Using the Administration Console

Using the Administration Console

Overview

The System Administration Console is a Web browser-based, graphical user interface you use to manage a WebLogic Server domain. A WebLogic Server domain is a logically related group of WebLogic Server resources that you manage as a unit. A domain includes one or more WebLogic Servers and may also include WebLogic Server clusters. Clusters are groups of WebLogic Servers that work together to provide scalability and high-availability for applications. You deploy and manage your applications as part of a domain.
One instance of WebLogic Server in each domain is configured as an Administration Server. The Administration Server provides a central point for managing a WebLogic Server domain. All other WebLogic Server instances in a domain are called Managed Servers. In a domain with only a single WebLogic Server instance, that server functions both as Administration Server and Managed Server. The Administration Server hosts the Administration Console, which is a Web Application accessible from any supported Web browser with network access to the Administration Server.
For more information on WebLogic Server domains, see Overview of WebLogic System Administration.

Uses of the System Administration Console

You can use the System Administration Console to:
Configure, start, and stop WebLogic Server Instances
Configure WebLogic Server Clusters
Configure WebLogic Server Services, such as database connectivity , and messaging .
Configure security parameters, including managing users, groups, and roles.
Configure and Deploy your applications.
Monitor server and application performance.
View server and domain log files.
View application deployment descriptors.
Edit selected runtime application deployment descriptor elements.

System Administration Architecture

The Administration Console uses the Java Management Extension (JMX) API as its underlying architecture. The JMX API models system administration functions using Java objects called MBeans. Each MBean contains a set of attributes that define parameters for various management functions and operations that define administrative actions. The Administration Console allows you to access these MBean attributes and operations using a convenient graphical user interface. The Administration Server persists the values of MBean attributes in a domain-wide configuration file called config.xml. (Some security attributes, however, are persisted in other files.)
You can also perform nearly all of the management tasks that you perform using the Adminstration Console using the WebLogic Server command-line interface. The command-line interface is useful for scripting of WebLogic Server system administration operations or for system administrators who prefer to use a command-line environment. For more information, see the WebLogic Server Command Reference.
Additional documentation on WebLogic Server system administration is available on BEA's e-docs Web site. For a list of these documents, see System Administration.

Starting and Logging Out of the Administration Console

This section describes how to begin using the Administration Console and how to end your console session.

Starting the Administration Console
Start a WebLogic Administration Server. For more information, see Starting Administration Servers.
Open a supported Web browser (See Browser Support for the WebLogic Server Console for a list of supported Web browsers.) and open the following URL:
http://hostname:port/console
Where hostname is the DNS name or IP address of the Administration Server and port is the address of the port on which the Administration Server is listening for requests (7001 by default). If you start the Administration Server using Secure Socket Layer (SSL), add s after http as follows:
https://hostname:port/console
For more information about setting up SSL for system administration, see Servers-->Configuration-->Keystores and SSL.
Note: If your Web browser is configured to send HTTP requests to a proxy server, you may need to configure your browser so that it does not send Administration Server HTTP requests to the proxy. If the Administration Server is running on the same machine as your Web browser, configure your browser so that requests sent to localhost or IP address 127.0.0.1 are not sent to the proxy server.
When the login page appears, enter the user name and the password you used to start the Administration Server, (you may have specified this user name and password during the installation process) or enter a user name that is granted one of the default global security roles.
The WebLogic Server Administration Console allows users to edit configurations or to perform other operations based on the default global security role they are granted. If this security role does not permit editing of configuration data, for example, the data is displayed in the Administration Console but is not editable. If the user attempts to perform a control operation that is not permitted, such as starting or stopping servers, the Administration Console displays an Access Denied error.
In this release of WebLogic Server, users granted the Admin default global role can perform any function using the Administration Console. The other default global roles (Deployer, Monitor, and Operator) primarily have read-only permissions, except for functions specific to their security role. Table 1-1 lists the default global roles and describes the view of the Administration Console for users granted these security roles.
Click the Sign In button.

Default Global Role

Administration Console View
Admin Everything is visible, including all:
Apply buttons (when viewing the configuration of an existing entity)

"Create a new..." links

Clone and Delete icons (part of table views)

Create, Clone, and Delete operations in the navigation tree
Additionally, users in the Admin security role can specify security information and configure jCOM services. More specifically, they can see the Security, CompatibilitySecurity, and Services - > jCOM nodes in the navigation tree. For security, they can also right-click on WebLogic resources to define a security policy, scoped role, or credential mapping.
Deployer Everything is visible except:
Apply buttons (typically appear when viewing the configuration of an existing entity)

Clone and Delete icons for non-deployable objects (typically part of table views)

"Create a new..." links for non-deployable objects

Create, Clone, and Delete operations for non-deployable objects (typically part of the navigation tree)

Note: Deployable objects include applications, Web application modules, EJB modules, Connector modules, JDBC connection pools, JDBC data sources, JDBC MultiPools, JDBC data source factories, JMS servers, and WTC Services. Applications to not have Clone icons.Additionally, users in the Deployer security role can edit the Load Order field of an application.
Monitor or Operator Everything is visible except:
Apply buttons (typically appear when viewing the configuration of an existing entity

Clone and Delete icons (typically part of table views)

"Create a new..." links

Create, Clone, and Delete operations (typically part of the navigation tree)
In addition, all fields are read-only for users in the Monitor and Operator security roles.
Notes: For fields that are read-only and do not have an assigned value, the text "(No Value Assigned)" is shown.
No user, regardless of the security role they are granted, can view the non-encrypted version of an encrypted attribute in the Administration Console.
For more information on using security roles to control access to the Administration Console, see "Security Roles in Securing WebLogic Resources.
To add or modify users see Defining Users.

Logging Out of the Administration Console

To log out of the Administration Console:

Right-click on the Console node in the Navigation Tree.
Select Logout...

-or-

Click Logout on the banner near the top of the right panel of the Administration Console, as shown in Figure 6-1.
Figure 6-1 Logout Function

Configuring Your Domain Using the Administration Console

To configure your domain using the Administration Console, you browse to a console page that you use to view or modify configuration attributes or to execute system administration operations.

Navigating Through the Administration Console

This section discusses the various components of the Administration Console user interface and how to use them to manage your domain.
Figure 6-2 Administration Console Layout
.

Banner

The banner area of the console appears in the top portion of the right panel of the console. In the banner you can:
See the name and type of configuration or monitoring object currently displayed in the console.
See the host name or IP address of the Administration Server.
See the username used to log in to the console.
Log out of the console by clicking the Logout link.
Click the icon to display the console home page.
Click the icon to get help on console operations.
Click the icon to display the contents of the right panel of the console in a new browser window.

Navigation Tree and Nodes

The left panel in the Administration Console contains a navigation tree that you use to navigate to the console pages you use to manage your domain. By selecting (left-clicking) a node in the tree, you can access console pages related to the node, which are displayed in the right panel of the console. If a node in the tree is preceded by a plus sign, you can click on the plus sign to expand the tree to access additional resources.
By right-clicking on a node, you can also access a variety of operations such as viewing log files, viewing the JNDI tree, creating security policies, viewing monitoring data, creating, deleting or cloning configuration objects, and opening the configuration page in a new window.

Console Screens

Once you select a node from the navigation tree, a list of objects that you can configure appears as branches of the node and as a tabular list displayed in the right panel of the console. To select an object, click the branch for the object you want to configure or click its link in the table in the right panel.
After you select the object, you will see a tabbed interface in the right panel. Clicking on a tab (Some tabs also contain sub-tabs.) displays a console page containing configuration attributes, controls for administrative operations, or displays you use to monitor the current state of the object.
You change configuration data by editing the attribute fields displayed in the right panel. After you make your changes, click the Apply button. Changing some attributes requires that you restart one or more WebLogic Server instances. These attributes are marked with the icon.
Some attributes are displayed in a light grey color and are not editable. These attributes may or may not be editable depending on the value of another attribute. For example, on the Servers --> Configuration --> General tab, the attribute called SSL listen Port is only editable if the SSL Listen Port Enabled box is checked.

Advanced Options

Some console screens contain a section labeled Advanced Options. Click the [Show] link to display the Advanced Options section, or click the [Hide] link if you do not want to see the Advanced Options. Advanced options contain seldom used attributes that usually do not require editing.
Figure 6-3 Advanced Options

Home Page

The Administration Console home page is the first page displayed in the right panel when you log into the Administration Console. You can always display this page by clicking the icon in the banner area of the console. From this page you can navigate to configuration and monitoring pages you use to manage your domain. (You can also use the Navigation Tree to access these pages.)

Editing More Than One Domain

The Administration Server and Console can manage only a single, active domain. To manage another domain, start the Administration Console hosted by the Administration Server of that domain.

Creating New Configuration Objects

To manage a WebLogic Server instance, service, or application, you create or edit configuration objects using the Administration Console.
To create a new configuration object:

Select the type of object you want to create using the Navigation Tree.
Click the link in the right panel labeled Create a new object, where object is the name of a WebLogic Server instance, service, resource, or application.
Follow the prompts on the screen to create the object. Once the object is created you can edit its configuration by navigating through the tabs displayed in the right panel.

Deleting Configuration Objects

To delete a configuration object:

Select the object you want to delete using the Navigation Tree.
Right-click on the object name in the Navigation Tree and select Delete. The Administration Console asks you to confirm the deletion.
Click the Yes button.

-Or-

Select the parent object (such as Servers, or EJB Modules) in the Navigation Tree. A table of configured objects appears in the right panel.
Click the icon in the row of the table containing the object you want to delete. The Administration Console asks you to confirm the deletion.
Click the Yes button.

Cloning Configuration Objects

Cloning an object allows you to create an identical object with a new name. This feature can be useful when you need to create many objects, such as server instances, with identical configurations. Note that each new cloned object may require additional editing after cloning.
To clone an object:

Select the object you want to clone using the Navigation Tree.
Right-click on the object name in the Navigation Tree and select Clone. The Administration Console displays the Configuration page for the object.
Enter a unique name for your object and edit any other configuration attributes that differ from the object you are cloning.
Click the Clone button.

-Or-

Select the parent node of the object you want to clone (such as Servers, or EJB Modules) in the Navigation Tree. A table of configured objects appears in the right panel.
Click the icon in the row of the table containing the object you want to clone. The Administration Console displays the Configuration page for the object.
Enter a unique name for your object and edit any other configuration attributes that differ from the object you are cloning.
Click the Clone button.

Editing Configuration Objects

To access the configuration data you want to edit:

Select the node in the Navigation Tree for the server instance, service, or application you want to configure.
Select the tab in the right panel of the console that contains the configuration parameters you want to edit.
Edit the configuration data by changing the appropriate fields in the right panel.
Click Apply. Many configuration changes require you to restart the affected server(s). Non-dynamic attributes that require you to restart a server are labeled with a icon. When you apply changes to a non-dynamic attribute, the icon blinks to remind you to restart the affected server(s).

Monitoring Using the Administration Console

To monitor a domain resource either right click on the resource in the navigation tree and select a monitoring option, or navigate to the resource and select the monitoring tab from the right panel. The data displayed represents the current state of the resource. To update the information click the icon in the upper right section of the screen. The data will refresh regularly until you click the icon again. The icon displays a circular animation to that the Administration Server is working to refresh the data. By default, the data refreshes every 10 seconds, or you can specify the refresh interval. See Changing the Monitoring Interval.

Changing the Monitoring Interval

When you use the Administration Console to monitor a resource of a WebLogic Server domain, you can set the interval at which the console refreshes the data from the monitored resource.
To set the refresh interval:

Select the Console node in the navigation tree.
Click the Preferences tab.
Set the refresh interval, in seconds in the Auto-refresh every: field.
Click Apply.
Note that the value of the Auto-refresh every field is not persisted in the domain's configuration file (config.xml). It is, however, persisted as a browser cookie. If you access the Administration Console using the same computer and Web browser, this setting is retained.

Changing the Monitoring Graph Polling Interval

Some monitoring screens in the Administration Console display real-time graphs of performance data. To change the interval at which monitoring graphs refresh their display:

Select the Console node in the navigation tree.
Click the Preferences tab.
Set the interval, in milliseconds in the Poll for graph data every: field.
Click Apply.

Customizing the Administration Console

This sections discusses how you can customize the appearance and functionality of the Administration Console. Note that the attributes described in this section are not persisted with the domain configuration in the config.xml file.
The following attributes are persisted as browser cookies -- if you access the Administration Console using the same computer and Web browser, these settings are retained:

Use Navigation Tree
Display help text for each attribute
Auto Refresh every

Changing the Default Language of the Administration Console

If you have a Japanese or English language version of WebLogic Server, you can change the default language used in the Administration Console and the online help. Normally, the console uses your browser's language settings to determine which language to display, and you do not need to change this setting. To change the default language:

Select the Console node in the navigation tree.
Click the Preferences tab.
Set the language from the drop-down list labeled Language.
Click Apply.

Changing Administration Console Behavior

To change the way the Administration Console displays data:

Select the Console node in the navigation tree.
Click the Preferences tab.
If you want the console to remember the last tab displayed when navigating from node to node using the navigation tree, check the Remember Last Tab check box.
If you want the console to display descriptions of each screen and attribute, check the Display help text for each attribute box.
If you want to console to display the navigation tree (recommended), check the Use Navigation Tree check box.
If you want the console to display Advanced Options by default, check the Display Advanced Features by Default box. If you do not select this option, you can still display advanced fields by clicking the [Show] link on any screen containing Advanced Options.
Click Apply.

Customizing Table Views

When the data displayed in the right panel is a table of data listing objects of a particular type, you can customize the table by adding or subtracting columns. You can also sort the data tables by clicking on the column headers.
To customize the columns that appear in a table:

Navigate to an object table.
Click on the Customize this view link at the top of the table.
Choose one or more attributes to display by selecting the attribute name in the Available section (on the left) of the Columns to display box.
Click the right arrow button to move the column to the Chosen box.
Repeat steps 1 through 4 for each column you want to display.
Click Apply

To customize the order in which the rows are sorted for display:

Navigate to an object table.
Click on the Customize this view link at the top of the table.
Choose the attribute to use when sorting the display by selecting the attribute name in the Available section (on the left) of the Sort rows by box.
Click the right arrow button to move the column to the Chosen box.
Click Apply

Viewing the WebLogic Server Version Number

To view information on the version number of your Administration server:

Select the Console node in the navigation tree.
Click the Versions tab. Version information appears in the right panel.

Viewing Server and Browser Information

To view WebLogic Server version, system properties, and browser header information:

Right-click on the Console node in the navigation tree.
Select View server & browser info. Server and browser information appears in the right panel.

Getting Help

Documentation on how to use the Administration Console is included with the console application. To get help about an Administration Console screen, click the help icon in the upper right corner of the console, as shown in Figure 6-4.
Figure 6-4 Help Icon

Navigating Through the Documentation

When you click the help link, a new browser window opens containing help for the Adminstration Console. The text displayed in the right frame of the help window describes the functionality of the console screen you are using and contains links to related tasks.
Use the left frame of this window to navigate to other help topics using the Table of Contents, the alphabetical Index, or the Search function.
For list of general topics, click the Topic List button and select a topic from the list displayed. The text of that topic appears in the right frame and a table of contents containing links to headings under that topic appears in the left frame.
Use the <<<Back or Fwd>>> buttons to step through previously viewed pages.
Use the Print button to print the current topic.

Help for Configuration Attributes

The console, by default, displays descriptive text for each configuration attribute or control. You can choose whether or not to display this text. For more information, see Changing Administration Console Behavior. You can access additional information, such as default and allowable values for each attribute by clicking the Attributes link at the top of the right frame in the help window, as shown in Figure 6-5.
Figure 6-5 Attributes Link

Additional BEA Documentation Available on the Internet

Additional documentation is also available on the BEA e-docs Web site. Many help screen include links to related topics on the e-docs Web site. These links are preceded with the label (e-docs). An Internet connection is necessary to view this documentation.
The following links display general BEA WebLogic Server documentation:
WebLogic Server 8.1 System Administration
WebLogic Server 8.1 Documentation includes overviews, programming guides, tutorials, and sample applications.
Search theWebLogic Server documentation on the e-docs Web site.