In most implementations of Oracle Utilities products the installer creates an embedded mode installation. This is called embedded as the domain configuration is embedded in the application which is ideal for demonstration and development environments as the default setup is enough for those types of activities.
Over time though customers and partners will want to use more and more of the Oracle WebLogic domain facilities including advanced setups like multiple servers, clusters, advanced security setups etc. Here are a few important things to remember about embedded mode:
- The embedded mode domain setup is fixed with a fixed single server that houses the product and the administration server with the internal basic security setup. In non-production this is reasonable as the requirements for the environment are simple.
- The domain file (config.xml) is generated by the product, using a template, assuming it is embedded only.
- When implementations need additional requirements within the domain there are three alternatives:
- Make the changes in the domain from the administration console and then convert the new config.xml generated by the console as a custom template. This needs to be done as remember when Oracle deliver ANY patches or upgrades (or when you make configuration changes) we need to run initialSetup[.sh] to add the patch, upgrade or configuration to the product. This will reset the file back to the factory provided template unless you are using the custom template. Basically, if you decide to use this option, and do not implement a custom template then you will lose your changes each time.
- In later versions of OUAF we introduced user exits. These allow implementations to add to the configuration using XML snippets. It does require you to understand the configuration file that is being manipulated and we have sprinkled user exits all over the configuration files to allow extensions. Using this method means that you make changes to the domain using the configuration files, examine the changes to the domain file and then decide which user exit is available to reflect that change and add the relevant XML snippet. Again you must understand the configuration file to make sure you do not corrupt the domain.
- The easiest option is to migrate to native mode. This basically removes the embedded nature of the domain and houses it within Oracle Weblogic. This is explained in Native Installation whitepaper (Doc Id: 1544969.1) available from My Oracle Support.
Native Installations allows you to use the full facilities within Oracle WebLogic without the restrictions of embedded mode. The advantages of native installations is the following:
- The domain can be setup according to your company standards.
- You can implement clusters, multiple servers including dynamic clustering..
- You can use the security features of Oracle WebLogic to implement complex security setups including SSO solutions.
- You can lay out the architecture according to your volumes to manage within your SLA's.
- You can implement JDBC connection pooling, Work Managers, advanced diagnostics etc.
Oracle recommends that native installations be used for environments where you need to take advantage of the domain facilities. Embedded mode should only be used within the restrictions it poses.