Configuration Overview and Roadmap

The following sections provide an overview of a sample WebLogic Server Virtual-Edition (WLS-VE) configuration, describe the main components in the configuration, and summarize the main steps required to successfully install and configure WLS-VE:

Configuration Overview

To successfully configure and use WLS-VE, it is important to understand the overall architecture and components of a WLS-VE configuration. Figure 1-1 provides a sample configuration consisting of two WLS-VE instances in a virtual environment.

The following table describes the components of the sample WLS-VE configuration.

Table 1-1 WLS-VE 1.1 Configuration Components
Component	Description
Launcher Machine	The machine, either Windows or Linux, on which you execute the WLS-VE installation program and initiate the creation of virtual machines on the VMware ESX machine. The WLS-VE installation includes WLS 9.2 and LiquidVM 1.1, which provide the tools needed to create, control, and start WLS-VE and LiquidVM instances. The installation also includes an ISO image containing the WLS classes and LiquidVM executables used to run WLS-VE and the applications on the hypervisor host (VMware ESX server). This ISO image must be copied to the hypervisor host from the launcher machine. LiquidVM 1.1 also provides an SSH service which provides a secure mechanism to transfer files, including WebLogic domains, to and from the LiquidVM instance on the hypervisor host.
VMware VirtualCenter	The primary controller for configuring and managing the virtual environment. Users can connect to the VirtualCenter server using the Virtual Infrastructure Client (VI Client). The VI Client is only supported on Windows platforms, therefore there must be at least one Windows machine in your configuration. The BEA tools on the launcher machine interface with the ESX environment through the VirtualCenter server.
VMware ESX Server	The hypervisor machine with VMware installed and CPUs available for the creation of virtual machines. The LiquidVM launcher accesses the ESX server through the VirtualCenter server.
Virtual Infrastructure	The full infrastructure virtualization suite that provides the hardware and software resources required to support a virtualized environment.
WLS-VE instances	Virtual machines running on the ESX server. In WLS-VE 1.1, LiquidVM includes a virtual local disk, which can be mapped to the SAN, for each virtual machine. You can transfer files to and from the local disk using the SSH service.
SAN Disk	Recommended physical storage device for the ISO image and the local disks on the virtual machines.

Roadmap for Installing and Configuring WLS-VE

The following steps summarize the overall process for installing and configuring BEA WebLogic Server Virtual Edition™. Installation procedures are documented in the WLS-VE Installation Guide. Subsequent sections of this document provide details for configuring and using WLS-VE.

Table 1-2 Roadmap for Installing, Configuring, and Using WLS-VE
Step	Description
Install the WLS-VE software.	Before you configure WLS-VE, you need to: Plan your virtualized installation Install the WLS-VE software Copy the ISO image to the ESX server Details about installing the software are provided in the WLS-VE Installation Guide.
Configure the LiquidVM connection parameters.	Run the LiquidVM Configuration Wizard on the launcher machine to configure the connection between the LiquidVM tools running on the launcher machine and the Virtual Center and ESX server. For details, see Configuring LiquidVM Connection Parameters.
Create the WLS-VE domain on the launcher machine.	Use the WebLogic domain Configuration Wizard to create the WLS-VE domain on the launcher machine. For details, see Creating WLS-VE Domains Using the Configuration Wizard. If you are using an NFS share, you can generate the domain directly to the NFS share. For more information, see Generating the Domain to an NFS server.
Edit the WLS-VE start scripts.	Before you can copy a domain or start a WLS-VE instance, you need to edit the default start scripts that are created when you create the domain. For details, see Editing the Start Scripts.
Copy the domain to the local disk of the WLS-VE instance.	After you have created the domain and edited the start scripts, you need to copy the domain to the virtual machine in either of the following ways: Start the LVM instance in passive mode and transfer the domain to the virtual machine. For details, see Copying the Domain Using the LiquidVM SSH Service. Start the Administration server on the launcher machine and distribute the domain using the WLS distribution mechanism. For details, see Running the Administration Server on a Standard OS.
Start and Stop WLS-VE.	Start and stop the WLS-VE instances as described in: Starting Managed Servers Starting and Stopping WLS-VE
Administer the WLS-VE environment.	To administer the WLS-VE environment, see the following topics: Working with WLS-VE Using the VMware VI Client Configuring Logging Copying a Production License to the Virtual Machine Securing Your Production Environment Tuning the WLS-VE LiquidVM Kernel Diagnostics and Troubleshooting

Comparing Startup, Configuration, and Logging Options to Non-virtualized WLS

If you have experience using non-virtualized WLS, you might want to use some of the configuration techniques common to that product. If so, you need to be aware that some of techniques with which you are familiar will not work with WLS-VE. For example:

Some customers prefer to use a script to configure their environment before running WLS. You can do this only on a standard operating system before starting the WLS-VE instance. You cannot run scripts on the WLS-VE instance itself.
When you create a domain with the Domain Configuration Wizard, you must provide an administrator password. The Configuration Wizard encrypts the password and stores it in the domain directory in the boot.properties and SerializedSystemIni.dat files. When WLS-VE is started, it obtains the password from these files. WLS-VE does not provide an interactive prompt so you cannot specify credentials when the server is starting.
You can track the progress of WLS-VE by viewing the log files. The following types of log files are generated:

Server logs
LiquidVM console logs

By default, both the server and LiquidVM console log files are created on the local disk of the virtual machine. VMware logs are also created and stored on the ESX server.

To view the log files, you need to copy them to your local machine using SSH, use a remote syslog collector, or put the logs on an NFS share. For more information, see Configuring Logging.

If the Administration Server will use a fixed IP address, you need to specify it when you create the domain using the Configuration Wizard. If you do not specify an IP address, DHCP assigns one from the available network addresses. If you do specify an IP address for the Administration Server, the startWLSVE.sh start script that is created will specify the IP address for the Administration Server.

Configuration and User Guide

Configuration Overview and Roadmap