1 Understanding Compatibility and Interoperability
This chapter provides an introduction to compatibility and interoperability and describes how to identify areas where compatibility and interoperability considerations may arise when you are upgrading Oracle Fusion Middleware 11g components, applying patch sets, or installing new Oracle Fusion Middleware components.
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Section 1.3, "Understanding Interoperability and Compatibility with Supported Databases"
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Section 1.4, "Identifying Potential Compatibility and Interoperability Issues"
1.1 What is Compatibility?
For the purposes of this guide, compatibility is defined as the ability of two Oracle Fusion Middleware components of different versions (or releases) to interoperate. It is possible that you will have compatibility considerations when upgrading Oracle Fusion Middleware 11g or when applying Oracle Fusion Middleware 11g patch sets.
When upgrading, for example, you may need to know which components must be updated so that your existing integration points continue to work. When applying a patch set you may want to know if the new products will work with other products of the same release or if they will continue to work with previous versions.
Compatibility can be further broken down into the following:
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Compatibility Between Oracle Fusion Middleware Software Suites
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Compatibility Within Oracle Fusion Middleware Software Suites
1.1.1 Compatibility Between Oracle Fusion Middleware Software Suites
When you are upgrading your Oracle Application Server 10g environment to Oracle Fusion Middleware 11g, you will likely update one area of your environment at a time.
For example, you might upgrade your Oracle Identity and Access Management products to 11g Release 2 (11.1.2) in order to support new Oracle Identity and Access Management features. At the same time, you might leave your company-wide Oracle SOA Suite components at 11g Release 1 (11.1.1).
1.1.2 Compatibility Within Oracle Fusion Middleware Software Suites
While you are upgrading your Oracle Application Server environment to Oracle Fusion Middleware 11g, you should also consider potential compatibility issues within a specific software suite.
In most cases, issues are temporary and occur only during the upgrade process. After you finish the complete procedure for upgrading the software suite, the issues are typically resolved. However, you should still be aware of these potential concerns, because they can influence your upgrade planning.
1.2 What is Interoperability?
For the purposes of this guide, interoperability is defined as the ability of two Oracle Fusion Middleware components of the same version (or release) to work together (interoperate) in a supported Oracle Fusion Middleware configuration. Specifically, interoperability applies when the first 4 digits of the release or version number are the same. For example, Oracle Fusion Middleware 11g Release 1 (11.1.1.6.0) components are generally interoperable with other 11g Release 1 (11.1.1.6.0) components.
However, in some cases, there may be interoperability issues between Oracle Fusion Middleware software suites. In those cases, the issues would be covered in this guide.
1.3 Understanding Interoperability and Compatibility with Supported Databases
Each release of Oracle Fusion Middleware 11g is certified against specific database versions. Specifically, you can use these certified databases to host the Oracle Fusion Middleware 11g components schemas.
In some cases, you might have to upgrade your database to a supported version before upgrading to a specific Oracle Fusion Middleware 11g release. For more information on upgrading your Oracle Fusion Middleware components, see Oracle Fusion Middleware Upgrade Planning Guide.
For the latest information about the databases supported by each Oracle Fusion Middleware 11g release, refer to Oracle Fusion Middleware Supported System Configurations on the Oracle Technology Network.
From the Supported Configurations page, you can locate the specific Oracle Application Server or Oracle Fusion Middleware release you are using, as well as the target Oracle Fusion Middleware release to which you want to upgrade. For each Oracle Application Server and Oracle Fusion Middleware release, there is a corresponding spreadsheet that lists the certified configurations, including the supported databases.
1.4 Identifying Potential Compatibility and Interoperability Issues
The following sections describe how to identify and answer common compatibility and interoperability issues using information from this guide, Oracle Technology Network (OTN) and other Oracle documents:
1.4.1 Before You Begin
If you are installing a new product or updating an existing one (either to a new major version or a patch set), interoperability and compatibility issues may arise. During a new product component installation, interoperability considerations relate to the capability of the new product to integrate with other Oracle Fusion Middleware components of the same release.
Compatibility considerations relate to the capability of the new product to integrate with previous versions of Oracle Fusion Middleware products which may have already been installed. During product updates, the question is mainly one of compatibility and you may need to consider the other components that need to be updated so that existing integration points continue to work.
Table 1-1 provides a list of tasks that will help you collect the information necessary to plan your Oracle Fusion Middleware upgrade and installation strategy.
Table 1-1 Tasks for Preparing to Identify and Solve Interoperability Considerations
| Task | Description | Documentation |
|---|---|---|
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Task 1 - Gather release and version information for your installed components and supporting infrastructure. |
In order for you to identify potential interoperability and compatibility issues with your Oracle Fusion Middleware components, you must first collect the release and version information for each component or suite of components you have installed or plan to install or upgrade. In addition, you should also have version and release information for your operating system, database, JDKs and other third-party products. |
See Section 1.4.5, "Collecting Your Component and Infrastructure Information" |
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Task 2 - If you are planning an upgrade, you should develop an upgrade strategy and understand the supported starting points for upgrading to Oracle Fusion Middleware 11g. |
An upgrade starting point is a specific version of Oracle Application Server that you must be running in order to upgrade to Oracle Fusion Middleware 11g. If you are not running a version of Oracle Application Server that is a supported upgrade starting point, then you must first upgrade to a supported starting point using documentation from a previous release. |
The Oracle Fusion Middleware Upgrade Planning Guide provides detailed information for developing and implementing an Oracle Fusion Middleware upgrade plan. In addition, each of the Oracle Fusion Middleware products has an upgrade guide that details the upgrade process and identifies any post-upgrade configuration tasks that must be completed. See Section 1.4.7, "Using the Oracle Fusion Middleware Documentation Library" for more information on locating the correct documentation for your upgrade. |
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Task 3 - If you are applying a patch set, you should understand the patching requirements for your components and supporting infrastructure. |
Patching involves copying a small collection of files over an existing installation. A patch is normally associated with a particular version of an Oracle product and involves updating from one minor version of the product to a newer minor version of the same product (for example, from version 11.1.1.2.0 to version 11.1.1.3.0). |
The Oracle Fusion Middleware Patching Guide describes the tools available for you to patch your existing Oracle Fusion Middleware or upgrade your existing Oracle Application Server environment. The guide also describes product-specific prerequisites that must be met before patching. Information about the latest patches and patch sets is located in the Oracle Fusion Middleware System Requirements and Specifications Document. |
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Task 4 - If you are Installing new Oracle Fusion Middleware components, you should understand the installation requirements and the supported starting points. |
Each Fusion Middleware product suite has an installation guide that describes prerequisites, supported starting points and post-installation configuration procedures. It is important to read and follow the installation procedures to avoid potential interoperability and compatibility issues. |
To download free installation documentation, release notes, white papers, or other collateral, go to Oracle Technology Network (OTN). You must register online before using OTN; registration is free and can be done at:
If you already have a user name and password for OTN, then you can go directly to the documentation section of the OTN Web site at: |
1.4.2 Using This Guide
The chapters in this guide are organized by the different types of interoperability or compatibility issues you might have while installing, upgrading or patching your Oracle Fusion Middleware components.
1.4.3 Using Oracle Certification Matrices
The Oracle Fusion Middleware Certification matrices provide important compatibility and interoperability information such as supported system configurations, database versions, and third-party products. Refer to these documents to ensure that your current environment can support an upgrade or patch set.
Note:
The information in this guide is meant to complement the information contained in the Oracle Fusion Middleware certification matrices. If there is a conflict of information between this guide and the certification matrices, then the information in the certification matrices should be considered the correct version as they are frequently updated.
Table 1-2 Oracle Fusion Middleware Certification Matrices
| Document Name | Description |
|---|---|
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Each product area within Oracle Fusion Middleware maintains certification documentation that covers supported installation types, platforms, operating systems, databases, JDKs, and third-party products. From the Oracle Fusion Middleware Supported System Configurations page, locate the product area to review and select the appropriate certification document. |
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Oracle Fusion Middleware System Requirements and Specifications Document |
The Oracle Fusion Middleware System Requirements and Specifications document covers information such as hardware and software requirements, minimum disk space and memory requirements, and required system libraries, packages, or patches. |
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Oracle Identity Management Certification Matrix [XLS Spreadsheet] |
The Oracle Fusion Middleware Identity Management document maintains certification documentation that covers supported Identity and Access Management configurations. |
1.4.4 Understanding the Compatibility Matrices in this Guide
Interoperability and compatibility matrices are used throughout the book to identify potential issues and to provide links to additional information. When you use the interoperability and compatibility matrices in this guide, the level of support can be defined in one of the following ways:
Table 1-3 How To Use the Matrices in This Guide
| Status | Description | Example | |
|---|---|---|---|
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Compatible or Interoperable |
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Integration between the components involved is expected to work with appropriate configuration. It is important to note, however, that compatibility is not a statement of certification. Certification information is located in the certification matrices described in Table 1-2. |
For example, the Oracle HTTP Standalone Server 10.1.3 is compatible with Forms, Portal, Reports, Discoverer 10.1.2, but you may have some restrictions depending on your configuration. |
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Not Compatible or Interoperable |
 |
Integration between the components involved is not expected to work. |
For example, Oracle HTTP Server 11gR1 is not compatible with Forms, Portal, Reports, Discoverer 10.1.2 and Oracle highly discourages their being used together. |
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A reference to a specific guide or section |
This reference is provided when an individual guide provides more detailed information about the compatibility requirements and considerations that you should review when upgrading, patching or installing Oracle Fusion Middleware 11g. |
For example, refer to the Oracle Fusion Middleware Upgrade Guide for Oracle Identity Management for specific information about the interoperability of Oracle Identity and Access Management 11g Release 2 (11.1.2) components with the Identity Management 11g Releaes 1 (11.1.1) components. |
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N/A |
Not Applicable. |
For example, there is normally no communication or interaction between custom Java EE Applications and Oracle Portal, Forms, Reports, and Discoverer installations. |
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1.4.5 Collecting Your Component and Infrastructure Information
Oracle Fusion Middleware release and version information is available for each installed component on your system. This information is required before you can effectively identify and solve interoperability or compatibility issues. The certification matrices described in Section 1.4.3 provide certification and system requirements information for Oracle Fusion Middleware components.
This section provides information for the following:
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Locating Oracle Fusion Middleware Product Release Information
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Locating your database-specific version and release information:
1.4.5.1 Locating Oracle Fusion Middleware Product Release Information
To find specific release and version information for your Oracle Fusion Middleware components, see the installed product information using the Oracle Universal Installer (OUI). For more information, see "Viewing Release Numbers" in the Oracle Fusion Middleware Administrator's Guide.
Note:
You can also find version and release information in the installation log files located in the oraInventory/logs directory of your Oracle Home.
1.4.5.2 Locating Your Oracle Database Release Information
To determine the release information of your Oracle database:
Start SQL*Plus from the Oracle home directory:
sqlplus /nolog SQL> CONNECT / AS SYSDBA SQL> select * from v$version;
The command returns the release information, such as the following:
Oracle9i Enterprise Edition Release 9.2.0.8.0 - Production PL/SQL Release 9.2.0.8.0 - Production CORE 9.2.0.8.0 Production TNA for 32-bit Windows: Version 9.2.0.8.0 - Production NLSRTL Version 9.2.0.8.0 - Production
1.4.5.3 Locating your Microsoft SQL Server Version Information
To determine the release information of your Microsoft SQL database:
From the command line, enter the following:
exec xp_msver ProductVersion
The command returns the product version information, such as the following:
ProductVersion 589824 9.00.1399.06
1.4.5.4 Locating your DB2 Version Information
To determine the release information of DB2, do the following:
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From the Windows operating system command line, navigate to the following:
\Program Files\IBM\SQLLIB\BIN>db2level
The command returns the database version and applicable fix pack information such as the following:
DB21085I Instance “DB2? uses “32? bits and DB2 code release “SQL09011? with level identifier “01020107?. Informational tokens are “DB2 v9.1.100.129?, “s061104?, “WR21374?, and Fix Pack “1?. Product is installed at “D:\PROGRA~1\IBM\SQLLIB” with DB2 Copy Name “DB2COPY1?.
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From UNIX operating system command line, type the following:
db2ls
This command shows the installation path, version level, fix pack information and installation date of the installed DB2 product. Output from this command goes to the console by default.
Install Path Level Fix Pack Install Number Install Date -------------------------------------------------------------------------- /opt/ibm/db2/V9.1 9.1.0.0 0 1 Fri Sep 3 10:26:33 2010 EDT
1.4.5.5 Locating JDK Version Information
Many Fusion Middleware Components are dependent on having a supported JDK installed and configured. The currently supported JDK version information is documented in the Oracle Fusion Middleware Supported System Configurations matrix as described in Section 1.4.3.
To locate your installed JDK version information, navigate to the ORACLE_COMMON_HOME which contains the binary and library files required for Fusion Middleware Control and Java Required Files (JRF). Note that there can be only one Oracle Common home within each Middleware home. Typical Oracle WebLogic Server installations include either an Oracle JRockit SDK or Sun SDK as shown in the examples below:
ORACLE_COMMON_HOME/jrockit_160_17_R28.0.0-679
Or:
ORACLE_COMMON_HOME/jdk160_20
Oracle JRockit JDK 6 R28.0.0 indicates the 28.0.0 release of JRockit JVM used with Java SE 6; similarly, Oracle JRockit JDK 5.0 R28.0.0 indicates the 28.0.0 release of the JRockit JVM used with J2SE 5.0.
The following is an example of a complete release number:
R28.0.0-637-126675-1.6.0_17-20100111-2121-windows-ia32
In this example, R28.0.0 is the JRockit JVM release, 1.6.0_17 is the Java version, and windows-ia32 is the platform on which the release runs.
1.4.6 Using Release Notes
Refer to the Oracle Fusion Middleware Release Notes for specific information about required patch sets that address specific interoperability and compatibility issues which may surface during upgrade or patching process. The release notes for each release are available on the Oracle Technology Network (OTN):
http://docs.oracle.com/
1.4.7 Using the Oracle Fusion Middleware Documentation Library
The Oracle Fusion Middleware documentation library provides access to information that may assist you when upgrading and patching your Oracle environment. You can review component-specific administration, installation, and upgrade guides for Oracle Fusion Middleware Release 11g Release 1 (11.1.1) documentation at:
http://docs.oracle.com/