WebLogic Server Clustering

 

Introduction

  1. What Is a WebLogic Server Cluster?
  2. How Does a Cluster Relate to a Domain?
  3. What Are the Benefits of Clustering?
  4. What Are the Key Capabilities of a Cluster?
  5. What Types of Objects Can Be Clustered?
  6. Servlets and JSPs
  7. EJBs and RMI Objects
  8. JDBC Connections
  9. Getting Connections with Clustered JDBC
  10. Failover and Load Balancing for JDBC Connections
  11. JMS and Clustering
  12. What Types of Objects Cannot Be Clustered?
  13. What Are the New Clustering Features in WebLogic Server 8.1?
  14. Server Affinity for Client Connections to RMI Objects

 

Communications in a Cluster

  1. WebLogic Server Communication in a Cluster
  2. One-to-Many Communication Using IP Multicast
  3. Multicast and Cluster Configuration
  4. Peer-to-Peer Communication Using IP Sockets
  5. Pure-Java Versus Native Socket Reader Implementations
  6. Configuring Reader Threads for Java Socket Implementation
  7. Client Communication via Sockets
  8. Cluster-Wide JNDI Naming Service
  9. How WebLogic Server Creates the Cluster-Wide JNDI Tree
  10. How JNDI Naming Conflicts Occur
  11. Deploy Homogeneously to Avoid Cluster-Level JNDI Conflicts
  12. How WebLogic Server Updates the JNDI Tree
  13. Client Interaction with the Cluster-Wide JNDI Tree

     

Understanding Cluster Configuration and Application Deployment

  1. Cluster Configuration and config.xml
  2. Role of the Administration Server
  3. What Happens if the Administration Server Fails?
  4. How Dynamic Configuration Works
  5. Application Deployment Topics
  6. Deployment Methods
  7. Introduction to Two-Phase Deployment
  8. First Phase of Deployment
  9. Second Phase of Deployment
  10. Guidelines for Deploying to a Cluster
  11. WebLogic Server 8.1 Supports "Relaxed Deployment" Rules
  12. Methods of Configuring Clusters
  13. Domain Configuration Wizard Capabilities
  14. Administration Console Capabilities

     

Load Balancing in a Cluster

  1. Load Balancing for Servlets and JSPs
  2. Load Balancing with a Proxy Plug-in
  3. How Session Connection and Failover Work with a Proxy Plug-in
  4. Load Balancing HTTP Sessions with an External Load Balancer
  5. Load Balancer Configuration Requirements
  6. Load Balancers and the WebLogic Session Cookie
  7. Related Programming Considerations
  8. How Session Connection and Failover Works with a Load Balancer
  9. Load Balancing for EJBs and RMI Objects
  10. Server Affinity and Initial Context
  11. Load Balancing Algorithms for RMI Objects and EJBs
  12. Round Robin Load Balancing
  13. Weight-Based Load Balancing
  14. Random Load Balancing
  15. Round-Robin Affinity, Weight-Based Affinity, and Random-Affinity
  16. Parameter-Based Routing for Clustered Objects
  17. Optimization for Collocated Objects
  18. Transactional Collocation
  19. Load Balancing for JMS
  20. Server Affinity for Distributed JMS Destinations
  21. Initial Context Affinity and Server Affinity for Client Connections
  22. Load Balancing for JDBC Connections

     

Failover and Replication in a Cluster

  1. How WebLogic Server Detects Failures
  2. Failure Detection Using IP Sockets
  3. The WebLogic Server "Heartbeat"
  4. Replication and Failover for Servlets and JSPs
  5. HTTP Session State Replication
  6. Requirements for HTTP Session State Replication
  7. Using Replication Groups
  8. Accessing Clustered Servlets and JSPs Using a Proxy
  9. Proxy Connection Procedure
  10. Proxy Failover Procedure
  11. Accessing Clustered Servlets and JSPs with Load Balancing Hardware
  12. Connection with Load Balancing Hardware
  13. Failover with Load Balancing Hardware
  14. Replication and Failover for EJBs and RMIs
  15. Clustering Objects with Replica-Aware Stubs
  16. Clustering Support for Different Types of EJBs
  17. Clustered EJBHomes
  18. Clustered EJBObjects
  19. Entity EJBs
  20. Clustering Support for RMI Objects
  21. Object Deployment Requirements
  22. Other Failover Exceptions
  23. Migration for Pinned Services
  24. How Migration of Pinned Services Works
  25. Migrating a Service When Currently Active Host is Unavailable
  26. Defining Migratable Target Servers in a Cluster
  27. Failover and JDBC Connections

     

Cluster Architectures

  1. Architectural and Cluster Terminology
  2. Architecture
  3. Web Application "Tiers"
  4. Combined Tier Architecture
  5. De-Militarized Zone (DMZ)
  6. Load Balancer
  7. Proxy Plug-In
  8. Recommended Basic Architecture
  9. When Not to Use a Combined Tier Architecture
  10. Recommended Multi-Tier Architecture
  11. Physical Hardware and Software Layers
  12. Web/Presentation Layer
  13. Object Layer
  14. Benefits of Multi-Tier Architecture
  15. Load Balancing Clustered Objects in a in Multi-Tier Architecture
  16. Configuration Considerations for Multi-Tier Architecture
  17. IP Socket Usage
  18. Hardware Load Balancers
  19. Limitations of Multi-Tier Architectures
  20. No Collocation Optimization
  21. Firewall Restrictions
  22. Recommended Proxy Architectures
  23. Two-Tier Proxy Architecture
  24. Physical Hardware and Software Layers
  25. Multi-Tier Proxy Architecture
  26. Proxy Architecture Benefits
  27. Proxy Architecture Limitations
  28. Proxy Plug-In Versus Load Balancer
  29. Security Options for Cluster Architectures
  30. Basic Firewall for Proxy Architectures
  31. Firewall Between Proxy Layer and Cluster
  32. DMZ with Basic Firewall Configurations
  33. Combining Firewall with Load Balancer
  34. Expanding the Firewall for Internal Clients
  35. Additional Security for Shared Databases
  36. DMZ with Two Firewall Configuration

     

Setting up WebLogic Clusters

  1. Before You Start
  2. Obtain a Cluster Licence
  3. Understand the Configuration Process
  4. Determine Your Cluster Architecture
  5. Consider Your Network and Security Topologies
  6. Choose Machines for the Cluster Installation
  7. WebLogic Server Instances on Multi-CPU machines
  8. Check Host Machines' Socket Reader Implementation
  9. Identify Names and Addresses
  10. Avoiding Listen Address Problems
  11. Assigning Names to WebLogic Server Resources
  12. Administration Server Address and Port
  13. Managed Server Addresses and Listen Ports
  14. Cluster Multicast Address and Port
  15. Cluster Address

     

  16. Cluster Implementation Procedures
  17. Configuration Roadmap
  18. Install WebLogic Server
  19. Create a Clustered Domain
  20. Starting a WebLogic Server Cluster
  21. Configure Node Manager
  22. Configure Load Balancing Method for EJBs and RMIs
  23. Configure Server Affinity for Distributed JMS Destinations
  24. Configuring Load Balancers that Support Passive Cookie Persistence
  25. Configure Proxy Plug-Ins
  26. Set Up the HttpClusterServlet
  27. Configure Replication Groups
  28. Configure Migratable Targets for Pinned Services
  29. Configure Clustered JDBC
  30. Clustering Connection Pools
  31. Clustering Multipools
  32. Package Applications for Deployment
  33. Deploy Applications
  34. Deploying to a Single Server Instance (Pinned Deployment)
  35. Cancelling Cluster Deployments
  36. Viewing Deployed Applications
  37. Undeploying Deployed Applications
  38. Deploying, Activating, and Migrating Migratable Services
  39. Deploying JMS to a Migratable Target Server Instance
  40. Activating JTA as a Migratable Service
  41. Migrating a Pinned Service to a Target Server Instance
  42. Configure In-Memory HTTP Replication
  43. Additional Configuration Topics
  44. Configure IP Sockets
  45. Configure Multicast Time-To-Live (TTL)
  46. Configure Multicast Buffer Size
  47. Configure Machine Names
  48. Configuration Notes for Multi-Tier Architecture
  49. Enable URL Rewriting

     

Clustering Best Practices

  1. General Design Considerations
  2. Strive for Simplicity
  3. Minimize Remote Calls
  4. Session Facades Reduce Remote Calls
  5. Transfer Objects Reduce Remote Calls
  6. Distributed Transactions Increase Remote Calls
  7. Web Application Design Considerations
  8. Configure In-Memory Replication
  9. Design for Idempotence
  10. Programming Considerations
  11. EJB Design Considerations
  12. Design Idempotent Methods
  13. Follow Usage and Configuration Guidelines
  14. Cluster-Related Configuration Options
  15. State Management in a Cluster
  16. Application Deployment Considerations
  17. Architecture Considerations
  18. Avoiding Problems
  19. Naming Considerations
  20. Administration Server Considerations
  21. Firewall Considerations
  22. Evaluate Cluster Capacity Prior to Production Use

     

Troubleshooting Common Problems

  1. Before You Start the Cluster
  2. Check for a Cluster License
  3. Check the Server Version Numbers
  4. Check the Multicast Address
  5. Check the CLASSPATH Value
  6. Check the Thread Count
  7. After You Start the Cluster
  8. Check Your Commands
  9. Generate a Log File
  10. Getting a JRockit Thread Dump Under Linux
  11. Check Garbage Collection
  12. Run utils.MulticastTest

 

The WebLogic Cluster API

  1. How to Use the API
  2. Custom Call Routing and Collocation Optimization

    Configuring BIG-IP Hardware with Clusters

    1. Configuring Session Persistence
    2. Configuring URL Rewriting
    3. Configuring WebLogic Server for URL Rewriting
    4. Configuring BIG-IP for URL Rewriting