iAS Architecture and Components

To provide flexible deployment options, iAS is available in two versions:

• Standard Edition is appropriate for Web sites that process a small number of transactions.
• Enterprise Edition is recommended for medium- to large-size Web sites that handle a high volume of transactions.

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iAS Standard Edition

iAS Standard Edition provides you with:

• Standard base infrastructure (Oracle HTTP Server, Oracle8i JVM, Business Components for Java (BC4J), SQLJ Translator, JMS client, Oracle Advanced Security, LDAP Client Toolkit, Oracle XML Developers Kit, and Oracle Enterprise Manager)
• Unmatched support for J2EE API (Enterprise Java Beans, Java Messaging Service, JNDI, business component framework), which provides powerful development options
• Superior Oracle database integration (calls via mod_plsql)
• Integration services to connect Web solutions to existing back-ends

iAS Enterprise Edition

iAS Enterprise Edition includes all features of iAS Standard Edition, plus:

• Oracle8i Cache services on the middle tier for faster, more efficient access to content
• Forms services for faster development of professional applications
• Reports services to deliver management reports to thin clients

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Components

To deliver application hosting, Web content, security, and integration, iAS includes the following services and components that support a 100% Internet platform:

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Communication Services

These services handle all incoming requests received by iAS. Some of these requests are processed by Oracle HTTP Server and some requests are routed to other areas of iAS for processing.

Oracle HTTP Server powered by Apache

As the defacto standard Web listener that serves as the HTTP entry point to iAS, Oracle HTTP Server provides many benefits:

• Stable, tried, and proven
  • Most widely used Web server on the Internet.
  • Open source technology improved by large community of developers.
• Scalable
  • Supports a wide variety of platforms.
  • Can replicate across multiple middle-tier machines.
• Extensible
  • Delegates handling of HTTP requests to modules (mods) for added functionality.
  • Supports stateless transactions by default, and can leverage Apache JServ to support stateful transactions.

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Oracle HTTP Server Modules (mods)

In addition to the compiled Apache mods provided with Oracle HTTP server, which support current Internet application technologies to deliver dynamic Web pages, Oracle has enhanced several of the standard mods and has added Oracle-specific mods:

• mod_ssl: provides standard HTTPS that is fully supported by Oracle; enables secure listener connections with an Oracle-provided encryption mechanism via the Secure Sockets Layer (SSL).
• mod_plsql: routes PL/SQL requests to Oracle8i PLSQL service, which, in turn, delegates the servicing of requests to PL/SQL programs.
• mod_perl: forwards Perl application requests to the Perl Interpreter that is embedded in Oracle HTTP Server, providing power and speed.
• mod_jserv: routes all servlet requests to Apache JServ servlet engine that is embedded in Oracle HTTP Server; can share servlets across multiple zones and ensures that requests get routed to the same servlet engine.

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Presentation Services

These services deliver dynamic content to client browsers, supporting servlets, JavaServer Pages, Perl/CGI scripts, PL/SQL Pages, forms, and business intelligence.

Apache Jserv: a 100% pure Java servlet engine fully compliant with the Sun Microsystems Java Servlet APIs 2.0 specification. Apache JServ works on any version 1.1 compliant Java Virtual Machine and executes any Java servlet compliant with version 2.0. When the HTTP server receives a servlet request, it is routed to mod_jserv, which in turn forwards the request to the Apache JServ servlet engine.

OracleJSP (JavaServer pages): a complete implementation of JavaServer Pages 1.1 as specified by Sun Microsystems, which extends Java Servlet technology, and supports the use of Java calls and scriptlets within HTML and XML pages; combines static template data with dynamic content to create user interfaces; supports component-based development, separating business logic (usually in JavaBeans) from the presentation. In addition, OracleJSP provides portability between servlet environments, support for SQLJ, OracleJSP Markup Language (JML), extended National Language Support (NLS), and extended datatypes to work around the limitations of Java primitive types and wrapper classes.

Oracle PSP (PL/SQL Server Pages ): analogous to JavaServer Pages, but use PL/SQL rather than Java for the server-side scripting; includes the PSP Compiler and the PL/SQL Web Toolkit. Using this service, application developers can separate page format from application logic.

Perl Interpreter: a persistent Perl runtime environment embedded in Oracle HTTP Server, saving the overhead of starting an external interpreter. When Oracle HTTP Server receives a Perl request, it is routed to mod_perl, which, in turn, routes the request to the Perl Interpreter for processing.

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Business Logic Services

These services support your application logic.

Oracle BC4J (Business Components for Java): a 100%-Java, XML-powered framework that enables productive development, portable deployment, and flexible customization of multi-tier, database-enabled applications from reusable business components; applications can be deployed as either EJB Session Beans or CORBA Server Objects on iAS.

Oracle8i JVM (Java Virtual Machine): a highly scalable, server-side Java platform supporting Enterprise JavaBeans (EJBs), CORBA, and database stored procedures; achieves high scalability through unique architectural design; common foundation for running Java and Java services in iAS and Oracle8i.

Oracle8i PLSQL: a scalable engine for running business logic against data in Oracle8i Cache and the database; provides an environment that enables users to use browsers to invoke PL/SQL procedures stored in Oracle databases.

Oracle Forms Services (Enterprise Edition only): enables users to run applications based on Oracle Forms technology over the Internet or corporate intranet to query or submit data to the database. Included in Enterprise Edition only.

Oracle Reports Services (Enterprise Edition only): enables users to run dynamically generated reports built with Oracle Reports Developer on an internal company intranet, an external company extranet, or on the Internet to retrieve information from the database.

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Data Management Services

To reduce the load on the back-end database instance, and to avoid network roundtrips for read-only data, iAS includes Oracle8i Cache.

Oracle8i Cache (Enterprise Edition only): a data cache that resides on the middle tier, improves the performance and scalability of applications that access Oracle databases by caching frequently used data on the middle-tier machine; runs stateful servlets, JavaServer pages, Enterprise JavaBeans, and CORBA objects.

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System Services

To provide system management and security services, iAS includes Oracle Enterprise Manager and the Advanced Security Option. These services provide a comprehensive management framework for your entire Oracle environment and network security via SSL (Secure Sockets Layer)-based encryption and authentication facilities.

Oracle Enterprise Manager (OEM)

Combining a graphical console, Oracle Management Servers, Oracle Intelligent Agents, common services, and administrative tools, OEM provides a comprehensive systems management platform for managing Oracle products:

• System management tool for middle-tier environment:
  • Manages, administers, and diagnoses all iAS components and services.
  • Monitors and responds to the status of Oracle products and third-party services.
  • Schedules activities on multiple nodes at varying intervals.
  • Monitors networked services for events.
  • Customizes display to organize components and services.
• Three-tier architecture:
  • 1st-tier Console: graphical interface for administrators; includes Cache Manager console for managing Oracle8i Cache.
  • 2nd-tier Management Servers (Enterprise Edition only): scalable middle tier for processing system management tasks.
  • 3rd-tier Intelligent Agents: monitor database and services on each node, and execute tasks received from the Management Server.
• High performance and availability with multiple benefits:
  • Single point of management.
  • Multi-administrator system support.
  • Scalability for growing, distributed environments.
  • Extensible architecture.
  • Automated lights-out administration.
  • Autonomous Intelligent Agents.
  • Ease of use.

Advanced Security Option: a comprehensive suite of security features to protect enterprise networks and securely extend corporate networks to the Internet; maintains the security of distributed environments, providing data privacy, data integrity, authentication, single signon, and authorization.

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Developer's Kits

The toolkits included in iAS contain libraries and tools to support application development and deployment.

Oracle Database Client Developer's Kit: contains client libraries for Oracle8i and Java client libraries: Oracle Java Messaging Service (JMS) Toolkit, Oracle SQLJ Translator, and Oracle Java Database Connectivity (JDBC) Drivers.

Oracle XML Developer's Kit (XDK): contains component libraries and utilities to XML-enable applications and Web sites: XML Parser for Java, XML Class Generator for Java, XML Transviewer JavaBeans, and XSQL Servlet.

Oracle LDAP Developer's Kit: contains subcomponents that support client interaction with Oracle Internet Directory (OID) to develop and monitor LDAP-enabled applications, client calls to directory services, encrypted connections, and manage directory data: Oracle Internet Directory C API, JNDI 1.2 (Java Naming and Directory Interface), SSL Toolkit, Oracle Internet Directory Command Line Tools, Oracle Directory Manager.

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