Steps for Exporting an Applications Deployment Configuration Staging Application Files for Export

Exporting an Application for Deployment to New Environments 5-3 ■ Dependency properties resolve resource dependencies defined in the J2EE deployment descriptors. For example, if the J2EE descriptor for an EJB defines a datasource name that is used within the EJB code, the WebLogic Server descriptor uses a dependency property to bind the datasource name to an actual datasource configured in the target WebLogic Server domain. ■ Declaration properties declare a resource that other applications can use. For example, the JNDI name of an EJB declares the EJB name that other applications or modules would use to access the EJB. ■ Configurable properties are the remaining properties not classified as dependency or declaration properties. Generally configurable properties enable or configure WebLogic Server-specific features and tuning parameters for the deployed application. For example, the WebLogic Server descriptor for an EJB might define the number of EJBs that WebLogic Server caches in memory. Use these categories during the configuration export process to select properties to expose as variables in the deployment plan. For example, a developer can generate a new deployment plan containing variable definitions for all properties tagged as dependencies in an applications WebLogic Server deployment descriptors. The variables can then be easily changed by an administrator deploying the application to an environment having different resource names. All changeable descriptor properties dependency, declaration, and configurable properties are further classified as either dynamic or non-dynamic properties. Dynamic properties can be changed in a deployed application without requiring you to redeploy for the changes to take effect. Non-dynamic properties can be changed but require redeployment for the changes to take effect. The Administration Console identifies non-dynamic properties as a reminder for when redeployment is necessary.

5.3 Steps for Exporting an Applications Deployment Configuration

Exporting an applications deployment configuration typically involves the following procedures: 1. Section 5.4, Staging Application Files for Export 2. Section 5.5, Generating a Template Deployment Plan using weblogic.PlanGenerator 3. Section 5.6, Customizing the Deployment Plan Using the Administration Console 4. Section 5.7, Manually Customizing the Deployment Plan 5. Section 5.8, Validating the Exported Deployment Configuration The sections that follow describe each procedure in detail.

5.4 Staging Application Files for Export

Oracle recommends placing application files into an application installation directory before exporting the deployment configuration. When using an installation directory, generated configuration files, such as the deployment plan, are automatically copied to the \plan subdirectory during export. To create an application installation directory: 1. Create a top-level installation directory for your application: mkdir c:\exportapps\myApplication 5-4 Deploying Applications to Oracle WebLogic Server 2. Create \app and \plan subdirectories: mkdir c:\exportapps\myApplication\app mkdir c:\exportapps\myApplication\plan 3. Copy the complete application to be exported into the \app subdirectory. The application can be either in archive or exploded archive form: cp -r c:\dev\myApplication c:\exportapps\myApplication\app The \app directory must include the full application distribution, and can include the WebLogic Server descriptor files that you use for deployment to your development environment. If you choose not to use an installation directory when exporting an application, Oracle recommends using the -plan option to weblogic.PlanGenerator to specify the location and filename of the generated plan. By default, weblogic.PlanGenerator stores generated files in the TEMP weblogic-installapplication_nameconfig directory, where TEMP is the temporary directory for your environment. For Windows platforms, this means generated configuration files are stored in C:\Documents and Settings\username\Local Settings\Temp\weblogic\install\myApplication.ear\config. Use the -plan option to place generated files in a known location.

5.5 Generating a Template Deployment Plan using weblogic.PlanGenerator