the correct Node Manager user and password token are supplied to each Managed Server. Once these are available for each Managed Server, you can use nmConnect in a production environment.

Note:

You must run nmEnroll on each machine that is running a Managed Server. Additionally, you should run nmEnroll for each domain directory on each machine.

Step 2: Specify Node Manager Username and Password

The nm_password.properties file contains the Node Manager username and password. These are used to authenticate connection between a client (for example, the Administration Server) and Node Manager.

Note:

This username and password are only used to authenticate connections between Node Manager and clients. They are independent from the server admin ID and password.

This file is created when you use nmEnroll to copy the necessary configurations files from one machine to another when creating a domain. After nm_password.properties is created, you can change the values for the Node Manager password and properties using the Administration Console. Changes are propagated to the nm_password.properties file and are picked up by Node Manager.

Note:

If you edit nm_password.properties manually, you must restart Node Manager in order for the changes to take effect.

The nm_password.properties file must exist on each physical machine that runs Node Manager. However, the Node Manager username and password do not have to be identical on every machine within your domain.

Step 3: Configure a Machine to Use Node Manager

A WebLogic Server machine resource associates a particular machine with the server instances it hosts, and specifies the connection attributes for the Node Manager process on that system.

Configure a machine definition for each machine that runs a Node Manager process using the Environment > Machines > machine_name > Node Manager page in the Administration Console. Enter the DNS name or IP address upon which Node Manager listens in the Listen Address field.

Step 4: Configuring nodemanager.domains File

The nodemanager.domains file specifies the domains that a Node Manager instance controls. Thus stand-alone clients do not need to specify the domain directory explicitly.

This file must contain an entry specifying the domain directory for each domain the Node Manager instance controls, in this form:

domain-name=domain-directory

When a user issues a command for a domain, Node Manager looks up the domain directory from nodemanager.domains.

This file provides additional security by restricting Node Manager client access to the domains listed in this file. The client can only execute commands for the domains listed in nodemanager.domains.

If you created your domain with the Configuration Wizard, the nodemanager.domains file was created automatically. If necessary, you can manually edit nodemanager.domains to add a domain.

Note:

If you use the backslash character (\) in nodemanager.domains, you must escape it as (\\).

Step 5: Configuring Remote Startup Arguments

In the Administration Console, on the Server > Configuration > Server Start page for the Managed Server, specify the startup arguments that Node Manager will use to start a Managed Server. If you do not specify startup arguments for a Managed Server, Node Manager uses its own properties as defaults to start the Managed Server. For more information, see Reviewing nodemanager.properties. Although these defaults are sufficient to boot a Managed Server, to ensure a consistent and reliable boot process, configure startup arguments for each Managed Server instance. The specified startup arguments are used for starting Managed Servers only. They will not be used by an Administration Server instance that is started by Node Manager.

If you will run Node Manager as a Windows Service, as described in "About Installing Node Manager as a Windows Service" in the Oracle WebLogic Server Installation Guide, you must configure the following JVM property for each Managed Server that will be under Node Manager control:

- -Xrs for the Sun JVM, or

- -Xnohup for the JRockit

If you do not set this option, Node Manager will not be able to restart a Managed Server after a system reboot, due to this sequence of events:

1. A reboot causes a running Managed Server to be killed before the Node Manager and Administration Server operating system services are shut down.

2. During the interval between the Managed Server being killed, and the Node Manager service being shut down, Node Manager continues to monitor the Managed Server, detects that it was killed, and attempts to restart it.

3. The operating system does not allow restart of the Managed Server because the machine is shutting down.

4. Node Manager marks the Managed Server as failed, and it will not start this server when the machine comes up again.

Starting a Managed Server with the -Xrs or -Xnohup option avoids this sequence of events by preventing the immediate shutdown of the Managed Server during machine shutdown.

Step 6: Setting Server Startup Properties

You can use Node Manager to set the startup properties for a server. These properties can be defined in startup.properties or passed as an object using administrative utilities such as WLST. The methods of setting startup properties and their valid values are outlined in the sections below.

startup.properties

Node Manager uses the startup.properties file to determine the startup configuration when starting a server. This file is defined for each server instance and is located in DOMAIN_HOME/servers/server_name/data/nodemanager/startup.properties.

The contents of startup.properties are derived from the Server MBean, or the Cluster MBean if the server is part of a cluster. For more information, see the Oracle WebLogic Server MBean Reference.

Setting Startup Properties Using WLST

When using the WLST nmStart command, the server configuration can not be determined directly. Therefore, you must pass the server start properties as a WLST properties object to the nmStart command.

Server Startup Properties

The following server startup properties can be passed to a server when started using Node Manager.

Table 3-1 Server Startup Properties

Property

Description

JavaHome

Defines the Java home directory used when starting the server.

Arguments

The arguments used when starting the server.

SSLArguments

These arguments are used when you have enabled the domain-wide administration port.

RestartMax

The number of times Node Manager can attempt to restart the server.

RestartDelaySeconds

The number of seconds Node Manager should wait before attempting to restart the server.

ClassPath

The classpath to use when starting a server.

OracleHome

The Oracle home directory to use when starting a server.

AdminURL

The URL of the Administration Server.

Note: This value should only be specified in the startup.properties file for a Managed Server.

AutoRestart

Specifies whether Node Manager can automatically restart this server if it fails.

AutoKillIfFailed

Specifies whether Node Manager should automatically kill the server if its health status is failed.

SecurityPolicyFile

Specifies the security policy file to use when starting this server.

ServerIP

The IP address of the server.

Step 7: Define the Administration Server Address

Make sure that a listen address is defined for each Administration Server that will connect to the Node Manager process. If the listen address for an Administration Server is not defined, when Node Manager starts a Managed Server it will direct the Managed Server to contact localhost for its configuration information.

Set the Listen Address using the Servers > Configuration > General page in the Administration Console.

Step 8: Set the Node Manager Environment Variables

Node Manager requires you to set several environment variables before you start it.

You can set these variables manually on the command line or you can create a start script that sets them automatically. The sample start scripts provided with WebLogic Server, startNodeManager.cmd and startNodeManager.sh, set the required variables and start Node Manager listening on the default address localhost.

To start Node Manager listening on a non-default address, set the LISTEN_ADDRESS variable to <host> and the LISTEN_PORT variable to <port> before calling the startNodeManager script. Alternatively, the startNodeManager scripts will set the first two positional parameters to LISTEN_ADDRESS and LISTEN_PORT when entered on the command line.

For example, enter this command to start Node Manager on host llama and port 7777:

startNodeManager.cmd llama 7777 (Windows)
sh startNodeManager.sh llama 7777 (UNIX)

Enter this command to start Node Manager on host llama:

startNodeManager.cmd llama (Windows)
sh startNodeManager.sh llama (UNIX)

Configuring a non-default listening address for Node Manager is most useful in production environments so that traffic from other machines can potentially reach it. Also, if you have a multihomed machine or a machine with multiple network interface cards, Node Manager can be listening on any one of the addresses on the machine.

Table 3-2 Node Manager Environment Variables

Environment Variable

Description

JAVA_HOME

JDK root directory used by Node Manager. For example:

set JAVA_HOME=c:\oracle\jdk131

Node Manager has the same JDK version requirements as WebLogic Server.

WL_HOME

WebLogic Server installation directory. For example:

set WL_HOME=c:\oracle\wlserver_10.3

PATH

Must include the WebLogic Server bin directory and path to your Java executable. For example:

set PATH=%WL_HOME%\server\bin;%JAVA_HOME%\bin;%PATH%

LD_LIBRARY_PATH

(UNIX and Linux)

For HP UX and Solaris systems, you must include the path to the native Node Manager libraries.

Solaris example:

LD_LIBRARY_PATH:$WL_HOME/server/lib/solaris:$WL_HOME/server/lib/solaris/oci816_8

HP UX example:

SHLIB_PATH=$SHLIB_PATH:$WL_HOME/server/lib/hpux11:$WL_HOME/server/lib/
hpux11/oci816_8

Linux example:

LD_LIBRARY_PATH:$WL_HOME/server/native/linux:$WL_HOME/server/native/linux/i686

Note: Linux can be i686, ia64, or x86_64 architecture. The path would change to correspond with the appropriate architecture.

CLASSPATH

You can set the Node Manager CLASSPATH either as an option on the java command line used to start Node Manager, or as an environment variable.

Windows NT example:

set CLASSPATH=.;%WL_HOME%\server\lib\weblogic_sp.jar;%WL_HOME%\server\lib\
weblogic.jar

4 Configuring Java Node Manager

The following sections provide information on configuring the Java version of Node Manager:

- Running Node Manager as a Service

- Configuring Java-based Node Manager Security

- Reviewing nodemanager.properties

- Configuring Node Manager to Use Start and Stop Scripts

- Using SSL With Java-based Node Manager

- Configuring Node Manager on Multiple Machines

- Configuring Node Manager as an xinetd Service

Running Node Manager as a Service

Oracle recommends that you configure Node Manager to run as an operating system service or a Windows service on Windows systems. By default, the operating system service starts up Node Manager to listen on localhost:5556. For more information, see "About Installing Node Manager as a Windows Service" in the Oracle WebLogic Server Installation Guide.

When you configure Node Manager to accept commands from remote systems, you must uninstall the default Node Manager service, then reinstall it to listen on a non-localhost listen address.

Depending on your platform, follow the instructions in Reconfigure Startup Service for Windows Installations or Configuring Java-based Node Manager Security

Reconfigure Startup Service for Windows Installations

The directory WL_HOME\server\bin (where WL_HOME is the top-level directory for the WebLogic Server installation) contains uninstallNodeMgrSvc.cmd, a script for uninstalling the Node Manager service, and installNodeMgrSvc.cmd, a script for installing Node Manager as a service.

1. Delete the service using uninstallNodeMgrSvc.cmd.

2. Edit installNodeMgrSvc.cmd to specify Node Manager's listen address and listen port.
Make the same edits to uninstallNodeMgrSvc.cmd as you make to installNodeMgrSvc.cmd, so that you can successfully uninstall the service in the future, as desired.

3. Run installNodeMgrSvc.cmd to re-install Node Manager as a service, listening on the updated address and port.

Configuring Java-based Node Manager Security

Node Manager security relies on a one-way SSL connection between the client and server.

If you are establishing a command-line connection to the Java Node Manager using the WebLogic Server Scripting Tool (WLST) nmConnect command, you provide the Node Manager username and password. Node Manager verifies the username and password against the domain nm_password.properties file. For more information on nm_password.properties, see Step 2: Specify Node Manager Username and Password.

Node Manager credentials are located on the domain_name > Security > General > Advanced Options page in the Administration Console.

Administration Console users do not need to explicitly provide credentials to connect to Node Manager—the Node Manager username and password are available in the domain configuration and are provided automatically.

Remote Server Start Security for Java-based Node Manager

A remote start username and password is required to start a server instance with Node Manager. These credentials are provided differently for Administration Servers and Managed Servers.

- Credentials for Managed Servers—When you invoke Node Manager to start a Managed Server it obtains its remote start username and password from the Administration Server.

- Credentials for Administration Servers—When you invoke Node Manager to start an Administration Server, the remote start username and password can be provided in the following ways:

- On the command line. See How Node Manager Starts an Administration Server.

- From the Administration Server boot.properties file.
The Configuration Wizard initializes the boot.properties file and the startup.properties file for an Administration Server when you create the domain.

- Generated for you in a secure, encrypted way with the following steps:

- Start the Administration Server with the flag -Dweblogic.nodemanager.ServiceEnabled=true.

- Create the DOMAIN_HOME/servers/AdminServer/data/nodemanager directory.

- Update any startup properties or the server's credentials while the both the Administration Server and the Node Manager are running.

Any server instance started by Node Manager encrypts and saves the credentials with which it started in a server-specific boot.properties file, for use in automatic restarts.

Reviewing nodemanager.properties

Node Manager properties define a variety of configuration settings for a Java-based Node Manager process. You can specify Node Manager properties on the command line or define them in the nodemanager.properties file, which is created in the directory where you start Node Manager the first time it starts up after installation of WebLogic Server. Values supplied on the command line override the values in nodemanager.properties.

nodemanager.properties is created in the directory specified in NodeManagerHome, where NodeManagerHome is WL_HOME/common/nodemanager. If NodeManagerHome is not defined, nodemanager.properties is created in the current directory.

Each time you start Node Manager, it looks for nodemanager.properties in the current directory, and creates the file if it does not exist in that directory. You cannot access the file until Node Manager has started up once.

Table 4-1 describes Node Manager properties.

In many environments, the SSL-related properties in nodemanager.properties may be the only Node Manager properties that you must explicitly define. However, nodemanager.properties also contains non-SSL properties in that you might need to specify, depending on your environment and preferences. For example:

- For a non-Windows installation, it might be appropriate to specify the StartScriptEnabled and NativeVersionEnabled properties.

- If Node Manager runs on a multihomed system, and you want to control which address and port it uses, define ListenAddress and ListenPort.

Table 4-1 Node Manager Properties

Node Manager Property

Description

Default

PropertiesVersion

Specifies the version of the nodemanager.properties file. Do not change this value.

none

AuthenticationEnabled

If set to true, Node Manager authenticates the credentials against the domain.

true

LogFile

Location of the Node Manager log file.

NodeManagerHome/nodemanager.log

LogLimit

Maximum size of the Node Manager Log specified as an integer. When this limit is reached, a new log file is started.

unlimited

LogCount

Maximum number of log files to create when LogLimit is exceeded.

1

LogAppend

If set to true, then a new log file is not created when the Node Manager restarts; the existing log is appended instead.

true

LogToStderr

If set to true, the log output is also sent to the standard error output.

false

LogLevel

Severity level of logging used for the Node Manager log. Node Manager uses the standard logging levels from the java.util.logging.level package, http://download.oracle.com/javase/6/docs/api/java/util/logging/Level.html.

INFO

LogFormatter

Name of formatter class to use for NM log messages.

weblogic.nodemanager.server.LogFormatter

ListenBacklog

Maximum number of Node Manager backlog requests that the listener will accept. Additional incoming requests will be dropped until the backlogged requests are handled. Typically, you need not adjust this property.

50

CrashRecoveryEnabled

Enables system crash recovery.

false

SecureListener

If set to true, use the SSL listener, otherwise use the plain socket.

true

CipherSuite

The name of the cipher suite to use with the SSL listener.

TLS_RSA_EXPORT_WITH_RC4_40_MD5

StartScriptEnabled

If true, use the start script specified by StartScriptName to start a server. For more information, see Configuring Node Manager to Use Start and Stop Scripts.

false

StartScriptName

The name of the start script, located in the domain directory.

startWebLogic.sh (UNIX)

or

startWebLogic.cmd (Windows)

StopScriptEnabled

If true, execute the stop script specified by StopScriptName after the server has shutdown. For more information, see Configuring Node Manager to Use Start and Stop Scripts.

false

StopScriptName

The name of the script to be executed after server shutdown.

none

QuitEnabled

If set to true, allow the user to remotely stop the Node Manager.

WLST overrides the default value, false, when stopping Node Manager using the stopNodeManager() command.

false

RestartInterval

The amount of time Node Manager will spend attempting to restart a failed server. Within this period of time Node Manager will attempt to restart the failed server up to the number defined by RestartMax. By default, Node Manager will attempt to restart a server indefinitely until the FAILED_NOT_RESTARTABLE state is reached.

0

RestartMax

The number of times Node Manager will attempt to restart a failed server within the interval defined by RestartInterval. RestarMax is only recognized if RestartInterval is defined.

NA

DomainsFile

The name of the nodemanager.domains file.

NodeManagerHome/nodemanager.domains

DomainsFileEnabled

If set to true, use the file specified in DomainsFile. If false, assumes the domain of the current directory or of WL_HOME.

true

StateCheckInterval

Specifies the interval Node Manager waits to perform a check of the server state.

500 milliseconds

CustomIdentityAlias

Specifies the alias when loading the private key into the keystore. This property is required when the Keystores property is set as CustomIdentityandCustomTrust or CustomIdentityAndJavaStandardTrust.

none

CustomIdentityKey

StoreFileName

Specifies the file name of the Identity keystore (meaning the keystore that contains the private key for the Node Manager). This property is required when the Keystores property is set as CustomIdentity and CustomTrust or CustomIdentityAndJavaStandardTrust.

none

CustomIdentity

KeyStorePassPhrase

Specifies the password defined when creating the Identity keystore. This field is optional or required depending on the type of keystore. All keystores require the passphrase in order to write to the keystore. However, some keystores do not require the passphrase to read from the keystore. WebLogic Server only reads from the keystore, so whether or not you define this property depends on the requirements of the keystore.

none

CustomIdentity

KeyStoreType

Specifies the type of the Identity keystore. Generally, this is JKS. This property is optional.

default keystore type from java.security

CustomIdentity

PrivateKeyPassPhrase

Specifies the password used to retrieve the private key for WebLogic Server from the Identity keystore. This property is required when the Keystores property is set as CustomIdentityandCustomTrust or CustomIdentityAndJavaStandardTrust.

none

JavaHome

The Java home directory that Node Manager uses to start a Managed Servers on this machine, if the Managed Server does not have a Java home configured in its Remote Start page. If not specified in either place, Node Manager uses the Java home defined for the Node Manager process.

none

JavaStandardTrustKey

StorePassPhrase

Specifies the password defined when creating the Trust keystore. This field is optional or required depending on the type of keystore. All keystores require the passphrase in order to write to the keystore. However, some keystores do not require the passphrase to read from the keystore. WebLogic Server only reads from the keystore, so whether or not you define this property depends on the requirements of the keystore.This property is required when the Keystores property is set as CustomIdentityandJavaStandard Trust or DemoIdentityAndDemoTrust.

none

KeyStores

Indicates the keystore configuration the Node Manager uses to find its identity (private key and digital certificate) and trust (trusted CA certificates). Possible values are:

- DemoIdentityAndDemoTrust
Use the demonstration Identity and Trust keystores located in the ORACLE_HOME\server\lib directory that are configured by default. The demonstration Trust keystore trusts all the certificate authorities in the Java Standard Trust keystore (JAVA_HOME\jre\lib\security\cacerts)

- CustomIdentityAndJava

- StandardTrust
Uses a keystore you create, and the trusted CAs defined in the cacerts file in the JAVA_HOME\jre\lib\security\cacertsdirectory.

- CustomIdentityAndCustomTrust
Uses Identity and Trust keystores you create.

DemoIdentityAndDemoTrust

ListenAddress

Any address upon which the machine running Node Manager can listen for connection requests. This argument deprecates weblogic.nodemanager.listenAddress.

null

With this setting, Node Manager will listen on any IP address on the machine

ListenPort

The TCP port number on which Node Manager listens for connection requests. This argument deprecates weblogic.nodemanager.listenPort.

5556

NativeVersionEnabled

A value of true causes native libraries for the operating system to be used.

For UNIX systems other than Solaris, HP-UX, or Linux, set this property to false to run Node Manager in non-native mode. This will cause Node Manager to use the start script specified by the StartScriptEnabled property to start Managed Servers.

true

NodeManagerHome

Node Manager root directory which contains the following configuration and log files:

- nm_data.properties

- nodemanager.domains

- nodemanager.log

- nodemanager.properties

For more information on these files, see Node Manager Configuration and Log Files

Note: By default, NodeManagerHome is WL_HOME/common/nodemanager. In a production environment, you might want to customize the location of the Node Manager root directory.

NodeManagerHome

WebLogicHome

Root directory of the WebLogic Server installation. This is used as the default value of -Dweblogic.RootDirectory for a Managed Server that does not have a root directory configured in its Remote Start page. If not specified in either place, Node Manager starts the Managed Server in the directory where Node Manager runs.

none

keyFile

The path to the private key file to use for SSL communication with the Administration Server.

Note: This property is used only in the process of upgrading from WebLogic Server, Version 7.x to Version 9.x.

none

keyPassword

The password used to access the encrypted private key in the key file.

Note: This property is used only in the process of upgrading from WebLogic Server, Version 7.x to Version 9.x.

none

certificateFile

Specifies the path to the certificate file used for SSL authentication.

Note: This property is used only in the process of upgrading from WebLogic Server, Version 7.x to Version 9.x.

none

NetMask

The subnet mask for your network. For server migration, each Managed Server must use the same subnet mask to enable unicast and multicast communication among servers.

none

Interface

The primary interface names used by migratable servers. For server migration, the primary interface names used by migratable servers must be the same.

none

DomainsDirRemoteSharingEnabled

Specifies whether Node Manager is monitoring a shared domain directory. As such, more that one Node Manager may be monitoring the shared directory from different machines.

Set to true to indicate that you have a shared domain directory (mounted directory or Windows NFS) that multiple nodes will be sharing. Enabling this property allows multiple Node Managers to share the domain without affecting each other.

false

Deprecated Node Manager Properties

This section lists the Node Manager properties that are deprecated in WebLogic Server 9.x.

Note:

These properties are published for backwards compatibility and should not be used. SSL configurations will continue to work when migrating to WebLogic Server 9.x. However, the trusted key store is not used when running Node Manager.

Table 4-2 Deprecated Node Manager Properties

Node Manager Property

Description

Reason Deprecated

CustomTrustKeyPass

Phrase (Deprecated)

The password used to access the encrypted private key in the key file.

Using 1-way SSL, Node Manager does not need access to a trusted key store.

CustomTrustKeyStore

FileName(Deprecated)

Specifies the file name of the Trust keystore (meaning the keystore that contains the trusted CA certificates for the Node Manager). This property is required when the Keystores property is set as CustomIdentityandCustomTrust.

Using 1-way SSL, Node Manager does not need access to a trusted key store.

CustomTrustKeyStore

PassPhrase

(Deprecated)

Specifies the password defined when creating the Trust keystore. This field is optional or required depending on the type of keystore. All keystores require the passphrase in order to write to the keystore. However, some keystores do not require the passphrase to read from the keystore. WebLogic Server only reads from the keystore, so whether or not you define this property depends on the requirements of the keystore.

Using 1-way SSL, Node Manager does not need access to a trusted key store.

CustomTrustKeyStore

Type (Deprecated)

Specifies the type of the Trust keystore. Generally, this is JKS. This property is optional.

Using 1-way SSL, Node Manager does not need access to a trusted key store.

JavaStandardTrustKey

StorePassPhrase

(Deprecated)

Specifies the password defined when creating the Trust keystore. This field is optional or required depending on the type of keystore. All keystores require the passphrase in order to write to the keystore. However, some keystores do not require the passphrase to read from the keystore. WebLogic Server only reads from the keystore, so whether or not you define this property depends on the requirements of the keystore.This property is required when the Keystores property is set as CustomIdentityandJavaStandardTrust or DemoIdentityAndDemoTrust.

Using 1-way SSL, Node Manager does not need access to a trusted key store.

Configuring Node Manager to Use Start and Stop Scripts

You can configure Node Manager to use a script to start a Managed Server or to execute a script after server shutdown has completed. These scripts can be used to perform tasks that need to be performed before a server is started or after it is shutdown. Mounting and unmounting remote disks is one example of a task that can be performed using scripts.

Note:

Node Manager uses startup scripts to perform any required configuration, then start the server. In contrast, stop scripts are executed after the server has shutdown.

Script Location

Both the start and stop scripts should be placed in the following directory:

DOMAIN_HOME/bin/service_migration

Script execution should occur relative to this directory.

Best Practices When Using Start and Stop Scripts

When using start and stop scripts to control server behavior, Oracle recommends that you only edit the top line of the scripts that are provided. This ensure that all of the necessary environment variables are used during script execution.

Using Start Scripts

You can use a start script to specify required startup properties and perform any other work you need performed at start up. To define a start script:

1. In the nodemanager.properties file, set the StartScriptEnabled property to true. (The default is false.) If your start script is named startWebLogic.sh or startWebLogic.cmd, Node Manager uses one of those scripts as the default.

2. If you want to specify a custom start script, set the StartScriptName property to the name of your script in the nodemanager.properties file.

Node Manager sets the JAVA_VENDOR, JAVA_HOME, JAVA_OPTIONS, SECURITY_POLICY, CLASSPATH, and ADMIN_URL. It retrieves these values from the ServerMBean, ServerStartMBean, and SSLMBean when you use the Administration Console to start the server, or WLST connected to the Administration Server. When you use WLST connected directly to the Node Manager, you can specify the values; otherwise, they are left empty.

Node Manager combines all of the command line startup options (-D flags) that are specified in the ServerStartMBean Arguments attribute, as well as the SSLArguments into a single environmental variable called JAVA_OPTIONS. SSLArguments are retrieved from the values in the SSLMBean. The SSLMBean is inspected for ignoreHostnameVerification, HostnameVerifier, and ReverseDNSAllowed values, then those values are appended to the -D flags. All of those flags comprise the SSLArguments parameter. All of the values for SSLArguments as well as Arguments in the ServerStartMBean comprise the JAVA_OPTIONS environment variable that is defined for the start script. In addition, the script will append any of its own defined values onto this environment variable.

If there are resulting overlaps in this set of values, it will appear to the java command line like this:

java -Dflag1=value1 -Dflag1=value2 weblogic.Server

The java invocation will resolve the duplicate values.

Using Stop Scripts

You can use a stop script to perform any tasks that are required after the server has failed.

Note:

Stop scripts are used only to execute a script after a server fails and must be migrated.

To define a stop script:

1. In the nodemanager.properties file, set the StopScriptEnabled property to true.

2. Set the StopScriptName property to the name of your script in the nodemanager.properties file.

The following example shows a stop script that can be used to unmout a disk on UNIX systems:

#!/bin/sh
FS=/cluster/d2
if grep $FS /etc/mnttab > /dev/null 2>&1 ; then
sync
PIDS=`/usr/local/bin/lsof $FS | awk
'{if ($2 ~/[0-9]+/) { print $2} }' | sort -u`
kill -9 $PIDS
sleep 1
sync
/usr/sbin/umount -f $FS
fi

Using SSL With Java-based Node Manager

Administration Servers and Managed Servers communicate with Java-based Node Manager using one-way SSL.

The default WebLogic Server installation includes demonstration Identity and Trust keystores that allow you to use SSL out of the box. The keystores, DemoIdentity.jks and DemoTrust.jks, are installed in WL_HOME/server/lib. For testing and development purposes, the keystore configuration is complete.

Configuring SSL for a production environment involves obtaining identity and trust for the Node Manager and each Administration Server and Managed Server with which the Node Manager will be communicating and then configuring the Node Manager, the Administration Server, and Managed Servers with the proper identity and trust. In addition, the use of host name verification and the Administration port must be taken into consideration. To configure production SSL components, see "Configuring SSL" in Securing Oracle WebLogic Server.

Configuring Node Manager on Multiple Machines

If you have a domain that has Managed Servers on multiple physical machines, you must ensure that Node Manager is installed and configured on each machine. You can use the WLST command nmEnroll to copy all of the required domain and configuration information from one machine to another. For more information, see Accessing Node Manager and nmEnroll in WebLogic Scripting Tool Command Reference.

Configuring Node Manager as an xinetd Service

When configuring Node Manager to run as an inetd or xinetd service, the following considerations apply:

- Ensure that NodeManagerHome and other system properties are defined.

- If xinetd is configured with libwrap, you should add the NOLIBWRAP flag.

- Ensure that the hosts.deny and hosts.allow files are configured correctly.

- Depending on your network environment, additional configuration may be necessary.

The following example shows how Node Manager can be configured within xinetd:

# default: off
# description:nodemanager as a service
service nodemgrsvc
{
type            = UNLISTED
disable         = no
socket_type     = stream
protocol        = tcp
wait            = yes
user            = <username>
port            = 5556
flags           = NOLIBWRAP
log_on_success += DURATION HOST USERID
server          = <path-to-java>/java
env             = CLASSPATH=<cp> LD_LIBRARY_PATH=<ldpath>
server_args     = -client -DNodeManagerHome=<NMHome> <java options>
<nodemanager options> weblogic.NodeManager -v
}

5 Configuring Script Node Manager

The following sections describe how to configure script-based Node Manager:

- Overview

- Step 1: Create User Accounts

- Step 2: Configure Node Manager Security

- Step 3: Install WebLogic Server

- Step 4: Create a WebLogic Domain

- Step 5: Start the Administration Server

- Step 6: Configure Node Manager on the Managed Servers

- Step 7: Test Node Manager Setup and Configuration by Starting Managed Servers

- Step 8: Configure UNIX Machines

- Step 9: Assign Servers to Machines

- Step 10: Start Managed Servers

- Overriding the Default SSH Port

- Configuring Security for WebLogic Server Scripts

- Configuring Remote Server Start Security for Script-based Node Manager

- Generating and Distributing Key Value Pairs

Overview

The SSH Node Manager is a shell script, wlscontrol.sh, located in WL_HOME/common/bin/. The wlscontrol.sh file must exist on each machine that hosts server instances that you want to control with Node Manager. This script can be customized to meet site-specific requirements.

You must have an SSH client executable on each machine where Node Manager or a Node Manager client runs. This script must also be in the path of the user-id running it. Typically, an SSH client is a standard part of a UNIX or Linux installation.

Step 1: Create User Accounts

Before running Node Manager, you should create a dedicated UNIX user account for performing Node Manager functions. Add this user to all machines that will host the SSH Node Manager and to all machines that will host a Node Manager client, including the Administration Server.

Note:

On UNIX platforms, do not run Node Manager as the root user.

For example:

1. On each host machine, as the root user, create two new operating system (OS) users: bea and ndmgr, both associated with a new group called bea.

- Use bea for installing WebLogic Server only.

- Use ndmgr to create a WebLogic Server domain and start the Administration Server and remote Managed Servers using Node Manager.

2. Both OS users should have the same OS group (bea) to ensure that the correct permissions are in place for ndmgr to run WebLogic scripts and executables.
For example:

> groupadd bea

> useradd -g bea -m bea

> passwd bea

> useradd -g bea -m ndmgr

> passwd ndmgr

Step 2: Configure Node Manager Security

The Node Manager SSH shell script relies on SSH user-based security to provide a secure trust relationship between users on different machines. Authentication is not required. You create a UNIX user account—typically one per domain—for running Node Manager commands and scripts. A user logged in as this user can issue Node Manager commands without providing a username and password.

Note:

You must also ensure that the Node Manager and WebLogic Server commands are available in the path of the UNIX user-id used to run them. Change the environment file of the user to contain the path to WL_HOME/common/bin/ or DOMAIN_HOME/bin/nodemanager.
For example:

PATH=/usr/bin:/bin:/home/username/bea/user_projects/domains/domain_name/bin/nodemanager

This file resides in USER_HOME/.ssh/.

Configure SSH trust between the ndmgr user on each machine that will run a WebLogic Server instance and the same ndmgr user on the same machine, plus the corresponding ndmgr user on every other machine.

In other words, any ndmgr user on one machine must be able to establish an SSH session without being prompted for security credentials, with a ndmgr user of the same name on the same or a different machine. A ndmgr user must also be able to establish an SSH session with itself without being prompted for security credentials. This is necessary because any Managed Server can become the cluster master for migratable servers and issue commands to start other remote Managed Servers in the cluster using SSH. For Managed Server migration to work, the ndmgr user needs only to be able to run the wlscontrol.sh script using SSH. For more information, see Configuring Security for WebLogic Server Scripts.

For example, to configure one instance of a user to trust another instance of a user for SSH version2:

1. From a terminal logged in as ndmgr user:
> ssh-keygen -t dsa

2. When prompted, accept the default locations and press Enter for passphrase so that no passphrase is specified.

3. Copy the ndmgr user's public key to the ndmgr user's home on the same machine and all other machines.
> scp .ssh/id_dsa.pub ndmgr@192.168.1.101:./

4. Establish an SSH session with the target machine as the ndmgr user and set up trust for the remote ndmgr user.
> ssh -l ndmgr 192.168.1.101 (you should be prompted for password)

> mkdir .ssh

> chmod 700 .ssh

> touch .ssh/authorized_keys2

> chmod 700 .ssh/authorized_keys2

> cat id_dsa.pub >> .ssh/authorized_keys2

> rm id_dsa.pub

> exit

5. Test that you can establish an SSH session with the ndmgr user on the remote machine without requiring a password.
> ssh -l ndmgr 192.168.1.101

6. Repeat this process for all combinations of machines.

Alternatively, you can achieve the same result by generating a key value pair on each machine, concatenating all of the public keys into an authorized_keys2 file, and copying (scp) that file to all machines. Try establishing SSH sessions between all combinations of machines to ensure that the ~/.ssh/known_hosts files are correctly configured. For more information, see Generating and Distributing Key Value Pairs.

Step 3: Install WebLogic Server

As the bea user, install a WebLogic Server instance in the base directory, /opt/bea/wlserver_103, on all the machines that will run WebLogic Server.

For example:

> ./ wlserver_103_linux32.bin

Step 4: Create a WebLogic Domain

In the ndmgr user's home directory, create a WebLogic domain on the machine which will host the Administration Server only.

Subsequently, when you start the Administration Server, it will use the configuration in the config subdirectory of this domain directory to determine the settings for the Administration Server and the domain.

It is likely that most Managed Server instances will be run remotely with respect to the Administration Server. Therefore, these Managed Servers will not have direct access to the domain configuration directory of the Administration Server. Instead they will run from a skeleton domain directory in their respective machine's ndmgr home directory and will obtain their configuration over the network on startup from the remotely running Administration Server.

As the ndmgr user, create the WebLogic domain.

For example:

1. Run the Configuration Wizard:
> /opt/bea/wlserver_103/common/bin/config.sh

2. Create a new WebLogic domain based on the default WebLogic Server template.

3. For the Administration Server, specify a fixed IP address (for example, 192.168.1.100).

4. In Customize Environment and Service Settings, select Yes.

5. In Configure Managed Servers, add two Managed Servers, MS1 and MS2.
For the Managed Servers, specify floating IP addresses (for example, 192.168.1.201 and 192.168.1.202).

6. In Configure Clusters, add a cluster, CLUST, and then assign MS1 and MS2 to it.
Do not specify any Machines or UNIX Machines; you will do this manually in a subsequent step.

7. Name the domain clustdomain and save it to /opt/bea/clustdomain

Step 5: Start the Administration Server

As the ndmgr user, start the Administration Server locally from a terminal using the wlscontrol.sh Node Manager script.

For example:

> /opt/bea/wlserver_103/common/bin/wlscontrol.sh -d clustdomain -r
/opt/bea/clustdomain -c -f startWebLogic.sh -s AdminServer START

For verbose logging to standard out, add the -x parameter to the command.

Once successfully started, stop the Administration Server and then start it remotely using SSH.

For example:

> ssh -l ndmgr -o PasswordAuthentication=no %p 22 192.168.1.100
/opt/bea/wlserver_
103/common/bin/wlscontrol.sh -d clustdomain -r /home/ndmgr/clustdomain -c -f
startWebLogic.sh -s AdminServer START

Step 6: Configure Node Manager on the Managed Servers

Each machine that will host a Managed Server will have a skeleton domain created and configured.

1. From a local terminal, create a new empty directory (clustdomain) in the home directory for the ndmgr user for each of the Managed Server host machines and also a back-up machine. For example:
> mkdir clustdomain

2. For each of the Managed Server host machines and the back-up machine, as the ndmgr user, use WLST to enroll the user's home directory as being the base directory for remotely run servers and for Node Manager.
For example:

> opt/bea/wlserver_103/common/bin/wlst.sh

> connect('weblogic','weblogic','t3://192.168.1.100:7001')

> nmEnroll('/home/ndmgr/clustdomain','/home/ndmgr')

> exit()

Be sure to run nmEnroll on each remote machine. This command creates a property file, /home/ndmgr/nodemanager.domains, which maps domain names to home directories, and creates the required domain configuration and security information so that Managed Servers can communicate with the Administration Server.

The nodemanager.domains file removes the need to specify the domain home directory (with -r) when starting wlscontrol.sh. However, since you changed the Node Manager home directory, you must specify -n /home/ndmgr. The default Node Manager home directory is /opt/bea/wlserver_103/common/nodemanager.domains; you might not want to use this directory as it is in the product installation directory and owned by another user.

Step 7: Test Node Manager Setup and Configuration by Starting Managed Servers

1. Create a WebLogic script directory (bin) in the Node Manager's new domain home.
For example:

> mkdir ~/clustdomain/bin

2. Copy the scripts from the Administration Server's domain bin directory to the corresponding domain bin directory on each Node Manager machine (for example, /home/ndmgr/bin). For example:
> scp ndmgr@192.168.1.100: ~/clustdomain/bin/* ndmgr@192.168.1.101:~/clustdomain/bin

3. For each Node Manager machine (including the back-up machine), edit the shell scripts in the bin directory to reflect the proper path for the local domain home, and the remote Administration Server's IP address.
For example:

1. Edit the DOMAIN_HOME and LONG_DOMAIN_HOME variables in the setDomainEnv.sh script to correctly reflect this remote domain home directory: DOMAIN_HOME=/home/ndmgr/clustdomain

2. LONG_DOMAIN_HOME=/home/ndmgr/clustdomain

3. Similarly, edit the DOMAIN_HOME variable in startWebLogic.sh

4. Edit the DOMAIN_HOME and ADMIN_URL (for example, t3://192.168.1.100:7001) variables in startManagedWebLogic.sh).

4. For each of the Managed Server host machines (including the back-up machine), as the ndmgr user, create a server/security subdirectory in the domain directory.
For example, for the Managed Server MS1:

> mkdir -p ~/clustdomain/servers/MS1/security

Note:

For the back-up machine, create a server directory for every migratable Managed Server (for example, both MS1 and MS2).

5. Create a new boot.properties file with the appropriate username and password variables specified in each Managed Server's security directory (for example, /home/ndmgr/clustdomain/servers/MS1/security).
For example:

username=weblogic

password=welcome1

Note:

When a Managed Server is first started using the script-based Node Manager, the values in this file will be encrypted.

6. For each of the Managed Server machines, as the ndmgr user, start the Managed Server locally from a terminal using the wlscontrol.sh Node Manager script.
For example, to start the Managed Server, MS1:

> opt/bea/wlserver_103/common/bin/wlscontrol.sh -d clustdomain -n /home/ndmgr -c -f startManagedWebLogic.sh -s MS1 START

For verbose logging to standard out, add the -x parameter to the command.

7. Once successfully started, stop the Managed Servers and then, as the ndmgr user, attempt to start the Managed Servers remotely using SSH.
For example to start MS1:

> ssh -l ndmgr -o PasswordAuthentication=no -p 22 192.168.1.101 /opt/bea/wlserver_103/common/bin/wlscontrol.sh -d clustdomain -n /home/ndmgr -c -f startManagedWebLogic.sh -s MS1 START

8. Once successfully started, stop the Managed Servers again and then repeat the process by trying to start each Managed Server (MS1) on the back-up machine instead. Again, stop this server once it successfully starts.

Step 8: Configure UNIX Machines

Using the Administration Console, add a new UNIX Machine for each machine which will host an Administration or Managed Server (including the back-up machine) and include the following settings:

Table 5-1 UNIX Machine Settings

Property

Value

O.S. Type

UNIX

Node Manager Type

SSH

Node Manager Listen Address

<primary-ip-address> (not floating IP address)

Node Manager Listen Port

22

Node Manager Home

/home/ndmgr

Node Manager Shell Command

ssh -l ndmgr -o PasswordAuthentication=no -p %P %H
/opt/bea/wlserver_103/common/bin/wlscontrol.sh -d %D
-n /home/ndmgr -c -f startManagedWebLogic.sh -s %S %C

Node Manager Debug Enabled

true

Servers

<name of the Administration or Managed Servers hosted on machine>

Step 9: Assign Servers to Machines

Once all of the UNIX Machines are created, use the Administration Console to set the Machine property for each server, to ensure each server is associated with its corresponding UNIX Machine. See "Assign server instances to machines" in the Oracle WebLogic Server Administration Console Help.

Step 10: Start Managed Servers

In the Administration Console, start each Managed Server. See "Start Managed Servers from the Administration Console" in the Oracle WebLogic Server Administration Console Help.

Check the server logs in the /home/ndmgr/clustdomain/servers/managed_server_name/logs directory of each Managed Server to ensure that the server has started with no errors.

Overriding the Default SSH Port

The default SSH port used by Node Manager is 22. You can override that setting in the following ways:

- Set the Port= parameter in the ~/.ssh/config file to set the default port for an individual user.

- Set the Port= parameter in the /etc/ssh_config file to set the default port across the entire system.

- Start the Administration Server using the following system property:

-Dweblogic.nodemanager.ShellCommand="ssh -o PasswordAuthentication=no -p %P
%H
wlscontrol.sh -d %D -r %R -s %S %C"

After starting the server, you can edit the SSH port in the Administration Server's configuration file.

Configuring Security for WebLogic Server Scripts

To perform server migration and other tasks, the user-id executing scripts such as wlscontrol.sh must have sufficient security permissions. This includes being able to bring an IP address online or take an IP address offline using a network interface.

Server migration is performed by the cluster master when it detects that a server has failed. It then uses SSH to launch a script on the target machine to begin the migration. The script on the target machine runs as the same user ID running the server on the cluster master.

The commands required to perform server migration are wlsifconfig and arping. Since these scripts require elevated OS privileges, it is important to note that this can prevent a potential security hole. Using sudo, you can configure your SSH to only allow wlsifconfig and arping to be run using elevated privileges.

Configuring Remote Server Start Security for Script-based Node Manager

A remote start username and password is required to start a server instance with Node Manager. These credentials are provided differently for Administration Servers and Managed Servers.

- Credentials for Managed Servers—When you invoke Node Manager to start a Managed Server, it obtains its remote start name and password from the Administration Server.

- Credentials for Administration Servers—When you invoke Node Manager to start an Administration Server, the remote start username can be provided on the command line, or obtained from the Administration Server's boot.properties file. The Configuration Wizard initializes the boot.properties file and the startup.properties file for an Administration Server when you create the domain.

Any server instance started by Node Manager encrypts and saves the credentials with which it started in a server-specific boot.properties file, for use in automatic restarts.

Generating and Distributing Key Value Pairs

The script-based Node Manager uses two types of key value pairs. This section contains instructions for distributing key value pairs to the machines that will host a Node Manager client or server.

- Shared Key Value Pair.

- Individual Key Value Pairs

Shared Key Value Pair

This option distributes the same key value pair to all machines that will host a Node Manager client or server.

The simplest way to accomplish this is to set up your LAN to mount the Node Manager user home directory on each of the machines. This makes the key value pair available to the machines. Otherwise:

1. Generate an RSA key value pair for the user with the ssh-keygen command provided with your SSH installation.
The default location for the private and public keys are ~/.ssh/id_rsa and ~/.ssh/id_rsa.pub respectively.

If these keys are stored in a different location, modify the ShellCommand template, adding an option to the ssh command to specify the location of the keys.

2. Append the public key to the ~/.ssh/authorized_keys file on the Node Manager machine.
For example:

command="/home/bea/server90/common/nodemanager/nodemanager.sh" 1024 33 23...2323

in which the you substitute the public key that you generated, as stored in id_rsa.pub, for the string shown in the example as

1024 33 23...2323

Note:

The prefix command=command ensures that a user that establishes a session with the machine using the public key can only run the command specified—nodemanager.sh. This ensures that the user can only perform Node Manager functions, and prevents unauthorized access to data, system utilities, or other resources on the machine.

3. Manually distribute the key value pair to each machine that will host a Node Manager server instance or client.

4. Execute the following command on the client machine to check that the Node Manager client can access the Node Manager:
/home/bea$ ssh montgomery VERSION

This response indicates that the client accessed Node Manager successfully:

+OK NodeManager v9.1.0

Individual Key Value Pairs

On each machine that will host a Node Manager client:

1. Generate a separate RSA key value pair for the Node Manager user as described in step one in the previous section.

2. Append the public key to the machine's ~/.ssh/authorized_keys file user as described in step two in the previous section.

6 Using Node Manager

These sections provide information on how to start and stop the Java-based and script-based Node Manager. It also provides information on the recommended procedures for starting servers using Node Manager:

- Starting Node Manager

- Using Node Manager to Control Servers

Starting Node Manager

On Windows, you can use a shortcut on the Start menu to start the Node Manager (Tools > Node Manager).

Running Node Manager as a Startup Service

It is recommended that you install Node Manager to run as a startup service. This allows Node Manager to start up automatically each time the system is restarted. See "About Installing Node Manager as a Windows Service" in the Oracle WebLogic Server Installation Guide.

Note:

On UNIX platforms, do not run Node Manager as the root user.

By default, Node Manager listens only from the local host. If you want Node Manager to accept commands from remote systems, you must uninstall the default Node Manager service, then reinstall it to listen on a non-localhost listen address. See Reconfigure Startup Service for Windows Installations.

Starting Java-based Node Manager Using Scripts

Although running Node Manager as an operating system service is recommended, you can also start Node Manager manually at the command prompt or with a script. The environment variables Node Manager requires are described in Step 8: Set the Node Manager Environment Variables.

Sample start scripts for Node Manager are installed in the WL_HOME\server\bin directory, where WL_HOME is the top-level installation directory for WebLogic Server. Use startNodeManager.cmd on Windows systems and startNodeManager.sh on UNIX systems.

The scripts set the required environment variables and start Node Manager in WL_HOME/common/nodemanager. Node Manager uses this directory as a working directory for output and log files. To specify a different working directory, edit the start script with a text editor and set the value of the NODEMGR_HOME variable to the desired directory.

Edit the sample start script to make sure that the command qualifiers set the correct listen address and port number for your Node Manager process.

Command Syntax for Starting Java-based Node Manager

The syntax for starting Java-based Node Manager is:

java [java_option=value ...] -D[nodemanager_property=value] -D[server_
property=value] weblogic.NodeManager

where:

- java_option is a direct argument to the java executable, such as -ms or -mx.

Note:

If you did not set the CLASSPATH environment variable, use the -classpath option to identify required Node Manager classes.

- nodemanager_property is a Node Manager property. Instead of supplying Node Manager property values on the command line, you can edit the nodemanager.properties file, which is installed in the directory where you start Node Manager. For more information, see Reviewing nodemanager.properties.
Node Manager property values you supply on the command line override the values in nodemanager.properties.

- server_property is a server-level property that Node Manager accepts on the command line, including:

- bea.home—the BEA home directory that server instances on the current machine use.

- java.security.policy— path to the security policy file that server instances on the current machine use.

Note:

For UNIX systems:
If you run Node Manager on a UNIX operating system other than Solaris or HP UX, you cannot have any white space characters in any of the parameters that will be passed to the java command line when starting Node Manager. For example, this command fails due to the space character in the name "big iron".

-Dweblogic.Name="big iron"

For UNIX systems other than Solaris, HP-UX, and Linux operating systems, you must disable the weblogic.nodemanager.nativeVersionEnabled option at the command line when starting Node Manager (or set the property in nodemanager.properties) to use the pure Java version. For more information, see Reviewing nodemanager.properties.

Running Script-based Node Manager

To use the SSH Node Manager Command Shell, start the Administration Server using the following command line option:

-Dweblogic.nodemanager.ShellCommand='ssh -o PasswordAuthentication=no %H wlscontrol.sh -d %D -r %R
-s %S -x -c -f sample_custom_startscript.sh %C'

Note:

%C must be the last argument supplied to wlscontrol.sh.

The weblogic.nodemanager.ShellCommand attribute specifies the command template to use to communicate with a remote SSH Node Manager and execute Node Manager functions for server instances under its control.

The template assumes that wlscontrol.sh is in the default path on the remote machine hosting Node Manager.

The ShellCommand syntax is:

ssh -o PasswordAuthentication=no %H wlscontrol.sh -d %D -r %R -s %S %C'

The possible command line options are listed in Table 6-0. The possible parameter values are listed in Table 6-0.

For example, if you type this command,

ssh -o PasswordAuthentication=no wlscontrol.sh myserver start

The listen address and port of the SSH server default to the listen address and port used by Node Manager on the remote machine. The domain name and domain directory are assumed to be the root directory specified for the target server instance, myserver.

This command:

ssh -o PasswordAuthentication=no 172.11.111.11 wlscontrol.sh -d ProductionDomain
-r ProductionDomain -s ServerA'

issues a START command to the server instance named ServerA, in the domain called ProductionDomain, located in the domains/ProductionDomain directory.

The ssh command must include the string:

-o PasswordAuthentication=no

This string passes the ssh PasswordAuthentication option. A value of yes causes the client to hang when it tries to read from the console.

Table 6-1 wlscontrol.sh Command Line Options

Parameter

Description

-n

Specifies the Node Manager root directory

-s

Specifies the server name

-r

Specifies the domain directory

-x

Sets the Node Manager debug flag

-c

Enables a server start script

-f

The name of the server start script

-p

The name of the server stop script

-h

Prints the usage for wlscontrol.sh

Table 6-2 Shell Command Templates

Parameter

Description

Default

%H

Host name of the SSH server

NodeManagerMBean.ListenAddress

%N

Node Manager home directory

NodeManagerMBean.NodeManagerHome

%P

Port number of SSH server

NodeManagerMBean.ListenAddress

22

%S

WebLogic Server name

none

%D

WebLogic domain name

ServerStartMBean.RootDirectory

%R

Domain directory (server root)

ServerStartMBean.RootDirectory

%C

Node manager script command

- START—Start server

- KILL—Kill server

- STAT—Get server status

- GETLOG—Retrieve server output log.

- VERSION—Return Node Manager version.

Note: This must be the last element in the command.

none

Stopping Node Manager

To stop Node Manager, close the command shell in which it is running.

Alternatively, after having set the nodemanager.properties attribute QuitEnabled to true (the default is false), you can use WLST to connect to the Node Manager and shut it down. For more information, see stopNodeManager in the WebLogic Scripting Tool Command Reference.

Using Node Manager to Control Servers

In general, it is recommended that you use the WebLogic Scripting Tool and Node Manager to start and stop the Administration Server and Managed Servers. This section describes the recommended procedures for starting servers using Node Manager and WLST.

For more information, see "Using WLST and Node Manager to Manage Servers" and the "WLST Command and Variable Reference" in WebLogic Scripting Tool Command Reference.

Starting the Administration Server Using Node Manager

The following general procedures are recommended for starting an Administration Server using WLST and Node Manager.

1. Start Node Manager. See Starting Node Manager.

2. Invoke WLST.
On Windows, you can use a shortcut on the Start menu to set your environment variables and invoke WLST.

3. Connect WLST to Node Manager using the nmConnect command.

4. Start the Administration Server using the nmStart command.

After the Administration Server has been started, you can use WLST to start the Managed Servers in your domain.

Note:

Starting the server using the nmStart command allows Node Manager to monitor the state of your Administration Server and restart it in case of failure. Node Manager can only restart servers that were started in this way.
Using nmStart allows you to pass specific properties to a server, but should only be used for debugging. Server properties passed through nmStart are not preserved the next time the server is restarted.

Starting Managed Servers

The following general procedures are recommended for starting a Managed Server using WLST and Node Manager.

1. Start Node Manager. See Starting Node Manager.

2. Start an Administration Server. See "Starting Instances of WebLogic Server" in Managing Server Startup and Shutdown for Oracle WebLogic Server.

3. Invoke WLST and connect to an Administration Server using the connect command.

4. Start your Managed Server using the WLST start command.

Using the start command causes WLST to contact the Administration Server to determine the Managed Servers startup properties. These are in turn passed to Node Manager and are used to start the Managed Server.

Starting Managed Servers without an Administration Server

The following general procedures are recommended for starting a Managed Server using WLST and Node Manager if you do not want to use the Administration Server to determine a Managed Server's startup properties:

1. Start Node Manager. See Starting Node Manager.

2. Invoke WLST and connect to Node Manager using the nmConnect command.

3. Start the Managed Server using the WLST nmStart command.

Using the nmStart command allows you to restart a Managed Server without the Administration Server and to specify the server startup properties you want. However, the following considerations apply:

- If this is the first time you are starting the Managed Server, you must manually ensure that boot.properties and startup.properties are already defined.

- nmStart should not be used to permanently change the startup properties for a server. The next time a server is migrated or restarted from the Administration Server, these properties will not be used.

- When passing the server username and password using nmStart, these values are not encrypted.

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