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Installing WebLogic Platform

Preparing to Install WebLogic Platform

BEA WebLogic Platform 7.0 includes application infrastructure technology from proven BEA products that are used by thousands of customers worldwide, including BEA WebLogic ServerTM, BEA WebLogic PortalTM, and BEA WebLogic IntegrationTM. WebLogic Server now includes BEA WebLogic WorkshopTM, a new visual development environment for building enterprise-class Web services. In BEA WebLogic Platform 7.0 SP2 and higher, the BEA WebLogic JRockitTM SDK is bundled with Windows and Linux platforms. The WebLogic JRockit SDK was developed and optimized for server-side applications and supports Intel architectures. Together, these technologies offer a single, unified, easy-to-use infrastructure platform for application development, deployment, and management.

The following sections provide information that you need to know before installing the BEA WebLogic Platform software:

- About BEA WebLogic Platform Installation

- WebLogic Platform Software Components

- WebLogic Platform Distribution Methods

- About BEA WebLogic JRockit 7.0

- Installation Prerequisites

- Choosing the Type of Installation

- Selecting Directories for the WebLogic Platform Installation

- Generating a Verbose Installation Log

- Where to Find Upgrade and Migration Information

- About Smart Update

About BEA WebLogic Platform Installation

BEA WebLogic Platform 7.0 is distributed and installed using the BEA Installation and Distribution System, which provides a complete framework for the following:

- Simplified distribution of BEA products via download from the BEA Web site using a net installer.

- Installation and uninstallation of the entire WebLogic Platform product, or individual components as desired.

- Simplified mechanism for obtaining and installing product upgrades using Smart Update.

- The ability to create WebLogic domains using a Configuration Wizard that can be invoked at the end of the installation process. Procedures for using the Configuration Wizard are provided in Using the Configuration Wizard. Detailed descriptions of the domain templates provided with the WebLogic Platform installation program are provided in Configuration Wizard Template Reference.

WebLogic Express Support

You can also use the WebLogic Platform installation program to install the BEA WebLogic ExpressTM solution, which is the entry-level Web application server offered by BEA. For additional information about WebLogic Express, see Introduction to BEA WebLogic Server and WebLogic Express at the following URL:

http://e-docs.bea.com/wls/docs70/intro/index.html

Installation Methods

The BEA installation program supports the following methods for installing the BEA WebLogic Platform software:

- Graphical mode

Graphical-mode installation is an interactive, GUI-based method for installing WebLogic Platform. It can be run on both Windows and UNIX systems. For installation procedures, see Installing WebLogic Platform Using Graphical-Mode Installation.

Note: To run graphical-mode installation, the console attached to the machine on which you are installing the software must support a Java-based GUI. All consoles for Windows systems support Java-based GUIs, but not all consoles for UNIX systems do. If you attempt to start the installation program in graphical mode on a system that cannot support a graphical display, the installation program automatically starts console-mode installation.

- Console mode

Console-mode installation is an interactive, text-based method for installing WebLogic Platform from the command line on both UNIX and Windows systems. For installation procedures, see Installing WebLogic Platform Using Console-Mode Installation.

- Silent mode

Silent-mode installation is a noninteractive method of installing WebLogic Platform that uses an XML properties file for selecting installation options. You can run silent-mode installation as part of a script or from the command line. Silent-mode installation is a way of setting installation configurations only once and then using those configurations to duplicate the installation on many machines. For installation procedures, see Installing WebLogic Platform Using Silent-Mode Installation.

WebLogic Platform Software Components

WebLogic Platform consists of the following software that can be installed on your system:

- WebLogic Server and WebLogic Workshop

- WebLogic Integration

- WebLogic Portal

- WebLogic Platform Samples and Utilities

- WebLogic Integration Complementary Products

For additional information about:

- The features and capabilities of the WebLogic Platform components, see Introducing BEA WebLogic Platform at http://e-docs.bea.com/platform/docs70/intro/index.html

- WebLogic Platform component licensing, see the Licensing page on the e-docs Web site at http://e-docs.bea.com/platform/docs70/interm/license.html

- WebLogic Platform operating system and hardware support, see Supported Platforms on the e-docs Web site at http:/e-docs.bea.com/platform/docs70/support/index.html

WebLogic Server and WebLogic Workshop

WebLogic Server is an application server that provides a solid foundation for rapidly developing, deploying, and managing e-business applications. It includes WebLogic Workshop, which provides a complete framework for easily building Web services that automatically leverage the power, reliability, and scalability of WebLogic Server. If you select the entire WebLogic Server component, the installation program installs the WebLogic Server program files, the WebLogic Workshop program files, and the server and Workshop examples.

WebLogic Server consists of the following components:

- Server—this component consists of the WebLogic Server program files which contain the core Java 2 Enterprise Edition (J2EE) features.

- Workshop—this component consists of the WebLogic Workshop program files, including visual development and run-time environments.

Note: The WebLogic Workshop visual development environment and associated JRE are not installed on Solaris and HP-UX systems.

- Server Examples—this component contains the WebLogic Server examples, Pet Store servers and sample applications, and WebLogic Workshop samples. These servers and sample applications demonstrate a variety of J2EE features using WebLogic Server. Resources are provided to help you build, configure, and run each of the sample applications. The Workshop samples demonstrate how to build enterprise-class Web services with WebLogic Workshop. You must install the server to install and use the WebLogic Server and Workshop examples.

WebLogic Integration

WebLogic Integration offers business process management, application integration, B2B integration, data integration, and optional Electronic Data Interchange (EDI) integration functionality. If you select the entire WebLogic Integration component, the installation program installs the server program files, the client design and development tools, and the samples.

WebLogic Integration consists of the following components:

- Integration Server—this component consists of the program files for the WebLogic Integration server, the client design and development tools, and the BEA WebLogic Adapter for Power.Enterprise! 3.1.

Note: WebLogic Server is a prerequisite for installing the Integration server.

- Integration Examples—this component consists of the sample files for all of the WebLogic Integration functionality. These samples help you learn how WebLogic Integration works and demonstrate implementation techniques for your own solutions. You must install the Integration server to install and use the Integration samples.

- Client only—this separately installable component consists of the WebLogic Integration Studio and Worklist clients, the data integration Format Builder, the business process management tutorial sample, and a server. You can install the client as a standalone component on a remote machine.

- WebLogic Integration Adapter and Plug-ins—the following components are installed with WebLogic Platform 7.0 SP5 and higher:

- RDBMS adapter

- xFile, EMail, and HTTP plug-ins

In previous 7.0.x releases, these components were available as separate downloads. The plug-ins are pre-deployed in any WebLogic Integration domain created using the Configuration Wizard. The RDBMS adapter must be deployed manually. For more information, see the WebLogic Integration Release Notes at:

http://e-docs.bea.com/wli/docs70/relnotes/index.htm

EDI Integration

The optional EDI integration functionality of WebLogic Integration consists of the following components:

- BEA WebLogic Adapter for Power.Enterprise!, which provides a blackbox gateway between WebLogic Integration and the BEA EDI Connect for WebLogic Integration software. This adapter is installed with the WebLogic Integration server software.

- BEA EDI Connect for WebLogic Integration, purchased separately as Power.Enterprise!, is a software suite that includes Power.Server!, and the client administration tools, Power.Map!, and Power.Manager!. These three components are used to define EDI message maps, manage trading partner relationships, and handle the run-time work of transmitting and receiving EDI messages. EDI Connect for WebLogic Integration can be purchased separately from BEA Systems. Product prerequisites, installation instructions, and licensing information are provided in Installing BEA EDI Connect for WebLogic Integration.

WebLogic Portal

WebLogic Portal provides a framework for building portals in an enterprise that can have campaign, commerce, and personalization functionality. If you select the entire WebLogic Portal component, the installation program installs the server program files, the E-Business Control Center, and the samples. WebLogic Portal consists of the following components:

- Portal Server—this component installs the program files for the portal, campaign, commerce and personalization services features.

Note: WebLogic Server is a prerequisite for installing the Portal server.

- Portal Examples—this component consists of the sample files for all of the WebLogic Portal functionality. These samples help you learn how WebLogic Portal works and demonstrate implementation techniques for your own solutions. You must install the Portal server to install and use the Portal examples.

- EBCC—the E-Business Control Center (EBCC) is a client tool used by all of the components of WebLogic Portal. You can install the EBCC as a standalone component on a remote machine, or on the same machine as the server software if the platform supports both. If you install the E-Business Control Center as a standalone component, it must be able to access the machine on which the server is installed.

WebLogic Platform Samples and Utilities

Platform Samples and Utilities apply to all components of WebLogic Platform. These components require a complete installation of the WebLogic Platform components. The following samples and utilities are available:

- QuickStart—the QuickStart application is a guide to assist first-time users in evaluating, learning, and using WebLogic Platform.

- Platform Tour—the tour launches a fully integrated sample application that demonstrates key features of WebLogic Platform.

WebLogic Integration Complementary Products

Contivo Analyst is an intuitive, graphical tool that allows business analysts to complete and customize data transformation maps as a visual documentation exercise. Once a map is completed, the Contivo Analyst software generates a file, which is subsequently used to perform a data transformation in a run-time environment. Contivo Analyst generates XLST style sheet maps for XML-to-XML transformations within WebLogic Integration. It is provided on the WebLogic Platform product CD and is available for download from the BEA Web site.

Contivo Analyst, supported on Windows systems only, is not installed with the WebLogic Platform software. You must install it separately. Installation instructions, release notes, and user documentation are included in the installation file and extracted during the execution of the installation program.

Note: The Contivo Analyst software needs to be configured to work with the WebLogic Integration repository. If you install Contivo Analyst after you install WebLogic Server 7.0 and WebLogic Integration 7.0, the Contivo installation program detects your BEA Home directory and prompts you to select the directory that contains the latest version of the BEA software. It then configures the WebLogic Integration repository accordingly.

If, however, Contivo Analyst was installed on your system before you installed WebLogic Server and WebLogic Integration, you need to integrate the Contivo Analyst software with the repository. Instructions are provided in the installation section of the Contivo-BEA Release Notes, which you can access from the Start menu as follows: Start—>Programs—>Contivo Analyst—>Release Notes.

WebLogic Platform Distribution Methods

WebLogic Platform is distributed on both the BEA Web site and CD-ROM.

Web Distribution of WebLogic Platform

You can download the WebLogic Platform 7.0 software from the following BEA Web site:

>     http://commerce.bea.com/downloads/weblogic_platform.jsp

Two methods are available for download:

- Net installer—this method (recommended) downloads a setup file that is approximately 20 MB.

During the installation process, the installation program prompts you to select the components that you want to install on your system. If you are using the net installer, only the components that you choose to install on your system are downloaded. Before the download begins, you are prompted to provide the following information:

- A storage directory—an archive file is downloaded to your system for each component that you choose to install. You need to specify a directory to which you want these archive files downloaded. You can choose any location on your system for these files; they do not need to be collocated with the installation setup file, or with the installed software. To conserve disk space, you can also specify that you want the downloaded files removed from your system after the installation is complete.

- HTTP Proxy—if you want to download these files using an HTTP proxy, you must specify the Host address and port numbers for the proxy server.

The net installer supports standard resume processing in the case of interrupted downloads. If the download is interrupted for any reason, either manually or by an unplanned network interruption, you can resume the download from the point at which it was interrupted. When the download is complete, the installation program performs an integrity check on the archive files that were downloaded to your system to verify that the files downloaded correctly.

- Package installer—this method downloads a standalone version of the installation program that contains all of the WebLogic Platform software components (approximately 295 MB).

Note: If you are planning to install the software using silent-mode installation, you must download the package installer. Silent-mode installation is not supported with the net installer.

CD-ROM Distribution of WebLogic Platform

If you purchased WebLogic Platform from your local sales representative, you will find the following items in the WebLogic Platform product box:

- Five CD-ROMS:

- Disk 1 contains the BEA WebLogic Platform 7.0 SP2 product software for Windows and Solaris with the Sun Java 2 SDK.

- Disk 2 contains the BEA WebLogic Platform 7.0 SP2 product software for Windows and Red Hat Linux Advanced Server 2.1 with the WebLogic JRockit Java 2 SDK.

- Disk 3 contains the BEA WebLogic Platform 7.0 SP2 product software for Red Hat Linux 7.2 with the Sun Java 2 SDK.

- Disk 4 contains the BEA WebLogic Platform 7.0 SP1 product software for HP-UX and AIX.

- Disk 5 contains the BEA WebLogic Platform Online Documentation.

- The following printed documents:

- Installing BEA WebLogic Platform (this guide)

- Introducing BEA WebLogic Platform

- BEA Software License and Limited Warranty pamphlet

- Customer Support Quick Reference and Other Important Information card

- A flyer that provides URL pointers to the online Release Notes.

If you purchased the product, in most cases a license file is sent to you as an e-mail attachment. The name of the input license file can vary. The names of most license files are prefixed with the BEA sales order record (SOR). When you install the software from the CD-ROM, an evaluation license is installed. You can update this evaluation license with the license you received via e-mail as described in Installing and Updating WebLogic Platform License Files.

Web Distribution of Service Packs and Rolling Patches

Service packs and rolling patches, if any, are included in the latest distribution of WebLogic Platform 7.0, which you can download as described in Web Distribution of WebLogic Platform. If you do not have WebLogic Platform 7.0 installed, you should install this distribution.

If you already have WebLogic Platform 7.0 installed, with no service pack, and if you have a BEA eSupport account, you can upgrade your software in one of the following ways:

- Use the Smart Update feature (recommended) to retrieve and install software updates from the BEA Web site. Smart Update retrieves the updates only for components currently installed in the target BEA Home directory.

Note: Smart Update upgrades your Windows installation to use the Sun Java 2 SDK and your Linux installation to use the WebLogic JRockit SDK. If you want to use a different SDK, you should use a WebLogic Platform upgrade installer that is bundled with the appropriate SDK or change the SDK, as described in "Switching JVMs in WebLogic Platform" in the WebLogic Platform Release Notes, at the following URL:

http://e-docs.bea.com/platform/docs70/relnotes/relnotes.html#nonbundledJVM

- Download the Service Pack Upgrade from the BEA Customer Support Web site at http://support.bea.com, without downloading the entire WebLogic Platform distribution.

Details about installing WebLogic Platform service packs and rolling patches are provided in Installing Service Packs and Rolling Patches.

If you do not have a BEA eSupport account go to the following URL to get one:

>     http://support.bea.com

About BEA WebLogic JRockit 7.0

BEA WebLogic JRockitTM was developed and optimized for server-side applications and supports Intel architectures. In BEA WebLogic Platform 7.0 SP2 and higher, the WebLogic JRockit 7.0 SDK is packaged with the WebLogic Platform software.

Note: WebLogic JRockit 7.0 is certified with Java 2 Platform, Standard Edition (J2SE), version 1.3.1.

The WebLogic Platform/JRockit software packages are available for download at http://commerce.bea.com/downloads/weblogic_platform.jsp and on CD-ROM in the BEA WebLogic Platform product box.

To install the WebLogic Platform/JRockit packages, you can use the installation procedures described in the following chapters:

- Installing WebLogic Platform Using Graphical-Mode Installation

- Installing WebLogic Platform Using Console-Mode Installation

- Installing WebLogic Platform Using Silent-Mode Installation

Note: The net installer is not available with the WebLogic Platform packages that include the WebLogic JRockit SDK.

When you install a WebLogic Platform 7.0/JRockit package, two JVMs are installed on your system: the WebLogic JRockit JVM, optimized for server-side applications, and the Sun Hotspot Client JVM, provided for optional use by client-side applications. Some of the samples provided with WebLogic Platform heavily exercise a client-side GUI or other application for which client-oriented JVMs, such as the Sun Hotspot Client JVM, are more appropriate. In WebLogic Platform 7.0 SP2 and higher, a convenient script, commEnv, is installed that defines environment variables that determine whether a client or server JVM should be run. For additional information, see "Specifying JVM Options in WebLogic Platform 7.0 SP2 and Later" in the BEA WebLogic Platform Release Notes at http://e-docs.bea.com/platform/docs70/relnotes/relnotes.html.

If you install WebLogic Platform 7.0 with the Sun Java 2 SDK and you want to change your installation to use the WebLogic JRockit 7.0 SDK, see "Using WebLogic Platform with the WebLogic JRockit SDK" in the BEA WebLogic Platform Release Notes for instructions at: http://e-docs.bea.com/platform/docs70/relnotes/relnotes.html.

For more information about WebLogic JRockit, see the JRockit documentation at http://e-docs.bea.com/wljrockit/docs70/index.html.

Note: The installation instructions provided in BEA WebLogic JRockitTM 7.0 SDK Installation and Migration Guide describe how to install JRockit as a standalone SDK. These instructions do not apply to the WebLogic Platform/JRockit packages.

Installation Prerequisites

The following sections provide installation prerequisites for a WebLogic Platform installation:

- System Requirements

- Temporary Disk Space Requirements

- Administrator Privileges

- Licensing and Encryption

System Requirements

The system requirements for WebLogic Platform are given in the following table.

Table 1-1 System Requirements

Component | Requirement
--- | ---
Supported platform | A platform configuration that is supported by BEA WebLogic Platform. See the Supported Platforms page at the following URL: http:/e-docs.bea.com/platform/docs70/support/index.html This page includes the recommended Java run-time environment versions and other prerequisites or recommendations.
Hard disk drive | A full WebLogic Platform installation requires approximately 525 MB of disk space, including 35 MB for the SDK and 142 MB for the examples. For a list of the disk drive requirements for the individual components, see the Supported Platforms page at the following URL: http:/e-docs.bea.com/platform/docs70/support/index.html
Memory | Full WebLogic Platform installation—512 MB of RAM, 1 GB recommended WebLogic Server—256 MB of RAM minimum, 512 MB or more recommended WebLogic Integration—512 MB RAM, 1 GB recommended WebLogic Portal—512 MB of RAM, 1 GB recommended
Color bit depth display and size | For graphical user interface (GUI) mode installation, 8-bit color depth (256 colors). For console-mode and silent-mode installation, there is no color bit depth requirement.
Java 2 SDK | The WebLogic Platform installation program requires a Java run-time environment (JRE) to run. A Java 2 Software Development Kit (SDK), which includes a JRE, is bundled in the Windows installation program, and in some UNIX installation programs (those with filenames ending in .bin). For other UNIX platforms, the WebLogic Platform installation program does not include the Java 2 SDK. Filenames for these installation programs end in .jar. To run the .jar installation programs, you must have the appropriate version of the Java 2 SDK installed on your system, and include the bin directory of the SDK at the front of the PATH variable. It is important that you use an SDK because the installation process sets the JAVA_HOME and related variables to point to this directory. For procedures, see one of the following: Starting Graphical-Mode Installation for .jar Installation Files Starting Console-Mode Installation for .jar Installation Files

Temporary Disk Space Requirements

The BEA installation program uses a temporary directory in which it extracts the files necessary to install WebLogic Platform on the target system. During the installation process, your temporary directory must contain sufficient space to accommodate the compressed Java run-time environment (JRE) bundled with the installation program and an uncompressed copy of the JRE that is expanded into the temporary directory. The extracted files are deleted from the temporary directory at the end of the installation process. As a general rule, installation programs require approximately 2.5 times the amount of temporary space the installed files require.

By default, the installation program uses the following temporary directories:

- Windows platforms—directory referenced by the TMP system variable

- UNIX platforms—system dependent temporary directory

Note: If there is not enough temporary space to run the installation program, you are prompted to specify an alternate directory or exit the installation program.

To ensure there is adequate temporary space, you may want to allocate an alternate directory for use as a temporary directory for the installation. To do so, follow the instructions provided in the following table.

On this platform . . . | Perform this step . . .
--- | ---
Windows | Do one of the following: Set the TMP system variable to a directory of your choice. If starting the installation program from the command line, enter the -Djava.io.tmpdir=tmpdirpath option on the command line. In this option, tmpdirpath is the full path of the directory that you want to use to temporarily store files used by the WebLogic Platform installation program. For example: net_platform XXX_win32.exe -mode=console -Djava.io.tmpdir=d:\Temp In the filename used in this example, XXX is the version number of the software you are installing.
UNIX | Enter the following option on the command line when you start the installation program: -Djava.io.tmpdir=tmpdirpath Here, tmpdirpath is the full path of the directory that you want to use to temporarily store files used by the WebLogic Platform installation program.

Administrator Privileges

If you choose to run the Configuration Wizard at the completion of a custom installation to create user domains, you are prompted (in some templates—such as the WLS Domain template) to specify if you want the server installed as a Windows service. When a server is installed as a Windows service, it starts automatically each time you boot your Windows system.You must have Administrator privileges to install the server as a Windows service.

For additional information, see "Setting Up a WebLogic Server as a Windows Service" in "Starting and Stopping WebLogic Servers" in the BEA WebLogic Server Administration Guide at the following URL:

>     http://e-docs.bea.com/wls/docs70/adminguide/startstop.html#SettingUpServerAsWindowsService

Licensing and Encryption

The WebLogic Platform software cannot be used without a valid license. When you install WebLogic Platform, the installation program installs an evaluation license with access for up to 20 client connections. The evaluation license is a full license, enabling all of the component features of WebLogic Platform.

You can purchase licenses for the entire WebLogic Platform product, or for individual components. For information about the licenses available for WebLogic Platform, see the Licensing page on the e-docs Web site at the following URL:

http://e-docs.bea.com/platform/docs70/interm/license.html

Licenses for pre-7.0 versions of the WebLogic Platform components will not work with WebLogic Platform 7.0. You must upgrade this license to a 7.0 license.bea format. Procedures for upgrading a license file and installing permanent licenses are provided in Installing and Updating WebLogic Platform License Files.

About 128-Bit Encryption

Secure sockets layer (SSL) encryption software is available with two levels of encryption: 56-bit and 128-bit. Licenses for the 128-bit client version of SSL are available in the United States and Canada. With proper authorization, customers outside the United States and Canada may also acquire licenses with 128-bit encryption enabled.

A WebLogic Platform license comes with 56-bit encryption enabled by default. Enabling 128-bit encryption for SSL requires that a 128-bit encryption license be present in the license.bea file of the target BEA Home directory before you install the WebLogic Platform software.

For instructions about how to install the 128-bit encryption license, see Enabling 128-Bit Encryption.

Choosing the Type of Installation

The WebLogic Platform installation program provides two types of installation:

- Typical Installation

In a typical installation, all the software components provided with WebLogic Platform, including sample files, are installed on your system. For a description of the software components provided with WebLogic Platform, see WebLogic Platform Software Components. Sample domains for all the components, as well as the WebLogic Platform Tour, are preconfigured for use with the PointBase database, allowing you to execute the samples when the installation is complete.

To assist first-time users in evaluating, learning, and using WebLogic Platform, the WebLogic Platform QuickStart application is presented at the completion of a typical installation or a full, custom installation. QuickStart provides quick access to the WebLogic Platform tour and other samples, useful tools for accomplishing specific development tasks, and the online documentation.

Note: The QuickStart application is launched only when you have installed the software using graphical-mode installation. It is not invoked for console or silent-mode installations.

The Configuration Wizard is not invoked in a typical installation.

- Custom Installation

A custom installation allows you to choose exactly which components you want installed on your system. We recommend this option for advanced users. After the selected files are installed on your system, you are presented with the option to run the BEA WebLogic Platform Configuration Wizard. The Configuration Wizard provides the capability to configure WebLogic domains using preconfigured domain templates to facilitate domain creation for the target environment. The templates that are available for you to use with the Configuration Wizard are based on the components you install on your system. Sample domains preconfigured to use the PointBase database are created for the installed components only. The WebLogic Platform QuickStart is not available unless all components are installed.

Note: Use this option to install the client software (E-Business Control Center and the WebLogic Integration client) as standalone components.

Selecting Directories for the WebLogic Platform Installation

During installation of WebLogic Platform, you need to specify locations for the following directories:

- BEA Home Directory

- Product Installation Directory

- User Domains (if running the Configuration Wizard)

Choosing a BEA Home Directory

When you install WebLogic Platform, you are prompted to specify a BEA Home directory. The BEA Home directory is a repository for common files that are used by multiple BEA products installed on the same machine. For this reason, the BEA Home directory can be considered a central support directory for the BEA products installed on your system.

The files in the BEA Home directory are essential to ensuring that BEA software operates correctly on your system. They perform the following types of functions:

- Ensure that licensing works correctly for the installed BEA products

- Facilitate checking of cross-product dependencies during installation

- Facilitate Service Pack installation

The structure of a sample BEA Home directory created by the WebLogic Platform installation program that includes a bundled SDK is shown in the following illustration.

This illustration depicts only the files and directories required in the BEA Home directory. If you choose the default product installation directory, you will see additional directories in the BEA Home directory, such as weblogic700 and user_projects. Although the default location for the product installation directory is within the BEA Home directory, you can select a different location outside the BEA Home directory.

Note: For some UNIX platforms, the WebLogic Platform installation program does not install the SDK.

During installation of WebLogic Platform, you are prompted to choose an existing BEA Home directory or specify a path to create a new BEA Home directory. If you choose to create a new directory, the WebLogic Platform installation program automatically creates the directory for you.

Note: For a BEA Home directory, you are allowed to install only one instance of each version of a BEA product that uses the BEA Home directory convention. For example, you can install only one instance of WebLogic Server 7.0 in a BEA Home directory, but that BEA Home directory may also contain an instance of WebLogic Server 6.1.

Understanding the Functions of the BEA Home Directory

The files and directories in the BEA Home directory are described in the following table.

Table 1-2 BEA Home Directory Description

Component | Description
--- | ---
sdk directory | Contains the software for the Java 2 SDK installed with WebLogic Platform. The SDK provides the Java run-time environment (JRE) and tools for compiling and debugging Java applications. Options include: jdk131_XX—the 1.3.1 version of the Sun Java 2 SDK. In this directory name, XX indicates the version of the Sun SDK installed on your system, for example jdk131_08. jrockitXXX—The WebLogic JRockit SDK. In this directory name, XXX indicates the version of the JRockit SDK installed on your system, for example jrockit70sp4_131_08. Note: SDK options vary by hardware platform. For some UNIX platforms, the WebLogic Platform installation program does not include an SDK.
logs directory | Contains a history file of installation and uninstallation for the BEA Home directory.
utils directory | Contains utilities that are used to support the installation of all BEA WebLogic Platform products. The utils.jar file contains code that supports the UpdateLicense utility.
license.bea file | An XML-format license file that contains the license keys for all BEA WebLogic products installed on your system. The format of this license has changed in WebLogic Platform 7.0. To convert a pre-7.0 license.bea file to a WebLogic Platform 7.0 license.bea file, refer to the procedures in Upgrading Licenses from Pre-7.0 Releases of WebLogic Platform Products. To add a non-expiring (permanent) license or to update a license file for additional functionality, you must update the license.bea file using the UpdateLicense utility. For details, see Updating Your license.bea File Note: Do not edit this file manually. Doing so may cause operating problems for the currently installed BEA products.
registry.xml file | A registry file that contains a persistent record of all BEA products installed on the target system. This registry contains product-related information, such as version number, service pack number, and installation directory. Note: Do not edit this file manually. Doing so may cause operating problems for the currently installed BEA products, or result in installation problems when installing future BEA products or maintenance upgrades.
UpdateLicense (.cmd/.sh) | A command file (Windows NT/2000) or a shell script (UNIX) that updates the current license.bea file with new license sections. The result is a merged license that contains both the existing and new license sections. For details about using the UpdateLicense utility, see Updating Your license.bea File.

Creating Multiple BEA Home Directories

Although it is possible to create more than one BEA Home directory, we recommend that you avoid doing so. In almost all situations, a single BEA Home directory is sufficient. There may be circumstances, however, in which you prefer to maintain separate development and production environments, each containing a separate product stack. With two directories, you can update your development environment (in a BEA Home directory) without modifying the production environment until you are ready to do so.

Choosing a Product Installation Directory

The product installation directory contains all the software components that you choose to install on your system, including program files and examples. You are prompted, during the initial installation of WebLogic Platform, to choose a product installation directory. If you accept the default, the WebLogic Platform software is installed in the following directory:

>     BEA_HOME\weblogic700

where BEA_HOME is the BEA Home directory containing the support information for this installation and weblogic700 is the product installation directory. However, you can specify any name and location on your system for your product installation directory; there is no requirement that you name the directory weblogic700, or create it under the BEA Home directory.

The installation program uses the product installation directory as the WL_HOME directory and installs the software components under this directory. If, on your initial installation, you choose to install individual components of WebLogic Platform and not the full complement of products, and later decide to install additional components (using the same BEA Home directory), you are not prompted on the subsequent installations to provide a product installation directory. The installation program detects the WL_HOME directory and installs the additional components under that same directory.

A description of the WebLogic Platform directory structure is provided in Understanding the WebLogic Platform Product Directory Structure.

Choosing a User Domain Directory

In previous releases of the WebLogic Platform component products, domains were created within the directory structure of the product installation, including application code for each domain. With the Configuration Wizard provided in WebLogic Platform 7.0, you can, and are encouraged to create domains in their own directory structure within the domain container folder (user_projects, by default). You can create a domain container to store all of your user domain directories, or create each domain in its own domain container. A domain container can be located anywhere you choose.

This new directory structure provides for greater flexibility when storing application code and configuring server systems. It also promotes best practices for application development. That is, application code should not be stored with the product software.

Note: Directories created using the Configuration Wizard are not removed when you uninstall the software, or overwritten during subsequent installations. If you want to remove these directories, you must delete them manually.

Complete details on creating domains are described in Using the Configuration Wizard.

Generating a Verbose Installation Log

If you launch the installation from the command line or from a script, you can specify the -log option to generate a verbose installation log. The installation log stores messages about events that occur during the installation process, including informational, warning, error, and fatal messages. This type of file can be especially useful for silent installations.

Note: You may see some warning messages in the installation log. However, unless a fatal error occurs, the installation program completes the installation successfully. The installation user interface indicates the success or failure of each installation attempt, and the installation log file includes an entry indicating that the installation was successful.

Syntax

To create a verbose log file during installation, include the -log=full_path_to_log_file option in the command line. For example:

platform XXX_win32.exe -log=C:\logs\platform_install.log (Windows)

platform XXX_solaris.bin -log=/home/logs/platform_install.log (UNIX)

In these filenames, XXX represents the version number of the software you are installing.

The path must specify a file. You cannot create a folder simply by including a name for it in a pathname; your path should specify only existing folders. If your path includes a nonexistent folder when you execute the command, the installation program does not create the log file.

Where to Find Upgrade and Migration Information

Information about upgrading your WebLogic Platform installation with the latest service pack is provided in Installing Service Packs and Rolling Patches.

Upgrade and migration information for WebLogic Platform components is available at the following URL:

http://e-docs.bea.com/platform/docs70/interm/migrate.html

About Smart Update

WebLogic Platform 7.0 includes the Smart Update feature which provides the capability to quickly and easily upgrade your software with service packs, rolling patches, and subsequent releases of the software.

Note: Smart Update upgrades your Windows installation to use the Sun Java 2 SDK and your Linux installation to use the WebLogic JRockit SDK. If you want to use a different SDK, you should use a WebLogic Platform upgrade installer that is bundled with the appropriate SDK or change the SDK, as described in "Switching JVMs in WebLogic Platform" in the WebLogic Platform Release Notes, at the following URL:

http://e-docs.bea.com/platform/docs70/relnotes/relnotes.html#nonbundledJVM

When you start Smart Update, either from the Windows start menu or from the command line, it checks the version numbers of the products installed (associated with the current BEA Home directory), and then connects to the BEA Web site to check for available updates. For details about using Smart Update, see Installing Service Packs and Rolling Patches.

You can also use Smart Update to revert your system installation to an earlier version of the release. For additional information, see Uninstalling Maintenance Upgrades Using Smart Update.