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WebLogic Server Frequently Asked Questions

FAQs: Upgrading

- What is Compatibility mode?

- How do I run WebLogic Server 7.0 in Compatibility mode when upgrading?

- What is two-phase deployment?

- Why do I keep getting a NoSuchMethodError when running an application on WebLogic Server 7.0?

- What is WebLogic Platform 7.0?

- If I am a WebLogic Server 7.0 GA customer, should I upgrade to WebLogic Platform 7.0 (upgrade from 7.0.0.0 to 7.0.0.1)?

- I am a WebLogic Server 7.0 GA customer. How do I upgrade to WebLogic Server 7.0.0.1?

- What WebLogic Server version will I see when I try to download 7.0.0.1?

- What about WebLogic Server 7.0 Service Pack 1?

Q. What is Compatibility mode?

A. When you upgrade to WebLogic Server 7.0 from WebLogic Server 6.x, Compatibility mode allows you to keep your 6.x configuration of users, groups, and ACLs.

Q. How do I run WebLogic Server 7.0 in Compatibility mode when upgrading?

A. WebLogic Server 7.0 recognizes your 6.x config.xml file and automatically runs in Compatibility mode.

Q. What is two-phase deployment?

A. WebLogic Server 7.0 uses two-phase deployment. In previous versions of WebLogic Server, when you deployed an application, a copy of the application file(s) was sent to all the targeted servers, which in turn, loaded the application. If any of those servers failed (or partially failed), the deployment was placed in an inconsistent state.

In the current release of WebLogic Server, the application is first prepared across the servers and then activated in a separate phase. In the prepare phase, the application is prepared for deployment without allowing user requests to the application. When the servers are ready, the application is activated everywhere. With this model, it is still possible to have a failure occur during the activation phase, which leads to the inconsistent state, but it is much less likely to occur.

For more information on this deployment model and other 7.0 deployment features, see WebLogic Server Application Deployment.

Q. Why do I keep getting a NoSuchMethodError when running an application on WebLogic Server 7.0?

A. Make sure that you are not running the server with a patch for a previous version of WebLogic Server. For exact information of a particular patch, contact Customer Support.

Also make sure that you do not have any JAR files in your server CLASSPATH that conflict with the version of J2EE that is supported by WebLogic Server 7.0, J2EE version 1.3. The 1.3 version of J2EE is added to the WebLogic Server 7.0 CLASSPATH by default. For example, you may have to remove j2ee12.jar from your server CLASSPATH.

Q. What is WebLogic Platform 7.0?

A. WebLogic Platform 7.0 is a BEA product that was released on June 28, 2002 and includes the following component products:

- WebLogic Server (WLS)

- WebLogic Portal (WLP)

- WebLogic Integration (WLI)

- WebLogic Workshop (WLW)

WebLogic Server and WebLogic Platform are at the 7.0.0.1 release level because WebLogic Server was released prior to the Platform, and then augmented to 7.0.0.1 to accommodate changes for the Platform release. WebLogic Platform reflects this WebLogic Server release level. Whenever a component product releases a Service Pack or a Rolling Patch, the WebLogic Platform release will be updated as well.

Q. If I am a WebLogic Server 7.0 GA customer, should I upgrade to WebLogic Platform 7.0 (upgrade from 7.0.0.0 to 7.0.0.1)?

A. Some reasons to upgrade or not to upgrade to 7.0.0.1:

You may want to upgrade to 7.0.0.1 because:

- you are using a layered product like WLI, WLP or WLW.

- you want to incorporate the fix for a CR that is fixed in 7.0.0.1.

- you are using the JAX-RPC API (Web Services) in WebLogic Server and want to use the implementation that is compatible with the finalized version of the spec (1.0).

You may not want to upgrade to 7.0.0.1 because:

- you could avoid upgrading twice by waiting for WebLogic Platform 7.0 Service Pack 1, which is tentatively set for the beginning of September 2002, and then upgrading from 7.0.0.0 to 7.0.1.0.

- you do not use any layered products.

- you want to wait for 7.0.1.0 so you can get incorporate even more fixes.

Q. I am a WebLogic Server 7.0 GA customer. How do I upgrade to WebLogic Server 7.0.0.1?

A. There is no upgrade installer, only full installers. Two ways to get to 7.0.0.1 are:

- From the Downloads section of www.bea.com, install WebLogic Server as part of the Platform installer. Choose Custom Installation, not Typical Installation, so that you can specify WebLogic Server only. Otherwise the full 250MB Platform will be installed.

- After logging on to Customer Support, you can look under BEA WebLogic Server Service Packs. You will notice 7.0.0.1 under WebLogic Server 7.0 Service Packs.

Q. What WebLogic Server version will I see when I try to download 7.0.0.1?

A. C:\bea\weblogic700\samples\server\config\examples>java weblogic.version
WebLogic Server 7.0 Thu Jun 20 11:47:11 PDT 2002 190955
WebLogic XMLX Module 7.0 Thu Jun 20 11:58:44 PDT 2002 190955

You can differentiate from WebLogic Server 7.0 GA by date and change number (i.e. 190955).

Q. What about WebLogic Server 7.0 Service Pack 1?

A. WebLogic Platform 7.0 will be fully synchronized for WebLogic Server 7.0 Service Pack 1 (WLS, WLI, WLP, and WLW will all be delivered on the same date). The GA date for WebLogic Server 7.0 Service Pack 1 is still tentatively set for the beginning of September 2002. A smart upgrade installer that will recognize what you have installed and upgrade accordingly will be available with the WebLogic Platform 7.0 Service Pack 1 download.