Upgrade Questionnaire – 1

1. Oracle does not require WebLogic domains to be upgraded from WebLogic Server 10.3 to 12.1.1. WebLogic domains based upon WebLogic Server 10.3 run on WebLogic Server 12.1.1 without modification.

2. Before going for an upgrade, things to crosscheck.
○ current and planned JVM and JDK versions
○ operating system versions
○ database versions
○ Web services versions
○ versions of other products that interoperate with or run on WebLogic Server, to ensure that the upgraded environment is supported by Oracle or other vendors’ products that you are using with WebLogic Server.

3. What are the typical ways of upgrading the application.
You will typically upgrade an application either by
○ upgrading an existing domain
○ or by creating a new domain, from which you can run the application on the new WebLogic Server version.

4. As part of the upgrade process, you must upgrade any custom security providers and Node Managers used in the domain.

5. Is it required to upgrade domains from weblogic server 10.3 to 12.1.1
Oracle does not require WebLogic domains to be upgraded from WebLogic Server 10.3 to 12.1.1. WebLogic domains based upon WebLogic Server 10.3 run on WebLogic Server 12.1.1 without modification.

6. Application Environment Components that need to be identified before the upgrade
○ Administration Server and the computer on which it resides
○ Managed Servers and the computer(s) on which they reside
○ Custom security providers used in the domain
○ Custom Node Managers used in the domain
○ Location of the applications (including all external client applications)
○ External resources, for example:
         Databases used to store persisted and application data
         Firewalls
         Load balancers
○ Tools, scripts, templates, and source code used for automating the tasks required to create the application environment

7. What are the changes to be done if you want to change from Oracle OCI Database driver to thin driver.
If you are using an Oracle OCI database driver and want to change to use a Thin database driver, you must remove the server property from the generated JDBC module. For example: 
<property>
<name>server</name>
<value>servername</value>
</property>

8. Is it necessary for applications in weblogic server to be undeployed before upgrading the domain.
It is not necessary for WebLogic Server applications to be undeployed before upgrading the domain.

9. Do we need to shutdown the servers before upgrade.
Before you upgrade, you must shut down all servers in the application environment.

10. What is the preparation to be done for the remote managed servers to be upgraded.
To prepare the remote domain directories, you must copy the following files from the root directory of the pre-upgraded domain directory on the host computer for the Administration Server to the root directory of the host domain(s) of the remote Managed Servers:
○ config.xml (configuration file)
○ SerializedSystemIni.dat

11. What are the high level Steps for upgrading the Environment
○ Upgrade Custom Security providers
○ Upgrade Node managers
○ Upgrade Domain
○ Upgrade Managed Servers

12. Is it required to upgrade custom security providers in all scenarios.
All custom security providers that reside in the default location (WL_HOME\server\lib\mbeantypes) are upgraded automatically. If all of your custom security providers reside in the default location, then
the security provider upgrade step is complete, and you do not have to perform Upgradation of custom security providers.

13. Outline the High level steps for the Post-Upgrade
○ Upgrade your application infrastructure
○ Re-apply customizations to startup scripts
○ Verify file permissions
○ Enroll the computer with Node Manager
○ Verify Remote server startup options
○ Promote the Application environment to production

14. How do you Enroll the Computer with Node Manager
If you upgrade Node Manager during the upgrade process, enroll the computer that is hosting the WebLogic domain with Node Manager. This can be accomplished using the nmEnroll command

15. What are the files downloaded from Administration Server by nmEnroll command
○ nm_password.properties, the Node Manager secret file, which contains the encrypted username and password that is used for server authentication.
○ SerializedSystemIni.dat file

16. What to do if the upgrade process fails.
○ Restore the application environment to its original state using the backup files created.
○ Correct the failure reported by the WebLogic Upgrade Wizard.
○ Continue with the upgrade process from the step at which the failure occurred.