Finding the Right Configuration File

The most commonly edited server configuration files are undoubtedly server.xml and application.xml . However, in most cases you'll also need to configure database access in data-sources.xml , set up URL mappings to your web applications in http-web-site.xml , and customize one or more security files. Table 4-3 describes each server configuration file and the most common reasons to change it, along with where to find more information about it in this book.

Table 4-3: Server Configuration Files

File	Description	Covered In
server.xml	Root configuration file, which contains server settings and references to other files. This is frequently changed to deploy applications, configure logging, configure the transaction timeout, and so on.	This chapter
application.xml	Contains default J2EE application settings and is most often changed to configure security and shared libraries.	Chapter 9
data-sources.xml	Allows configuration of JDBC DataSources to allow managed access to databases.	Chapter 5
global-web-application.xml	Contains default web application settings that allow you to tweak JSP tuning parameters, file extensions, and so on. Rarely used during development.	Chapter 10
http-web-site.xml	Allows configuration of virtual hosts , default web applications, Secure Sockets Layer (SSL) and other web settings. Most often changed to configure URL mappings for web applications.	This chapter
internal-settings.xml	Contains RMI-IIOP settings. Most often changed to resolve IIOP port conflicts when running multiple servers on one machine.	This chapter
java2.policy	Security policy, which restricts the file, property, and runtime permissions granted to code executing in the container.	Chapter 7
jazn.xml	Allows configuration of JAAS security providers.	Chapter 7
jazn-data.xml	Stores JAAS security data when using the XML provider type.	Chapter 7
jms.xml	Allows configuration of the default JMS implementation.	Chapter 6
mime.types	Maps MIME types to file extensions so that the HTTP server sets response headers correctly.	Chapter 10
oc4j-connectors.xml	Contains settings for global Connectors, which can be used to access external systems other than databases (for example, mainframes, accounting systems).	Chapter 12
principals.xml	Stores user and group configuration for the default security manager.	Chapter 7
rmi.xml	Contains RMI and clustering settings. Most often changed to resolve RMI port conflicts when running multiple servers on one machine.	This chapter

Warning 

For now, since you're working with OC4J Standalone, you can edit these files directly, and any changes to them will be automatically discovered when you restart the server. However, when working with the full Oracle Application Server stack, it's best to update them through the command line or with graphical tools. Otherwise, you'll need to run a synchronization command to tell the server that the configuration has changed. For more information on these tools and the full Oracle Application Server stack, see Chapter 16.