Installing WebLogic Server Service Packs and Rolling Patches

You can upgrade your WebLogic Server installation by using one of two methods: Smart Update or a downloadable upgrade installer. The following sections describe how to upgrade your software using either method:

 

About WebLogic Server Service Packs and Rolling Patches

Periodically, BEA releases a service pack or a rolling patch for WebLogic Server. A service pack is an update to an existing release that includes fixes to known issues and other product enhancements. Service packs typically do not replace an installation of WebLogic Server, but rather change and add to the installation. A rolling patch provides bug fixes between service pack updates.

Note: Service pack and rolling patch updates are available for registered support customers only from a password-protected Web site. You must log in to the BEA Customer Support Web site to download the updates. If you do not have an eSupport account, you can register for one at http://support.bea.com.

You can install service packs and rolling patches using the following methods:

Note: Before you install a rolling patch or a service pack, shut down all applications running on WebLogic Server, and then shut down WebLogic Server itself. "Hot installation" of a Service Pack is not supported.

 

Installing Service Packs and Rolling Patches Using Smart Update

You can use the Smart Update feature to periodically check for available software updates. When you start Smart Update, it checks the version of products installed (associated with the current BEA Home directory), and then connects to the BEA Web site to check for available service packs. The Smart Update window includes three panes:

  • Installed Products - The left pane of the Smart Update window which contains a tree displaying product and release information for products installed in the target BEA Home directory.
  • Upgrade Options - The top-right pane, which lists the service packs and rolling patches, if any, that are available for the installed products.
  • Downgrade Options - The bottom-right pane, which lists the versions of the product to which you can revert your installation, if applicable. For details about uninstalling maintenance upgrades with Smart Update, see Uninstalling a Service Pack or Rolling Patch with Smart Update.

Note: Smart Update only checks for products associated with the current BEA Home directory. If you have multiple BEA Home directories on your system, run Smart Update for each one to install available service packs. For more information about BEA Home directories, see BEA Home Directory.

To install service packs or rolling patches using Smart Update, follow these steps:

  1. Make backup copies of any applications that you have created in WL_HOME. (As part of the upgrade procedure, the installation program overwrites these files.) WL_HOME is the product installation directory, typically c:\bea\weblogic81.
  2. Shut down any servers that are running. Hot installation of a service pack or rolling patch is not supported.
  3. Start Smart Update as described in Table 6-1.

    To start Smart Update on this platform . . .

    Perform the following steps . . .

    Windows From the Start Menu:

    • Choose Start - >Programs - >BEA WebLogic Platform 8.1 - >Smart Update
    From an MS-DOS command prompt window:
      1. Go to the BEA_HOME/utils directory, where BEA_HOME is the BEA Home directory in which you installed WebLogic Server.
      2. Enter the following command at the prompt:

    bsu.cmd The BEA Smart Update window is displayed.

    UNIX

    Note: To run Smart Update on a UNIX system, your console must support a Java-based GUI.

      1. Log in to the UNIX system.
      2. Open a command shell and change to the BEA_HOME/utils directory.
      3. Enter the following command:

    bsu.sh The BEA Smart Update window is displayed.


  4. In the left pane of the Smart update window, select the release for the product you want to update.

    Available service packs or rolling patches, if any, are displayed in the Upgrade Options section of the window.

  5. In the Upgrade Options pane, select the service pack or rolling patch to install and click OK.

    The Enter BEA eSupport Identification dialog box is displayed.

  6. Enter your valid username and password and click Verify.

    Note: You must have a valid eSupport account to install a service pack or rolling patch using Smart Update. You can register for an account at http://support.bea.com.

    The BEA Installation Program Welcome window is displayed.

  7. Click Next to proceed with the installation. You may cancel the installation at any time by clicking Exit.

    The Downloading Archive Information window is displayed briefly, followed by the Specify Download Options window.

  8. Indicate your preferences for downloading the software as follows:

    • Specify a storage directory to which you want to download the software upgrade source files.
    • Indicate if you want to delete the downloaded files after the installation is complete by selecting the appropriate check box. If you do not select this check box, the downloaded files are saved to the storage directory you specify.
    • Indicate if you want to use an HTTP Proxy server for the download by selecting the appropriate check box. To use an HTTP Proxy server, provide the following information:

      Host - enter the name or IP address of the proxy server

      Port - enter the port number of the proxy server

  9. Click Next.

    The Archive Download window is displayed.

  10. Indicate whether you want to proceed with the installation automatically after the download is complete by selecting or clearing the appropriate check box. This check box is selected by default. If you clear it, you need to click Next when the download is complete to proceed with the installation.

    When the download is complete, the Archive Integrity Check window is displayed while it verifies the integrity of the upgrade archive files you downloaded.

    When the archive verification is complete, the Confirm Product Directory window is displayed, which contains the path to the BEA home directory and to the product directory in which the WebLogic Server software will be updated.

  11. Click Next to proceed with the upgrade installation.

    A status window displays the progress of the installation.

  12. Click Done on the Installation Complete window.

    The Smart Update window is displayed. The Installed Products pane shows the upgraded release level.

 

Installing Service Packs and Rolling Patches with a Downloadable Installer

When a service pack or rolling patch for WebLogic Server is available, you can download the release from the BEA Customer Support Web site at http://support.bea.com.

Note: Service pack and rolling patch updates are available for registered support customers only; the download site is password protected. You will need to log in using your eSupport username and password to download the updates. If you do not have an eSupport account, you can register for one on the BEA Customer Support Web site.

Each release comes with its own installation program which includes update files for WebLogic Server and server samples for installation. However, the upgrade installation program only upgrades components already installed on your system. For example, if you installed the WebLogic Server component without the server samples component, the upgrade installer upgrades the server software and does not install the server samples. You cannot use the upgrade installer to install additional components. To install additional components, use either the net or package installers, as described in WebLogic Server Distribution Methods.

You can run the upgrade installation program in the following modes on both UNIX and Windows platforms:

Notes: To run graphical-mode installation, your console must support a Java-based GUI. If the installation program determines that your system cannot support a Java-based GUI, the installation program automatically starts console-mode installation.

The upgrade installer does not support silent-mode installation.

The WebLogic Server upgrade installation program requires a Java run-time environment (JRE) to run. A JRE, is bundled in the Windows installation program and in some UNIX installation programs (those with filenames ending in .bin). For other UNIX platforms, the WebLogic Server installation program does not include the JRE in the installation program. Filenames for these installation programs end in .jar. To run the .jar installation programs, have an appropriate version of a Java 2 SDK installed on your system, and include the bin directory of the Java 2 SDK at the front of the PATH variable. See Supported Configurations for information about supported Java 2 SDKs for your hardware platform.

Note: It is important that you use an SDK because the installation process resets the JAVA_HOME and related variables to point to this directory. All scripts installed with WebLogic Server will use this SDK by default, including scripts to start sample applications, the Configuration Wizard, and other WebLogic development tools.

 

Installing a Service Pack Upgrade Using Graphical Mode

Follow these steps to download and install a service pack or rolling patch in graphical mode on UNIX and Windows systems:

  1. Make backup copies of any applications that you have created in WL_HOME. (As part of the upgrade procedure, the installation program overwrites these files.) WL_HOME is the product installation directory, typically c:\bea\weblogic81.
  2. Shut down any servers that are running. Hot installation of a service pack or rolling patch is not supported.
  3. Download the service pack upgrade installer specific to your platform from the BEA Customer Support Web site at http://support.bea.com.

    Note: You will need to log in using your eSupport username and password to download a service pack or rolling patch. If you do not have an eSupport account, you can register for one on the BEA Customer Support Web site.

  4. Start the upgrade installer as described in Table 6-2:

    To start the upgrade installer on this platform . . .

    Perform the following steps . . .

    Windows
      1. Go to the directory where you downloaded the installation program and double-click filename.exe, where filename.exe is name of the installation file you downloaded from the BEA Customer Support Web site, for example, serverXXX_upgrade_win32.exe.

    The installation program begins to install the upgrade.

      2. Proceed to step 3 below this table.
    UNIX For installers with filenames ending in .bin
      1. Go to the directory where you downloaded the installation program and invoke the installation procedure by entering the following commands:

    chmod a+x filename.bin
    ./filename.bin

    where filename.bin is the name of the upgrade installation program you downloaded from the BEA Customer Support Web site, for example serverXXX_upgrade_solaris.bin.

    The installation program begins to install the upgrade.

      2. Proceed to step 3 below this table.
    For installers with filenames ending in .jar
      1. Include the bin directory of a Java 2 SDK at the beginning of the PATH variable on the target system. For example:

    PATH=JAVA_HOME/bin:$PATH
    export PATH

    where JAVA_HOME is the full path to the SDK directory.

      2. Go to the directory where you downloaded the installation file and launch the installation program by entering the following command:

    java -jar filename.jar

    where filename.jar is the name of the upgrade installation program you downloaded from the BEA Customer Support Web site, for example pj_serverXXX_upgrade_generic.jar.

    The installation program begins to install the upgrade.

      3. Proceed to step 3 following this table.

  5. Review the text in the Welcome window and click Next.

    The Choose BEA Home Directory window is displayed.

    Note: You may cancel the installation at any time by clicking Exit.

  6. Select the BEA Home directory containing the release of WebLogic Server you want to upgrade and click Next.

    The Confirm Product Directory window is displayed, which includes the path to the BEA home directory and to the directory in which the WebLogic Server software will be updated.

  7. Click Next.

    A progress window is displayed during the upgrade installation. When the installation is finished, the Installation Complete window is displayed.

  8. Click Done on the Installation Complete window to exit the installation program.

 

Installing a Service Pack Upgrade Using Console Mode

Follow these steps to download and install a service pack or rolling patch in console mode on UNIX and Windows systems: Note that the sample console text and directory pathnames in this section use UNIX conventions (forward slashes) in pathnames, for example, /home1/bea/weblogicXXX. When entering pathnames on a Windows system, use the Windows convention (backward slashes) for pathnames, for example c:\bea\weblogicXXX.

  1. Make backup copies of any applications that you have created in WL_HOME. (As part of the upgrade procedure, the installation program overwrites these files.) WL_HOME is the product installation directory, typically c:\bea\weblogic81.
  2. Shut down any servers that are running. Hot installation of a service pack or rolling patch is not supported.
  3. Download the service pack upgrade installer specific to your platform from the BEA Customer Support Web site at http://support.bea.com.

    Note: You must log in using your eSupport username and password to download a service pack or rolling patch. If you do not have an eSupport account, you can register for one on the BEA Customer Support Web site.

  4. Start the upgrade installer as described in Table 6-3.

    To start the upgrade installer on this platform . . .

    Perform the following steps . . .

    Windows
      1. Open an MS-DOS command prompt window.
      2. Go to the directory where you downloaded the installation program and invoke the installation procedure by entering the following command:

    filename.exe -mode=console

    where filename.exe is name of the installation file you downloaded from the BEA Customer Support Web site, for example, serverXXX_upgrade_win32.exe.

    The upgrade installer begins to install the WebLogic Server maintenance release.

      3. Proceed to step 3 following this table.
    UNIX For installers with filenames ending in .bin
      1. Go to the directory where you downloaded the installation program and invoke the installation procedure by entering the following commands:

    chmod a+x filename.bin
    ./filename.bin -mode=console

    where filename.bin is the name of the upgrade installation program you downloaded from the BEA Customer Support Web site, for example serverXXX_upgrade_solaris.bin.

    The installation program begins to install the upgrade.

      2. Proceed to step 3 following this table.
    For installers with filenames ending in .jar
      1. Include the bin directory of JVM at the beginning of the PATH variable on the target system. For example:

    PATH=JAVA_HOME/bin:$PATH
    export PATH

    where JAVA_HOME is the full path to the JVM directory.

      2. Go to the directory where you downloaded the installation file and launch the installation program by entering the following command:

    java -jar filename.jar -mode=console

    where filename.jar is the name of the upgrade installation program you downloaded from the BEA Customer Support Web site, for example pj_serverXXX_upgrade_generic.jar.

    The installation program begins to install the upgrade.

      3. Proceed to step 3 following this table.

Note: To create a verbose log file during installation, include the -log=/full_path_to_log_file option in the command line.

For example:

serverXXX_upgrade_solaris.bin -mode=console -log=/home/bea/logs/server_install.log

The path can be to a file or folder. All folders in the path must exist before you execute the command or the installation program will not create the log file.

  1. At the Welcome prompt, type next or press Enter to continue with the installation process.

    The Choose BEA Home directory prompt is displayed.

  2. Select the BEA Home directory associated with the installation of WebLogic Server that you want to update. If you have only one installation of WebLogic Server installed on the current machine, only one BEA Home directory is listed. For details about the BEA Home directory, see BEA Home Directory.

    The installation program displays the following prompt: 

    Choose BEA Home Directory:

    ->1| /nfs/home/user1/bea1



      2| /nfs/home/user1/bea2

    Enter index number to select OR [Exit][Previous][Next]>

    Press Enter to use the selected BEA Home directory or type the number of the BEA Home directory that you want to select.

    Whether you accept the selected BEA Home directory or select a different BEA Home directory, you are prompted to confirm your selection, as shown in the following example: 

    Choose BEA Home Directory:



    



    


 ->1¦ Yes, Use this BEA home directory [/nfs/home/user1/bea1]


   2¦ No, return to BEA home directory selection



    



    Enter index number to select OR [Exit][Previous][Next]>

    Type 1 or press Enter to accept your selection. Otherwise, type 2 to return to the Choose BEA Home Directory panel where you can modify your entry.

    The Confirm Product Directory panel is displayed.

  3. The Confirm Product Directory panel indicates the folder in which the WebLogic Server software will be updated. For example: 
    Confirm Product Directory:

        Product Installation Directory: [/nfs/home/user1/bea1/weblogicXXX]

    Files in /nfs/home/user1/bea1/weblogicXXX will now be upgraded to the X.X.X.X maintenance level.

    Enter [Exit][Previous][Next]>

    Press Enter or type next to continue.

  4. After you confirm the product directory, the installation program makes a backup copy of specific files from the previous installation and then installs new versions of the files.

    When the installation is complete, the following prompt is displayed: 

    Install Complete

    Congratulations! WebLogic Platform X.X.X.X



    has been successfully installed to



    /nfs/home/user1/bea1/weblogicXXX.

    Press any key to continue OR [Exit]>
  5. Press any key to exit the installation program.

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