2 Getting Started Administering WebCenter Portal

This chapter describes the roles and responsibilities of system administrators to get WebCenter Portal up and running.

This chapter includes the following topics:

Permissions

To perform the tasks in this chapter, you must be granted the following roles:

WebLogic Server: Admin role granted through the Oracle WebLogic Server Administration Console.

Users with this role are also known as Fusion Middleware administrators.
WebCenter Portal: Administrator role granted through WebCenter Portal Administration.

Users with this role are also known as WebCenter Portal administrators.

2.1 Role of the System Administrator

Oracle Fusion Middleware provides a single administrative role with complete administrative capabilities—the Admin role. System administrators with this role can perform the complete range of security-sensitive administrative duties, and all installation, configuration, and audit tasks. This administrator is also responsible for setting up and configuring WebCenter Portal immediately after installation, and performing ongoing administrative tasks for WebCenter Portal and other Oracle WebCenter Portal components. This administrator is sometimes known as the Fusion Middleware administrator.

During installation, a single default system administrator account is created named weblogic. You can choose to create the account by any other name. The password is the one provided during installation.

Use this administrator account to log in to the Fusion Middleware Control Console and WebCenter Portal, and assign administrative privileges to other users:

Fusion Middleware Control - Add one more users to the Administrator group using the Oracle WebLogic Server Administration Console or Oracle WebLogic Scripting Tool (WLST). For more information, see Administrative Users and Roles in Securing Applications with Oracle Platform Security Services.

Oracle WebLogic Server provides two other roles, in addition to the Admin role, namely Operator and Monitor. For more information about these role, see Table 1-6 in Understanding Administrative Operations, Roles, and Tools.
WebCenter Portal - Assign one more users the Administrator role through WebCenter Portal Administration. For more information, see Assigning a User to a Different Application Role.

WebCenter Portal administrators have the highest privileges within the WebCenter Portal application. This administrator can view and customize every aspect of the WebCenter Portal, manage users and roles, and delegate responsibilities to others.

To find out what other tasks system administrators must do to get WebCenter Portal up and running, follow the steps listed under Table 2-1.

To find out what system administrator can do to customize WebCenter Portal out-of-the-box, follow the Table 2-2.

Note:

System administrators are also responsible for all ongoing administrative and maintenance tasks. For more information, see System Administration for WebCenter Portal – Fusion Middleware Admin Role (Roadmap).

2.2 Installing WebCenter Portal

WebCenter Portal installation is described in Installing and Configuring Oracle WebCenter Portal.

2.3 Setting Up WebCenter Portal for the First Time (Roadmap)

The flow chart depicted in Figure 2-1 and Table 2-1 in this section provide an overview of the tasks required to get WebCenter Portal up and running.

Figure 2-1 Setting Up WebCenter Portal for the First Time

Description of "Figure 2-1 Setting Up WebCenter Portal for the First Time"

Table 2-1 Roadmap - Setting Up WebCenter Portal for the First Time

Actor	Task	Subtask	Notes
Fusion Middleware Administrator	1. Verify your WebCenter Portal installation	1.a Install WebCenter Portal 1.b Start Node Manager 1.c Start the managed servers 1.d Log in to WebCenter Portal as the default administrator 1.e Grant Administartive Privileges
Fusion Middleware Administrator	2. Add/modify connections to backend components using either of the following tools: Fusion Middleware Control WLST		Back-end components may include: Content repositories BPEL servers¹ Analytics collector Discussions server¹ Events server Mail servers Presence server Oracle Secure Enterprise Search WebCenter Portal repository¹
Fusion Middleware Administrator	3. Connect external applications and portlet producers using either of the following tools: Fusion Middleware Control WLST		Portlet producers may include: WSRP producers ¹ Pagelet producer ¹
Fusion Middleware Administrator	4. Conect back-end servers to the same identity store as WebCenter Portal.		Back-end servers may include: Oracle WebCenter Content Server Oracle Secure Enterprise Search BPEL server Discussions server Presence server
Fusion Middleware Administrator	5. Secure communication with WebCenter Portal	5.a Configure single sign-on 5.b Configure SSL 5.c Configure WS-Security.	Configuring SSO and SSL is optional.
Fusion Middleware Administrator	6. (Optional) Configure system options for WebCenter Portal: Portal workflows ¹ Notification message channel Search crawlers Search settings RSS news feeds
Fusion Middleware Administrator	7. Restart WC_Portal, the managed server on which WebCenter Portal is deployed
WebCenter Portal Administrator	8. Log in to WebCenter Portal
WebCenter Portal Administrator	9. Set global options and customize WebCenter Portal
WebCenter Portal Administrator	10. Assigning Users (and Groups) to Application Roles

2.4 Customizing WebCenter Portal for the First Time (Roadmap)

The roadmap in Table 2-2 outlines the tasks that a WebCenter Portal administrator might perform to customize WebCenter Portal for a new target audience.

Table 2-2 Roadmap - Customizing WebCenter Portal for the First Time

Task	Documentation	Actor
1. Log in to WebCenter Portal	Log in to WebCenter Portal with administrative privileges and access the administration pages: Accessing the WebCenter Portal Administration Page Tips: WebCenter Portal URL is `http://host:port/webcenter` WebCenter Portal Administration URL is `http://host:port/webcenter/portal/admin/settings`	WebCenter Portal Admin
2. Customize WebCenter Portal	Customize WebCenter Portal to suit your audience. Choose a name and logo for your application, apply a corporate brand, set language options, choose default portals, default assets, and more. For details, see: Working with WebCenter Portal Administration Settings Configuring Global Defaults Across Portals Customizing System Pages Managing Business Role Pages Managing Personal Pages	WebCenter Portal Admin
3. Determine self-registration policy	Establish your policy regarding new user registration. Allow users outside of the WebCenter Portal community to self -register on an invitation-only basis or extend self-registration to the public: Enabling Self-Registration By Invitation-Only Enabling Anyone to Self-Register	WebCenter Portal Admin
4. Plan the public user experience	First impressions are extremely important. Determine the content displayed on your Welcome page and the appearance of WebCenter Portal before users login: Customizing the Welcome Page or the Self- Registering Page Customizing the Login Page Choosing a Default Display Language Default Application Roles	WebCenter Portal Admin
5. Create roles and delegate responsibilities to other users	Create roles to characterize groups of users and determine what they can see and do in WebCenter Portal. Manage and assign roles for any user in the identity store: About WebCenter Portal Security Assigning Users (and Groups) to Application Roles Defining Application Roles Assigning a User to a Different Application Role Modifying Application Role Permissions	WebCenter Portal Admin
6. Customize the Home portal	Design the default Home portal for WebCenter Portal users. Give them instant access to important information and applications relevant to their roles: Setting Page Creation Defaults for Business Role Pages Creating a Business Role Page Encourage or enforce a consistent look and feel through default page schemes and default page templates: Choosing a Default Look and Feel for New Pages	WebCenter Portal Admin
7. Set up discussion forums and announcements	Configure default options for discussion forums and announcements: Configuring Discussion Forum Options for WebCenter Portal	WebCenter Portal Admin
8. Set up people connection components	Configure defaults for activity streams, personal profiles, connections, messages boards, and feedback: Configuring People Connections for WebCenter Portal	WebCenter Portal Admin
9. Set up mail notifications	Configure default options for everyone's mail: Configuring Send Mail Notifications	WebCenter Portal Admin
10. Provide ready-made portals and portal templates	Users can create and manage their own portals without centralized administration. Give them a head-start by creating templates for the types of portals they are likely to build: Creating and Building a New Portal Creating a New Portal Template	WebCenter Portal Admin

2.5 System Administration for WebCenter Portal – Fusion Middleware Admin Role (Roadmap)

The roadmap in Table 2-3 outlines typical tasks that a system administrator might perform to keep WebCenter Portal up and running.

Table 2-3 Roadmap - Administering and Monitoring WebCenter Portal

Task	Documentation	Role
Stop and start the managed servers	Restart the managed servers for configuration changes to take effect or for routine maintenance: Starting and Stopping Managed Servers for WebCenter Portal Application Deployments Tip: The managed server for WebCenter Portal is named `WC_Portal`.	Fusion Middleware Admin
View and manage log files	Identify and diagnose problems through log files. WebCenter Portal logs record all types of events, including startup and shutdown information, errors, warnings, and other information: Viewing and Configuring WebCenter Portal Logs	Fusion Middleware Admin
Monitor performance	Analyze the performance of the WebCenter Portal application and monitor its current status through Fusion Middleware Control: Viewing Performance Metrics Using Fusion Middleware Control Using Key Performance Metric Data to Analyze and Diagnose System Health System administrators granted one of these WebLogic Server roles can view performance metrics: `Admin`, `Operator`, `Monitor`. To find out more, see Understanding Administrative Operations, Roles, and Tools. WebCenter Portal administrators can monitor application performance and usage using WebCenter Portal's analytics feature: Understanding the Analytics Administration Page in WebCenter Portal	Fusion Middleware Admin WebCenter Portal Admin
Tune application properties	Reconfigure performance related parameters for the WebCenter Portal environment, WebCenter Portal application, and WebCenter Portal components: Tuning Oracle WebCenter Portal Performance	Fusion Middleware Admin
Stop and start WebCenter Portal	System administrators may shut down WebCenter Portal for maintenance purposes and then restart the application: Starting WebCenter Portal Using Fusion Middleware Control Stopping WebCenter Portal Using Fusion Middleware Control	Fusion Middleware Admin
Modify back-end services	Add, modify, and delete connections through Fusion Middleware Control. See:	Fusion Middleware Admin
Content repositories	Managing Connections to Oracle WebCenter Content Server
Mail servers	Managing Mail
BPEL servers	Managing the SOA Connection for WebCenter Portal Membership Workflows
Collaboration	Managing Announcements and Discussions Managing Instant Messaging and Presence
Calendar	Managing Calendar Events
Secure Enterprise Search	Managing Oracle Secure Enterprise Search in WebCenter Portal
Analytics	Managing Analytics
Events, Links, Lists, Notes, Tags, and People Connections	Setting Up Database Connections Setting Up the MDS Repository
Modify external applications and portlet producers	Add, modify, and delete connections through Fusion Middleware Control. See:	Fusion Middleware Admin
External Applications	Managing External Applications
Portlet Producers	Registering WSRP Producers Registering Pagelet Producer
Configure SSL communication	Configure secure communication: Configuring SSL Configuring Web Services Security Configuring Single Sign-On See also Securing Applications with Oracle Platform Security Services.	Fusion Middleware Admin
Reassociate your identity, policy, and credential stores	Reassociate your identity or policy stores: Configuring the Identity Store Configuring the Policy and Credential Store See also Securing Applications with Oracle Platform Security Services.	Fusion Middleware Admin
Reconfigure WebCenter Portal repository	Reconfigure the WebCenter Portal repository: Setting Up Database Connections	Fusion Middleware Admin
Reconfigure MDS repository	Reconfigure the application's MDS repository: Setting Up the MDS Repository See also Administering Oracle Fusion Middleware: Managing the MDS Repository Configuring an Application to Use a Different MDS Repository or Partition Moving Metadata from a Source System to a Target System	Fusion Middleware Admin
Reconfigure WebCenter Portal workflows	Install WebCenter Portal workflows on a different BPEL server and reconfigure the connection: Specifying the BPEL Server Hosting WebCenter Portal Workflows	Fusion Middleware Admin
Migrate or export portals, portal templates, assets, or the entire portal server	Use various export facilities to move content to a remote instance or between stage and production environments: Exporting WebCenter Portal to an Archive Deploying Portals Deploying Portal Templates Deploying Assets, Devices, and Device Groups	Fusion Middleware Admin
Import WebCenter Portal application	Use various import facilities to restore WebCenter Portal from a backup or to move content to a remote instance or between stage and production environments: Importing a WebCenter Portal Archive Deploying Portals Deploying Portal Templates Deploying Assets, Devices, and Device Groups	Fusion Middleware Admin

2.6 System Administration for WebCenter Portal – WebCenter Portal Admin Role (Roadmap)

The roadmap in Table 2-4 outlines typical tasks that a system administrator might perform while WebCenter Portal is up and running.

If WebCenter Portal must be taken offline for maintenance, ensure that a suitable message displays to any users who attempt to access the application while it is offline.

Table 2-4 Roadmap - Keeping WebCenter Portal Up and Running

Task	Documentation	Role
Modify application Settings	Modify application-wide settings as required: Working with WebCenter Portal Administration Settings Configuring Global Defaults Across Portals Managing Tools and Services Customizing System Pages Managing Business Role Pages Managing Personal Pages	WebCenter Portal Admin
Manage Home portal	Manage personal pages and business role pages. Push content to the Home portal: Managing Business Role Pages Managing Personal Pages Customizing System Pages	WebCenter Portal Admin
Manage portals	Take any portal temporarily offline and close down any portal that is inactive. Edit and delete any portal: Viewing Information About Any Portal Closing Any Portal Taking Any Portal Offline Bringing Any Portal Back Online Deleting a Portal	WebCenter Portal Admin
Manage portal templates	Manage portal templates. Review and delete any template: Creating a New Portal Template	WebCenter Portal Admin
Maintain users and roles	Maintain security. Modify user role permissions and assign new roles: Modifying Application Role Permissions Assigning a User to a Different Role	WebCenter Portal Admin
Manage external applications	Maintain external applications. Add, modify, and delete entries: Registering External Applications	WebCenter Portal Admin AppConnectionManager
Manage portlet producers	Maintain portlet producers. Add, modify, and delete entries: Registering Portlet Producers	WebCenter Portal Admin AppConnectionManager

Auto-configured out-of-the-box