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BEA WebLogic Server 8.1

Installing the BEA WebLogic Server 8.1 SP6 and Deploying Web Applications Using SAS 9.1.3 SP2, SP3, and SP4

This document explains how to install and configure 8.1 SP6 of the BEA WebLogic Server that is available for download from the BEA web site. Other older supported versions are listed here. You can use this J2EE application server to run such SAS web applications as SAS Web Report Studio and SAS Information Delivery Portal. These installation instructions do not apply to the OEM version of WebLogic that SAS ships with the SAS Solutions.

Note: If you wish to upgrade your existing WebLogic 8.1 installation to Service Pack 6, follow the instructions located below at Using the Service Pack 6 Upgrade Installer for WebLogic Server 8.1.

Note: If you want to make sure that all of the required patches have been applied to your server, follow the instructions located below at Ensuring That All Necessary Patches Have Been Installed.

If you are an experienced WebLogic administrator, there is not much special information that you will need. You simply install the correct version of the BEA WebLogic Platform—you can determine the correct version by visiting the SAS Third Party Software Downloads for SAS 9.1.3 SP2, SP3, and SP4 page—and configure a managed server in which the SAS web applications can run. To avoid having to edit advanced properties in the SAS Configuration Wizard, you should use the following names and port numbers when you configure the WebLogic servers and domain:

You should also read over the information in this document concerning the configuration of your managed server and the steps you must perform after installing your SAS web applications.

If you are new to the BEA WebLogic Server, you can use the instructions in this document to install and configure WebLogic for use with the SAS web applications and to deploy the SAS web applications to the server. The document discusses the following tasks:

Note: This documentation is not meant to replace the BEA documentation. It is intended for users who want to quickly configure the BEA WebLogic Server in a way that will facilitate the deployment of the SAS Intelligence Platform.

Acquiring the Server and Security Patches

To acquire the server:

  1. Go to the SAS Third Party Software Downloads page. Click the Web Application Servers link for the version of the SAS Intelligence Platform that you are installing. This will take you to the Application Servers table. This table lists supported operating systems and WebLogic Server versions. The Notes column contains information about required patches, if any.

  2. Contact BEA to acquire the relevant version of BEA WebLogic Server and patches.

    Note: If you are downloading the installer, we recommend that you download the WebLogic Server Package Installer rather than the WebLogic Server Net Installer.

Acquiring and Installing the JDK

A Java Virtual Machine (JVM) is required to run WebLogic Server. The JDK requirement varies depending on your operating system. WebLogic Server supports specific JDKs provided by other vendors such as HP, IBM, and Sun.

To acquire the JDK:

  1. Determine the version of the Java Development Kit (JDK) that you need. To do this, go to the SAS Third Party Software Downloads page. Click the Java Development Kit link for the version of the SAS Intelligence Platform that you are installing. This will take you to the Java Software Development Kits table. This table lists supported JDKs by operating system.

  2. Review the Notes column, and follow the the Download link to obtain the JDK.

  3. Install the JDK that you downloaded by following the vendor's instructions. Make a note of the installation location as you will need it when you configure WebLogic.

Installing the Server

To install the server:

  1. Start the WebLogic installation program in console mode. (You can also start the installer in graphical mode, if your operating system supports it, by omitting the mode=console argument. See Installing WebLogic Platform Using Graphical-Mode Installation for more information.)

    o        On Windows systems, you can use Windows Explorer to navigate to the EXE file that you downloaded. Then double-click the icon representing the file.

    o        On Solaris systems, change directories to the directory that contains the BIN file that you downloaded. Then enter the following commands: 
         chmod a+x filename.bin
        ./filename.bin -mode=console

    o   On HP-UX and AIX   systems, you download a JAR file. Start the installer by adding your JDK's bin   directory to your PATH and then entering this command:

         java -jar filename.jar mode=console
  2. On all systems, the BEA installation program will load, and you will see a Welcome screen.

  3. In the Welcome screen, click Next.

  4. In the BEA License Agreement screen, select Yes and click Next.

  5. In the Choose BEA Home Directory screen, select Create a new BEA Home, leave the default value in the BEA Home Directory text box, and click Next.

    Note: Normally, the default value works fine. However, if the default path contains one or more spaces, you must change it so that it does not contain any spaces.

  6. In the Choose Install Type screen, select Custom Installation and click Next.

  7. In the Choose Components screen, leave WebLogic Server selected, deselect WebLogic Workshop, and click Next.

  8. In the Choose Product Directory screen, leave the default value in the Product Installation Directory text box, and click Next.

  9. At this point, the WebLogic files will be copied to your disk. When the copy is complete, the Installation Complete screen will appear. In the Installation Complete screen, uncheck the Install XML Spy check box (Windows only), deselect Run Quickstart, and click Done.

Applying Required Patches

When you downloaded the BEA WebLogic Platform, you should also have downloaded any required patches. Some of these patches come with installation instructions. For those patches, follow the installation instructions. For the other patches, which are delivered as JAR files, you "apply" the patches by adding the JAR files to your managed server's CLASSPATH. You will add these files to the CLASSPATH later, when you configure the managed server.

Configuring the Server

To configure your server:

  1. Start the BEA WebLogic Configuration Wizard by executing the script config.extension. This script is located in BEA-install-dir\weblogic81\common\bin. (The directory separators used in this section are for Windows systems. If you are working on a UNIX system, replace each backslash with a slash.)

  2. In the wizard's Create or Extend a Configuration screen, select Create a new WebLogic configuration, and click Next.

  3. In the Select a Configuration Template screen, leave the default value (Basic WebLogic Server Domain) selected, and click Next.

  4. In the Choose Express or Custom Configuration screen, select the Custom mode, and click Next.

  5. In the Configure the Administration Server screen, set the Name to myadminserver, set the Listen port to 7501, and click Next.

  6. In the Managed Servers, Clusters, and Machine Options screen, select Yes, and click Next.

  7. In the Configure Managed Servers screen, click Add. Then, set Name to myserver, set Listen port to 7001, and click Next.

  8. In the Choose SIP Server Type screen, skip all configurations for SIP Server; accept blank defaults.

  9. In the Configure SIP Data-Tier Managed Server Partitions page, skip all configuration and accept blank defaults.

  10. In the Configure Clusters screen, click Next.

  11. In the Configure Machines screen, first select the correct tab: Machine if you are configuring the software on a Windows system and Unix Machine if you are working on a UNIX system. Then click Add. Set the Name to new_machine_1 if on a Windows system. Set the Name to new_unix_machine_1 if on a UNIX system. Click Next.

  12. In the Assign Servers to Machines screen, move the myadminserver and myserver icons from the Server list to the Machine or UNIX Machine list. Then click Next.

  13. In the Database (JDBC) Options screen, click Next.

  14. In the Messaging (JMS) Options screen, click Next.

  15. In the Configure Administrative Username and Password screen, enter a user ID in the User name text field and a password in the User password and Confirm user password text fields. Select No (for Advanced Security, i.e, additional users, groups, and roles), and click Next.

  16. Windows only: In the Configure Windows Options screen, select both Yes radio buttons, and click Next.

  17. Windows only: In the Build Start Menu Entries screen, set the text fields as shown in the list below:

    Shortcut link name - Start SAS Managed Server
    Program - startManagedWebLogic.cmd
    Argument - myserver http://localhost:7501/
    Working directory     -
    Description - Link to start myserver outside of Node Manager

    Then, click Next.

  18. On the Configure Server Start Mode and Java SDK screen:

    1. Select Production Mode.
    2. Select Other Java SDK, and then either use Browse to navigate to the installation directory for the J2SDK that you installed for use with the SAS Intelligence Platform (for example, C:\j2sdk1.4.2_15) or specify the directory.
    3. Click Next.

  19. In the Create WebLogic Configuration screen, enter the name mydomain in the Configuration Name text box, and click Create.

  20. The Configuration Wizard creates your configuration. In the Creating Configuration screen, click Done. You will exit the BEA WebLogic Configuration Wizard.

  21. Set the common environment variables for WebLogic by editing the file commEnv.extension in BEA-install-dir\weblogic81\common\bin. Set JAVA_HOME to point to the installation directory for the Java 2 SDK that you installed for use with the SAS Intelligence Platform. Then save the file.

  22. Also edit the startWebLogic.extension script in the BEA-install-dir\user_projects\domains\mydomain directory and set the JAVA_HOME to point to the installation directory for the Java 2 SDK that you installed for use with the SAS Intelligence Platform. Then save the file.

  23. Start the administration server and the Node Manager.

    • Windows: You can start these services from the Services window in the Control Panel (Start > Settings > Control Panel > Administrative Tools > Services). Right-click the icon for each service, and select Start from the pop-up menu.

    • UNIX: Start these processes by executing these scripts:

      • BEA-install-dir/user_projects/domains/mydomain/startWebLogic.sh
      • BEA-install-dir/weblogic81/server/bin/startNodeManager.sh

  24. With the administration server and the Node Manager running, you can start the WebLogic Server Console in order to configure your managed server. Start the console by opening a web browser and browsing to http://localhost:7501/console.

  25. Log on to the console using the administrator user ID and password that you specified while running the BEA WebLogic Configuration Wizard.

  26. Recommended: To configure the managed server for use with the Node Manager (that is, to be able to start the managed server using the Administrative Console), go to the server's Configuration: Remote Start properties page, and set the properties listed below. To get to this page, expand the Servers folder in the tree structure on the left, and select myserver. On the right side of the interface, select the Configuration tab (if it is not already selected); then, select the Remote Start subtab. Set the following properties:

    • Java Home: Directory where you installed the version of the Java 2 SDK required by the SAS Intelligence Platform, for example, C:\j2sdk1.4.2_15.

    • BEA Home: Directory where you installed WebLogic, for instance, C:\bea.

    • Class Path: Prepend the following JAR files to your current CLASSPATH:

      • The JAR files for any patches that you have not already installed.

      • JDK-install-dir\lib\tools.jar

      • BEA-install-dir\weblogic81\server\lib\weblogic_sp.jar
        Note: Depending on which WebLogic Server release, service pack, or patch has been installed, the weblogic_sp.jar file might not exist on the system. Regardless of whether the file currently exists, BEA recommends that it be included in the CLASSPATH to ensure compatibility with any updates

      • BEA-install-dir\weblogic81\server\lib\weblogic.jar

      • BEA-install-dir\weblogic81\server\lib\ojdbc14.jar

      • JDK-install-dir\jre\lib\rt.jar

      • BEA-install-dir\weblogic81\server\lib\webservices.jar

    On Windows systems, use semicolons to separate CLASSPATH entries, and on UNIX systems, use colons.

    Note:     The directory separator used in the paths above is appropriate for Windows systems. On UNIX systems, replace the backslashes with slashes (/).

    • Arguments: - For information about what JVM options to enter here, see the SAS Intelligence Platform Web Application Administration Guide (SAS OnlineDoc), which is available from this web site. Search from the menu for the section "Quick Start Settings." You should find this section if you open the resulting link “Best Practices for Configuring Your Middle Tier” The exact set of arguments that you should use varies depending on your platform and on how many users your SAS web applications willl have but this will get you started.

    • Security Policy File: Full path to the file weblogic.policy. The file is located in BEA-install-dir\weblogic81\server\lib

      After setting these properties, click the Apply button.

  27. You can now start the managed server. You can do this by performing these steps in the WebLogic Server Console:

After Installing Your SAS Web Applications

Note: If you experience difficulty in deploying SAS Web applications to WebLogic 8.1 SP6, see this SAS Problem Note.

After you have installed your SAS software and run the SAS Configuration Wizard, there a few steps you must take before you can run your web applications:

For instructions on how to edit your weblogic.policy file, see the configuration instructions generated by the SAS Configuration Wizard (instructions.html). See the section named "Modifying Policy Files." After editing the policy file, you must restart the managed server.

When the SAS Configuration Wizard runs, it places exploded versions of your web applications in subdirectories subordinate to the directory configuration-directory\Lev1\web\webapps\exploded. You can deploy the applications from this location by using the deployment instructions for that application.

For SAS Information Delivery Portal, you must set the load order for the application SASTheme_default.

Using the Service Pack 6 Upgrade Installer for WebLogic Server 8.1

This section assumes you have an existing WebLogic 8.1 server environment already configured to run SAS applications. To upgrade your application server environment for SAS 9.1.3 SP2, SP3, and SP4, you will need to install the correct version of the JDK, upgrade WebLogic Server, apply the appropriate BEA patches, and update some WebLogic configuration parameters. You can determine the correct versions and patches required by visiting the SAS Third Party Software Downloads page.

Note: This documentation is not meant to replace the BEA documentation. It is intended for users who want to quickly update an existing BEA WebLogic Server environment configured for the SAS Intelligence Platform.

Acquiring the WebLogic 8.1 SP6 Upgrade Installer and Security Patches

To acquire the server upgrade installer:

  1. Prerequisite: Download and install the appropriate JDK version (available on the SAS Third Party Software Downloads page). Make a note of the location of the new JDK installation. You will use this later to update your WebLogic configuration.

  2. Determine the version of BEA WebLogic Server required and patches needed. To do this, go to the SAS Third Party Software Downloads page. Click the Web Application Servers link for the version of the SAS Intelligence Platform that you are installing. This will take you to the Application Servers table. This table lists supported operating systems and WebLogic Server versions. The Notes column contains information about required patches, if any.

  3. The upgrade installer is available on the BEA support site. You will need a Contract Support Account with BEA to acquire a Service Pack Upgrade Installer.

  4. Log in with your BEA eSupport user name and password.

  5. Click the Product Downloads and Service Packs link on the left-hand side of the page. (That link is not available unless you are logged in with a Contract Support Account user name.)

  6. Click on the BEA WebLogic Server link. Click on the BEA WebLogic Server link again.

  7. Click Service Pack 6 Upgrade Installer for WebLogic Server 8.1.

  8. Click the link for the appropriate platform. That is, if the WebLogic 8.1 installation that you need to upgrade is running on Windows on a Pentium chip, click Microsoft Windows (Pentium).

  9. Download the upgrade installer. For example, click Save to download the file server816_upgrade_win32.exe into a temporary directory.

  10. To acquire any of the required patches, open a BEA case using your account and request them.

Installing the Service Pack Using the Upgrade Installer

  1. To run the upgrade installer, follow carefully the instructions at the BEA Product Documentation site, starting at :
    Installing Service Packs and Rolling Patches Using a Downloadable Upgrade Installer Using the Upgrade Installer in Graphical Mode.

    Note: Make note of the location where you back up your WL_HOME as you will need to restore from that location soon.

  2. On the Installation Complete screen, uncheck Run Quickstart and click Done.

  3. Once the installer has finished running, locate the WL_HOME backup performed as part of the instructions from BEA. Restore the weblogic.policy file to the updated installation location (typically, BEA-install-dir\weblogic81\server\lib).

  4. Remove any BEA security or bug fix patches that applied to the older version, WebLogic 8.1 SP3. To identify patches and their location please refer to the section below “Applying Required Patches”.

Updating the JDK location

Upgrading the JDK is recommended to run SAS applications. Any WebLogic domain scripts, silent configuration scripts, and application startup scripts that reference the JDK must be updated to point to the location of the new install performed in Step 1.

  1. Carefully edit and update the location of the JAVA_HOME variable in the following files to point to the location of the newly installed JDK:

    1. commEnv.extension located at BEA-install-dir\weblogic81\common\bin.

    2. startWLS.extension located at BEA-install-dir\weblogic81\server\bin.

    3. The following files located at BEA-install-dir\user_projects\domains\domain-name:

      • If you use domain specific start-up scripts: startManagedWebLogic.extension (plus additional scripts for additional managed servers) and startWebLogic.extension.

      • setEnv.extension

      • Windows only: installService.cmd

  2. Windows only: Recreate the Windows service for the administration server. To do this, open a command prompt and navigate to BEA-install-dir\user_projects\domains\domain-name. Run uninstallService.cmd. After you see a message indicating that the service has been removed, run installService.cmd.

  3. Start the administration server and the node manager. Also:

    1. Verify that the correct version of the JDK is being used.

    2. Log in to the Admin Console. Navigate to the Managed Server's Configuration tab/Remote Start tab. Update the Java Home field to the location of your JDK.
      Remember to update the CLASSPATH field and remove any old patches related to WLS 8.1 SP3.

    3. Verify the managed server log contains information indicating the version of WebLogic, for example:
      WebLogic Server 8.1 SP6  Wed Jun 21 08:18:55 PDT 2006 781680

Applying Required Patches

The patches that were downloaded in Step 10, must be applied to the upgraded WebLogic installation.

  1. In the Admin Console, navigate to the Managed Server's Configuration tab/Remote Start tab. Delete the entire contents of the Class Path field (you may want to make a backup if you have additional customizations to your CLASSPATH that need to be re-added). Prepend the following JAR files to your CLASSPATH:

    • The JAR files for any patches that you have not already installed. They start with a CR, for example CR122962.jar.

    • JDK-install-dir\lib\tools.jar

    • BEA-install-dir\weblogic81\server\lib\weblogic_sp.jar
      Note: Depending on which WebLogic Server release, service pack, or patch has been installed, the weblogic_sp.jar file might not exist on the system. Regardless of whether the file currently exists, BEA recommends that it be included in the CLASSPATH to ensure compatibility with any updates.

    • BEA-install-dir\weblogic81\server\lib\weblogic.jar

    • BEA-install-dir\weblogic81\server\lib\ojdbc14.jar

    • JDK-install-dir\jre\lib\rt.jar

    • BEA-install-dir\weblogic81\server\lib\webservices.jar

    Note: On Windows systems, use semicolons to separate CLASSPATH entries, and on UNIX systems, use colons.

    Note: The directory separator used in the paths above is appropriate for Windows systems. On UNIX systems, replace the backslashes with slashes (/).

  2. After setting these properties, click the Apply button.

  3. You can now start the managed server. You can do this by performing these steps in the WebLogic Server Console:

    1. In the left-hand pane, expand the Servers folder, right-click on the icon for myserver, and select Start/stop this server from the pop-up menu.

    2. In the right-hand pane, click the Start this server link.

    3. Verify that the text identifying your server version appears in the Managed Server log, such as the bold text in: getServerInfo [WebLogic Server 8.1 SP6  Wed Jun 21 08:18:55 PDT 2006 781680]

    4. Verify that you have applied all of the necessary patches to the server, as explained in the following section.

Ensuring That All Necessary Patches Have Been Installed

To ensure that your site's BEA WebLogic Server has all the necessary patches, compare the list of required patches on the Third Party Software Downloads site with the list of patches that have already been applied. You can verify which patches have already been installed on the Administration Server or a Managed Server by opening the appropriate log file and searching for the following text: "WebLogic Temporary Patch". As part of server startup, the server log lists the patches installed. The following Managed Server log excerpt shows that patches CR122962 and CR132541 are installed: 

WebLogic Temporary Patch for CR122962 12/19/2005 14:12:24 
WebLogic Temporary Patch for CR132541 10/27/2004 11:38:36

If you are using a Node Manager, the log files for a Managed Server are usually located in a directory similar to this: BEA-install-dir\weblogic81\common\nodemanager\server-name.

It is recommended that the Administration and Managed Servers be at the same patch level.