Administration Console

A Web browser-based, graphical user interface. It is used to manage an Oracle WebLogic Server domain.

administration server

Provides a central point for managing an Oracle WebLogic Server domain.

Apache Ant (ANT)

ANT (Another Neat Tool) is a software tool for automating software build processes using Java. Ant uses XML-based configuration files (called build.xml by default) to execute tasks written in Java. Oracle provides a number of Ant tasks that help you generate important Web Service-related artifacts.

The Apache Web site provides other useful Ant tasks for packaging EAR, WAR, and Enterprise Java Bean (EJB) JAR files. For more information, see the Apache Ant Manual at

http://jakarta.apache.org/ant/manual/

NOTE:  ANT is similar to the UNIX make command, but ANT uses XML to describe the build process and its dependencies.

application integration adapter

A software component that connects two incompatible business applications with the specific purpose of facilitating information exchange.

application programming interface (API)

A series of software routines and development tools that comprise an interface between a computer application and lower-level services and functions (such as the operating system, device drivers, and other software applications). APIs serve as building blocks for programmers putting together software applications.

application server

A server designed to host applications and their environments, permitting server applications to run. A typical example is Oracle Application Server, which is able to host Java, C, C++, and PL/SQL applications in cases where a remote client controls the interface. Another example is the Siebel Server.

artifact

Any resulting physical entity, or data, generated and persisted to disk by the Oracle WebLogic Diagnostic Framework that can be used later for diagnostic analysis. For example, the diagnostic image file that is created when the server fails is an artifact. The diagnostic image artifact is provided to support personnel for analysis to determine why the server failed. The Oracle WebLogic Diagnostic Framework produces a number of different artifacts.

base domain

The domain you use in the Administration Console to configure administrative options that apply to all servers in the current domain.

business-to-business (B2B)

Describes the communication between businesses in the selling of goods and services to each other. The software infrastructure to enable this is referred to as an exchange.

business-to-consumer (B2C)

Describes the communication between businesses and consumers in the selling of goods and services.

class

A category of objects. Classes allow grouping of data and method.

CLASSPATH

The operating system environmental variable that the Java Virtual Machine (JVM) uses to find the classes it needs to run applications.

cluster

An entity of a particular Oracle WebLogic Server domain. A deployment in which multiple Oracle WebLogic Server instances (servers) run simultaneously and work together can provide increased scalability and reliability. The servers that constitute a cluster can run on the same computer or on different computers.

connection factory

A public interface that a Java EE application component uses to access a connection instance. The component then uses it to connect to the underlying enterprise information system (EIS). Examples of connections include: database connections and JMS (Java Message Service) connections.

Common Object Request Broker API (CORBA)

An Object Management Group standard for communicating between distributed in a network. These self-contained software modules can be used by applications running on different platforms or operating systems. CORBA objects and their data formats and functions are defined in the Interface Definition Language (IDL), which can be compiled in a variety of languages including Java, C, C++, Smalltalk, and COBOL.

container

An application program or subsystem in which the program building block, known as a component, is run.

credential

Security-related attribute of a subject that might contain information used to authenticate the subject to new services. Types of credentials include, but are not limited to, user name and password combinations and public key certificates.

credential mapping

The process whereby a legacy system's database is used to obtain an appropriate set of credentials to authenticate users to a target resource. The Oracle WebLogic Server uses credential mapping to map credentials used by Oracle WebLogic Server users to credentials used in a legacy (or any remote) system. The Oracle WebLogic Server then uses the credential maps to log in to a remote system on behalf of a subject that has already been authenticated.

domain

An interrelated set of Oracle WebLogic Server resources that is managed as a unit. It is the basic administrative unit of the Oracle WebLogic Server. A domain includes one or more Oracle WebLogic Server instances, which can form clusters, instances, or a combination of both.

Domain Name System (DNS)

A system for naming computers and network services that is organized into a hierarchy of domains. DNS is used in TCP/IP networks to locate computers through user-friendly names. DNS resolves a friendly name into an IP address, which is understood by computers.

EAR (enterprise application archive)

A Java 2 Platform Enterprise Edition (Java EE) archive file that is used in deploying applications on a Java EE application server. EAR files simplify application deployment by reducing the possibility of errors when moving an application from development to test, and test to production.

See also JAR (Java archive file) and WAR (Web application archive file).

element

The basic logical unit of an XML document that can serve as a container for other elements such as children, data, and attributes and their values. Elements are identified by start-tags, such as <name>, and end-tags, such as </name>, or in the case of empty elements, <name/>.

Enterprise Application Integration (EAI)

See Siebel Enterprise Application Integration (EAI).

enterprise information system (EIS)

Provides a technology platform that enables organizations to integrate and coordinate their business processes. An EIS is a data management system that operates centrally and makes shareable information available on multiple functional levels and management hierarchies.

Enterprise Java Bean (EJB)

An independent program module that runs within a JVM (Java Virtual Machine) on the server. CORBA provides the infrastructure for EJBs, and a container layer provides security, transaction support, and other common functions on any supported server.

eXtensible Markup Language

See XML.

Extensible Style Sheet Language Transformation (XSLT)

A declarative, XML-based language used for the transformation of XML documents into other XML documents.

failover

Failover is when one node fails in a clustered environment, but transactions continue to process on other nodes. There is no interruption of the end-user experience.

HTTP protocol

Hypertext Transfer Protocol. A protocol that provides the language that enables browsers and the origin server to communicate. On the Internet, HTTP is a standard protocol that is used to exchange data.

HTTP request header

A header that enables Web browsers to pass additional information about the request and about itself to the origin server.

HTTP request method

A method included in the HTTP request that specifies the purpose of the client's request.

HTTPS protocol

Secure Hypertext Transfer Protocol. A protocol that uses the Secure Sockets Layer (SSL) to encrypt and decrypt user page requests as well as the pages that are returned by the origin server. On the Internet, HTTPS is a standard protocol that is used to exchange data in a secured environment.

instantiate

To create an instance of a Java class.

Integrated Development Environment (IDE)

A tool that develops application artifacts. One example is Oracle Developer.

See also Oracle JDeveloper.

IP address

Each computer on the network is assigned a unique IP address, which is made up of the network ID and a unique host ID. This address is typically represented in dotted-decimal notation, with the decimal value of each octet separated by a period, for example 144.45.9.22.

JAR (Java archive file)

Contains the class, image, and sound files for a Java application or applet. JAR files might also be compressed.

See also EAR (enterprise application archive) and WAR (Web application archive file).

Java

A high-level programming language where applications run in a virtual machine known as a JVM. The JVM is responsible for all interfaces to the operating system. This architecture permits developers to create Java applications that can run on any operating system or platform that has a JVM.

Java API for XML Messaging (JAXM)

Enables applications to send and receive document-oriented XML messages using a pure Java API.

JavaBeans

An independent program module that runs within a JVM, typically for creating user interfaces on the client. Also known as Java Bean (two words). The server equivalent is called an Enterprise JavaBean (EJB).

See also Enterprise Java Bean (EJB).

Java Database Connectivity (JDBC)

The programming API that enables Java applications to access a database through the SQL language. JDBC drivers are written in Java for platform independence but are specific to each database.

Java Developer's Kit (JDK)

The collection of Java classes, runtime, compiler, debugger, and usually source code for a version of Java that makes up a Java development environment. JDKs are designated by versions, and Java 2 is used to designate versions from 1.2 onward.

Java EE Connector Architecture (JCA)

A Java-based technology solution for connecting application servers and enterprise information systems (EIS) as part of EAI solutions. For more information on JCA, see:

http://java.sun.com/j2ee/connector

Java Message Service (JMS)

Java Message Oriented Middleware (MOM) API for sending messages between two or more clients. It allows the communication between different components of a distributed application to be loosely coupled, reliable, and asynchronous.

Java Platform, Enterprise Edition (Java EE)

A platform-independent, Java-centric environment for developing, building, and deploying Web-based enterprise applications online. The Java EE platform consists of a set of services, APIs, and protocols that provide the functionality for developing multitiered, Web-based applications.

Java Server Page (JSP)

An extension to servlet functionality that provides a simple programmatic interface to Web pages. JSPs are HTML pages with special tags and embedded Java code that is executed on the Web or application server. JSPs provide dynamic functionality to HTML pages. They are actually compiled into servlets when first requested and run in the servlet container.

JavaServer Faces (JSF)

A standard Java framework for building Web applications. It simplifies development by providing a component-centric approach to developing Java Web user interfaces. JSF offers rich and robust APIs that provide programming flexibility and makes sure that applications are well designed with greater maintainability by integrating the Model-View-Controller (MVC) design pattern into its architecture.

JavaServer Faces JavaServer Page (JSF JSP)

JSF JSPs differ from plain JSPs through their support of Oracle ADF Faces components for the user interface and JSF technology for page navigation. JSF JSP pages leverage the advantages of the Oracle Application Development Framework (Oracle ADF) by using the ADF Model binding capabilities for the components in the pages.

Java Messaging Service (JMS)

The JMS API is a protocol for communication that provides asynchronous communication between components in a distributed computing environment.

Java Web service (JWS)

An ordinary Java class file that uses annotations to specify the shape and characteristics of a Web service.

Java Naming and Directory Interface (JNDI)

A programming interface for connecting Java programs to naming and directory services such as DNS, LDAP, and NDS.

Java Virtual Machine (JVM)

The Java interpreter that converts the compiled Java bytecode into the machine language of the platform and runs it. JVMs can run on a client, in a browser, in a middle tier, on an intranet, on an application server, or in a database server.

JAX-RS (Java API for RESTful Web Services)

A Java programming language API that provides support in creating Web services according to the Representational State Transfer (REST) architectural style.

load balancing

A feature in which HTTP requests are distributed among origin servers so that no single server is overloaded.

managed server

In a production environment, a managed server hosts applications and the resources needed by those applications. A domain, which is a logically related group of Oracle WebLogic Server resources, can have any number of managed servers. An administration server manages these servers.

Oracle Fusion Middleware

A suite of Oracle software products, including Java EE and developer tools, integration services, business intelligence, collaboration, and content management. It is used for the development, deployment, and management of service-oriented architecture (SOA) and to facilitate integration with existing applications and systems from other software vendors.

ORACLE_HOME

The operating system environment variable that identifies the location of the Oracle database installation for use by applications.

Oracle JDeveloper

An integrated development environment (IDE) for developing and deploying Java-based service-oriented architecture (SOA) applications and user interfaces.

Oracle WebLogic Server

A scalable, enterprise-ready Java Platform, Enterprise Edition (Java EE) application server. The Oracle WebLogic Server infrastructure supports the deployment of many types of distributed applications and is an ideal foundation for building applications based on Service Oriented Architectures (SOA). SOA is a design methodology aimed at maximizing the reuse of application services.

origin server

A server that is either an application Web server for internal sites or a proxy server for external sites outside a firewall.

path name

The name of a resource that reflects its location in the repository hierarchy. A path name is composed of a root element (the first /), element separators (/) and various subelements (or path elements). A path element might be composed of any character in the database character set except ("\", "/"). These characters have a special meaning for Oracle XML DB. Forward slash is the default name separator in a path name and backward slash might be used to escape characters.

proxy server

An origin server that substitutes for the real server, forwarding client connection requests to the real server or to other proxy servers. Proxy servers provide access control, data and system security, monitoring, and caching.

Remote Method Invocation (RMI)

Specifies how distributed Java applications must operate over multiple Java virtual machines.

repository

The set of database objects in any schema that are mapped to path names. There is one root to the repository ("/"), which contains a set of resources, each with a path name.

resource

An object in the repository hierarchy.

resource name

The name of a resource within its parent folder. Resource names must be unique (potentially subject to case-insensitivity) within a folder. Resource names are always in the UTF-8 character set (NVARCHAR2).

resource adapter

A resource adapter is one implementation of an application integration adapter. In SAI for Oracle Fusion Middleware, the resource adapter is the core Java EE component that provides the link between Siebel Business Applications and Oracle WebLogic Server and is compliant with the Java EE Connector Architecture (JCA) specification.

See also Siebel Resource Adapter.

Representational State Transfer (REST)

A style of software architecture for distributed hypermedia systems such as the World Wide Web. Hypermedia is an extension to hypertext that supports linking graphics, sound, and video elements in addition to text elements. REST-style architectures consist of clients and servers that govern the proper behavior of participants. Clients initiate requests to servers; servers process requests and return appropriate responses. Requests and responses are built around the transfer of representations of resources. A resource can be essentially any coherent and meaningful concept that might be addressed.

See also Siebel Representational State Transfer (RESTful) Services.

schema

The definition of the structure and data types within a database. It can also be used to refer to an XML document that supports the XML Schema W3C recommendation.

Secure Shell (SSH)

A network protocol that allows data to be exchanged using a secure channel between two networked devices. It is used primarily on Linux and UNIX operating systems to access shell accounts.

Secure Sockets Layer (SSL)

The primary security protocol on the Internet; it utilizes a public key and private key form of encryption between browsers and servers.

Service-oriented architecture (SOA)

A flexible set of design principles used during the phases of systems development and integration. A deployed SOA-based architecture provides a loosely integrated suite of services that you can use in multiple business domains.

servlet

A Java application that runs in a server, typically a Web or application server, and performs processing on that server. Servlets are the Java equivalent to CGI scripts.

security realm

A security realm comprises mechanisms for protecting Oracle WebLogic Server resources. Each security realm consists of a set of configured security providers, users, groups, security roles, and security policies.

Siebel Enterprise Application Integration (EAI)

The set of products for Siebel Business Applications that includes tools, technologies, and prebuilt functional integrations that facilitate application integration.

Siebel Resource Adapter

The adapter used for deploying SAI for Oracle Fusion Middleware and Siebel Representational State Transfer (RESTful) Services.

Siebel Representational State Transfer (RESTful) Services

A set of Java EE services that makes available a Siebel Repository instance or a Siebel enterprise instance to a connected application or system. It provides a Web service architecture that defines how you use Web standards, such as HTTP and URIs (Uniform Resource Identifier).

See also Representational State Transfer (REST).

Simple Object Access Protocol (SOAP)

An XML-based protocol for exchanging information in a decentralized, distributed environment.

Structured Query Language (SQL)

The standard language used to access and process data in a relational database.

Uniform Resource Identifier (URI)

The address syntax that is used to create URLs and XPaths.

Uniform Resource Locator (URL)

The address that defines the location and route to a file on the Internet. URLs are used by browsers to navigate the World Wide Web and consist of a protocol prefix, port number, domain name, directory and subdirectory names, and the file name. For example, http://www.oracle.com:80/technology/tech/xml/index.htm specifies the location and path a browser will travel to find the Oracle Technology Network XML site on the World Wide Web.

WAR (Web application archive file)

WAR files encapsulate in a single module all of the components necessary to run an application. WAR files typically contain an application's servlet, JSP, and JSF JSP components.

See also EAR (enterprise application archive) and JAR (Java archive file).

Web context root

A name that is mapped to the document root of a Web client and is the starting place from which the Oracle WebLogic Server attempts to find servlets or other programs that are to be executed.

World Wide Web

A worldwide hypertext system that uses the Internet and the HTTP protocol.

World Wide Web Consortium (W3C)

An international industry consortium started in 1994 to develop standards for the World Wide Web. It is located at

http://www.w3.org

Web Services Description Language (WSDL)

The standard format for describing a Web service using XML. A WSDL definition describes how to access a Web service and what operations it performs.

XML

An open standard for describing data developed by the World Wide Web Consortium (W3C) using a subset of the SGML syntax and designed for Internet use.

XPath

The open standard syntax for addressing elements within a document used by XSL and XPointer. XPath is currently a W3C recommendation. It specifies the data model and grammar for navigating an XML document utilized by XSLT, XLink and XML Query.

XSD (XML Schema Definition)

An XML-based language used to describe and control XML document contents.