title: What is the common practice for targeting Foreign Servers in Oracle WebLogic Server
body: <p>We’re trying to come up with something approaching a simple and straight-forward model for targeting of JMS resources in WebLogic (fat chance, I know). Queues and Topics can easily and quite intuitively be mapped to JMS servers running on WebLogic servers, but Foreign Servers and the resources within them seem to be a bit more tricky.</p>
  
  <p>In both WLS 10.0 and 10.3 Foreign Servers are, firstly, not defined next to JMS Servers but as members of a JMS Module. Secondly, they are targeted by default to the target of the JMS Module they are defined in, i.e. a WLS Cluster or WLS Server(s), unlike “non-foreign” resources which are targeted at JMS Servers via Subdeployments. </p>
  
  <p>However, with Advanced Targeting it is also possible to target Foreign Servers at JMS Servers. This results in a model that is much more symmetrical with respect to foreign/”non-foreign” JMS resources.</p>
  
  <p><a href="http://dexter.xebialabs.com/Media/foreign_server_advanced_targeting.png">Advanced Targeting http://dexter.xebialabs.com/Media/foreign_server_advanced_targeting.png</a> </p>
  
  <p>So, the questions are:</p>
  
  <ol>
  <li>Is there any reason beyond historical accident why Foreign Resource and “non-foreign” resource targeting is so different (foreign resources by default at a WLS Cluster or WLS Server(s) vs. non-foreign resources at JMS Servers)?</li>
  <li>Is there any common or best practice for targeting Foreign and non-foreign resources?</li>
  <li>Are there any reasons why one would not want to target Foreign Servers at JMS Servers via Subdeployments?</li>
  </ol>
  
  <p>Thanks in advance!</p>
  
  <p>Andrew Phillips</p>