Configuring Oracle WebLogic Server 11gR1 With or Without Apache HTTP Server

In this section:

This section explains how to use Oracle WebLogic 11gR1 application server with or without Apache HTTP Server. It is assumed that WebLogic is installed at this time. Refer to Oracle documentation if you need to install WebLogic.


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WebLogic Pre-Deployment Steps

How to:

Before deploying the WebFOCUS web application, perform the following procedures.



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Procedure: How to Create a WebLogic Domain

Before deploying the WebFOCUS web application, you should create a WebLogic domain. If you already have a domain, proceed to How to Configure WebLogic for WebFOCUS Graphs.

  1. Change to the following directory:
    /WL_HOME/wlserver_nnn/common/bin

    where:

    WL_HOME

    Is the path to the Oracle WebLogic installation directory. This abbreviation is used throughout the following procedures.

    nnn

    Is your WebLogic release number.

  2. Execute the following:
    ./config.sh

    The WebLogic Configuration Wizard opens.

  3. Use the wizard to create your domain in a directory to which you have full permissions. Be sure to change the default ports so as not to conflict with any existing servers. To do this, you will need to modify the configuration options when prompted.


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Procedure: How to Configure WebLogic for WebFOCUS Graphs

To generate graphs, WebFOCUS Servlets either need access to an X Windows Server (through the DISPLAY variable), or they can use the Java VM headless option.

  1. In a text editor, open either your server startup script or the common script called by all server instances. For example:
    /WL_HOME/wlserver_nnn/common/bin/commEnv.sh
    /WL_HOME/user_projects/domains/yourDomain/startWebLogic.cmd

    or

    /WL_HOME/user_projects/domains/yourDomain/bin/startWebLogic.cmd
  2. Either set the DISPLAY variable or the headless Java VM option.
    • DISPLAY. If an X Windows Server is available, you should set a DISPLAY environment variable. For example:
      DISPLAY=xserver_host:0.0
      export DISPLAY
      TERM=xterm
      export TERM

      where:

      xserver_host

      Is the hostname or IP Address of a machine that is running an X Server.

      Note: Graphs are not actually displayed on the machine you set to DISPLAY, but WebFOCUS Servlets must access this X Server to generate graphs. After finishing the configuration, be sure to review the tests to verify graphs in Verifying and Troubleshooting Server Side Graphics (PCHOLD).

    • If an X Windows Server is not available, you can set the headless Java option as part of the JAVA_OPTIONS variable. For example:
      export JAVA_OPTIONS="${JAVA_OPTIONS} -Djava.awt.headless=true"
  3. Save and exit the file.


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Procedure: How to Set the WebLogic CLASSPATH for a WebFOCUS Repository

Before a WebFOCUS application can connect to the WebFOCUS repository, you must first modify the CLASSPATH of the application server. This is set in your server startup script or the common script called by all server instances.

  1. In a text editor, open either your server startup script or the common script called by all server instances. For example:
    /WL_HOME/wlserver_nnn/common/bin/commEnv.sh
    /WL_HOME/user_projects/domains/yourDomain/startWebLogic.cmd

    or

    /WL_HOME/user_projects/domains/yourDomain/bin/startWebLogic.cmd
  2. Find the CLASSPATH or WEBLOGIC_CLASSPATH line and add the path of the JDBC driver that ReportCaster uses to access the repository database. For example:
    WEBLOGIC_CLASSPATH="${JAVA_HOME}/lib/tools.jar${CLASSPATHSEP}
    ${WL_HOME}/server/lib/weblogic_sp.jar${CLASSPATHSEP}
    ${WL_HOME}/server/lib/weblogic.jar${CLASSPATHSEP}
    ${WL_HOME}/server/lib/ojdbc15.jar":/db2home/db2j
    cc.jar:/db2home/db2jcc_license_cisuz.jar
    export WEBLOGIC_CLASSPATH

    or

    CLASSPATH="${WEBLOGIC_CLASSPATH}:${POINTBASE_CLASSPATH}
    :${JAVA_HOME}/jre/lib/rt.jar:${WL_HOME}/server/lib/webservices.jar
    :${CLASSPATH}":/db2home/db2jcc.jar:/db2home/db2jcc_license_cisuz.jar
    export CLASSPATH
  3. Save and exit the file.


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Procedure: How to Start and Stop Your Domain

To start and stop your domain, use the startWebLogic.sh and stopWebLogic.sh scripts. These scripts are located in:

/WL_HOME/user_projects/domainname

or

/WL_HOME/user_projects/domainname/bin

Note: If you run into problems, ensure environment variables are properly set.


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Deploying Web Applications With Oracle WebLogic

How to:

Use the WebLogic Console to deploy the WebFOCUS web application. The number of web applications you deploy depends on your configuration. Repeat this procedure for each web application you need to deploy.

The web applications are located in the following directory:

/install_directory/ibi/WebFOCUS80/webapps

Determine which web applications you should deploy.

Web Application

Purpose

webfocus.war

Always deploy this web application.

ibi_help.war

Always deploy this web application.

approot.war

Deploy this web application if you are using an application server only configuration.



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Procedure: How to Prepare the Web Applications For WebLogic

You deploy web applications using the WebSphere Admin Console. However, the WebLogic Admin Console does not prompt you to set the context root when you deploy a web application. You can set the context root before you deploy the WAR files by renaming them to the context root names (for example, ibi_apps.war, ibi_help.war, approot.war).

  1. Navigate to the directory containing the WebFOCUS web applications. For example:
    /install_directory/ibi/WebFOCUS80/webapps
  2. Create copies of the web applications with names that match the context roots. For example:

    Default Name

    New Name

    webfocus.war
    ibi_apps.war
    ibi_help.war
    ibi_help.war
    approot.war
    approot.war
    redirect.war
    redirect.war

    For example:

    cp webfocus.war ibi_apps.war

Note:

  • Instead of renaming the WAR files, you can also create weblogic.xml files and add them to each WAR file as explained in the WebLogic documentation.
  • If you are going to deploy the exploded webfocus directory, create copies of them instead. However, ensure the originally named directories exist or else service pack installations will fail.
  • If you changed the default context roots, substitute accordingly.



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Procedure: How to Deploy Web Applications to WebLogic 11gR1

To deploy web applications to WebLogic 11gR1:

  1. Ensure your domain is started.
  2. Open the Oracle WebLogic Console in a web browser. For example:
    http://hostname:port/console

    where:

    hostname

    Is the hostname of the machine where WebLogic is running.

    port

    Is the port for the domain you are using. The port for the default domain is 7001.

    For example:

    http://localhost:7001/console

    A logon page opens. If the page does not open, ensure your domain is started, and you used the correct port.

  3. Log on to WebLogic.
  4. In the left pane, click Lock & Edit.
  5. In the left pane, click Deployments.
  6. On the right, click Install.

    A page appears where you can specify the location of the file or directory you wish to deploy.

  7. Click the links below Location to navigate to the directory containing the web applications. For example:
    /install_directory/ibi/WebFOCUS80/webapps
  8. Select the radio button next to the web application you wish to deploy. For example:
    ibi_apps.war
    ibi_help.war

    or

    approot.war
  9. Click Next.
  10. Leave the default Install this deployment as an application selected and click Next.
  11. Click Next again leaving the defaults.
  12. Click Finish to complete the deployment.
  13. On the left, click Activate Changes.
  14. On the right, click Control.
  15. Check the web application you deployed.
  16. Click Start and choose Servicing All Requests.
  17. Click Yes.

    The State of the web application should be Active.

  18. Repeat this procedure for each web application you need to deploy (for example, approot.war).

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Configuring Apache HTTP Server

How to:

If you are not using Apache HTTP Server, proceed to Verifying the WebFOCUS Configuration With Oracle WebLogic Servers.

You can use the Apache HTTP Server in two ways:



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Procedure: How to Modify the Apache httpd.conf File
  1. Using a text editor, open the httpd.conf file located in the /apache_home/conf directory.
  2. If you did not deploy approot.war, add the following lines in the Alias section making sure to use the correct install_directory on your machine:
    • Point an alias to the apps directory.
      Alias /approot/ "/install_directory/ibi/apps/"

    For example:

    Alias /approot/ "/home/iadmin/ibi/apps/"
    Alias /icons/ "/usr/apache2/icons/"
  3. Enable Apache to route servlet requests to WebLogic by adding the following:
    LoadModule weblogic_module /PATH_TO_FILE/mod_wl_20.so  <IfModule mod_weblogic.c>
         WebLogicHost weblogic_hostname     WebLogicPort weblogic_port </IfModule>
     <Location /approot>
        SetHandler weblogic-handler
     </Location>
    <Location /ibi_help>
        SetHandler weblogic-handler
    </Location>

    where:

    /PATH_TO_FILE/mod_wl_20.so

    Is the path to the WebLogic module. This is usually installed with WebLogic and the directory varies by platform. For example:

    /WL_HOME/wlserver_nnn/server/lib/linux/i686

    The name of the file may vary depending on your platform and Apache HTTP Server release. For Apache 1.3, it may be named mod_wl.so. If it is not installed for your platform, contact Oracle.

    weblogic_hostname

    Is the hostname for the WebLogic Server.

    weblogic_port

    Is the port for the WebLogic Server. If you are using the default WebLogic domain, this is 7001.

  4. Save and close the file.
  5. Restart Apache HTTP Server.

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Verifying the WebFOCUS Configuration With Oracle WebLogic Servers

How to:

After finishing the configuration, run test calls to verify operability.



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Procedure: How to Verify the Web Server Configuration
  1. If they are not started, start the following:
    • WebFOCUS Reporting Server
    • Oracle WebLogic
    • Apache HTTP Server (if you are using it)
  2. Proceed to WebFOCUS Post-Installation Tasks, and run the verification tool. If you use ReportCaster, be sure to later review WebFOCUS ReportCaster Post-Installation Tasks.

Be aware that you may need to increase your Java memory settings if you use InfoAssist. You can do this later, as explained in Java Memory Issues.


WebFOCUS