Preface

Oracle8i Cache improves scalability and performance for applications that access Oracle databases in a multiple-tier environment. By caching frequently accessed data on the middle tier, Oracle8i Cache reduces the load on the back-end database and speeds query execution. Oracle8i Cache is ideal for enhancing scalability and performance for Web servers and Web portals, as well as front-office and back-office application servers.

This guide presents the concepts of Oracle8i Cache and describes how to set up and manage your Oracle8i Cache environment.

Intended Audience

This guide is intended for Web server and database administrators who are interested in using Oracle8i Cache to increase the capacity of their applications.

Structure

This guide contains the following chapters:

Chapter 1	Introduces Oracle8i Cache and provides an overview of the concepts of Oracle8i Cache.
Chapter 2	Describes how to set up your Oracle8i Cache environment.
Chapter 3	Describes how to manage your Oracle8i Cache environment.
Chapter 4	Describes how to tune your Oracle8i Cache environment to improve scalability and performance. For applications that use OCI static libraries, it describes how to relink your applications.
Chapter 5	Describes possible problems that may occur in the Oracle8i Cache environment and provides solutions to those problems.
Appendix A	Describes error messages you might encounter, their causes, and actions you can take to correct the error.

Related Documents

For more information about Oracle8i Cache, see the following:

• Oracle8i Cache Readme, which contains important information about Oracle8i Cache, including known problems and restrictions. It is available on the software CD-ROM and is installed with the software.

• The installation guide, particularly the installation instructions for Oracle8i Cache.

• Oracle8i Cache Quick Tour, which is available from Cache Manager, a component of Oracle DBA Studio.

• The online help for Cache Manager.

In addition, the following books from the Oracle8i documentation set contain related information:

• Oracle Call Interface Programmer's Guide

• Oracle8i Administrator's Reference for your platform

Conventions

The following conventions are used in this guide:

Convention	Meaning
. . .	Vertical ellipsis points in an example mean that information not directly related to the example has been omitted.
. . .	Horizontal ellipsis points in statements or commands mean that parts of the statement or command not directly related to the example have been omitted.
boldface text	Boldface type in text indicates a term defined in the text.
italic text	Italic text indicates emphasis, a user-supplied name, or the title of a document.
[ ]	Brackets enclose optional clauses from which you can choose one or none.

As much as possible, this guide attempts to provide generic documentation, that is, documentation that is not specific to any operating system or interface. Nevertheless, it is sometimes necessary for illustrative purposes to show how the syntax works at the operating-system level. In these cases, this guide uses examples from a UNIX command-line interface and the Windows NT interface.