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Preparing to Install WebLogic Server

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

- BEA Installation Program

- WebLogic Server Distribution Methods

- WebLogic Server Software Components

- System Requirements

- Temporary Storage Space Requirements

- Software Requirements

- BEA Home Directory

- Enabling 128-Bit Encryption

- Upgrading from a Pre-6.0 Version of WebLogic Server

- Installation Road Map

BEA Installation Program

The BEA Installation program is the BEA standard tool for WebLogic Server product installation and Service Pack installation. You use the BEA Installation program to install the WebLogic Server software on the target Windows or UNIX system (machine). The BEA Installation program itself is included with the WebLogic Server installer file.

WebLogic Express Support

The BEA Installation program may also be used 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.

Installation Methods

The BEA Installation program supports three installation methods:

- Graphical user interface (GUI) mode installation—See Installing WebLogic Server Using GUI-Mode Installation.

- Console-mode installation (UNIX systems only)—See Installing WebLogic Server on UNIX Systems Using Console-Mode Installation.

- Silent installation—See Installing WebLogic Server Using Silent Installation.

To install a Service Pack upgrade, see Installing and Uninstalling Service Packs on WebLogic Server.

WebLogic Server Distribution Methods

WebLogic Server is distributed on both the Web and CD-ROM. Service Packs for WebLogic Server are distributed only on the Web.

Web Distribution of WebLogic Server

An evaluation copy of WebLogic Server 6.1 is available for download from the BEA corporate Web site at http://commerce.beasys.com/downloads/weblogic_server.jsp. When you download WebLogic Server, you get a built-in 30-day evaluation license with access for client connections from up to three IP addresses. After the 30-day trial period, you can purchase a development or production license for your WebLogic Server product.

WebLogic Server is distributed as an installer file, which contains a copy of the BEA Installation program. Platform-specific installers for WebLogic Server are available for download from the BEA corporate Web site.

CD-ROM Distribution of WebLogic Server

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

- Two CD-ROMs:

  - BEA WebLogic Server product software CD

  - BEA WebLogic Server Online Documentation CD

- The following printed documents:

  - Installation Guide (this document)

  - Introduction to BEA WebLogic Server

  - BEA WebLogic Server Release Notes

  - "BEA Software License and Limited Warranty" pamphlet

  - "Customer Support Quick Reference and Other Important Information" card

You can also access the WebLogic Server Online Documentation at http://edocs.bea.com/index.html.

Web Distribution of Service Packs

Service Packs, if any, are included in the latest distributions of WebLogic Server 6.1, which you can download from http://commerce.bea.com/downloads/weblogic_server.jsp. If you do not have WebLogic Server installed, or if your WebLogic Server installation is 5.1 or earlier, you should install this distribution.

If you already have WebLogic Server 6.1 installed, with no Service Pack or with an earlier 6.1 Service Pack, and if you have a BEA WebSUPPORT account, you can download the Service Pack from http://websupport.beasys.com/custsupp without downloading the entire WebLogic Server 6.1 distribution. A Service Pack to be installed at the customer site is distributed as an installer file, which contains a copy of the BEA Installation program.

If you do not have a BEA WebSUPPORT account go to http://support.bea.com/Registration?formAction=register to get one.

WebLogic Server Software Components

WebLogic Server consists of two major components:

- Program files

- Example files

The program files contain the WebLogic Server default server (also known as the Administration Server) and the WebLogic Server core JavaTM 2, Enterprise Edition (J2EE) features. The examples files contain the WebLogic Server examples and Pet Store servers and sample applications, and demonstrate a variety of J2EE features using WebLogic Server. Resources are provided to help you build, configure, and run each of the sample applications.

Note: You will be asked during the installation to make the following decision: whether to install the program files and the example files (Server with Examples selection) or only the program files (Server Only selection).

In addition, 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. For details on acquiring and installing a WebLogic Server software license, see Installing a WebLogic Server License; also, see Enabling 128-Bit Encryption.

System Requirements

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

Component | Requirement
--- | ---
Platform | A certified WebLogic Server platform. See the Platform Support page at http://e-docs.bea.com/wls/certifications/certifications/index.html; this page includes the recommended Java run-time environment versions and, when appropriate, other prerequisites or recommendations, such as operating system patches, kernel configuration values, and performance packs. For more information about performance packs, see "Using WebLogic Server Performance Packs" in the Performance and Tuning Guide.
Hard disk drive | For a WebLogic Server 6.1 installation on a Windows system—about 171 MB* of free storage space. For a WebLogic Server 6.1 installation on a UNIX system—about 210 MB* of free storage space. For a Service Pack installation on a Windows or UNIX system—see the Release Notes for available Service Packs (if any) for WebLogic Server 6.1 and the free and temporary storage space required by the Service Pack installer program.
Memory | For a Windows or UNIX system, 128 MB of RAM minimum.
Color bit depth display | 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.
* Includes 76 MB of temporary storage space required by the installer program.

Temporary Storage Space Requirements

The BEA Installation program uses a temporary directory in which it extracts the files necessary to install WebLogic Server on the target system. During the installation process, your temporary directory must contain sufficient space to accommodate the compressed Java Development Kit (JDK) bundled with the installer and an uncompressed copy of the JDK that is expanded into the temporary directory. The extracted files are deleted from the temporary directory at the end of the installation process.

The amount of temporary storage space needed depends upon the target system and the WebLogic Server 6.1 installer. A minimum of 76 MB is required for a full installation of WebLogic Server 6.1.

By default, the installation program uses the temporary directories shown in the following table.

Platform | Directory
--- | ---
Windows | Directory referenced by the TMP system variable
UNIX | /tmp

To ensure there is adequate temporary space, you may want to allocate an alternate directory as follows, for use as a temporary directory for the installation.

On this platform . . . | Perform this step . . .
--- | ---
Windows | Set the TMP system variable to a directory of your choice.
UNIX | Enter the following command at the shell prompt: export IATEMPDIR=tmpdirname Replace tmpdirname with the name of a temporary directory of your choice.

Software Requirements

WebLogic Server 6.1 requires the following software:

- JDK 1.3—A Java Development Kit (JDK) provides a Java run-time environment (the Java Virtual Machine, or JVM) and tools for compiling and debugging Java applications. JDK 1.3.1 is bundled with the WebLogic Server 6.1 software and is installed by default on your system.

- Microsoft Internet Explorer 5.x or Netscape 4.7x—Browser software to support the Administration Console. The Administration Console is the Web-based administrator client interface to WebLogic Server.

- Other software is required by various platforms and operating systems. BEA frequently updates the lists of software requirements for platforms and operating systems on which WebLogic Server runs. Check the Platform Support page at http://e-docs.bea.com/wls/certifications/certifications/index.html for the latest information about your platform and operating system.

BEA Home Directory

When you install WebLogic Server, 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 the 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 Server installer program is shown in the following illustration.

Note: The installation program also creates a bea folder in your user home directory ($HOME/bea on UNIX, C:\bea on Windows) and a beahomelist file within the directory. This file is used internally by the installation program when you install additional BEA software and when you install updates to WebLogic Server. Do not edit or delete this file or directory.

Choosing a BEA Home Directory

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

Next, you choose a BEA product directory for your WebLogic Server installation. You can create your BEA product directory under the BEA Home directory, but there is no requirement to do so.

Note: For a BEA Home directory, you are allowed to install only one instance of each type and version of a BEA product that uses the BEA Home directory convention. For example, you can install only one instance of WebLogic Server 6.1 in a BEA Home directory, but that BEA Home directory may also contain an instance of WebLogic Server 6.0.

Understanding the Functions of the BEA Home Directory

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

Component | Description
--- | ---
registry.xml file | An Extensible Markup Language (XML) 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 level, Service Pack level, 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.
license.bea file | An XML-format license file that contains the license keys for all BEA WebLogic products installed on your system that use the BEA Home directory convention. The first time you install a WebLogic product that uses the BEA Home directory convention, the installer program installs a license.bea file in the BEA Home directory that you specify during installation. When you install additional WebLogic products that contain a license file as part of the distribution (such as an evaluation license), the installer program automatically updates the license.bea file. 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. 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 on a Windows System.
logs directory | A directory containing a BEA Home location file and a history file of installation and uninstallation for the BEA Home directory. For more information on these files, see Understanding the WebLogic Server Windows Shortcuts.
utils directory | A directory containing utilities that are used to support the installation of all BEA WebLogic Server products. The utils.jar file contains code that supports the UpdateLicense utility.
jdk131 directory | A directory containing the 1.3.1 version of the Java Development Kit. JDK 1.3.1 provides the Java run-time environment (the Java Virtual Machine, or JVM) and tools for compiling and debugging Java applications. This version of the JDK is included in the WebLogic Server distribution. It is automatically installed in the BEA Home directory when you install WebLogic Server.

Creating More Than One BEA Home Directory

Although it is possible to create more than one BEA Home directory, BEA recommends 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.

Enabling 128-Bit Encryption

A WebLogic Server 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 Server software. That is, the installer program must find the 128-bit encryption license in the license.bea file before the installer enables 128-bit encryption for the WebLogic Server installation.

When creating a brand new BEA Home directory for a WebLogic Server installation intended for 128-bit encryption, proceed as follows:

1. Acquire a 128-bit encryption license for WebLogic Server.

   For details, contact BEA Sales at http://www.bea.com/contact/sales1.shtml.

2. Create a new directory that you want use as a BEA home directory and place the license in the new directory. The license file must be named license.bea.

3. Install the WebLogic Server software.

   For instructions, see one of the following installation procedures: Installing WebLogic Server Using GUI-Mode Installation, Installing WebLogic Server on UNIX Systems Using Console-Mode Installation, or Installing WebLogic Server Using Silent Installation.

If the installer program does not find a WebLogic Server license in the license.bea file or finds a 56-bit encryption license for WebLogic Server in the license.bea file, the installer includes 56-bit SSL plug-ins in the WebLogic Server installation. If the installer program finds a 128-bit encryption license for WebLogic Server in the license.bea file, the installer includes both 56-bit and 128-bit SSL plug-ins in the WebLogic Server installation.

For details about WebLogic Server SSL plug-ins, see "Installing and Configuring the Apache HTTP Server Plug-In," "Installing and Configuring the Microsoft Internet Information Server (ISAPI) Plug-In," and "Installing and Configuring the Netscape Enterprise Server Plug-In (NSAPI)" in the Administration Guide.

Upgrading from a Pre-6.0 Version of WebLogic Server

If you are upgrading from a pre-6.0 version (5.1 or earlier) of WebLogic Server, take the following precautions before installing the new version:

1. Save your current license files in a safe location. Java-format license files (WebLogicLicense.class) and XML-format license files (WebLogicLicense.XML) from pre-6.0 versions of WebLogic Server are no longer supported. You must upgrade these license files to the license.bea format. For details about upgrading your license file, see Upgrading Licenses from a Pre-6.0 Version of WebLogic Server.

2. Save your weblogic.properties file in a safe location. In WebLogic Server 6.0, the weblogic.properties file is no longer supported; configuration attributes are stored in a persistent XML file (config.xml) for each domain. (A domain is a unit of administration for a WebLogic Server installation.) After you install WebLogic Server 6.0, you must convert your weblogic.properties file to a domain configuration file (config.xml) using a conversion script provided through the Administration Console. Procedures for converting your weblogic.properties file are provided in the Console Help documentation.

3. Save any user-written code or compiled classes in a safe location.

4. Copy your entire WebLogic distribution to a safe location or otherwise back up your previous installation to safeguard your applications and environment.

Installation Road Map

You are now ready to begin your installation. To install WebLogic Server, see one of the following:

- Installing WebLogic Server Using GUI-Mode Installation

- Installing WebLogic Server on UNIX Systems Using Console-Mode Installation

- Installing WebLogic Server Using Silent Installation

To install a Service Pack, see Installing and Uninstalling Service Packs on WebLogic Server.

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