WebLogic: The Definitive Guide

BEA's WebLogic Server implements the full range of J2EE technologies, and includes many additional features such as advanced management, clustering, and web services. Widely adopted, it forms the core of the WebLogic platform, providing a stable framework for building scalable, highly available, and secure applications. In fact, in the long list of WebLogic's strengths and features, only one shortcoming stands out: the documentation that comes with the WebLogic server often leaves users clamoring for more information.

WebLogic: The Definitive Guide presents a 360-degree view of the world of WebLogic. Providing in-depth coverage of the WebLogic server, the book takes the concept of "definitive" to a whole new level. Exhaustive treatment of the WebLogic server and management console answers any question that developers or administrators might think to ask. Developers will find a useful guide through the world of WebLogic to help them apply their J2EE expertise to build and manage applications. Administrators will discover all they need to manage a WebLogic-based setup. And system architects will appreciate the detailed analysis of the different system architectures supported by WebLogic, the overall organization of a WebLogic domain and supporting network infrastructure, and more.

WebLogic: The Definitive Guide is divided into three sections that explore WebLogic and J2EE, Managing the WebLogic Environment, and WebLogic Enterprise APIs. Some of the topics covered in this comprehensive volume include:

• Building web applications on the WebLogic Server
  
• Building and optimizing RMI applications
  
• Using EJBs with WebLogic, including CMP entity beans
  
• Packaging and deploying applications
  
• Understanding WebLogic's support for clustering
  
• Performance tuning and related configuration settings
  
• Configuring WebLogic's SSL support
  
• Maximizing WebLogic's security features
  
• Building web services with XML
  
• Using WebLogic's JMX services and MBeans

Anyone who has struggled with mastering the WebLogic server will appreciate the thorough, clearly written explanations and examples in this book. WebLogic: The Definitive Guide is the definitive documentation for this popular J2EE application server.

Table of Contents

Preface 

1. Introduction

      Overview of WebLogic Server 

      Software and Versions 

      Getting Started with WebLogic Server 

2. Web Applications

      Packaging and Deployment 

      Configuring Web Applications 

      Servlets and JSPs 

      JSP Tag Libraries 

      Session Tracking 

      Session Persistence 

      Clusters and Replicated Persistence 

      Configuring a Simple Web Cluster 

      Security Configuration 

      Monitoring Web Applications 

3. Managing the Web Server

      Configuring WebLogic's HTTP Server 

      Virtual Hosting 

      HTTP Access Logs 

      Understanding Proxies 

      Web Server Plug-ins 

4. Using JNDI and RMI

      Using WebLogic's JNDI 

      Using JNDI in a Clustered Environment 

      Using WebLogic's RMI 

      Using WebLogic's RMI over IIOP 

5. JDBC

      Overview of JDBC Resources 

      Configuring JDBC Connectivity 

      WebLogic's Wrapper Drivers 

      Rowsets 

      Clustering and JDBC Connections 

6. Transactions

      Overview 

      EJB Transactions 

      The Transaction Service 

      Managing WebLogic JTA 

7. J2EE Connectors

      Assembling and Deploying Resource Adapters 

      Configuring Resource Adapters 

      WebLogic-Specific Configuration Options 

      Using the Resource Adapter 

      Monitoring Connections 

8. JMS

      Configuring JMS Resources 

      Optimizing JMS Performance 

      Controlling Message Delivery 

      JMS Programming Issues 

      Clustered JMS 

      WebLogic's Messaging Bridge 

      Monitoring JMS 

9. JavaMail

      Configuring a Mail Session 

      Using JavaMail 

      Using Other JavaMail Providers 

10. Using EJBs

      Getting Started 

      Development Guidelines 

      Managing WebLogic's EJB Container 

      Configuring Entity Beans 

      EJBs and Transactions 

      EJBs and Clustering 

11. Using CMP and EJB QL

      Building CMP Entity Beans 

      Features of WebLogic's CMP 

      Container-Managed Relationships 

      EJB QL 

12. Packaging and Deployment

      Packaging 

      Deployment Tools 

      Application Deployment 

      WebLogic's Classloading Framework 

      Deployment Considerations 

      Split Directory Development 

13. Managing Domains

      Structure of a Domain 

      Designing a Domain 

      Creating Domains 

      Domain Backups 

      Handling System Failure 

      Domain Network Configuration 

      Node Manager 

      The Server Life Cycle 

      Monitoring a WebLogic Domain 

14. Clustering

      An Overview of Clustering 

      A Closer Look at the Frontend Tier 

      Load-Balancing Schemes 

      Using J2EE Services on the Object Tier 

      Combined-Tier Architecture 

      Securing a Clustered Solution 

      Machines, Replication Groups, and Failover 

      Network Configuration 

      Monitoring Clusters 

15. Performance, Monitoring, and Tuning

      Tuning WebLogic Applications 

      Tuning the Application Server 

      Tuning the JVM 

16. SSL

      An Overview of SSL 

      Configuring WebLogic's SSL 

      Programmatic SSL 

      Mapping Certificates to WebLogic Users 

17. Security

      The Java Security Manager 

      Connection Filtering 

      The Security Provider Architecture 

      The Providers 

      Configuring Trust Between Two Domains 

      JAAS Authentication in a Client 

      Creating a Custom Authentication Provider 

      Creating an Identity Assertion Provider 

18. XML

      JAXP 

      Built-in Processors 

      The XML Registry 

      XML Application Scoping 

      WebLogic's Streaming API 

      WebLogic's XPath API 

      Miscellaneous Extensions 

19. Web Services

      Using the Web Services Framework 

      Web Service Design Considerations 

      Implementing the Backend Components 

      Datatypes 

      Implementing Clients 

      Reliable SOAP Messaging 

      SOAP Message Handlers 

      Security 

      UDDI 

      Internationalization and Character Sets 

20. JMX

      The MBean Architecture 

      Accessing MBean Servers 

      Accessing MBeans 

      Examples 

      MBean Notifications 

      Monitor MBeans 

      Timer MBeans 

21. Logging and Internationalization

      The Logging Architecture 

      Listening for Log Messages 

      Generating Log Messages 

22. SNMP

      WebLogic's SNMP Infrastructure 

      Using the SNMP Agent 

      Traps 

      SNMP Proxies 

Index