Let me start by defining the current problem-detection process in most enterprises. An issue arises in the production environment for a J2EE application running on WebLogic, information is captured via logs, and WebLogic server is rebooted. From this point, application developers and administrators are tasked with analysis of the information and finding the root cause.

BEA retired its WebLogic Server 5.1 on February 1, 2004. It had been supported for four years prior to retirement. One of the options for migrating applications that are running on 5.1 is to use WebLogic Server 8.1, which provides a range of new features for J2EE 1.3-based applications.

BEA's name is synonymous with the application server. Most applications running on Unix in North America run on BEA's WebLogic server, particularly financial apps. The current stable WebLogic 8.1 version does a lot more than earlier versions. Migrating to new versions is always challenging and risky, but is done for efficiency and new capabilities, and to stay current with a vendor's products and support.

A domain contains configuration information for a BEA WebLogic Server instance. It has configuration information about servers, clusters, and machines. A domain also contains configuration information about resources such as Java DataBase Connectivity (JDBC) connection pools, JDBC data sources, connection factories, and Java Message Service (JMS) queues. In addition, it contains configuration information about the applications deployed to the instance.

WebLogic Server Scripting Tool (WLST) is a command-line scripting tool that BEA intends to support as part of the WebLogic Server 9.0 release. This tool is available today on BEA Systems' dev2dev Web site and works with BEA WebLogic Server versions 7.0 and 8.1, including all service packs.

It wasn't all that long ago, the last issue of WLDJ if I am not mistaken, that I expressed my dismay over why so few projects in my travels were using WebLogic Workshop as the primary development IDE. And only a few readers sent in e-mails regarding their reasons for choosing another IDE over Workshop - some of which had a lot of merit (actually, all of them did). And, not being too far removed from the subject, I just happen to be on a WebLogic development project where I came in midpoint through development, and - you guessed it - Workshop was not being used.

Enterprise JavaBeans (EJBs) are application components that implement the EJB architecture specification and are part of the Java 2 Enterprise Edition (J2EE) platform. EJBs are ideally suited for the development and deployment of distributed, scalable, transactional, secure, portable, component-based business applications.

A 'StackOverFlow' message is usually indicative of an error in the application code of the user, an error in the Java Virtual Machine, or in BEA WebLogic Server itself. This message is usually seen right before a Java Virtual Machine core dump or the WebLogic Server process just 'goes away.'

(July 12, 2003) - Attend a free seminar on July 31 and discover why enabling business integration is key to achieving better business efficiency. Joe McKairnes, BEA Systems and Steve Buzzard, Anexinet Corp., are featured presenters of this SPARK Technology Seminar, at the Marriott Philadelphia West. Click here for more information.

The release of BEA WebLogic Server 7.0 offered several new features such as Web services; a pluggable, flexible security infrastructure; a migratable framework; new developer tools; JMS; and a new deployment model to provide a highly reliable framework for scalable and secure applications.

This is the third and final article in a series aimed at demystifying the frameworks that compose the BEA WebLogic Portal. Although this month I focus on the portal framework, you should realize that the value of WebLogic Portal is in the combination of frameworks, components, and wizards that enable the creation of Web-based applications that provide value to the end customer and the hosting business. The customer benefits by being presented with a solution that is easy to use, personalizes content and services, and provides a much better user experience.

In last month's article, I provided an in-depth description of the Advisor Framework that is embedded in WebLogic Portal. This month, I'll focus on describing the components, capabilities, and extensions of the Event Framework. Next month I'll look at the Portal Framework

WebLogic Server administration is the last area you need to study to pass the WebLogic Server 6.0 certification test. In this article, I'll cover some topics you may find on the test, such as deployment, security, and using the server console.

This series of articles focuses on demystifying the frameworks embedded in the BEA WebLogic Portal. The first framework that will be discussed in-depth is the Advisor Framework, followed in future articles by the Event Framework and the Portal Framework.

At Rosewood Software Services, we use Rational's Unified Process (RUP) and help many clients tailor it for their use. RUP specifies a number of models, including the Implementation Model, which is used to structure the physical artifacts (or files) within a project. For example, in a Java project the Implementation Model is used to define the project's Java package structure and the files used within the project, including class and JAR files as well as JSPs.

We're nearly done covering the topics for the test. This month I'll discuss JDBC, transactions, and clustering. Be sure to give careful attention to these topics, as they can slip by during studying. As in my previous articles, I've included a sample test to help you study for the real test. Let's get started with JDBC.

This month, we'll study for the EJB portion of the BEA WebLogic Server 6.0 Certification Test. Now, I know I was also supposed to talk about JDBC this month, but I just didn't have enough room to squeeze it in.

Last month, I talked about signing up to take the BEA WebLogic Server 6.0 Certification test. At that time, I promised I would go into more detail about what you should study, and that's what I'm including for your use. This article covers two specific topics on the test: the Java Naming and Directory Interface (JNDI) and Web applications. But before we start, there's one thing I forgot to mention last month: another benefit of the study material is that there is a strong overlap of these topics with the Sun Web Component Developer for J2EE test. So, by studying for this test, you'll be studying for the Web Component Developer test as well.

Are you looking for something to differentiate yourself from your peers in this tighter job market? BEA WebLogic Server Certification may be for you. It provides employers, or potential employers, with additional evidence that you're qualified for developing solutions on the BEA WebLogic Server platform.

With the release of WebLogic Portal 4.0 in October 2001, BEA introduced a major update to its portal functionality and added significant new features. In this article, we'll give you a technical overview of the new product, and provide a glimpse of some of the new functionality you'll find in it. Although the portal market is still very fragmented and not well-defined, and the concept of a portal remains vague, we can say that a portal comprises a number of concrete and useful paradigms: the user interface paradigm, the content and data aggregation paradigm, the application development paradigm, and the enterprise architecture paradigm.