Creating WebLogic Domains Using the Configuration Wizard
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.
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.
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:
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:
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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:
Note: For more information about WLST offline, see "Creating and Configuring WebLogic Domains Using WLST Offline" in WebLogic Scripting Tool at
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:
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:
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.
security. These subdirectories contain configuration files that are incorporated, by reference, into the central
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
jarfiles 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
user_staged_config—provides an alternative to the
configdirectory 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.
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:
packcommand, 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.
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:
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:
Figure 1-3 illustrates the steps necessary to create a new 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.
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.