Review the operator prerequisites.
Watch a video demonstration of the WebLogic Server Kubernetes Operator.
The operator consists of several parts: the operator runtime, the model for a Kubernetes custom resource definition (CRD), a Helm chart for installing the operator, a variety of sample shell scripts for preparing or packaging WebLogic domains for running in Kubernetes, and sample Helm charts or shell scripts for conditionally exposing WebLogic endpoints outside the Kubernetes cluster.
The Oracle WebLogic Server Kubernetes Operator (the “operator”) is designed to fulfill a similar role to that which a human operator would fill in a traditional data center deployment. It contains a set of useful built-in knowledge about how to perform various life cycle operations on a domain correctly.
This guide provides detailed user information for the Oracle WebLogic Server Kubernetes Operator. It provides instructions on how to install the operator in your Kubernetes cluster and how to use it to manage WebLogic domains. If you are looking for information about how the operator is designed, implemented, built, and such, then you should refer to the Developer guide.
This documentation uses several important terms which are intended to have a specific meaning.
| Term | Definition |
|---|---|
| Cluster | Because this term is ambiguous, it will be prefixed to indicate which type of cluster is meant. A WebLogic cluster is a group of Managed Servers that together host some application or component and which are able to share load and state between them. A Kubernetes cluster is a group of machines (“nodes”) that all host Kubernetes resources, like pods and services, and which appear to the external user as a single entity. If the term “cluster” is not prefixed, it should be assumed to mean a Kubernetes cluster. |
| Domain | A WebLogic domain is a group of related applications and resources along with the configuration information necessary to run them. |
| Ingress | A Kubernetes Ingress provides access to applications and services in a Kubernetes environment to external clients. An Ingress may also provide additional features like load balancing. |
| Namespace | A Kubernetes namespace is a named entity that can be used to group together related objects, for example, pods and services. |
| Operator | A Kubernetes operator is software that performs management of complex applications. |
| Pod | A Kubernetes pod contains one or more containers and is the object that provides the execution environment for an instance of an application component, such as a web server or database. |
| Job | A Kubernetes job is a type of controller that creates one or more pods that run to completion to complete a specific task. |
| Secret | A Kubernetes secret is a named object that can store secret information like user names, passwords, X.509 certificates, or any other arbitrary data. |
| Service | A Kubernetes service exposes application endpoints inside a pod to other pods, or outside the Kubernetes cluster. A service may also provide additional features like load balancing. |
Before using the operator, you might want to read the design philosophy to develop an understanding of the operator’s design, and the architectural overview to understand its architecture, including how WebLogic domains are deployed in Kubernetes using the operator. Also, worth reading are the details of the Kubernetes RBAC definitions required by the operator.