Setting up a WebLogic 12c development server in under 10 minutes on macOS

I've written a fair number of articles on WebLogic but something that occurred to me was that I haven't talked about how to install a development server directly on your machine. This process is extremely easy these days but if you don't check the README you could run into some issues. I use a Mac for most of my work so naturally I will be going through the steps on macOS, however with minor modifications they are applicable across both Windows and Linux.

All steps assume that Java is already installed. The first step is of course to download WebLogic from OTN.

This will result in a zip file in the Downloads directory, fmw_12.2.1.3.0_wls_quick_Disk1_1of1.zip, this needs to be unzipped. Then it's time to open the Terminal.

I like to keep my development tools in the /Applications/devtools directory so I have a directory for WebLogic in this location too e.g. /Applications/devtools/wls_12.2.1.3. After extracting the installer we can change to its directory. Here are the commands for these steps...

Terminal Commands

mkdir -p /Applications/devtools/wls_12.2.1.3

cd ~/Downloads/fmw_12.2.1.3.0_wls_quick_Disk1_1of1

When I first used the quick installer I made the mistake of running it by double-clicking the jar file. This unfortunately assumes that the directory where the installer was extracted is the new ORACLE_HOME, which is not desirable, hence I switched to installing WebLogic using this slightly longer method.

Since I wanted ORACLE_HOME to be in /Applications/devtools/wls_12.2.1.3, the installer was ran like this...

Terminal Commands

java -jar fmw_12.2.1.3.0_wls_quick.jar ORACLE_HOME=/Applications/devtools/wls_12.2.1.3

The installer took around 6 minutes to complete.

Terminal Output

Extracting the installer . . . . Done

Checking if CPU speed is above 300 MHz. Actual 2969.6 MHz Passed

Checking swap space: must be greater than 512 MB. Actual 73807 MB Passed

Checking if this platform requires a 64-bit JVM. Actual 64 Passed

Checking temp space: must be greater than 300 MB. Actual 73807 MB Passed

Preparing to launch the Oracle Universal Installer from /private/var/folders/hm/qh4zmdc576gdptgjt6sqftm00000gn/T/OraInstall2018-06-28_02-56-32PM

Log: /private/var/folders/hm/qh4zmdc576gdptgjt6sqftm00000gn/T/OraInstall2018-06-28_02-56-32PM/install2018-06-28_02-56-32PM.log

Setting ORACLE_HOME to /Applications/devtools/wls_12.2.1.3

*****************************************************

Distribution Name : Oracle Fusion Middleware 12c WebLogic and Coherence Developer

Distribution Version : 12.2.1.3.0

Oracle Inventory : /Users/ikromin/oraInventory

Oracle Home : /Applications/devtools/wls_12.2.1.3

Java Home : /Library/Java/JavaVirtualMachines/jdk1.8.0_131.jdk/Contents/Home

*****************************************************

Skipping Software Updates

Validations are enabled for this session.

Verifying data

Copying Files

Percent Complete : 10

Percent Complete : 20

Percent Complete : 30

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Percent Complete : 50

Percent Complete : 60

Percent Complete : 70

Percent Complete : 80

Percent Complete : 90

Percent Complete : 100

The installation of Oracle Fusion Middleware 12c WebLogic and Coherence Developer 12.2.1.3.0 completed successfully.

Logs successfully copied to /Applications/devtools/wls_12.2.1.3/cfgtoollogs/oui.

After the installer does its task it can be deleted and then it's time to create a domain. I find the best way of doing this is using the configuration wizard. First we need to change to the WebLogic ORACLE_HOME and then run the config script, which launches the wizard...

Terminal Commands

cd /Applications/devtools/wls_12.2.1.3

oracle_common/common/bin/config.sh

The steps are more or less self explanatory and most default options are the most commonly used ones anyway. Clicking Next on each screen moves the wizard forward. We're creating a new domain...

The domain is created from templates. Which ones are chosen depends on your requirements, I like to have all web service and Coherence support but not JMS extensions.

Enter the username and password to use for the admin account next.

Domain mode should be development to avoid having to enter a password every time WebLogic is being started.

I skip advanced configuration and just go with a simple AdminServer, no managed servers and all other default configuration options. For development purposes a managed server is not really required.