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Introducing Transactions

Introducing Transactions
This topic includes the following sections:
Notes:
Technical support for third party CORBA Java ORBs should be provided by their respective vendors. Oracle Tuxedo does not provide any technical support or documentation for third party CORBA Java ORBs.
Overview of Transactions in Oracle Tuxedo CORBA Applications
This topic includes the following sections:
ACID Properties of Transactions
One of the most fundamental features of the Oracle Tuxedo system is transaction management. Transactions are a means to guarantee that database transactions are completed accurately and that they take on all the ACID properties (atomicity, consistency, isolation, and durability) of a high-performance transaction. Oracle Tuxedo protects the integrity of your transactions by providing a complete infrastructure for ensuring that database updates are done accurately, even across a variety of resource managers (RMs). If any one of the operations fails, the entire set of operations is rolled back.
Resource Manager
A Resource Manager (RM) is a data repository, such as a database management system or the Oracle Tuxedo system’s Application Queuing Manager, with tools for accessing the data. The Oracle Tuxedo system uses one or more RMs to maintain the state of an application. For example, bank records in which account balances are maintained are kept in an RM. When the state of the application changes through a service that allows a customer to withdraw money from an account, the new balance in the account is recorded in the appropriate RM.
The Oracle Tuxedo system helps you manage transactions involving resource managers that support the XA interface. To coordinate all the operations performed and all the modules affected by a transaction, the Oracle Tuxedo system plays the role of the Transaction Manager (TM).
The TM coordinates global transactions involving system-wide resources. Local resource managers (RMs) are responsible for individual resources. The Transaction Manager Server (TMS) begins, commits, and aborts transactions involving multiple resources. The application code uses the normal embedded SQL interface to the RM to perform reads and updates. The TMS uses the XA interface to the RM to perform the work of a global transaction.
Supported Programming Model
Oracle Tuxedo supports the Object Management Group Common Object Request Broker (CORBA) in C++, in compliance with the The Common Object Request Broker: Architecture and Specification, Revision 2.4.2, January 2001.
Supported API Model
Oracle Tuxedo supports the CORBA services Object Transaction Service (OTS). Oracle Tuxedo provides a C++ interface to the OTS and is based on the OTS. The OTS is accessed through the org.omg.CosTransactions.Current environmental object. For information about using the TransactionCurrent environmental object, see the “CORBA Bootstrapping Programming Reference” in the CORBA Programming Reference.
Note:
Support for Business Transactions
OTS provides the following support for your business transactions:
Distributed Transactions and the Two-Phase Commit Protocol
Oracle Tuxedo CORBA supports distributed transactions and the two-phase commit protocol for enterprise applications. A distributed transaction is a transaction that updates multiple resource managers (such as databases) in a coordinated manner. The two-phase commit protocol (2PC) is a method of coordinating a single transaction across one or more resource managers. It guarantees data integrity by ensuring that transactional updates are committed in all of the participating databases, or are fully rolled back out of all the databases, reverting to the state prior to the start of the transaction.
When to Use Transactions
Transactions are appropriate in the situations described in the following list. Each situation describes a transaction model supported by Oracle Tuxedo CORBA.
For example, consider a travel agent application. The client application needs to arrange for a journey to a distant location; for example, from Strasbourg, France, to Alice Springs, Australia. Such a journey would inevitably require multiple individual flight reservations. The client application works by reserving each individual segment of the journey in sequential order; for example, Strasbourg to Paris, Paris to New York, New York to Los Angeles. However, if any individual flight reservation cannot be made, the client application needs a way to cancel all the flight reservations made up to that point.
For example, consider an Internet-based online shopping cart application. Users of the client application browse through an online catalog and make multiple purchase selections. When the users are done choosing all the items they want to buy, they proceed to check out and enter their credit card information to make the purchase. If the credit card check fails, the shopping application needs a way to cancel all the pending purchase selections in the shopping cart, or roll back any purchase transactions made during the conversation.
For example, consider a banking application. The client invokes the transfer operation on a teller object. The transfer operation requires the teller object to make the following invocations on the bank database:
If the credit invocation on the bank database fails, the banking application needs a way to roll back the previous debit invocation.
How to Use Transactions in Oracle Tuxedo CORBA Applications
Figure 1‑1 illustrates transactions in an Oracle CORBA application.
Figure 1‑1 Transactions in an Oracle Tuxedo CORBA Application
The way you use transactions differs depending on whether you use the Oracle bootstrapping mechanism or the Interoperable Naming Service (INS) bootstrapping mechanism.
Note:
How to Use Transactions When Using the Oracle Bootstrapping Mechanism
When the Oracle proprietary Bootstrapping mechanism is used, you use a basic transaction in the following way:
1.
2.
A client application begins a transaction using the Tobj::TransactionCurrent::begin() operation, and issues a request to the CORBA interface through the TP Framework. All operations on the CORBA interface execute within the scope of a transaction.
The client application commits the current transaction using the Tobj::TransactionCurrent::commit() operation. This operation ends the transaction and starts the processing of the operation. The transaction is committed only if all of the participants in the transaction agree to commit.
3.
The Tobj::TransactionCurrent:commit() operation causes the TP Framework to call the transaction manager to complete the transaction.
4.
How to Use Transactions When Using the INS Bootstrapping Mechanism
When you use CORBA services Interoperable Naming Service (INS) bootstrapping mechanism is used, you use a basic transaction in the following way:
1.
The client application uses the ORB::resolve_initial_references() operation to get a FactoryFinder object for the Oracle Tuxedo domain.
2.
Note:
The TransactionFactory returns objects that adhere to the standard CORBA Services Transaction Service interfaces instead of the Oracle delegated interfaces. This means that a third-party client can use their ORB’s resolve_initial_references() function to get the TransactionFactory from an Oracle Tuxedo CORBA server and use stubs generated from standard OMG IDL to act on the instances returned.
3.
The client application then uses the create() operation on the TransactionFactory to begin a transaction and issues a request to the CORBA interface through the TP Framework.
4.
From the Control object returned from the create() operation, the client application uses the get_terminator() operation to get the transaction Terminator interface.
5.
The client application then uses the commit() or rollback() operation on the Terminator interface to end or abort the transaction. The commit() operation causes the TP Framework to call the transaction manager to complete the transaction.
6.
Note:
The client application commits the current transaction using the Terminator::commit() operation. This operation ends the transaction and starts the processing of the operation. The transaction is committed only if all of the participants in the transaction agree to commit.
Note:
Writing a Transactions Sample Application
This topic includes the following sections:
Workflow for the Transactions Sample Application
In the Transactions sample CORBA application, the operation of registering for courses is executed within the scope of a transaction. The transaction model used in the Transactions sample application is a combination of the conversational model and the model in which a single client invocation makes multiple individual operations on a database.
The Transactions sample application works in the following way:
1.
2.
3.
If the student exceeds the maximum number of credits the student can take, the server application returns a TooManyCredits user exception to the client application. The client application provides a brief message explaining that the request was rejected. The client application then rolls back the transaction.
Figure 1‑2 illustrates how the Transactions sample application works.
Figure 1‑2 Transactions Sample Application
The Transactions sample application shows two ways in which a transaction can be rolled back:
Nonfatal. If the registration for a course fails because the course is not in the database, or because the student is already registered for the course, the server application returns the numbers of those courses to the client application. The decision to roll back the transaction lies with the user of the client application (and the Transaction client application code rolls back the transaction automatically in this case).
Fatal. If the registration for a course fails because the student exceeds the maximum number of credits he or she can take, the server application generates a CORBA exception and returns it to the client. The decision to roll back the transaction also lies with the client application.
Thus, the Transactions sample application also shows how to implement user-defined CORBA exceptions. For example, if the student tries to register for a course that would exceed the maximum number of courses for which the student can register, the server application returns the TooManyCredits exception. When the client application receives this exception, the client application rolls back the transaction automatically.
Note:
Development Steps
This topic describes the following development steps for writing an Oracle Tuxedo application that contains transaction processing code:
The Transactions sample application is used to demonstrate these development steps. The source files for the Transactions sample application are located in the \samples\corba\university directory of the Oracle Tuxedo software. For information about building and running the Transactions sample application, see the Transactions Sample in the Oracle Tuxedo online documentation.
Step 1: Writing the OMG IDL
You need to specify interfaces involved in transactions in Object Management Group (OMG) Interface Definition Language (IDL) just as you would any other CORBA interface. You must also specify any user exceptions that might occur from using the interface.
For the Transactions sample application, you would define in OMG IDL the Registrar interface and the register_for_courses() operation. The register_for_courses() operation has a parameter, NotRegisteredList, which returns to the client application the list of courses for which registration failed. If the value of NotRegisteredList is empty, then the client application commits the transaction. You also need to define the TooManyCredits user exception.
Listing 1‑1 includes the OMG IDL for the Transactions sample application.
Listing 1‑1 OMG IDL for the Transactions Sample Application
#pragma prefix "beasys.com"
module UniversityT
{
       typedef unsigned long CourseNumber;
       typedef sequence<CourseNumber> CourseNumberList;

       struct CourseSynopsis
       {
              CourseNumber course_number;
              string title;
       };
       typedef sequence<CourseSynopsis> CourseSynopsisList;

       interface CourseSynopsisEnumerator
       {
       //Returns a list of length 0 if there are no more entries
       CourseSynopsisList get_next_n(
              in unsigned long number_to_get, // 0 = return all
              out unsigned long number_remaining
       );

       void destroy();
       };
       typedef unsigned short Days;
       const Days MONDAY = 1;
       const Days TUESDAY = 2;
       const Days WEDNESDAY = 4;
       const Days THURSDAY = 8;
       const Days FRIDAY = 16;
}
//Classes restricted to same time block on all scheduled days,
//starting on the hour
struct ClassSchedule
{
       Days class_days; // bitmask of days
       unsigned short start_hour; // whole hours in military time
       unsigned short duration; // minutes
};
struct CourseDetails
{
       CourseNumber course_number;
       double cost;
       unsigned short number_of_credits;
       ClassSchedule class_schedule;
       unsigned short number_of_seats;
       string title;
       string professor;
       string description;
};
       typedef sequence<CourseDetails> CourseDetailsList;
       typedef unsigned long StudentId;
struct StudentDetails
{
       StudentId student_id;
       string name;
       CourseDetailsList registered_courses;
};
enum NotRegisteredReason
{
       AlreadyRegistered,
       NoSuchCourse
};
struct NotRegistered
{
       CourseNumber course_number;
       NotRegisteredReason not_registered_reason;
};
       typedef sequence<NotRegistered> NotRegisteredList;
exception TooManyCredits
{
       unsigned short maximum_credits;
};
//The Registrar interface is the main interface that allows
//students to access the database.
interface Registrar
{
       CourseSynopsisList
       get_courses_synopsis(
              in string search_criteria,
              in unsigned long number_to_get,
              out unsigned long number_remaining,
              out CourseSynopsisEnumerator rest
);
       CourseDetailsList get_courses_details(in CourseNumberList
       courses);
       StudentDetails get_student_details(in StudentId student);
       NotRegisteredList register_for_courses(
              in StudentId student,
              in CourseNumberList courses
       raises (
              TooManyCredits
       );
};
// The RegistrarFactory interface finds Registrar interfaces.
interface RegistrarFactory
{
       Registrar find_registrar(
       );
};
 
Step 2: Defining Transaction Policies for the Interfaces
Transaction policies are used on a per-interface basis. During design, it is decided which interfaces within an Oracle Tuxedo application will handle transactions. Table 1‑1 describes the CORBA transaction policies.
 
The interface is not transactional. However, requests made to this interface within a scope of a transaction are allowed. The AUTOTRAN parameter, specified in the UBBCONFIG file for this interface, is ignored.
During development, you decide which interfaces will execute in a transaction by assigning transaction policies. You specify transaction policies in the Implementation Configuration File (ICF). A template ICF file is created by the genicf command. For more information about the ICFs, see “Implementation Configuration File (ICF)” in the CORBA Programming Reference.
In the Transactions sample application, the transaction policy of the Registrar interface is set to always.
Step 3: Writing the Server Application
When using transactions in server applications, you need to write methods that implement the interface’s operations. In the Transactions sample application, you would write a method implementation for the register_for_courses() operation.
If your Oracle Tuxedo application uses a database, you need to include in the server application code that opens and closes an XA resource manager. These operations are included in the Server::initialize() and Server::release() operations of the Server object. Listing 1‑2 shows the portion of the code for the Server object in the Transactions sample application that opens and closes the XA resource manager.
Note:
For a complete example of a CORBA server application that implements transactions, see the Transactions Sample in the Oracle Tuxedo online documentation.
Listing 1‑2 C++ Server Object in Transactions Sample Application
CORBA::Boolean Server::initialize(int argc, char* argv[])
{
       TRACE_METHOD("Server::initialize");
       try {
              open_database();
              begin_transactional();
              register_fact();
              return CORBA_TRUE;
}
       catch (CORBA::Exception& e) {
              LOG(“CORBA exception : “ <<e);
       }
       catch (SamplesDBException& e) {
              LOG(“Can’t connect to database”);
       }
       catch (...) {
              LOG(“Unexpected database error : “ <<e);
       }
       catch (...) {
              LOG(“Unexpected exception”);
       }
       cleanup();
       return CORBA_FALSE;
}

void Server::release()
{
       TRACE_METHOD(“Server::release”);
       cleanup();
}
static void cleanup()
{
       unregister_factory();
       end_transactional();
       close_database();
}
//Utilities to manage transaction resource manager

CORBA::Boolean s_became_transactional = CORBA_FALSE;
static void begin_transactional()
{
       TP::open_xa_rm();
       s_became_transactional = CORBA_TRUE;
}
static void end_transactional()
{
       if(!s_became_transactional){
       return//cleanup not necessary
}
try {
       TP::close_xa_rm ();
}
       catch (CORBA::Exception& e) {
              LOG(“CORBA Exception : “ << e);
       }
       catch (...) {
              LOG(“unexpected exception”);
       }
       s_became_transactional = CORBA_FALSE;
}
 
Step 4: Writing the Client Application
The client application needs code that performs the following tasks:
1.
2.
Begins a transaction by invoking the Tobj::TransactionCurrent::begin() operation on the TransactionCurrent object.
3.
Invokes operations on the object. In the Transactions sample application, the client application invokes the register_for_courses() operation on the Registrar object, passing a list of courses.
Listing 1‑3 shows the portion of the CORBA C++ client applications in the Transactions sample application that illustrates the development steps for transactions.
Note:
The sample code shown in Listing 1‑3 illustrates how to use the Oracle bootstrapping mechanism. For information on how to use the INS bootstrapping mechanism, see the “CORBA Bootstrapping Programming Reference” in the CORBA Programming Reference.
Listing 1‑3 Transactions Code for CORBA C++ Client Applications
CORBA::Object_var var_transaction_current_oref =
     Bootstrap.resolve_initial_references(“TransactionCurrent”);
CosTransactions::Current_var transaction_current_oref=
     CosTransactions::Current::_narrow(var_transaction_current_oref.in());
//Begin the transaction
var_transaction_current_oref->begin();
try {
//Perform the operation inside the transaction
    pointer_Registar_ref->register_for_courses(student_id, course_number_list);
     ...
//If operation executes with no errors, commit the transaction:
     CORBA::Boolean report_heuristics = CORBA_TRUE;
     var_transaction_current_ref->commit(report_heuristics);
    }
catch (...) {
//If the operation has problems executing, rollback the
//transaction. Then throw the original exception again.
//If the rollback fails, ignore the exception and throw the
//original exception again.
try {
     var_transaction_current_ref->rollback();
    }
catch (...) {
            TP::userlog("rollback failed");
            }
throw;
}
 
Step 5: Creating a Configuration File
You need to add the following information to the configuration file for a transactional Oracle Tuxedo application:
In the GROUPS section:
In the OPENINFO parameter, include the information needed to open the resource manager for the database. You obtain this information from the product documentation for your database. Note that the default version of the com.beasys.Tobj.Server.initialize method automatically opens the resource manager.
In the CLOSEINFO parameter, include the information needed to close the resource manager for the database. By default, the CLOSEINFO parameter is empty.
Specify the TMSNAME and TMSCOUNT parameters to associate the XA resource manager with a specified server group.
In the SERVERS section, define a server group that includes both the server application that includes the interface and the server application that manages the database. This server group needs to be specified as transactional.
Include the pathname to the transaction log (TLOG) in the TLOGDEVICE parameter. For more information about the transaction log, see Chapter 5, “Administering Transactions.”
Listing 1‑4 includes the portions of the configuration file that define this information for the Transactions sample application.
Listing 1‑4 Configuration File for Transactions Sample Application
*RESOURCES
       IPCKEY 55432
       DOMAINID university
       MASTER SITE1
       MODEL SHM
       LDBAL N
       SECURITY APP_PW
*MACHINES
       BLOTTO
       LMID = SITE1
       APPDIR = C:\TRANSACTION_SAMPLE
       TUXCONFIG=C:\TRANSACTION_SAMPLE\tuxconfig
       TLOGDEVICE=C:\APP_DIR\TLOG
       TLOGNAME=TLOG
       TUXDIR="C:\tuxdir"
       MAXWSCLIENTS=10
*GROUPS
       SYS_GRP
         LMID = SITE1
         GRPNO = 1
       ORA_GRP
         LMID = SITE1
         GRPNO = 2
       OPENINFO = "ORACLE_XA:Oracle_XA+SqlNet=ORCL+Acc=P
       /scott/tiger+SesTm=100+LogDir=.+MaxCur=5"
       CLOSEINFO = ""
       TMSNAME = "TMS_ORA"
       TMSCOUNT = 2
*SERVERS
       DEFAULT:
       RESTART = Y
       MAXGEN = 5

       TMSYSEVT
         SRVGRP = SYS_GRP
         SRVID = 1
       TMFFNAME
         SRVGRP = SYS_GRP
         SRVID = 2
         CLOPT = "-A -- -N -M"
       TMFFNAME
         SRVGRP = SYS_GRP
         SRVID = 3
         CLOPT = "-A -- -N"
       TMFFNAME
         SRVGRP = SYS_GRP
         SRVID = 4
         CLOPT = "-A -- -F"
       TMIFRSVR
          SRVGRP = SYS_GRP
         SRVID = 5

       UNIVT_SERVER
         SRVGRP = ORA_GRP
         SRVID = 1
         RESTART = N
       ISL
         SRVGRP = SYS_GRP
         SRVID = 6
         CLOPT = -A -- -n //MACHINENAME:2500
*SERVICES
 
For information about the transaction log and defining parameters in the Configuration file, see Chapter 5, “Administering Transactions.”

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