3
Configuring the PL/SQL Gateway

The PL/SQL Gateway provides a Web page for configuring Database Access Descriptors (DADs). A DAD is a set of values that specify how the PL/SQL Gateway connects to a database server to fulfill an HTTP request.

3.1 Global Settings

You can access the Gateway Configuration Menu at:

http://<hostname>:<port>/pls/admin_/gateway.htm

From this page, you can access the Global Settings page by clicking the Gateway Global Settings link. Or access the Global Settings page directly at:

http://<hostname>:<port>/pls/admin_/globalsettings.htm

The Global Settings page is shown below.

Global Settings
Default Database Access Descriptor (DAD)	Specify a path that points to the default DAD. If the end user enters a URL without specifying the DAD name, the home page for the default DAD will be displayed. Default = none You can change the DAD name by typing a new one in this field.
Administrators	Specifies who can view the admin pages. By default, this is set to ALL which means anyone can view the admin pages. This should be changed to a comma separated list of users to enforce security on the admin pages, for example scott, mike where scott and mike are local database user names. Or, scott, mike@orcl where orcl is a connect string for a remote database. Note: This setting is accessible through the configuration file only, not through the PL/SQL Gateway Web page.
Admin Path	Specifies the URL path element that identifies an admin page. This should normally be left unchanged as /admin_/. Note: This setting is accessible through the configuration file only, not through the PL/SQL Gateway Web page.

3.2 Database Access Descriptor settings

You can access the Database Access Descriptor Settings page from the Gateway Database Access Descriptor Settings link on the PL/SQL Gateway configuration page, or directly at:

http://<hostname>:<port>/pls/admin_/dadentries.htm

A section of the Database Access Descriptor Settings page is shown below.

Database Access Descriptor Settings
Database Access Descriptor Name	Displays the name for this DAD. The name is set at installation time or during creation of new web sites. You can change the name by typing a new one in this field. Note: Enter #none# if you do not want to: set a value for the Data Access Descriptor Name, nor inherit a value from the corresponding Global Settings parameter.
Oracle User Name	Displays the Oracle database account user name. The user name is typically set at installation or during creation of new web sites. You can change it by typing a new name in this entry field.
Oracle Password	Displays the Oracle database account password. The password is typically set at installation, but you change it by typing a new password in this entry field. Notes The Oracle User Name and Password are the default user name and password for logging in to a Web site or page. If you leave the Oracle User Name and Oracle Password entry fields blank, the user will be prompted to enter a user name and password when first logging in.
Oracle Connect String	Enter a SQL*Net alias if you are using a remote database. Leave this field blank if the database is local.
Authentication Mode	This parameter can be set to one of the following values: Basic - authentication is performed using basic HTTP authentication. Most applications will use Basic authentication. Global Owa - authorization id performed in the OWA package schema. Custom Owa - authorization is performed using packages and procedures in the user's schema, or if not found, in the OWA package schema PerPackage - authentication is performed by packages and procedures in the user's schema Single Sign-On - authentication is performed using the Oracle Single Sign-On feature of the Login Server. You can use this mode only if your application is is set up to work with the Login Server.
Session Cookie Name	Enter a session cookie name only for Oracle Portal 3.X installations that participate in a distributed environment.
Create a Stateful Session?	Choose Yes to preserve the database package/session state for each database request. Choose No to reset it after each request. For the PL/SQL Gateway, this parameter must be set to No.
Keep Database Connection Open Between Requests?	Choose whether, after processing one URL request, the database connection should be kept open to process future requests. In most configurations, choose Yes for maximum performance. The PL/SQL Gateway cleanup thread cleans up database sessions that have not been used for 15 minutes.
Keep Database Connection Open Between Requests	Choose whether, after processing one URL request, the database connection should be kept open to process future requests. In most configurations, specify Yes for maximum performance.
Default (Home) Page	Enter the PL/SQL procedure that will be invoked when none is specified as part of the URL itself. For example, if you specify a default home page of myapp.home and an end user enters this URL in a browser: http://myapp.myserver.com:2000/pls/myapp/ will automatically update the URL to: http://myapp.myserver.com:2000/pls/ myapp/myapp.home
Document Table	Enter the name of the database table into which files uploaded to a web site created with will be stored. The default value in this entry field is based on the name of the schema in which you created the site.
Document Access Path	Enter a path in the URL installation that is used to indicate a document is being referenced. In the following URL, for example: http://myapp.myserver.com:2000/pls/my_site/ docs/folder1/presentation.htm docs is the document access path.
Document Access Procedure	Enter the procedure that will be used to upload and download documents.
Extensions to be Uploaded as LONGRAW	Specify extensions for files to be uploaded as LONGRAW.
Path Alias	To be used by PL/SQL applications for path aliasing. WebDB 2.X Note You must leave this field blank if the DAD is for an existing WebDB 2.x Web site.
Path Alias Procedure	To be used by PL/SQL applications for path aliasing. WebDB 2.X Note You must leave this field blank if the DAD is for an existing WebDB 2.x Web site.

3.3 Securing DAD Administration

If you are a DBA responsible for granting privileges to the Database Access Descriptors (DAD) Administration pages, you need to protect these pages from public access. Otherwise, any user can create, edit, and delete DAD entries that control the functionality of the PL/SQL gateway.

Only the DBA or users with DBA-level privilege in Oracle Portal can access these pages, providing the PL/SQL Gateway configuration section is edited as follows.

1. Open the PL/SQL Gateway configuration file named wdbsvr.app. This configuration file describes settings for the the PL/SQL Gateway module and is located in the following location:
   
   <ORACLE_HOME>/Apache/modplsql/cfg/wdbsvr.app
   
   where <ORACLE_HOME> is the location of your Oracle9i Application Server installation.

2. In the [WVGATEWAY] section, typically located at the top of the file, locate the admindad parameter.

3. Enter a valid DAD name for a schema that has Single Sign-On enabled (enablesso=yes). Usually this name is set to the name of the DAD in which your Oracle Portal objects are installed. By default, the name is portal30.
   
   In the wdbsvr.app file, the Oracle Portal 3.0 gateway security parameters are displayed similar to the following:
   
   administrators = all
adminPath = /admin_/
admindad = portal30
debugModules = all
defaultDAD = simpledad

   where portal30 is the name of the schema containing your Oracle Portal installation.

4. Replace portal30 with the name of your Oracle Portal DAD.
   
   When a user tries to access any of the DAD administration pages, authentication is performed via Single Sign-On. If the logged on user is authorized to access these pages, the main DAD configuration page is displayed. If the user is not authorized, the Single Sign-On page prompts for a user name and password. If this information does not authorize the user to access these pages, an error message is displayed.

3.4 Cache settings

You can access the Cache Settings page from the Cache Settings link on the PL/SQL Gateway configuration page,or directly at:

http://<hostname>:<port>/pls/admin_/cache.htm

This page is split up into two subsections for the two types of caching: PL/SQL caching and Session Cookie caching.

A section of the Cache Settings page is shown below.

3.4.1 PL/SQL Caching

PL/SQL Cache Settings
Enable PL/SQL Caching	Yes enables PL/SQL caching for maximum performance. Choose No if there are problems relating to this feature.
Cache Directory	Enter a directory that PL/SQL caching will use to store cached content files. Note: Ensure that this directory exists and has permissions that allow the PL/SQL Gateway to read and write files to and from it.
Total Cache Size (in bytes)	Specifies the total amount of disk space PL/SQL caching can use. Note: This is setting is not a hard limit. The cache may exceed this limit temporarily.
Maximum Cacheable File Size (in bytes)	Specifies the maximum size for all cached files. Any dynamically generated content that exceeds this limit will not be cached.
Total Cleanup Size (in bytes)	Specifies the total size of the cache to maintain after the cleanup has occurred. This ensures that frequently accessed contents will still stay in the cache after cleanup is over.
Cleanup Interval (in seconds)	Specifies the number of seconds in which the cleanup will happen. A high number improves performance, but total cache size may be exceeded. A low number decreases performance, but total cache size will be not be exceeded.

3.4.2 Session Cookie Caching

Session Cookie Cache Settings
Enable PL/SQL Caching	Choose Yes to enable session cookie caching for maximum performance. Choose No if there are problems relating to this feature.
Cache Directory	Enter a directory that session cookie caching will use to store cached content files. Note: Ensure that this directory exists and has permissions that allow the PL/SQL Gateway to read and write files to and from it.
Total Cache Size (in bytes)	Specifies the total amount of disk space session cookie caching can use. Note: This is setting is not a hard limit. The cache may exceed this limit temporarily.
Total Cleanup Size (in bytes)	Specifies the total size of the cache to maintain after the cleanup has occurred. This ensures that frequently accessed contents will still stay in the cache after cleanup is over.
Cleanup Interval (in seconds)	Specifies the number of seconds in which the cleanup will happen. A high number improves performance, but total cache size may be exceeded. A low number decreases performance, but total cache size will be not be exceeded.