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Creating WebLogic Domains Using the Configuration Wizard

# Introduction

This section provides an overview of domain configuration using the Configuration Wizard.

Topics include:

- Introduction to Domains
- Overview of the Configuration Wizard
- About Domain and Extension Templates
- Overview of Creating a New Domain Using the Configuration Wizard
- Overview of Extending a Domain Using the Configuration Wizard
- Additional Tools for Creating, Extending, and Managing Domains

# Introduction to Domains

Note: This section provides a brief introduction to domains. You can skip this section if you are already familiar with the primary features of a domain.

A domain is the basic administration unit for WebLogic Server. It consists of one or more WebLogic Server instances, and logically related resources and services that are managed, collectively, as one unit.

Figure 1-1 WebLogic Domain Structure

As shown in the previous figure, the basic domain infrastructure consists of one Administration Server and optional Managed Servers and clusters. These components are described in the following table.

Table 1-1 Domain Infrastructure Components

Feature | Description
--- | ---
Administration Server | A domain always includes one WebLogic Server instance that is configured as an Administration Server. The Administration Server provides a central point for managing the domain and providing access to the WebLogic Server administration tools. These tools include, but are not limited to, the following: WebLogic Server Administration Console—graphical user interface to the Administration Server WebLogic Server Node Manager—Java program enabling you to start and stop server instances—both Administration Servers and Managed Servers—remotely, and to monitor and automatically restart them after an unexpected failure. For more information about the WebLogic Server administration tools, see "Summary of System Administration Tools and APIs" in Introduction to WebLogic Server and WebLogic Express at the following URL: `http://e-docs.bea.com/wls/docs91/intro/overview.html#sysadmintools`
Managed Servers | All other WebLogic Server instances in a domain are called Managed Servers. Managed Servers host application components and resources, which are also deployed and managed as part of the domain. In a domain with only a single WebLogic Server instance, that one server functions as both the Administration Server and Managed Server.
Clusters | A domain may also include WebLogic Server clusters, which are groups of server instances that work together to provide scalability and high availability for applications. Clusters can improve performance and provide failover should a server instance become unavailable. The servers within a cluster can run on the same machine, or they can reside on different machines. To the client, a cluster appears as a single WebLogic Server instance.

Note: All Managed Servers in a domain must run the same version of the WebLogic Server software. The Administration Server may run either the same version as the Managed Servers in the domain, or a later service pack.

In addition to infrastructure components, a domain defines the basic network configuration for the server instances it contains. Specifically, a domain defines application deployments, supported application services (such as database and messaging services), security options, and physical host machines.

Domain configuration information is stored in the configuration directories under the domain directory.

## Common Domain Configurations

You may find it useful to configure multiple domains based on specific criteria, such as system administrator responsibilities, the logical classification of applications, the geographical locations of servers, or size. The following table outlines the most common domain configurations.

Table 1-2 Common Domain Configurations

Configuration | Description
--- | ---
Domain with Managed Servers | In typical production environments, several Managed Servers can host applications, and an Administration Server performs management operations.
Domain with Managed Servers and Clusters | In production environments that require increased performance, throughput, or availability for an application, several Managed Servers might be grouped in a cluster. In such a case, the domain consists of one or more clusters with the applications they host, additional Managed Servers, if necessary, and an Administration Server to perform management operations.
Stand-alone Server Domain | In development or test environments, a single application and server might be deployed independently without Managed Servers. In such a case, you can have a domain consisting of a single Administration Server that also hosts the applications you want to test or develop.

Note: In production environments, BEA recommends that you deploy applications only on Managed Servers; the Administration Server should be reserved for management tasks.

For more detailed information about WebLogic Server domains, see "Understanding WebLogic Server Domains" in Understanding Domain Configuration at the following URL:

`http://e-docs.bea.com/wls/docs91/domain_config/understand_domains.html`

# Overview of the Configuration Wizard

Before you can develop and run a WebLogic-based application, you must first create a domain, the basic administration unit for WebLogic Server. The Configuration Wizard, illustrated in Figure 1-2, simplifies the process of creating or extending a domain. To create or extend a domain using the Configuration Wizard, you simply select the product components you want to include in your domain (or choose a template that best meets your requirements), and provide some basic configuration information. The Configuration Wizard then creates or extends the domain using the settings from the templates that contain the component functionality you specified.

Figure 1-2 Configuration Wizard

After creating a domain using the Configuration Wizard, you can start a WebLogic Server instance to run in the domain for application development, testing, or production use.

To simplify the process of creating templates, BEA provides the Domain Template Builder, which guides you through the process of creating custom domain and extension templates. These templates can be used later for creating and extending domains using the Configuration Wizard and WLST offline. For details about the Domain Template Builder, see Creating Templates Using the Domain Template Builder at the following URL: `http://e-docs.bea.com/common/docs91/tempbuild/index.html`.

Note: For more information about WLST offline, see "Creating and Configuring WebLogic Domains Using WLST Offline" in WebLogic Scripting Tool at `http://e-docs.bea.com/wls/docs91/config_scripting/domains.html`.

## Modes of Operation

The Configuration Wizard can be used "off-line" only, that is, when there is no server running. It supports the following modes of operation:

- Graphical mode—an interactive, GUI-based method
- Console mode—an interactive, text-based method

Note: Silent-mode operation of the Configuration Wizard is deprecated in WebLogic Server 9.0. For a scripted, silent-mode method, BEA recommends that you use the BEA WebLogic Scripting Tool. For more information, see WebLogic Scripting Tool at the following URL:
`http://e-docs.bea.com/wls/docs91/config_scripting/index.html`.

## Configuration Wizard Output

A domain created using the Configuration Wizard has the following directories:

- `autodeploy`—provides a location from which you can quickly deploy applications on a development server. When the WebLogic Server instance is running in development mode, it automatically deploys any applications or modules that you place in this directory.
- `bin`—contains scripts used to start and stop the Administration Server, and optionally Managed Servers.
- `config`—contains the following:

- A domain-specific configuration file, `config.xml`, that specifies the name of the domain and the configuration parameter settings for each server instance, cluster, resource, and service in the domain.
- Subdirectories that contain the configuration for various system modules, such as `deployments`, `diagnostics`, `jdbc`, `jms`, `lib`, `nodemanager`, and `security`. These subdirectories contain configuration files that are incorporated, by reference, into the central `config.xml` file.

Note: Depending on your configuration, all subdirectories may not be present.

- `console-ext`—contains console extensions used by the Administration Server.
- `init-info`—contains files used by the Configuration Wizard in support of creating and extending the domain.
- `lib`—contains the domain library. Any `jar` files that you place in this directory are added, dynamically, to the end of the server classpath at server start-up.
- `security`—contains common security files for all servers in the domain.
- `servers`—contains a subdirectory for each server in the domain. These server subdirectories, in turn, contain subdirectories that hold directories and files that must be different for each server in a domain, such as `bin`, `cache`, `data`, `logs`, `security`, and `tmp`.
- `user_staged_config`—provides an alternative to the `config` directory if the domain is configured so that the configuration information is user-staged. That is, the administrator is responsible for staging (copying) the configuration information to the Managed Servers.

If the template used to create a domain included applications, the application files are located in the following directory by default:

`user_projects/applications/``domain_name`

For a detailed description of the WebLogic domain directory structure, see "Domain Configuration Files" in Understanding Domain Configuration at the following URL:

`http://e-docs.bea.com/wls/docs91/domain_config/config_files.html`

# About Domain and Extension Templates

When using the Configuration Wizard, the term template refers to a Java Archive (JAR) file that contains the files and scripts required to create or extend a domain. The types of templates that can be used by the Configuration Wizard to create or extend domains include:

- Domain template—defines the full set of resources within a domain, including infrastructure components, applications, services, security options, and general environment and operating system options. This type of template can be created from an existing domain using the Domain Template Builder or the `pack` command, and can be used subsequently by the Configuration Wizard to create a new domain.

As part of your product distribution, BEA provides a Base WebLogic Server domain template. This template defines the core set of resources within a domain, including an Administration Server and basic configuration information, infrastructure components, and general environment and operating system options. It does not include sample applications. You use this template to create a basic WebLogic Server domain that you can then extend with applications and services, or additional product component functionality.

- Extension template—defines applications and services that can provide additional product component functionality, such as Apache Beehive, product sample applications, or JDBC or JMS components. This type of template can be used to update an existing domain.
- Managed Server template - defines the subset of resources within a domain that are required to create a Managed Server domain on a remote machine. This type of template can be created using the `pack` command.

BEA delivers a set of predefined domain and extension templates with your product installation. This set of templates includes the base WebLogic Server domain template, and various extension templates that allow you to add product component functionality and samples to the base domain. For a detailed description of these templates and how they interrelate, see Domain Template Reference at the following URL:

`http://e-docs.bea.com/common/docs91/tempref/index.html`

# Overview of Creating a New Domain Using the Configuration Wizard

The Configuration Wizard guides you through the process of creating a domain for your target environment by selecting the product components you want to include in your domain, or by using domain templates. If desired, you can also customize the domain to more closely match your particular environment by adding and configuring Managed Servers, clusters, and machine definitions, or customizing predefined JDBC data sources, and JMS file store directories. You may want to customize your domain in the following circumstances:

- You want to create a multi-server or clustered domain. (All the predefined templates delivered with the product create single-server domains.)
- You want to use a database that is different from the default database in the domain or extension template. In this case, you need to customize the JDBC settings to point to the appropriate database.
- You received a domain template from a developer to use to create a test environment and you need to modify the domain configuration to work in the test environment.

Figure 1-3 illustrates the steps necessary to create a new domain using the Configuration Wizard.

Figure 1-3 Roadmap for Creating a New Domain

# Overview of Extending a Domain Using the Configuration Wizard

You may also extend an existing domain by adding predefined applications and services, or additional product component functionality. For example, if you created a base WebLogic Server domain and you want to add WebLogic Server examples, you must extend the domain by adding the WebLogic Server Examples extension.

To extend a domain using the Configuration Wizard, select the directory of the domain that you want to extend and then select the additional product component functionality. Alternatively, you can extend an existing domain by specifying an extension template to use to include additional applications and services. You also have the option of customizing JDBC connections to your database and changing the JMS file store. The Configuration Wizard uses your input to update the configuration related files, such as `config.xml`, and all other generated components in the domain directory, as required.

Figure 1-4 summarizes the steps required to extend an existing domain using the Configuration Wizard.

Figure 1-4 Roadmap for Extending an Existing Domain

# Additional Tools for Creating, Extending, and Managing Domains

WebLogic Server provides a rich set of system administration tools that enables you to install, configure, monitor, and manage one or more domains. As described previously, you can use the Configuration Wizard to create and extend domains. It is designed to simplify and automate the process of initial domain configuration, and the addition of product component functionality and well-defined applications and services to existing domains. The Configuration Wizard operates off-line, that is, when WebLogic Server is not running. It is not designed for use online when a WebLogic Server instance is running, or for use as a monitoring tool.

You can also use the tools defined in the following table to create, extend, and manage the domain. Run-time configuration can also be accomplished using the consoles of the BEA product components.

Table 1-3 Additional Tools for Creating, Extending, and Managing Domains

To perform the following task . . . | Use the following tools . . .
--- | ---
Create a new domain or extend an existing domain | WebLogic Scripting Tool (WLST). WLST is a command-line scripting interface that you use to interact with and configure WebLogic Server instances and domains. Offline, WLST enables you to create a new domain or update an existing domain without connecting to a running WebLogic Server—supporting the same functionality as the Configuration Wizard. For more information, see WebLogic Scripting Tool at the following URL: `http://e-docs.bea.com/wls/docs91/config_scripting/index.html` `unpack`. The `unpack` command enables you to create a new domain from the command line, using a template compatible with your current installation. You cannot use `unpack` to extend an existing domain. For more information, see Creating Templates and Domains Using the pack and unpack Commands at the following URL: `http://e-docs.bea.com/common/docs91/pack/index.html`
Add applications and services, or modify existing settings | WebLogic Server Administration Console. For more information, see the WebLogic Server Administration Console Online Help, accessible by selecting the help icon from the Administration Console interface or at the following URL: `http://e-docs.bea.com/wls/docs91/ConsoleHelp/index.html` Other system administration tools, such as WLST, `weblogic.Admin`, JMX, and Ant. For more information, see the following documents: "Summary of System Administration Tools and APIs" in Introduction to WebLogic Server and WebLogic Express at `http://e-docs.bea.com/wls/docs91/intro/overview.html#sysadmintools` WebLogic Scripting Tool at `http://e-docs.bea.com/wls/docs91/config_scripting/domains.html`
Manage and monitor the health and status of the domain | WebLogic Diagnostic Framework. For more information, see Configuring and Using the WebLogic Diagnostics Framework at the following URL: `http://e-docs.bea.com/wls/docs91/wldf_configuring/index.html` WebLogic Server Administration Console. For more information, see the WebLogic Server Administration Console Online Help, accessible by selecting the help icon from the Administration Console interface or at the following URL: `http://e-docs.bea.com/wls/docs91/ConsoleHelp/index.html` WebLogic Server Node Manager. For more information, see "Using Node Manager to Control Servers" in Managing Server Startup and Shutdown at the following URL: `http://e-docs.bea.com/wls/docs91/server_start/nodemgr.html`