Sun Java System Application Server Enterprise Edition 8.1 2005Q2 Administration Reference

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# About the domain.xml File

The `domain.xml` file contains most of the Sun JavaTM System Application Server configuration. The encoding is UTF-8 to maintain compatibility with regular UNIX text editors. The `domain.xml` file is located in the domain configuration directory, which is typically domain-dir`/config`. This file is further described in the following sections:

- The sun-domain_1_1.dtd File

- Default Values

- Variables

- Element Referencing

- Element Hierarchy

## The sun-domain_1_1.dtd File

The `sun-domain_1_1.dtd` file defines the structure of the `domain.xml` file, including the elements it can contain and the subelements and attributes these elements can have. The `sun-domain_1_1.dtd` file is located in the install-dir`/lib/dtds` directory.

Note –

Do not edit the `sun-domain_1_1.dtd` file; its contents change only with new versions of the Application Server.

The `sun-domain_1_1.dtd` interface is unstable. An unstable interface might be experimental or transitional, and hence might change incompatibly, be removed, or be replaced by a more stable interface in the next release.

Elements or attributes that appear in the `sun-domain_1_1.dtd` file but are not described in this chapter are not implemented and should not be used.

For general information about DTD files and XML, see the XML specification.

## Default Values

In this manual, the term default is used in its broader sense, and not in the specific way it is used in the XML 1.0 standard. A default value is an initial value or the value used if no value is present in the XML file. A default value can be any of the following:

- A value supplied by the XML parser when no value is found in the `domain.xml` file. The relevant element or attribute is optional.

- A value supplied by the Application Server when no value is found in the `domain.xml` file and the XML parser doesn’t provide a value. The relevant element or attribute is optional.

- An initial value supplied when the `domain.xml` file is created. The relevant element or attribute might or might not be optional.

## Variables

Variables and variable references are needed for two reasons:

- Parts of the Application Server share much configuration information but differ in specific details. For example, server instances in a cluster typically share the same configuration except for their port numbers.

- Parts of the configuration come from the system environment but must still be captured in the configuration.

Variable references appear in the `domain.xml` file as strings that begin with the characters `${` and end with the character `}`. For example, the string `${com.sun.enterprise.myVar}` is a reference to the variable `com.sun.enterprise.myVar` .

Variables are defined both outside of and within `domain.xml`. Predefined variables that exist outside of `domain.xml` are defined as Java System Properties. Within `domain.xml`, a variable is defined using the system-property element or the jvm-options element.

The `system-property` element’s `name` attribute is the name of a variable; its `value` attribute is the definition of the variable. For example, the following `system-property` element defines a `port-number` variable with the value `6500`:

    <system-property name="port-number" value="6500"/>

Multiple `system-property` subelements are permitted within server, cluster, config, and domain elements.

A variable defined in the `jvm-options` element is a Java System Property with the `-D` flag. For example, the following `jvm-options` element defines a `port-number` variable with the value `5500`:

    <jvm-option>-Dport-number=5500</jvm-option>

Multiple definitions for the same variable are permitted. The Application Server determines the actual value of a variable by searching for its first definition in a strict hierarchy of the elements within `domain.xml`. The hierarchy is as follows:

    server -> cluster -> config -> jvm-options -> domain -> System

Implicit in this hierarchy is the notion of reference and containment. A variable referenced in a `server` element is only looked up:

- In the `cluster` element referenced by that specific `server`

- In the `config` element that references that specific `server`

- In the `jvm-options` subelements of the `config` element referenced by that `server`

## Element Referencing

One element references another when an attribute of the referencing element has the same value as an attribute of the referenced element. For example, the application-ref element references an application or module that is deployed to its parent server element. The `application-ref` element’s `ref` attribute has the same value as the `name` attribute of a lifecycle-module, j2ee-application, ejb-module, web-module, connector-module, or appclient-module element.

The referencing `application-ref` element might look like this:

    <application-ref ref="MyServlet"/>

The referenced `web-module` element might look like this:

    <web-module name="MyServlet" location="myservletdir"/>

## Element Hierarchy

The element hierarchy for the `domain.xml` file is as follows. To make the hierarchy more readable, elements having property as their last or only subelement are marked with a `P`, and the `property` subelements are not shown. Parent/child relationships between elements are shown, but not cardinality. For those details, see the element descriptions.

    domain P
    .    applications
    .    .    lifecycle-module P
    .    .   .    description
    .    .    j2ee-application
    .    .   .    description
    .    .    web-module
    .    .   .    description
    .    .    ejb-module
    .    .   .    description
    .    .    connector-module
    .    .   .    description
    .    .    appclient-module
    .    .   .    description
    .    resources
    .    .    custom-resource P
    .    .   .    description
    .    .    external-jndi-resource P
    .    .   .    description
    .    .    jdbc-resource P
    .    .   .    description
    .    .    mail-resource P
    .    .   .    description
    .    .    persistence-manager-factory-resource P
    .    .   .    description
    .    .    admin-object-resource P
    .    .   .    description
    .    .    connector-resource P
    .    .   .    description
    .    .    resource-adapter-config P
    .    .    jdbc-connection-pool P
    .    .   .    description
    .    .    connector-connection-pool P
    .    .   .    description
    .    .   .    security-map
    .    .   .    .    principal
    .    .   .    .    user-group
    .    .   .    .    backend-principal
    .    configs
    .    .    config P
    .    .   .    http-service P
    .    .   .    .    access-log
    .    .   .    .    request-processing
    .    .   .    .    keep-alive
    .    .   .    .    connection-pool
    .    .   .    .    http-protocol
    .    .   .    .    http-file-cache
    .    .   .    .    http-listener P
    .    .   .    .   .    ssl
    .    .   .    .    virtual-server P
    .    .   .    .   .    http-access-log
    .    .   .    iiop-service
    .    .   .    .    orb P
    .    .   .    .    ssl-client-config
    .    .   .    .   .    ssl
    .    .   .    .    iiop-listener P
    .    .   .    .   .    ssl
    .    .   .    admin-service P
    .    .   .    .    jmx-connector P
    .    .   .    .   .    ssl
    .    .   .    .    das-config P
    .    .   .    connector-service
    .    .   .    web-container P
    .    .   .    .    session-config
    .    .   .    .   .    session-manager
    .    .   .    .   .    .    manager-properties P
    .    .   .    .   .    .    store-properties P
    .    .   .    .   .    session-properties P
    .    .   .    ejb-container P
    .    .   .    .    ejb-timer-service P
    .    .   .    mdb-container P
    .    .   .    jms-service P
    .    .   .    .    jms-host P
    .    .   .    log-service P
    .    .   .    .    module-log-levels P
    .    .   .    security-service P
    .    .   .    .    auth-realm P
    .    .   .    .    jacc-provider P
    .    .   .    .    audit-module P
    .    .   .    .    message-security-config
    .    .   .    .   .    provider-config P
    .    .   .    .   .    .    request-policy
    .    .   .    .   .    .    response-policy
    .    .   .    transaction-service P
    .    .   .    monitoring-service P
    .    .   .    .    module-monitoring-levels P
    .    .   .    java-config P
    .    .   .    .    profiler P
    .    .   .    .   .    jvm-options
    .    .   .    .    jvm-options
    .    .   .    availability-service P
    .    .   .    .    web-container-availability P
    .    .   .    .    ejb-container-availability P
    .    .   .    thread-pools
    .    .   .    .    thread-pool
    .    .   .    alert-service P
    .    .   .    .    alert-subscription
    .    .   .    .   .    listener-config P
    .    .   .    .   .    filter-config P
    .    .   .    system-property
    .    .   .    .    description
    .    servers
    .    .    server P
    .    .   .    application-ref
    .    .   .    resource-ref
    .    .   .    system-property
    .    .   .    .    description
    .    clusters
    .    .    cluster P
    .    .   .    server-ref
    .    .   .    .    health-checker
    .    .   .    resource-ref
    .    .   .    application-ref
    .    .   .    system-property
    .    .   .    .    description
    .    node-agents
    .    .    node-agent P
    .    .   .    jmx-connector P
    .    .   .    .    ssl
    .    .   .    auth-realm P
    .    .   .    log-service P
    .    .   .    .    module-log-levels P
    .    lb-configs
    .    .    lb-config P
    .    .   .    cluster-ref
    .    .   .    .    health-checker
    .    .   .    server-ref
    .    .   .    .    health-checker
    .    system-property
    .    .    description

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