1. Enterprise Deployment Guide for Oracle WebCenter Content
  2. Common Configuration and Management Procedures for an Enterprise Deployment
  3. Common Configuration and Management Tasks for an Enterprise Deployment

18 Common Configuration and Management Tasks for an Enterprise Deployment

The configuration and management tasks that may need to be performed on the enterprise deployment environment are detailed in this section.

Parent topic: Common Configuration and Management Procedures for an Enterprise Deployment

Verifying Appropriate Sizing and Configuration for the WLSSchemaDataSource

WLSSchemaDataSource is the common datasource that is reserved for use by the FMW components for JMS JDBC Stores, JTA JDBC stores, and Leasing services. WLSSchemaDataSource is used to avoid contention in critical WLS infrastructure services and to guard against dead-locks.

To reduce the WLSSchemaDataSource connection usage, you can change the JMS JDBC and TLOG JDBC stores connection caching policy from Default to Minimal by using the respective connection caching policy settings. When there is a need to reduce connections in the back-end database system, Oracle recommends that you set the caching policy to Minimal . Avoid using the caching policy None because it causes a potential degradation in performance. For a detailed tuning advice about connections that are used by JDBC stores, see Configuring a JDBC Store Connection Caching Policy in Oracle Fusion Middleware Administering the WebLogic Persistent Store.

The default WLSSchemaDataSource connection pool size is 75 (size is double in the case of a GridLink DataSource). You can tune this size to a higher value depending on the size of the different FMW clusters and the candidates that are configured for migration. For example, consider a typical SOA EDG deployment with the default number of worker threads per store. If more than 25 JDBC Stores or TLOG-in-DB instances or both can fail over to the same Weblogic server, and the Connection Caching Policy is not changed from Default to Minimal, possible connection contention issues could arise. In these cases, increasing the default WLSSchemaDataSource pool size (maximum capacity) becomes necessary (each JMS store uses a minimum of two connections, and leasing and JTA are also added to compete for the pool).

Parent topic: Common Configuration and Management Tasks for an Enterprise Deployment

Verifying Manual Failover of the Administration Server

In case a host computer fails, you can fail over the Administration Server to another host. The steps to verify the failover and failback of the Administration Server from WCCHOST1 and WCCHOST2 are detailed in the following sections.

Assumptions:

  • The Administration Server is configured to listen on ADMINVHN, and not on localhost or on any other host’s address.

    For more information about the ADMINVHN virtual IP address, see Reserving the Required IP Addresses for an Enterprise Deployment.

  • These procedures assume that the Administration Server domain home (ASERVER_HOME) has been mounted on both host computers. This ensures that the Administration Server domain configuration files and the persistent stores are saved on the shared storage device.

  • The Administration Server is failed over from WCCHOST1 to WCCHOST2, and the two nodes have these IPs:

    • WCCHOST1: 100.200.140.165

    • WCCHOST2: 100.200.140.205

    • ADMINVHN : 100.200.140.206. This is the Virtual IP where the Administration Server is running, assigned to a virtual sub-interface (for example, eth0:1), to be available on WCCHOST1 or WCCHOST2.

  • Oracle WebLogic Server and Oracle Fusion Middleware components have been installed in WCCHOST2 as described in the specific configuration chapters in this guide.

    Specifically, both host computers use the exact same path to reference the binary files in the Oracle home.

The following topics provide details on how to perform a test of the Administration Server failover procedure.

Parent topic: Common Configuration and Management Tasks for an Enterprise Deployment

Failing Over the Administration Server to a Different Host

The following procedure shows how to fail over the Administration Server to a different node (WCCHOST2). Note that even after failover, the Administration Server will still use the same Oracle WebLogic Server machine (which is a logical machine, not a physical machine).

This procedure assumes you’ve configured a per domain Node Manager for the enterprise topology. See About the Node Manager Configuration in a Typical Enterprise Deployment

To fail over the Administration Server to a different host:

  1. Stop the Administration Server.

  2. Stop the Node Manager in the Administration Server domain directory (ASERVER_HOME).

  3. Migrate the ADMINVHN virtual IP address to the second host:

    1. Run the following command as root on WCCHOST1 to check the virtual IP address at its CIDR: 

      ip addr show dev ethX

      Where, X is the current interface used by ADMINVHN.

      For example:
      ip addr show dev eth0

    2. Run the following command as root on WCCHOST1 (where X:Y is the current interface used by ADMINVHN): 

      ip addr del ADMINVHN/CIDR dev ethX:Y

      Where, X:Y is the current interface used by ADMINVHN.

      For example:
      ip addr del 100.200.140.206/24 dev eth0:1

    3. Run the following command as root on WCCHOST2: 

      ip addr add ADMINVHN/CIDR dev ethX:Y

      Where, X:Y is the current interface used by ADMINVHN.

      For example:
      ip addr add 100.200.140.206/24 dev eth0:1

      Note:

      Ensure that the CIDR representing the netmask and interface to be used to match the available network configuration in WCCHOST2.

      The name of the network interface device may something other than ethX, especially on systems with redundant bonded interfaces.

  4. Update the routing tables using arping, for example: 

    arping -b -A -c 3 -I eth0 100.200.140.206

  5. Start the Node Manager in the Administration Server domain home on WCCHOST2.

  6. Start the Administration Server on WCCHOST2.

  7. Test that you can access the Administration Server on WCCHOST2 as follows:

    1. Ensure that you can access the Oracle WebLogic Server Administration Console using the following URL:

      http://ADMINVHN:7001/console

    2. Check that you can access and verify the status of components in Fusion Middleware Control using the following URL:

      http://ADMINVHN:7001/em

Parent topic: Verifying Manual Failover of the Administration Server

Validating Access to the Administration Server on WCCHOST2 Through Oracle HTTP Server

If you have configured the web tier to access AdminServer, it is important to verify that you can access the Administration Server after you perform a manual failover of the Administration Server, by using the standard administration URLs.

From the load balancer, access the following URLs to ensure that you can access the Administration Server when it is running on WCCHOST2:

  • http://admin.example.com/console

    This URL should display the WebLogic Server Administration console.

  • http://admin.example.com/em

    This URL should display Oracle Enterprise Manager Fusion Middleware Control.

Parent topic: Verifying Manual Failover of the Administration Server

Failing the Administration Server Back to WCCHOST1

After you have tested a manual Administration Server failover, and after you have validated that you can access the administration URLs after the failover, you can then migrate the Administration Server back to its original host.

  1. Stop the Administration Server.
  2. Stop the Node Manager in the Administration Server domain directory (ASERVER_HOME).
  3. Migrate the ADMINVHN virtual IP address to the second host:

    1. Run the following command as root on WCCHOST2 to check the virtual IP address at its CIDR: 

      ip addr show dev ethX

      Where, X is the current interface used by ADMINVHN.

      For example:
      ip addr show dev eth0

    2. Run the following command as root on WCCHOST2 (where X:Y is the current interface used by ADMINVHN): 

      ip addr del ADMINVHN/CIDR dev ethX:Y

      Where, X:Y is the current interface used by ADMINVHN.

      For example:
      ip addr del 100.200.140.206/24 dev eth0:1

    3. Run the following command as root on WCCHOST1: 

      ip addr add ADMINVHN/CIDR dev ethX:Y

      Where, X:Y is the current interface used by ADMINVHN.

      For example:
      ip addr add 100.200.140.206/24 dev eth0:1

      Note:

      Ensure that the CIDR representing the netmask and interface to be used to match the available network configuration in WCCHOST1.

  4. Update the routing tables using arping, for example:
    arping -b -A -c 3 -I eht0 100.200.140.206
  5. Start the Node Manager in the Administration Server domain home on WCCHOST1.
  6. Start the Administration Server on WCCHOST1.
  7. Test that you can access the Administration Server on WCCHOST1 as follows:

    1. Ensure that you can access the Oracle WebLogic Server Administration Console using the following URL:

      http://ADMINVHN:7001/console

    2. Check that you can access and verify the status of components in Fusion Middleware Control using the following URL:

      http://ADMINVHN:7001/em

Parent topic: Verifying Manual Failover of the Administration Server

Configuring Listen Addresses in Dynamic Cluster Server Templates

The default configuration for dynamic managed servers in dynamic clusters is to listen on all available network interfaces. In most cases, this may be undesirable.

In preparation for disaster recovery, Oracle recommends that you use host name aliases that can be mapped to different IPs in different data centers (for example, WCCHOST1, WCCHOST2) to set each server's listen address to a specific network interface. With dynamic clusters, each server cannot be configured specifically.  There is only one listen address configuration in the cluster's server-template.  To effectively set the listen-address properly for each dynamic server in the cluster, a calculated macro must be used.  

WebLogic Server provides the "${id}" macro which corresponds to the index number of the dynamic server in the cluster.  This index starts at the numeral one ("1") and increments to the current managed server count for the cluster.  This sequentially-numbered server ID macro can be used with the recommended host naming pattern to have the Listen address calculated for each Dynamic Server to listen on a specific network interface.

This approach is recommended for enterprise deployment environments where there is only one managed server per host per cluster and the cluster is expected to scale-out horizontally only.

To configure the server-template Listen Address using the ${id} macro:

  1. Verify that the required WCCHOSTn, WEBHOSTn, entries in /etc/hosts are configured to the appropriate IP address for the intended machines. 
    For example:
    10.229.188.205 host1.example.com host1 WCCHOST1 
10.229.188.206 host2.example.com host2 WCCHOST2 
10.229.188.207 host3.example.com host5 WEBHOST1 
10.229.188.208 host4.example.com host6 WEBHOST2

    For information about the requirements for name resolution, see Verifying IP Addresses and Host Names in DNS or hosts File.

  2. Browse to the Oracle WebLogic Server Administration console, and sign in with your administrative credentials.
    http://adminvhn:7001/console
  3. Lock & Edit the domain.
  4. Navigate to Clusters > Server Templates, and select the server template to be modified.
  5. Set the Listen Address value to the appropriate abstracted listener hostname, with the variable assignment as written.

    For example:

    wsmpm-server-template  : Listen Address = WCCHOST${id}
UCM-server-template    : Listen Address = WCCHOST${id}
soa-server-template    : Listen Address = WCCHOST${id}
CPT-server-template    : Listen Address = WCCHOST${id}
IPM-server-template    : Listen Address = WCCHOST${id}
  6. Click Save.
  7. Repeat from step 4 if additional server templates need to be modified.
  8. Click Activate Changes.
  9. Restart the servers that use the template, for the changes to be effective.

Parent topic: Common Configuration and Management Tasks for an Enterprise Deployment

Configuring Server Template Listen Addresses Using the Machine Name

If your host naming or aliasing convention does not follow a sequential numbering pattern starting at 1, to correlate to the internal ID number of each dynamic server, or you desire the cluster to scale-up with multiple managed servers per host per cluster, then an alternative configuration may be preferred. In this case, you can use the ${machineName} macro value to specify the listen address instead of using a host name prefix and server ID macro pattern. The ${machineName} macro will use the display name of the machine that is dynamically assigned to the server, and requires that the machine name be resolvable to an IP address.

To configure the server-template Listen Address with the ${machineName} macro:

  1. Browse to the Oracle WebLogic Server Administration console, and sign in with your administrative credentials:

    http://adminvhn:7001/console

  2. Navigate to Machines to review the list of machine names.

  3. Validate to ensure that these names are resolvable as network addresses, using the OS commands such as ping.

  4. Lock & Edit the domain.

  5. Navigate to Clusters and then Server Templates, and select the server-template that you want to modify.

  6. Set the Listen Address value to ${machineName} as written here. Do not substitute any other value.

  7. Click Save.

  8. Repeat from step 5 if you want to modify additional server-templates.

  9. Click Activate Changes.

  10. Restart the servers that use the modified server-template, for the changes to be effective.

Parent topic: Configuring Listen Addresses in Dynamic Cluster Server Templates

Enabling SSL Communication Between the Middle Tier and the Hardware Load Balancer

It is important to understand how to enable SSL communication between the middle tier and the hardware load balancer.

Note:

The following steps are applicable if the hardware load balancer is configured with SSL and the front-end address of the system has been secured accordingly.

Parent topic: Common Configuration and Management Tasks for an Enterprise Deployment

When is SSL Communication Between the Middle Tier and Load Balancer Necessary?

In an enterprise deployment, there are scenarios where the software running on the middle tier must access the front-end SSL address of the hardware load balancer. In these scenarios, an appropriate SSL handshake must take place between the load balancer and the invoking servers. This handshake is not possible unless the Administration Server and Managed Servers on the middle tier are started by using the appropriate SSL configuration.

Parent topic: Enabling SSL Communication Between the Middle Tier and the Hardware Load Balancer

Generating Self-Signed Certificates Using the utils.CertGen Utility

This section describes the procedure to create self-signed certificates on WCCHOST1. Create certificates for every app-tier host by using the network name or alias of each host.

The directory where keystores and trust keystores are maintained must be on shared storage that is accessible from all nodes so that when the servers fail over (manually or with server migration), the appropriate certificates can be accessed from the failover node. Oracle recommends that you use central or shared stores for the certificates used for different purposes (for example, SSL set up for HTTP invocations). See the information on filesystem specifications for the KEYSTORE_HOME location provided in Understanding the Recommended Directory Structure for an Enterprise Deployment.

For information on using trust CA certificates instead, see the information about configuring identity and trust in Oracle Fusion Middleware Administering Security for Oracle WebLogic Server.

About Passwords

The passwords used in this guide are used only as examples. Use secure passwords in a production environment. For example, use passwords that include both uppercase and lowercase characters as well as numbers.

To create self-signed certificates:

  1. Temporarily, set up your environment by running the following script:
    . WL_HOME/server/bin/setWLSEnv.sh

    Note that there is a dot(.) and space( ) preceding the script name in order to source the shell script in the current shell.

  2. Verify that the CLASSPATH environment variable is set:
    echo $CLASSPATH
  3. Verify that the shared configuration directory folder has been created and mounted to shared storage correctly, as described in Preparing the File System for an Enterprise Deployment.

    For example, use the following command to verify that the shared configuration directory is available to each host:

    df -h | grep -B1 SHARED_CONFIG_DIR

    Replace SHARED_CONFIG_DIR with the actual path to your shared configuration directory.

    You can also do a listing of the directory to ensure that it is available to the host:

    ls -al SHARED_CONFIG_DIR
  4. Create the keystore home folder structure if does not already exist.

    For example:

    cd SHARED_CONFIG_DIR
mkdir keystores
chown oracle:oinstall keystores
chmod 750 keystores
export KEYSTORE_HOME=SHARED_CONFIG_DIR/keystores
  5. Change directory to the keystore home:
    cd KEYSTORE_HOME
  6. Run the utils.CertGen tool to create the certificates for hostnames or aliases used by the managed servers and node managers, one per host.

    Note:

    You must run the utils.CertGen tool to create certificates for all the other hosts that run the Manager Servers.

    Syntax:

    java utils.CertGen key_passphrase cert_file_name key_file_name [export | domestic] [hostname]

    Examples:

    java utils.CertGen password ADMINVHN.example.com_cert \
      ADMINVHN.example.com_key domestic ADMINVHN.example.com

java utils.CertGen password WCCHOST1.example.com_cert \
      WCCHOST1.example.com_key domestic WCCHOST1.example.com
  7. Repeat the above step for all the remaining hosts used in the system (for example, WCCHOST2, WCCHOST1, and WCCHOST2).
  8. For Dynamic clusters, in addition to ADMINVHN and one certificate for each host, a certificate matching a wildcard URL should also be generated.

    For example:

    java utils.CertGen password WILDCARD.example.com_cert \ 
WILDCARD.example.com_key domestic \*.example.com

Parent topic: Enabling SSL Communication Between the Middle Tier and the Hardware Load Balancer

Creating an Identity Keystore Using the utils.ImportPrivateKey Utility

This section describes how to create an Identity Keystore on WCCHOST1.example.com.

In previous sections you have created certificates and keys that reside on shared storage. In this section, the certificate and private keys created earlier for all hosts and ADMINVHN are imported into a new Identity Store. Make sure that you use a different alias for each of the certificate and key pair imported.

Note:

The Identity Store is created (if none exists) when you import a certificate and the corresponding key into the Identity Store by using the utils.ImportPrivateKey utility.

  1. Import the certificate and private key for ADMINVHN and WCCHOST1 into the Identity Store. Make sure that you use a different alias for each of the certificate and key pair imported.

    Syntax:

    java utils.ImportPrivateKey
      -certfile cert_file
      -keyfile private_key_file
      [-keyfilepass private_key_password]
      -keystore keystore
      -storepass storepass
      [-storetype storetype]
      -alias alias 
      [-keypass keypass]

    Note:

    The default keystore_type is jks.

    Examples:

    java utils.ImportPrivateKey\ 
     -certfile KEYSTORE_HOME/ADMINVHN.example.com_cert.pem\
     -keyfile KEYSTORE_HOME/ADMINVHN.example.com_key.pem\
     -keyfilepass password\
     -keystore appIdentityKeyStore.jks\ 
     -storepass password\
     -alias ADMINVHN\
     -keypass password

java utils.ImportPrivateKey\ 
     -certfile KEYSTORE_HOME/WCCHOST1.example.com_cert.pem\
     -keyfile KEYSTORE_HOME/WCCHOST1.example.com_key.pem\
     -keyfilepass password\
     -keystore appIdentityKeyStore.jks\
     -storepass password\ 
     -alias WCCHOST1\
     -keypass password
  2. Repeat the java importPrivateKey command for each of the remaining host-specific certificate and key pairs. (for example, for WCCHOST1, WCCHOST2).

    Note:

    Make sure to use a unique alias for each certificate and key pair imported.

  3. For Dynamic clusters, import the wildcard certificate and private key pair by using the custom id alias of WILDCARD.

    Example:

    ${JAVA_HOME}/bin/java utils.ImportPrivateKey \ 
-certfile ${KEYSTORE_HOME}/WILDCARD.example.com_cert.pem \ 
-keyfile ${KEYSTORE_HOME}/WILDCARD.example.com_key.pem \ 
-keyfilepass password \ 
-keystore ${KEYSTORE_HOME}/appIdentityKeyStore.jks \ 
-storepass password \
-alias WILDCARD \ 
-keypass password

Parent topic: Enabling SSL Communication Between the Middle Tier and the Hardware Load Balancer

Creating a Trust Keystore Using the Keytool Utility

To create the Trust Keystore on WCCHOST1.example.com:

  1. Copy the standard java keystore to create the new trust keystore since it already contains most of the root CA certificates needed.

    Oracle does not recommend modifying the standard Java trust key store directly. Copy the standard Java keystore CA certificates located under the WL_HOME/server/lib directory to the same directory as the certificates. For example: 

    cp WL_HOME/server/lib/cacerts KEYSTORE_HOME/appTrustKeyStore.jks
  2. Use the keytool utility to change the default password.

    The default password for the standard Java keystore is changeit. Oracle recommends that you always change the default password, as follows: 

    keytool -storepasswd -new NewPassword -keystore TrustKeyStore -storepass Original_Password

    For example:

    keytool -storepasswd -new password -keystore appTrustKeyStore.jks -storepass changeit
  3. Import the CA certificate into the appTrustKeyStore by using the keytool utility.

    The CA certificate CertGenCA.der is used to sign all certificates generated by the utils.CertGen tool and is located at WL_HOME/server/lib directory.

    Use the following syntax to import the certificate:

    keytool -import -v -noprompt -trustcacerts -alias AliasName -file CAFileLocation -keystore KeyStoreLocation -storepass KeyStore_Password

    For example:

    keytool -import -v -noprompt -trustcacerts -alias clientCACert -file WL_HOME/server/lib/CertGenCA.der -keystore appTrustKeyStore.jks -storepass password

Parent topic: Enabling SSL Communication Between the Middle Tier and the Hardware Load Balancer

Importing the Load Balancer Certificate into the Truststore

For the SSL handshake to act properly, the load balancer's certificate must be added to the WLS servers truststore. To add a load balancer’s certificate:

  1. Access the site on SSL with a browser (this adds the server's certificate to the browser's repository).
  2. From the browser's certificate management tool, export the certificate to a file that is on the server's file system (with a file name such as soa.example.com.crt).
  3. Use the keytool to import the load balancer's certificate into the truststore:

    For example:

    keytool -import -file /oracle/certificates/soa1.cz.example.com -v -keystore appTrustKeyStore.jks -alias aliasSOA -storepass password
keytool -import -file /oracle/certificates/soa1-osb.cz.example.com.crt -v -keystore appTrustKeyStore.jks -alias aliasOSB -storepass password

Note:

The need to add the load balancer certificate to the WLS server truststore applies only to self-signed certificates. If the load balancer certificate is issued by a third-party CA, you have to import the public certificates of the root and the intermediate CAs into the truststore.

Parent topic: Enabling SSL Communication Between the Middle Tier and the Hardware Load Balancer

Adding the Updated Trust Store to the Oracle WebLogic Server Start Scripts

The setDomainEnv.sh script is provided by Oracle WebLogic Server and is used to start the Administration Server and the Managed Servers in the domain. To ensure that each server accesses the updated trust store, edit the setDomainEnv.sh script in each of the domain home directories in the enterprise deployment.
  1. Log in to WCCHOST1 and open the following file with a text editor:
    ASERVER_HOME/bin/setDomainEnv.sh
  2. Replace reference to the existing DemoTrust.jks entry with the following entry:

    Note:

    All the values for EXTRA_JAVA_PROPERTIES must be on one line in the file, followed by the export command on a new line. 

    EXTRA_JAVA_PROPERTIES="-Djavax.net.ssl.trustStore=/u01/oracle/config/keystores/appTrustKeyStore.jks ${EXTRA_JAVA_PROPERTIES} ......." 
export EXTRA_JAVA_PROPERTIES
  3. Make the same change to the setDomainEnv.sh file in the MSERVER_HOME/bin directory WCCHOST1, WCCHOST2.

    Note:

    The setDomainEnv.sh file cannot be copied between ASERVER_HOME/bin and MSERVER_HOME/bin as there are differences in the files for these two domain home locations. TheMSERVER_HOME/bin/setDomainEnv.sh file can be copied between hosts.

    WebLogic Serverautomatically overwrites the setDomainEnv.sh file after each domain extension. Some patches may also replace this file. Verify your customizations to setDomainEnv.sh after each of these types of maintenance operations.

Parent topic: Enabling SSL Communication Between the Middle Tier and the Hardware Load Balancer

Configuring Node Manager to Use the Custom Keystores

To configure the Node Manager to use the custom keystores, add the following lines to the end of the nodemanager.properties files located both in ASERVER_HOME/nodemanager and MSERVER_HOME/nodemanager directories in all nodes: 

KeyStores=CustomIdentityAndCustomTrust
CustomIdentityKeyStoreFileName=Identity KeyStore
CustomIdentityKeyStorePassPhrase=Identity KeyStore Passwd
CustomIdentityAlias=Identity Key Store Alias
CustomIdentityPrivateKeyPassPhrase=Private Key used when creating Certificate

Make sure to use the correct value for CustomIdentityAlias for Node Manager's listen address. For example, in the WCCHOST1 MSERVER_HOME, use the alias WCCHOST1 and in the ASERVER_HOME on WCCHOST1, use the alias ADMINVHN according to the steps in Creating an Identity Keystore Using the utils.ImportPrivateKey Utility. 

Example for WCCHOST1:
KeyStores=CustomIdentityAndCustomTrust
CustomIdentityKeyStoreFileName=KEYSTORE_HOME/appIdentityKeyStore.jks
CustomIdentityKeyStorePassPhrase=password
CustomIdentityAlias=WCCHOST1
CustomIdentityPrivateKeyPassPhrase=password

The passphrase entries in the nodemanager.properties file are encrypted when you start Node Manager. For security reasons, minimize the time the entries in the nodemanager.properties file are left unencrypted. After you edit the file, restart Node Manager as soon as possible so that the entries are encrypted.

Note:

The CustomIdentityAlias value will need to be corrected every time the domain is extended after this configuration is performed. An unpack operation will replace the CustomIdentityAlias with the Administration Server's value when the domain configuration is written.

Parent topic: Enabling SSL Communication Between the Middle Tier and the Hardware Load Balancer

Configuring WebLogic Servers to Use the Custom Keystores

Configure the WebLogic Servers to use the custom keystores using the Oracle WebLogic Server Administration Console. Complete this procedure for the Administration Server and the Managed Servers that require access to the front end LBR on SSL.

To configure the identity and trust keystores:

  1. Log in to the Administration Console, and click Lock & Edit.
  2. In the left pane, expand Environment, and select Servers.
  3. Click the name of the server for which you want to configure the identity and trust keystores.
  4. Select Configuration, and then Keystores.
  5. In the Keystores field, click Change, and select Custom Identity and Custom Trust method for storing and managing private keys/digital certificate pairs and trusted CA certificates, and click Save.
  6. In the Identity section, define attributes for the identity keystore.

    • Custom Identity Keystore: Enter the fully qualified path to the identity keystore:

      KEYSTORE_HOME/appIdentityKeyStore.jks

    • Custom Identity Keystore Type: Leave this field blank, it defaults to JKS.

    • Custom Identity Keystore Passphrase: Enter the password Keystore_Password you provided in Creating an Identity Keystore Using the utils.ImportPrivateKey Utility

      This attribute may be 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 reads only from the keystore, so whether or not you define this property depends on the requirements of the keystore.

  7. In the Trust section, define properties for the trust keystore:

    • Custom Trust Keystore: Enter the fully qualified path to the trust keystore:

      KEYSTORE_HOME/appTrustKeyStore.jks

    • Custom Trust Keystore Type: Leave this field blank, it defaults to JKS.

    • Custom Trust Keystore Passphrase: The password you provided as the New_Password value in Creating a Trust Keystore Using the Keytool Utility.

      As mentioned in the previous step, this attribute may be optional or required depending on the type of keystore.

  8. Click Save.
  9. To activate these changes, in the Change Center of the Administration Console, click Activate Changes.
  10. Click Lock & Edit.
  11. Select Configuration, then SSL.
  12. In the Private Key Alias field, enter the alias you used for the host name the managed server listens on.

    In the Private Key Passphrase and the Confirm Private Key Passphrase fields, enter the password for the keystore that you created in Creating an Identity Keystore Using the utils.ImportPrivateKey Utility

  13. Click Save.
  14. Click Activate Changes in the Administration Console's Change Center to make the changes take effect.
  15. Restart the Administration Server.
  16. Restart the Managed Servers where the keystore has been updated.

    Note:

    The fact that servers can be restarted using the Administration Console/Node Manager is a good verification that the communication between Node Manager, Administration Server, and the managed servers is correct.

Parent topic: Enabling SSL Communication Between the Middle Tier and the Hardware Load Balancer

Testing Composites Using SSL Endpoints

Once SSL has been enabled, composites endpoints can be verified on SSL from Oracle Enterprise Manager FMW Control. To test an SSL endpoint, follow these steps:

  1. Enter the following URL into a browser to display the Fusion Middleware Control login screen:
    http://ADMINVHN:7001/em

    In this example:

    • Replace ADMINVHN with the host name that is assigned to the ADMINVHN Virtual IP address in Identifying and Obtaining Software Distributions for an Enterprise Deployment.

    • Port 7001 is the typical port used for the Administration Server console and Fusion Middleware Control. However, you should use the actual URL that was displayed at the end of the Configuration Wizard session when you created the domain.

  2. Log in to Fusion Middleware Control by using the administrative user credentials.
  3. From the tree on the left, expand SOA, then click soa-infra (WLS_SOA1).
  4. Click the Deployed Composites navigation tab link.
  5. Click Composite to open the composite's dashboard view.
  6. Click the Test button and select one of the services from drop-down.
  7. In the WSDL or WADL address, replace the base URL (http://WCCHOST1:8001) with the front-end load balancer base url (https://wcc.example.com:443) keeping the URI resource path and query string intact.
  8. Click Parse WSDL or WADL.
  9. Verify that the Endpoint URL shown is SSL, and no errors are returned.
  10. Test the composite. If the response is as expected for the web service, the SSL communication between the Administration Server and the Load Balancer has been configured properly.

Parent topic: Enabling SSL Communication Between the Middle Tier and the Hardware Load Balancer

Configuring Roles for Administration of an Enterprise Deployment

In order to manage each product effectively within a single enterprise deployment domain, you must understand which products require specific administration roles or groups, and how to add a product-specific administration role to the Enterprise Deployment Administration group.

Each enterprise deployment consists of multiple products. Some of the products have specific administration users, roles, or groups that are used to control administration access to each product.

However, for an enterprise deployment, which consists of multiple products, you can use a single LDAP-based authorization provider and a single administration user and group to control access to all aspects of the deployment. See Creating a New LDAP Authenticator and Provisioning a New Enterprise Deployment Administrator User and Group.

To be sure that you can manage each product effectively within the single enterprise deployment domain, you must understand which products require specific administration roles or groups, you must know how to add any specific product administration roles to the single, common enterprise deployment administration group, and if necessary, you must know how to add the enterprise deployment administration user to any required product-specific administration groups.

For more information, see the following topics.

Parent topic: Common Configuration and Management Tasks for an Enterprise Deployment

Summary of Products with Specific Administration Roles

The following table lists the Fusion Middleware products that have specific administration roles, which must be added to the enterprise deployment administration group (WCCAdministrators), which you defined in the LDAP Authorization Provider for the enterprise deployment.

Use the information in the following table and the instructions in Adding a Product-Specific Administration Role to the Enterprise Deployment Administration Group to add the required administration roles to the enterprise deployment Administration group.

Product Application Stripe Administration Role to be Assigned

SOA Infrastructure

soa-infra

SOAAdmin

Parent topic: Configuring Roles for Administration of an Enterprise Deployment

Adding a Product-Specific Administration Role to the Enterprise Deployment Administration Group

For products that require a product-specific administration role, use the following procedure to add the role to the enterprise deployment administration group:

  1. Sign-in to the Fusion Middleware Control by using the administrator's account (for example: weblogic_wcc), and navigate to the home page for your application.

    These are the credentials that you created when you initially configured the domain and created the Oracle WebLogic Server Administration user name (typically, weblogic_wcc) and password.

  2. From the WebLogic Domain menu, select Security, and then Application Roles.
  3. For each production-specific application role, select the corresponding application stripe from the Application Stripe drop-down menu.
  4. Click Search Application Roles icon Search icon to display all the application roles available in the domain.
  5. Select the row for the application role that you are adding to the enterprise deployment administration group.
  6. Click the Edit icon Application Role Edit icon to edit the role.
  7. Click the Add icon Application Role Add icon on the Edit Application Role page.
  8. In the Add Principal dialog box, select Group from the Type drop-down menu.
  9. Search for the enterprise deployment administrators group, by entering the group name (for example, WCCAdministrators) in the Principal Name Starts With field and clicking the right arrow to start the search.
  10. Select the administrator group in the search results and click OK.
  11. Click OK on the Edit Application Role page.

Parent topic: Configuring Roles for Administration of an Enterprise Deployment

Using Persistent Stores for TLOGs and JMS in an Enterprise Deployment

The persistent store provides a built-in, high-performance storage solution for WebLogic Server subsystems and services that require persistence.

For example, the JMS subsystem stores persistent JMS messages and durable subscribers, and the JTA Transaction Log (TLOG) stores information about the committed transactions that are coordinated by the server but may not have been completed. The persistent store supports persistence to a file-based store or to a JDBC-enabled database. Persistent stores’ high availability is provided by server or service migration. Server or service migration requires that all members of a WebLogic cluster have access to the same transaction and JMS persistent stores (regardless of whether the persistent store is file-based or database-based).

For an enterprise deployment, Oracle recommends using JDBC persistent stores for transaction logs (TLOGs) and JMS.

This section analyzes the benefits of using JDBC versus File persistent stores and explains the procedure for configuring the persistent stores in a supported database. If you want to use File persistent stores instead of JDBC stores, the procedure for configuring them is also explained in this section.

Parent topic: Common Configuration and Management Tasks for an Enterprise Deployment

Products and Components that use JMS Persistence Stores and TLOGs

Determining which installed FMW products and components utilize persistent stores can be done through the WebLogic Server Console in the Domain Structure navigation under DomainName > Services > Persistent Stores. The list indicates the name of the store, the store type (FileStore and JDBC), and the target of the store. The stores listed that pertain to MDS are outside the scope of this chapter and should not be considered.

These components (as applicable) use stores by default:
Component/Product JMS Stores TLOG Stores

B2B

Yes

Yes

BAM

Yes

Yes

BPM

Yes

Yes

ESS

No

No

HC

Yes

Yes

Insight

Yes

Yes

MFT

Yes

Yes

OSB

Yes

Yes

SOA

Yes

Yes

WSM

No

No
Component/Product JMS Stores TLOG Stores

OAM

No

No

OIM

Yes

Yes

Parent topic: Using Persistent Stores for TLOGs and JMS in an Enterprise Deployment

JDBC Persistent Stores vs. File Persistent Stores

Oracle Fusion Middleware supports both database-based and file-based persistent stores for Oracle WebLogic Server transaction logs (TLOGs) and JMS. Before you decide on a persistent store strategy for your environment, consider the advantages and disadvantages of each approach.

Note:

Regardless of which storage method you choose, Oracle recommends that for transaction integrity and consistency, you use the same type of store for both JMS and TLOGs.

Parent topic: Using Persistent Stores for TLOGs and JMS in an Enterprise Deployment

About JDBC Persistent Stores for JMS and TLOGs

When you store your TLOGs and JMS data in an Oracle database, you can take advantage of the replication and high availability features of the database. For example, you can use Oracle Data Guard to simplify cross-site synchronization. This is especially important if you are deploying Oracle Fusion Middleware in a disaster recovery configuration.

Storing TLOGs and JMS data in a database also means that you do not have to identity a specific shared storage location for this data. Note, however, that shared storage is still required for other aspects of an enterprise deployment. For example, it is necessary for Administration Server configuration (to support Administration Server failover), for deployment plans, and for adapter artifacts, such as the File and FTP Adapter control and processed files.

If you are storing TLOGs and JMS stores on a shared storage device, then you can protect this data by using the appropriate replication and backup strategy to guarantee zero data loss, and you potentially realize better system performance. However, the file system protection is always inferior to the protection provided by an Oracle Database.

For more information about the potential performance impact of using a database-based TLOGs and JMS store, see Performance Considerations for TLOGs and JMS Persistent Stores.

Performance Considerations for TLOGs and JMS Persistent Stores

One of the primary considerations when you select a storage method for Transaction Logs and JMS persistent stores is the potential impact on performance. This topic provides some guidelines and details to help you determine the performance impact of using JDBC persistent stores for TLOGs and JMS.

Performance Impact of Transaction Logs Versus JMS Stores

For transaction logs, the impact of using a JDBC store is relatively small, because the logs are very transient in nature. Typically, the effect is minimal when compared to other database operations in the system.

On the other hand, JMS database stores can have a higher impact on performance if the application is JMS intensive.

Factors that Affect Performance

There are multiple factors that can affect the performance of a system when it is using JMS DB stores for custom destinations. The main ones are:

  • Custom destinations involved and their type

  • Payloads being persisted

  • Concurrency on the SOA system (producers on consumers for the destinations)

Depending on the effect of each one of the above, different settings can be configured in the following areas to improve performance:

  • Type of data types used for the JMS table (using raw versus lobs)

  • Segment definition for the JMS table (partitions at index and table level)

Impact of JMS Topics

If your system uses Topics intensively, then as concurrency increases, the performance degradation with an Oracle RAC database will increase more than for Queues. In tests conducted by Oracle with JMS, the average performance degradation for different payload sizes and different concurrency was less than 30% for Queues. For topics, the impact was more than 40%. Consider the importance of these destinations from the recovery perspective when deciding whether to use database stores.

Impact of Data Type and Payload Size

When you choose to use the RAW or SecureFiles LOB data type for the payloads, consider the size of the payload being persisted. For example, when payload sizes range between 100b and 20k, then the amount of database time required by SecureFiles LOB is slightly higher than for the RAW data type.

More specifically, when the payload size reach around 4k, then SecureFiles tend to require more database time. This is because 4k is where writes move out-of-row. At around 20k payload size, SecureFiles data starts being more efficient. When payload sizes increase to more than 20k, then the database time becomes worse for payloads set to the RAW data type.

One additional advantage for SecureFiles is that the database time incurred stabilizes with payload increases starting at 500k. In other words, at that point it is not relevant (for SecureFiles) whether the data is storing 500k, 1MB or 2MB payloads, because the write is asynchronized, and the contention is the same in all cases.

The effect of concurrency (producers and consumers) on the queue’s throughput is similar for both RAW and SecureFiles until the payload sizes reach 50K. For small payloads, the effect on varying concurrency is practically the same, with slightly better scalability for RAW. Scalability is better for SecureFiles when the payloads are above 50k.

Impact of Concurrency, Worker Threads, and Database Partioning

Concurrency and worker threads defined for the persistent store can cause contention in the RAC database at the index and global cache level. Using a reverse index when enabling multiple worker threads in one single server or using multiple Oracle WebLogic Server clusters can improve things. However, if the Oracle Database partitioning option is available, then global hash partition for indexes should be used instead. This reduces the contention on the index and the global cache buffer waits, which in turn improves the response time of the application. Partitioning works well in all cases, some of which will not see significant improvements with a reverse index.

Using JDBC Persistent Stores for TLOGs and JMS in an Enterprise Deployment

This section explains the guidelines to use JDBC persistent stores for transaction logs (TLOGs) and JMS. It also explains the procedures to configure the persistent stores in a supported database.

Parent topic: Using Persistent Stores for TLOGs and JMS in an Enterprise Deployment

Recommendations for TLOGs and JMS Datasource Consolidation

To accomplish data source consolidation and connection usage reduction, use a single connection pool for both JMS and TLOGs persistent stores.

Oracle recommends you to reuse the WLSSchemaDatasource as is for TLOGs and JMS persistent stores under non-high workloads and consider increasing the WLSSchemaDatasource pool size. Reuse of datasource forces to use the same schema and tablespaces, and so the PREFIX_WLS_RUNTIME schema in the PREFIX_WLS tablespace is used for both TLOGs and JMS messages.

High stress (related with high JMS activity, for example) and contention in the datasource can cause stability and performance problems. For example:

  • High contention in the DataSource can cause persistent stores to fail if no connections are available in the pool to persist JMS messages.

  • High Contention in the DataSource can cause issues in transactions if no connections are available in the pool to update transaction logs.

For these cases, use a separate datasource for TLOGs and stores and a separate datasource for the different stores. You can still reuse the PREFIX_WLS_RUNTIME schema but configure separate custom datasources to the same schema to solve the contention issue.

Roadmap for Configuring a JDBC Persistent Store for TLOGs

The following topics describe how to configure a database-based persistent store for transaction logs.

  1. Creating a User and Tablespace for TLOGs

  2. Creating GridLink Data Sources for TLOGs and JMS Stores

  3. Assigning the TLOGs JDBC Store to the Managed Servers

Note:

Steps 1 and 2 are optional. To accomplish data source consolidation and connection usage reduction, you can reuse PREFIX_WLS tablespace and WLSSchemaDatasource as described in Recommendations for TLOGs and JMS Datasource Consolidation.

Roadmap for Configuring a JDBC Persistent Store for JMS

The following topics describe how to configure a database-based persistent store for JMS.

  1. Creating a User and Tablespace for JMS

  2. Creating GridLink Data Sources for TLOGs and JMS Stores

  3. Creating a JDBC JMS Store

  4. Assigning the JMS JDBC store to the JMS Servers

  5. Creating the Required Tables for the JMS JDBC Store

Note:

Steps 1 and 2 are optional. To accomplish data source consolidation and connection usage reduction, you can reuse PREFIX_WLS tablespace and WLSSchemaDatasource as described in Recommendations for TLOGs and JMS Datasource Consolidation.

Creating a User and Tablespace for TLOGs

Before you can create a database-based persistent store for transaction logs, you must create a user and tablespace in a supported database.

  1. Create a tablespace called tlogs.

    For example, log in to SQL*Plus as the sysdba user and run the following command: 

    SQL> create tablespace tlogs
        logging datafile 'path-to-data-file-or-+asmvolume'
        size 32m autoextend on next 32m maxsize 2048m extent management local;
  2. Create a user named TLOGS and assign to it the tlogs tablespace.

    For example:

    SQL> create user TLOGS identified by password;

SQL> grant create table to TLOGS;

SQL> grant create session to TLOGS;

SQL> alter user TLOGS default tablespace tlogs;

SQL> alter user TLOGS quota unlimited on tlogs;
Creating a User and Tablespace for JMS

Before you can create a database-based persistent store for JMS, you must create a user and tablespace in a supported database.

  1. Create a tablespace called jms.

    For example, log in to SQL*Plus as the sysdba user and run the following command: 

    SQL> create tablespace jms
        logging datafile 'path-to-data-file-or-+asmvolume'
        size 32m autoextend on next 32m maxsize 2048m extent management local;
  2. Create a user named JMS and assign to it the jms tablespace.

    For example:

    SQL> create user JMS identified by password;

SQL> grant create table to JMS;

SQL> grant create session to JMS;

SQL> alter user JMS default tablespace jms;

SQL> alter user JMS quota unlimited on jms;
Creating GridLink Data Sources for TLOGs and JMS Stores

Before you can configure database-based persistent stores for JMS and TLOGs, you must create two data sources: one for the TLOGs persistent store and one for the JMS persistent store.

For an enterprise deployment, you should use GridLink data sources for your TLOGs and JMS stores. To create a GridLink data source:

  1. Sign in to the Oracle WebLogic Server Administration Console.
  2. If you have not already done so, in the Change Center, click Lock & Edit.
  3. In the Domain Structure tree, expand Services, then select Data Sources.
  4. On the Summary of Data Sources page, click New and select GridLink Data Source, and enter the following:

    • Enter a logical name for the data source in the Name field.

      For the TLOGs store, enter TLOG; for the JMS store, enter JMS.

    • Enter a name for JNDI.

      For the TLOGs store, enter jdbc/tlogs; for the JMS store, enter jdbc/jms.

    • For the Database Driver, select Oracle's Driver (Thin) for GridLink Connections Versions: Any.

    • Click Next.

  5. In the Transaction Options page, clear the Supports Global Transactions check box, and then click Next.
    Supports Global Transactions check box
  6. In the GridLink Data Source Connection Properties Options screen, select Enter individual listener information and click Next.
  7. Enter the following connection properties:

    • Service Name: Enter the service name of the database with lowercase characters. For a GridLink data source, you must enter the Oracle RAC service name. For example:

      wccedg.example.com

    • Host Name and Port: Enter the SCAN address and port for the RAC database, separated by a colon. For example: 

      db-scan.example.com:1521

      Click Add to add the host name and port to the list box below the field.

      Figure 18-1 Adding Host Name and Port Details for the RAC Database

      Description of Figure 18-1 follows
      Description of "Figure 18-1 Adding Host Name and Port Details for the RAC Database"

      You can identify the SCAN address by querying the appropriate parameter in the database using the TCP Protocol:

      SQL>show parameter remote_listener;

NAME                 TYPE        VALUE
 
--------------------------------------------------
 
remote_listener     string      db-scan.example.com

      Note:

      For Oracle Database 11g Release 1 (11.1), use the virtual IP and port of each database instance listener, for example: 

      dbhost1-vip.example.com (port 1521)

      and

      dbhost2-vip.example.com (1521)

    • Database User Name: Enter the following:

      For the TLOGs store, enter TLOGS; for the JMS persistent store, enter JMS.

    • Password: Enter the password that you used when you created the user in the database.

    • Confirm Password: Enter the password again and click Next.

  8. On the Test GridLink Database Connection page, review the connection parameters and click Test All Listeners.

    Here is an example of a successful connection notification:

    Connection test for jdbc:oracle:thin:@(DESCRIPTION=(ADDRESS_LIST=(ADDRESS=(PROTOCOL=TCP)(HOST=db-scan.example.com)
(PORT=1521)))(CONNECT_DATA=(SERVICE_NAME=wccedg.example.com))) succeeded.

    Click Next.

  9. In the ONS Client Configuration page, do the following:

    • Select FAN Enabled to subscribe to and process Oracle FAN events.

    • Enter the SCAN address: ONS remote port for the RAC database and the ONS remote port as reported by the database (see the following example) and click Add: 

      [orcl@db-scan1 ~]$ srvctl config nodeapps -s
 
ONS exists: Local port 6100, remote port 6200, EM port 2016

    • Click Next.

    Note:

    For Oracle Database 11g Release 1 (11.1), use the hostname and port of each database's ONS service, for example: 

    custdbhost1.example.com (port 6200)

    and

    custdbhost2.example.com (6200)
  10. On the Test ONS Client Configuration page, review the connection parameters and click Test All ONS Nodes.

    Here is an example of a successful connection notification:

    Connection test for db-scan.example.com:6200 succeeded.

    Click Next.

  11. In the Select Targets page, select the cluster that is using the persistent store, and then select All Servers in the cluster.
  12. Click Finish.
  13. To activate these changes, in the Change Center of the Administration Console, click Activate Changes.
  14. Repeat step 4 through step 13 to create the GridLink Data Source for JMS File Stores.
Assigning the TLOGs JDBC Store to the Managed Servers

After you create the tablespace and user in the database, and you have created the datasource, you can then assign the TLOGs persistence store to each of the required Managed Servers.

  1. Login in to the Oracle WebLogic Server Administration Console.
  2. In the Change Center, click Lock and Edit.
  3. In the Domain Structure tree, expand Environment, then Servers.
  4. Click the name of the Managed Server you want to use the TLOGs store.
  5. Select the Configuration > Services tab.
  6. Under Transaction Log Store, select JDBC from the Type menu.
  7. From the Data Source menu, select the data source you created for the TLOGs persistence store.
  8. In the Prefix Name field, specify a prefix name to form a unique JDBC TLOG store name for each configured JDBC TLOG store
  9. Click Save.
  10. Repeat steps 3 to 7 for each of the additional Managed Servers in the cluster.
  11. To activate these changes, in the Change Center of the Administration Console, click Activate Changes.
Creating a JDBC JMS Store

After you create the JMS persistent store user and table space in the database, and after you create the data source for the JMS persistent store, you can then use the Administration Console to create the store.

  1. Log in to the Oracle WebLogic Server Administration Console.
  2. If you have not already done so, in the Change Center, click Lock & Edit.
  3. In the Domain Structure tree, expand Services, then select Persistent Store.
  4. Click New, and then click JDBC Store.
  5. Enter a persistent store name that easily relates it to the pertaining JMS servers that will be using it.
  6. Specify a unique prefix qualifying the installation and cluster and associate it with the data source you created for the JMS persistent store.
  7. Target the store to the entity that will host the JTA services.
  8. To activate these changes, in the Change Center of the Administration Console, click Activate Changes.
Assigning the JMS JDBC store to the JMS Servers

After you create the JMS tablespace and user in the database, create the JMS datasource, and create the JDBC store, then you can assign the JMS persistence store to each of the required JMS Servers.

To assign the JMS persistence store to the JMS servers:
  1. Log in to the Oracle WebLogic Server Administration Console.
  2. In the Change Center, click Lock and Edit.
  3. In the Domain Structure tree, expand Services, then Messaging, and then JMS Servers.
  4. Click the name of the JMS Server that you want to use the persistent store.
  5. From the Persistent Store menu, select the JMS persistent store you created earlier.
  6. Click Save.
  7. Repeat steps 3 to 6 for each of the additional JMS Servers in the cluster.
  8. To activate these changes, in the Change Center of the Administration Console, click Activate Changes.
Creating the Required Tables for the JMS JDBC Store

The final step in using a JDBC persistent store for JMS is to create the required JDBC store tables. Perform this task before you restart the Managed Servers in the domain.

  1. Review the information in Performance Considerations for TLOGs and JMS Persistent Stores, and decide which table features are appropriate for your environment.

    There are three Oracle DB schema definitions provided in this release and were extracted for review in the previous step. The basic definition includes the RAW data type without any partition for indexes. The second uses the blob data type, and the third uses the blob data type and secure files.

  2. Create a domain-specific well-named folder structure for the custom DDL file on shared storage. The ORACLE_RUNTIME shared volume is recommended so it is available to all servers.

    Example:

    mkdir -p ORACLE_RUNTIME/domain_name/ddl
  3. Create a jms_custom.ddl file in new shared ddl folder based on your requirements analysis.
    For example, to implement an optimized schema definition that uses both secure files and hash partitioning, create the jms_custom.ddl file with the following content: 
    CREATE TABLE $TABLE (
  id     int  not null,
  type   int  not null,
  handle int  not null,
  record blob not null,
PRIMARY KEY (ID) USING INDEX GLOBAL PARTITION BY HASH (ID) PARTITIONS 8)
LOB (RECORD) STORE AS SECUREFILE (ENABLE STORAGE IN ROW);

    This example can be compared to the default schema definition for JMS stores, where the RAW data type is used without any partitions for indexes.

    Note that the number of partitions should be a power of two. This ensures that each partition is of similar size. The recommended number of partitions varies depending on the expected table or index growth. You should have your database administrator (DBA) analyze the growth of the tables over time and adjust the tables accordingly. See Partitioning Concepts in Database VLDB and Partitioning Guide.

  4. Use the Administration Console to edit the existing JDBC Store you created earlier; create the table that is used for the JMS data:
    1. Login in to the Oracle WebLogic Server Administration Console.
    2. In the Change Center, click Lock and Edit.
    3. In the Domain Structure tree, expand Services, then Persistent Stores.
    4. Click the persistent store you created earlier.
    5. Under the Advanced options, enter ORACLE_RUNTIME/domain_name/ddl/jms_custom.ddl in the Create Table from DDL File field.
    6. Click Save.
    7. To activate these changes, in the Change Center of the Administration Console, click Activate Changes.
  5. Restart the Managed Servers.

Using File Persistent Stores for TLOGs and JMS in an Enterprise Deployment

This section explains the procedures to configure TLOGs and JMS File persistent stores in a shared folder.

Parent topic: Using Persistent Stores for TLOGs and JMS in an Enterprise Deployment

Configuring TLOGs File Persistent Store in a Shared Folder

Oracle WebLogic Server uses the transaction logs to recover from system crashes or network failures.

Configuring TLOGs File Persistent Store in a Shared Folder with a Static Cluster

To set the location for the default persistence stores for each managed server in a static cluster, complete the following steps:

  1. Log into the Oracle WebLogic Server Administration console:

    ADMINVHN:7001/console

    Note:

    If you have already configured web tier, use http://admin.example.com/console.

  2. In the Change Center section, click Lock & Edit.

  3. For each of the Managed Servers in the cluster:

    1. In the Domain Structure window, expand the Environment node, and then click the Servers node.

      The Summary of Servers page appears.

    2. Click the name of the server (represented as a hyperlink) in the Name column of the table.

      The settings page for the selected server appears and defaults to the Configuration tab.

    3. On the Configuration tab, click the Services tab.

    4. In the Default Store section of the page, enter the path to the folder where the default persistent stores stores its data files.

      For the enterprise deployment, use the ORACLE_RUNTIME directory location. This subdirectory serves as the central, shared location for transaction logs for the cluster. See File System and Directory Variables Used in This Guide.

      For example:

      ORACLE_RUNTIME/domain_name/cluster_name/tlogs

      In this example, replace ORACLE_RUNTIME with the value of the variable for your environment. Replace domain_name with the name you assigned to the domain. Replace cluster_name with the name of the cluster you just created.

    5. Click Save.

  4. Complete step 3 for all servers in the SOA_Cluster.

  5. Click Activate Changes.

Note:

You validate the location and the creation of the transaction logs later in the configuration procedure.

Configuring TLOGs File Persistent Store in a Shared Folder with a Dynamic Cluster

To set the location for the default persistence stores for a dynamic cluster, update the server template:

  1. Log into the Oracle WebLogic Server Administration Console:

    ADMINVHN:7001/console

    Note:

    If you have already configured web tier, use http://admin.example.com/console.

  2. In the Change Center section, click Lock & Edit.

  3. Navigate to the server template for the cluster:

    1. In the Domain Structure window, expand the Environment and Clusters nodes, and then click the Server Templates node.

      The Summary of Server Templates page appears.

    2. Click the name of the server template (represented as a hyperlink) in the Name column of the table.

      The settings page for the selected server template appears and defaults to the Configuration tab.

    3. On the Configuration tab, click the Services tab.

    4. In the Default Store section of the page, enter the path to the folder where the default persistent stores stores its data files.

      For the enterprise deployment, use the ORACLE_RUNTIME directory location. This subdirectory serves as the central, shared location for transaction logs for the cluster. See File System and Directory Variables Used in This Guide.

      For example:

      ORACLE_RUNTIME/domain_name/cluster_name/tlogs

      In this example, replace ORACLE_RUNTIME with the value of the variable for your environment. Replace domain_name with the name that you assigned to the domain. Replace cluster_name with the name of the cluster you just created.

    5. Click Save.

  4. Click Activate Changes.

Note:

You validate the location and the creation of the transaction logs later in the configuration procedure.

Validating the Location and Creation of the Transaction Logs

After the WLS_SERVER_TYPE1 and WLS_SERVER_TYPE2 managed Servers are up and running, verify that the transaction log directory and transaction logs are created as expected, based on the steps that you performed in Configuring TLOGs File Persistent Store in a Shared Folder with a Static Cluster and Configuring TLOGs File Persistent Store in a Shared Folder with a Dynamic Cluster:

ORACLE_RUNTIME/domain_name/OSB_Cluster/tlogs

  • _WLS_WLS_SERVER_TYPE1000000.DAT

  • _WLS_WLS_SERVER_TYPE2000000.DAT

Configuring JMS File Persistent Store in a Shared Folder

If you have already configured and extended your domain, the JMS Persistent Files are already configured in a shared location. If you need to change any other persistent store file to the shared folder, perform the following steps:

  1. Log in to the Oracle WebLogic Server Administration Console.
  2. Navigate to Domain > Services > Persistent Store and click the name of the persistent store that you want to move to the shared folder.
    The Configuration: General tab is displayed.
  3. Change the directory to ORACLE_RUNTIME/domain_name/WCC_cluster/jms.
  4. Click Save.
  5. Click Activate Changes.

Performing Backups and Recoveries for an Enterprise Deployment

It is recommended that you follow the below mentioned guidelines to make sure that you back up the necessary directories and configuration data for an Oracle WebCenter Content enterprise deployment.

Note:

Some of the static and runtime artifacts listed in this section are hosted from Network Attached Storage (NAS). If possible, backup and recover these volumes from the NAS filer directly rather than from the application servers.

For general information about backing up and recovering Oracle Fusion Middleware products, see the following sections in Oracle Fusion Middleware Administering Oracle Fusion Middleware:

Table 18-1 lists the static artifacts to back up in a typical Oracle WebCenter Content enterprise deployment.

Table 18-1 Static Artifacts to Back Up in the Oracle WebCenter Content Enterprise Deployment

Type Host Tier

Database Oracle home

DBHOST1 and DBHOST2

Data Tier

Oracle Fusion Middleware Oracle home

WEBHOST1 and WEBHOST2

Web Tier

Oracle Fusion Middleware Oracle home

WCCHOST1 and WCCHOST2 (or NAS Filer)

Application Tier

Installation-related files

WEBHOST1, WEHOST2, and shared storage

N/A

Table 18-2 lists the runtime artifacts to back up in a typical Oracle WebCenter Content enterprise deployment.

Table 18-2 Run-Time Artifacts to Back Up in the Oracle WebCenter Content Enterprise Deployment

Type Host Tier

Administration Server domain home (ASERVER_HOME)

WCCHOST1 (or NAS Filer)

Application Tier

Application home (APPLICATION_HOME)

WCCHOST1 (or NAS Filer)

Application Tier

Oracle RAC databases

DBHOST1 and DBHOST2

Data Tier

Scripts and Customizations

Per host

Application Tier

Deployment Plan home (DEPLOY_PLAN_HOME)

WCCHOST1 (or NAS Filer)

Application Tier

OHS/OTD Configuration directory

WEBHOST1 and WEBHOST2

Web Tier

Parent topic: Common Configuration and Management Tasks for an Enterprise Deployment

Modifying the Upload and Stage Directories to an Absolute Path in an Enterprise Deployment

After you configure the domain and unpack it to the Managed Server domain directories on all the hosts, verify and update the upload and stage directories for Managed Servers in the new clusters. Also, update the upload directory for the AdminServer to have the same absolute path instead of relative, otherwise deployment issues can occur. If you implement dynamic clusters, the configuration of the server template assigned to each newly added cluster should be verified and updated, otherwise, verify and update every statically-defined Managed Server for the newly added clusters.

Note:

This option is applicable only for static clusters.

This step is necessary to avoid potential issues when you perform remote deployments and for deployments that require the stage mode.

To update the directory paths for the Deployment Stage and Upload locations, complete the following steps:

  1. Log in to the Oracle WebLogic Server Administration Console.

  2. In the left navigation tree, expand Domain, and then Environment.

  3. Click Lock & Edit.

  4. Navigate to and edit the appropriate objects for your cluster type.

    1. For Static Clusters, navigate to Servers and click the name of the Managed Server you want to edit.

    2. For Dynamic Clusters, navigate to Clusters > Server Templates, and click on the name of the server template to be edited.

  5. For each new Managed Server or Server Template to be edited:

    1. Click the Configuration tab, and then click the Deployment tab.

    2. Verify that the Staging Directory Name is set to the following: 

      MSERVER_HOME/servers/server_or_template_name/stage

      Replace MSERVER_HOME with the full path for the MSERVER_HOME directory.

      If you use static clusters, update with the correct name of the Managed Server that you are editing.

      If you use dynamic clusters, leave the template name intact. For example: /u02/oracle/config/domains/wccedg_domain/servers/XYZ-server-template/stage

    3. Update the Upload Directory Name to the following value: 

      ASERVER_HOME/servers/AdminServer/upload

      Replace ASERVER_HOME with the directory path for the ASERVER_HOME directory.

    4. Click Save.

    5. Return to the Summary of Servers or Summary of Server Templates screen as applicable.

  6. Repeat the previous steps for each of the new managed servers or dynamic cluster server templates.

  7. Navigate to and update the Upload Directory Name value for the AdminServer:

    1. Navigate to Servers, and select the AdminServer.

    2. Click the Configuration tab, and then click the Deployment Tab.

    3. Verify that the Staging Directory Name is set to the following absolute path:

      ASERVER_HOME/servers/AdminServer/stage

    4. Update the Upload Directory Name to the following absolute path:

      ASERVER_HOME/servers/AdminServer/upload

      Replace ASERVER_HOME with the directory path for the ASERVER_HOME directory.

    5. Click Save.

  8. When you have modified all the appropriate objects, click Activate Changes.

  9. Restart all Managed Servers for the changes to take effect.

Note:

If you continue directly with further domain configurations, a restart to enable the stage and upload directory changes is not strictly necessary at this time.

Parent topic: Common Configuration and Management Tasks for an Enterprise Deployment

Starting and Stopping Servers in Dynamic Clusters

You can start and stop server instances in dynamic clusters by using the same methods you use to start and stop server instances in configured static clusters.

Methods to start and stop server instances in configured clusters:

  • WebLogic Server Administration Console

  • Fusion Middleware Control

  • WLST start and shutdown commands

  • Node Manager

  • Start scripts

Depending on which startup method you choose and the tasks you have already performed, you may have to follow several other procedures before you can start server instances. See Starting and Stopping Servers section in Oracle Fusion Middleware Administering Server Startup and Shutdown for Oracle WebLogic Server.

Note:

Before you begin, ensure that WebLogic Server is installed on all hosts where you want to run your server instances. If you want to use Node Manager to start and stop your server instances, then you must also run Node Manager on these hosts.

Parent topic: Common Configuration and Management Tasks for an Enterprise Deployment

Expanding or Reducing Dynamic Clusters

When you create a dynamic cluster, WebLogic Server generates the number of dynamic servers you specify. Before you decide upon the number of server instances, ensure you have the performance capacity to handle the desired number.

The number of dynamic server instances available are based on the configured maximum specified in the server template for a given dynamic cluster. Transient changes in capacity requirements can be easily met by starting or stopping some of the available managed servers within the cluster, keeping in mind that a minimum of two or three are required to maintain high-availability.

If you need additional server capacity on top of the number of server instances you originally specified, you can increase the maximum number of dynamic servers in the dynamic cluster configuration. To reduce the number of server instances in the dynamic cluster, decrease the value of the maximum number of dynamic servers attribute. Before lowering this value, shut down the server instances you plan to remove.

You can also use the WLST scaleUp and scaleDown commands to manage your dynamic cluster. To increase the number of dynamic servers in the dynamic cluster, use the scaleUp command and enable the updateConfiguration argument. WLST will increase the maximum size of the cluster by the specified number of servers and start the server instances.

The scaleUp command increases the number of running servers for the specified dynamic cluster. The non-running server instance with the lowest server ID starts first, followed by the next highest non-running server ID, until the specified number of server instances is started.

You can start one, all, or any number of server instances in the dynamic cluster by specifying the desired number with the numServers argument in the scaleUp command. If all available server instances are already running, the scaleUp command increases the size of the cluster to the minimum number of requested server instances before starting the specified number of servers.

To decrease the maximum size of the dynamic cluster, use the scaleDown command and enable the updateConfiguration argument. WLST will gracefully shut down the specified number of running server instances and remove them from the dynamic cluster. See scaleUp and scaleDown in Oracle Fusion Middleware WLST Command Reference for WebLogic Server. The scaleDown command gracefully shuts down the specified number of running servers. The server instance with the highest server ID shuts down first, followed by the next highest ID, until the specified number of server instances is shut down.

Note:

You can only use the WLST scaleUp and scaleDown commands with dynamic server instances. In a mixed cluster, containing both manually configured and dynamic server instances, the scaleUp and scaleDown commands ignore the configured servers. You must manually start and stop configured server instances in a mixed cluster.

For example, a cluster contains two running dynamic servers and two non-running configured servers. If you use the scaleUp command, WLST adds one additional dynamic server instance to your cluster and starts the dynamic server.

The WLST scaleUp and scaleDown commands provide ways to manually scale your dynamic cluster. For automatic scaling, you can configure elasticity for your dynamic cluster. Elasticity enables a dynamic cluster to perform scaling and re-provisioning operations automatically in response to demand or on a calendar based schedule. WebLogic Server provides elasticity for dynamic clusters through the Policies and Actions system of the WebLogic Diagnostic Framework (WLDF). See Configuring Elasticity in Dynamic Clusters for Oracle WebLogic Server.

Parent topic: Common Configuration and Management Tasks for an Enterprise Deployment