Clustering, unix symbolic links, and war files

Question

          Hello,
          we use symbolic links in our web application to a large shared storage device.
          This works when running a single server, when the application is not a war file.
          When we cluster the application, the admin server creates a war file, blindly
          follows the symbolic links and tries to include all files in the shared storage
          device. Bad!
          Is there a work-around to this problem in a clustered configuration?
          -Thanks-
          

Answer 1

          hi,
          can you tell me know you deploy your app to the cluster member
          manually? do you run each member as an admin server? how do
          you group them into a cluster then?
          thanks,
          yan
          "Philippe Lantin" plantin_AT_cobaltgroup.com wrote:
          >
          >
          >Yes, this method works. I did want to keep a central admin server to
          >avoid have
          >multiple configuration files, and deploy new code to only one location.
          >I suppose
          >I could do this via a shared drive.
          >
          >I have an open case with BEA on this issue. The root of the problem appears
          >to
          >be that the jar format isn't equipped to deal with symbolic links. Webapps
          >which
          >are exploded in directories lose their symbolic links when packaged in
          >a war.
          >
          >Thanks,
          >
          >Philippe Lantin
          >
          >"Cameron Purdy" <[email protected]> wrote:
          >>I've never used that centralized deployment feature; rather I've always
          >>configured each of the cluster members manually, partly because of the
          >>bug
          >>in the admin server in 6.0 (?) that would not allow it to deploy to
          >the
          >>cluster.
          >>
          >>Can you try to deploy the application manually?
          >>
          >>Peace,
          >>
          >>--
          >>Cameron Purdy
          >>Tangosol Inc.
          >><< Tangosol Server: How Weblogic applications are customized >>
          >><< Download now from http://www.tangosol.com/download.jsp >>
          >>
          >>
          >><Philippe Lantin plantin_AT_cobaltgroup.com> wrote in message
          >>news:[email protected]...
          >>>
          >>>
          >>> Hi,
          >>>
          >>> our web application is not a war when we use a single server. We simply
          >>use a
          >>> directory under "applications". This method works correctly with symbolic
          >>links
          >>> under weblogic v.6.1.
          >>>
          >>> To test our application in the cluster, we use the previous single
          >>server
          >>as the
          >>> administration server, leaving the application directory intact. We
          >>create
          >>a cluster
          >>> definition with it's target members using this web application.
          >>>
          >>> When we start up the cluster members, the administration server creates
          >>a
          >>war
          >>> file that is distributed to to cluster members. This is not somthing
          >>we
          >>control,
          >>> this is automatically done by weblogic.
          >>>
          >>> This is where we run into trouble. When the admin server creates the
          >>war
          >>file
          >>> to distribute to the cluster target, it follows the symbolic links
          >>and
          >>recursively
          >>> includes all files and directories. This creates a huge war file,
          >and
          >>is
          >>obviously
          >>> not the behavior we are looking for.
          >>>
          >>> Creating a war file manually doesn't help, since jar doesn't support
          >>symbolic
          >>> links.
          >>>
          >>> Thanks,
          >>>
          >>> Philippe Lantin
          >>>
          >>>
          >>> "Cameron Purdy" <[email protected]> wrote:
          >>> >I don't understand at which point you are running into a problem.
          >>> >
          >>> >> we use symbolic links in our web application to a large shared
          >storage
          >>> >device.
          >>> >
          >>> >That is not uncommon, for example to use a Sun storage box or EMC
          >>with
          >>> >some
          >>> >fault tolerant characteristics to host the application images etc.
          >>> >
          >>> >> This works when running a single server, when the application is
          >>not
          >>> >a war
          >>> >file.
          >>> >
          >>> >Do you mean when it is "exploded"? Does it work with a single server
          >>> >when
          >>> >the app is a war file?
          >>> >
          >>> >> When we cluster the application, the admin server creates a war
          >>file,
          >>> >blindly
          >>> >> follows the symbolic links and tries to include all files in the
          >>shared
          >>> >storage
          >>> >> device.
          >>> >
          >>> >This is the part that I don't follow. Are you using 6.1sp1? What
          >are
          >>> >the
          >>> >steps that you are taking with the admin server?
          >>> >
          >>> >Peace,
          >>> >
          >>> >--
          >>> >Cameron Purdy
          >>> >Tangosol Inc.
          >>> ><< Tangosol Server: How Weblogic applications are customized >>
          >>> ><< Download now from http://www.tangosol.com/download.jsp >>
          >>> >
          >>> >
          >>> ><Philippe Lantin plantin_AT_cobaltgroup.com> wrote in message
          >>> >news:[email protected]...
          >>> >>
          >>> >>
          >>> >> Hello,
          >>> >>
          >>> >> we use symbolic links in our web application to a large shared
          >storage
          >>> >device.
          >>> >> This works when running a single server, when the application is
          >>not
          >>> >a war
          >>> >file.
          >>> >> When we cluster the application, the admin server creates a war
          >>file,
          >>> >blindly
          >>> >> follows the symbolic links and tries to include all files in the
          >>shared
          >>> >storage
          >>> >> device. Bad!
          >>> >>
          >>> >> Is there a work-around to this problem in a clustered configuration?
          >>> >>
          >>> >> -Thanks-
          >>> >>
          >>> >>
          >>> >>
          >>> >
          >>> >
          >>>
          >>
          >>
          >