The document discusses the administration infrastructure of Oracle iPlanet Webserver, including the administration server, administration nodes, and configuration management. The administration server manages configurations centrally and distributes them to administration nodes. It communicates securely with administration nodes to deploy configurations and manage server instances. Configurations define runtime services and are stored in a centralized repository, then distributed to nodes and used to configure instance behavior.

1. Oracle iPlanet Webserver
Basics

2. Topics Covered
• Admin Infrastructure
– Administration Server
– Administration Node
• Configuration
• Instances & Cluster
• Config Files
– magnus.conf
– server.xml
– obj.conf
– mime.types
– Trust Database files
– Server.policy
– certmap.conf

3. Administration
Admin
Infrastructure
Manage
Configuration

4. Admin Infrastructure
• The primary function of the administration
infrastructure is to manage configurations
from a central location.
• Configurations can be distributed to one or Administration
more Administration Nodes. Infrastructure
• Administration framework provides
enhanced distributed management across
servers in a server farm.
• Robust administration capabilities enable
Web Servers to be managed and deployed
remotely.
• Admin Infrastructure facilitates Monitoring Manage
and lifecycle management of server
instances.
Configuration

5. Admin Server
What is it
• The Administration Server is a specialized Web
Server instance that is used to manage Admin Infrastructure
configuration data on one or more Administration
Nodes.
Admin Admin
Admin Infrastructure
Server Node
How is it Accessed
• Administrators access the Administration Server
through either a graphical user interface(Admin
Console) or a command-line interface
What is the Purpose
• To perform various operations that manage
configuration data and lifecycles of webservers.
Manage
What Tasks are handled
• Tasks include such as deploying configurations to
the Administration Node and creating server
instances. It also includes starting and stopping the
instances and gathering instance data for
monitoring purposes.
Configuration

6. Admin Node
What is it
• Administration Node is deployed on a node or a
Admin Infrastructure
server/host within a server farm and has the ability
to communicate with the remote Administration
Server Admin Admin
• Each Administration Node contains a special Web
Admin Infrastructure
Server Node
Server instance that is used by the Administration
Server to control the Administration Node.
• An Administration Node can contain zero or more
Web Server instances
How is it Accessed Manage
• You cannot directly access the administrative
instance on an Administration Node because this
instance is reserved for the Administration Server
Configuration

7. Admin Infrastructure
Relationship:
• There is a master/ slave relationship between
Admin Infrastructure
the Administration Server and Administration
Node that it has been configured to manage.
Admin Admin
Communication: Admin Infrastructure
Server Node
• All communication between the
Administration Server and the Administration
Node is transmitted securely over SSL and
takes place across a special administrative
interface.
Awareness: Manage
• Registration of an administration Node with an
Administration Server will make the
Administration Server aware of that
Administration Node.
• A node can be registered only from the same
node . You cannot go to the CLI of the Configuration
administration server and register any node.

8. Admin Infrastructure
Trust Establishment:
• The Administration Server and Administration
Node authenticate each other by the Admin Infrastructure
Administration Server trusting the Administration
Node's server certificate and the Administration
Node trusting the client certificate presented by Admin Admin
the Administration Server.
Admin Infrastructure
Server Node
• During registration of an Administration Node,
the Administration Server will generate a server
certificate for that Administration Node, which is
then downloaded and installed on the
Administration Node. The issuer of the server
certificate is also installed on the Administration
Node.
Manage
Configuration

9. Configuration
What is Configuration
Admin Infrastructure
A configuration is a set of meta-data that is used to
configure the runtime services of a iPlanet Web Server
Admin Admin
Admin
instance. Infrastructure
Server Node
Where is it Stored
Configuration data for each Web Server instance is Manage
stored in a centralized repository on the
Administration Server and distributed (or deployed) to
each Administration Node.
Who uses the Configuration
The configuration metadata is used by the server
runtime to load built-in services, third party plug-ins
and setup other server extensions such as database
drivers for serving web pages and dynamic web Configuration
applications.
How is the Configuration managed
A Configuration can be created, modified or deleted
using Command Line Interface or the web based
administration interface.

10. Configuration
What is Configuration Store Admin Infrastructure
All the Configuration related files are stored in a
repository in Administration server’s file system called as
Admin Admin
Admin
Configuration Store. The Configuration Store can be Infrastructure
Server Node
found in the following location:
install_dir/admin-server/config-store
Manage
When is Initial Configuration Created & its use
During installation of the Administration Server, an initial
configuration is created and stored beneath the above
directory with a name reflective of the server’s
hostname and domain name.
This configuration is used to create the default Web
Server instance that is included with the Administration
Server
Configuration
Where is new Configuration Stored
Each new configuration is stored in a separate
subdirectory beneath the Configuration Store as follows:
install_dir/admin-server/config-store/configname

11. Configuration
When is Backup created Admin Infrastructure
During the deployment process, a copy of the previous
configuration (prior to the deployment) is captured and
Admin Admin
Admin
saved in the Configuration Store beneath the following Infrastructure
Server Node
directory:
install_dir/admin-server/config-store/configname/backup
Manage
How is the Data kept in Sync
When you deploy a configuration, the entire web
application directory and configuration directory under
config-store is zipped up and copied to the server
instance directory.
When you deploy a Configuration to a Node, an
Instance of that Configuration is created.
When is Data not in Sync and how is it Detected Configuration
Configuration files that are edited and altered directly
on a particular Administration Node are no longer
synchronized with those in the Configuration Store.
NonSync data are detected by the Administration
Server and noted in the graphical administrative
interface

12. Configuration
What can be done with Non Sync Data Admin Infrastructure
• Changes can be pulled from Administration Node Admin Admin
and the copies in the Configuration Store can be Admin
updated, or Infrastructure
Server Node
• Changes can be overwritten in the Adminstration
Node with those contained in the Configuration
Store. Manage
If changes are pulled from Administration Node, the
corresponding files in the Configuration Store are
updated and redeployed to other servers that are part
of the cluster.
Configuration

13. Configuration
• configuration files (such as magnus.conf, Admin Infrastructure
server.xml, and obj.conf), Admin Admin
Admin
• web applications that have been
deployed to the server instance,
Infrastructure
Server Node
• search engine collections, and
• shared objects for implementing built-in
services and third-party NSAPI plug-ins
Manage
that have been installed in the Web
Server instance.
• Configuration also refers to the set of
metadata that configures the runtime Search
services of the server. Configuration
Engine
Files
Collections
Configuration
Web WebServer
Applications Shared
Objects

14. Instances & Cluster
What is an Instance
• Instance refers to the environment of a web server on a given node, including its configuration, log files
and other runtime artifacts such as lock databases, caches and temporary files.
• For management purposes, an instance can be started, stopped, restarted, or dynamically re-configured.
What does Instance do
• Provides content to HTTP/S user agents (such as web browsers).
When are Instances Created
• Instances are created when a configuration is deployed to the Administration Node by the
Administration Server.
• When you first install the Administration Node, it has zero instances configured. It is not until you deploy
a configuration to the node that you get your first Web Server instance.
What is a Cluster
• A cluster is a set of instances, spanning across one or more nodes, all running identical configuration and
offering an identical set of runtime services.
Why are clusters used
• All instances in a cluster work together to provide high availability, reliability, and scalability.
What is the Criteria for the instances in the cluster
• All the instances in a cluster are required to be homogeneous. For example they run on an identical
operating system version (and patches) and service packs, run an identical web server configuration and
offer identical services.

15. Administration Framework

16. Sample Deployment
• Administration can be done using
– Admin Console
– wadm Command Line
• We have Single Administration Server
managing the configuration.
• We have Admin Node running in each host.
• Configurations:
– We have three configurations present
• site1.example.com
• site2.example.com
• site3.example.com
– Two configurations are deployed to a cluster.
• site1.example.com
• site2.example.com
– One configuration is deployed to a single instance.
• site3.example.com

17. Config Files
• The configuration and behavior of Web Server
is determined by a set of configuration files.
• You can use the Admin Console and the
command-line interface (CLI) to change the magnus.
configuration file settings. You can also conf
manually edit these files. server.
• Each server instance has its own directory, xml
called instance-dir in this document.
obj.conf
• The instance-dir/config directory contains
configuration files for the Web Server mime.
Admin Infrastructure
components. The exact number and names of types
the configuration files depend on the Trust DB
components that have been enabled or loaded Files
into the server.
server.
policy
certmap.
conf

18. Config Files – magnus.conf
• Request Processing functionality is provided by
Server Application Functions (SAFs).
• Default Request processing functionality can be
changed by using the directives. Each Directive
magnus.
references a SAF that is used to perform the work
during the particular stage of Request Processing.
conf
server.
• Extend the functionality of the server by creating
xml
shared libraries or plugins through NSAPI.
• These plugins must be registered with the Web obj.conf
server. This registration is accomplished with the Init
directive in the magnus.conf file. Once registered, the mime.
Admin Infrastructure
functions defined in the plugins can be used to types
modify the request processing process.
Trust DB
• Directives may also contain additional settings that Files
control the way the NSAPI plug-ins are run.
server.
• The magnus.conf file is read when the instance is policy
started; therefore, any changes made to the certmap.
magnus.conf file require a server restart for the
conf
changes to take effect.

19. Config Files – magnus.conf
• The magnus.conf file is validated at start-up time.
Errors found within the file might prevent the server
from starting or processing requests properly. magnus.
conf
• Each instance can contain only one magnus.conf file;
therefore, there is a one-to-one correspondence server.
between an instance and the magnus.conf file. The xml
directives defined within the magnus.conf file apply
to the entire server instance and therefore any virtual obj.conf
servers defined within that instance.
mime.
Admin Infrastructure
types
Trust DB
Sample magnus.conf File Files
Init fn="load-modules"now)”
server.
Init fn=”load-modules” shlib=”libfastcgi.so” policy
Init fn=”load-modules”
shlib=”/sun/webserver7/plugins/myplugin/myplugin certmap.
.so” funcs=”myfunc1,myfunc2” conf

20. Config Files – server.xml
• The server.xml file is the main configuration file for a
Web Server instance.
• It contains initial values for listen sockets, virtual
servers, and other components that were configured
magnus.
during the installation process and some default
settings that allow the Web Server to work
conf
immediately after installation. server.
xml
• Server.xml document contains a hierarchy of
elements and values
obj.conf
• Each instance can contain only one server.xml file;
therefore, there is a one-to one correspondence mime.
Admin Infrastructure
between an instance and the server.xml file. types
• The server.xml file contains definitions for each Trust DB
virtual server contained within the instance, so there Files
is a one-to-many relationship between the server.xml
server.
file and virtual servers.
policy
• You can use the -configtest option to the startserv certmap.
script to validate the server.xml file before you stop
conf
the server. This enables you to detect errors to the
file without impacting a running server instance.

21. Config Files – obj.conf
• The obj.conf (or object configuration) file
contains instructions or directives on how to
process HTTP client requests. This file consists
of various directives that map directly to
magnus.
request processing stages and enable the Web
conf
Server to process client requests.
server.
• Each directive invokes a SAF with one or more xml
arguments.
obj.conf
• The object configuration file is read when the
instance is started or when a dynamic mime.
reconfiguration is performed. The syntax for
Admin Infrastructure
types
the directives and parameters contained in the
Trust DB
object configuration file is validated within the
Files
start-up or reconfiguration code base. They are
not validated against a schema such as the server.
server.xml file. policy
certmap.
conf

22. Config Files – obj.conf
• Each Virtual Server can have its own Object
Configuration file. This is defined in the <object-
file> element in server.xml file.
• By having different Object Configuration files for magnus.
each virtual server provides the flexibility to conf
process requests differently for each virtual server.
<virtual-server>
server.
<name>www.zeroproductionincidents.wordpress.com</name> xml
<http-listener-name>http-listener-1</http-listener-name>
<host>www.wordpress.com</host> obj.conf
<object-file>www.zeroprodincidents-obj.conf</object-file>
<document-root>
/export/home/zeroprodincidents/public_html mime.
Admin Infrastructure
</document-root>
types
<access-log>
<file>/export/home/zeroprodincidents/logs/access</file> Trust DB
</access-log>
</virtual-server>
Files
server.
• When the Web Server receives a request, it uses policy
information contained within the server.xml file to certmap.
select an appropriate virtual server. It then uses the
conf
file specified by the <object-file> element to
determine how to process the request.

23. Config Files – mime.types
• mime.types file contains mappings between file
extensions and MIME types. This file is utilized during
request processing to tell the server what type of
resource is being requested.
magnus.
• The mime.types file contains a series of associations
that helps the instance identify the request type and
conf
subsequently understand how to process the server.
request. xml
• It bases this information on the extension of the
obj.conf
resource (such as .txt, .html, or .cgi) and associates a
type, language, or encoding method based on the
extension.
mime.
Admin Infrastructure
types
• Each Virtual server can have its own mime.types file
Trust DB
and can be associated using <mime-file> element in
the server.xml file. Files
server.
policy
certmap.
conf

24. Config Files – Trust DB Files
• The Web Server stores security-based
information in three Network Security Services
(NSS) libdbm database files as follows:
– cert8.db—Stores publicly accessible magnus.
objects (such as certificates, certificate conf
revocation lists, and S/MIME records)
server.
– key3.db—Stores the private keys generated
xml
by the server
– secmod.db—Stores PKCS #11 module obj.conf
configuration information
mime.
Admin Infrastructure
types
Trust DB
Files
server.
policy
certmap.
conf

25. Config Files – server.policy
• Each Web Server instance has its own standard Java
Platform, Standard Edition (Java SE platform) server
policy file named server.policy.
• The server policy file controls the access that
magnus.
applications have to the resources such as files on the
file system.
conf
server.
xml
obj.conf
mime.
Admin Infrastructure
types
Trust DB
Files
server.
policy
certmap.
conf

26. Config Files – certmap.conf
• Web Server 7 can be configured to allow client
authentication through the use of an X.509 digital
certificate. This can be performed under the SSL
settings for a particular HTTP listener.
magnus.
conf
server.
xml
obj.conf
mime.
Admin Infrastructure
types
Trust DB
Files
server.
policy
certmap.
conf

27. THANK
YOU