What's New in Oracle Application Server Administration?

This preface introduces the new administrative features of Oracle Application Server 10g (9.0.4). This information is mostly useful to users who have managed Oracle9i Application Server (Oracle9iAS) Release 2 (9.0.2 and 9.0.3).

The new administrative features of Oracle Application Server 10g (9.0.4) include:

Oracle Identity Management

Identity management is the process by which various components work together to manage the security life cycle for networked entities, such as devices, processes, applications, and users. While some of this functionality existed in Oracle9iAS Release 2, it has been enhanced and fully integrated into a new product in Oracle Application Server 10g called Oracle Identity Management.

Oracle Identity Management provides a fine-grained delegation deployment privileges model for deploying middle tiers and Metadata Repositories. You can find information on this in several books, as shown in the following table.

Topic	See Also
Delegation of Privileges for Oracle Technology deployment--describes the delegation model and its implementation in Oracle Internet Directory	Oracle Internet Directory Administrator's Guide
Component Deployment Roles in Oracle Internet Directory--describes the various deployment roles and privileges required to install specific components	Oracle Application Server 10g Installation Guide
Common Security Considerations for Oracle Application Server administrators--describes the delegation model for component deployments	Oracle Application Server 10g Security Guide

Oracle Identity Management is part of the Infrastructure installation type, and contains the following components:

OracleAS Single Sign-On
Oracle Internet Directory
Oracle Delegated Administration Services
Oracle Directory Integration and Provisioning
OracleAS Certificate Authority

Improvements to Oracle Application Server Metadata Repository

Oracle Application Server 10g provides the following improvements to the Oracle Application Server Metadata Repository:

Some schemas have been added or deleted in the OracleAS Metadata Repository.

See Also:
Appendix D, "Metadata Repository Schemas"
In Oracle Application Server 10g, you can specify the following OracleAS Metadata Repository attributes during installation:
- Service ID (SID)--the default is asdb
- Global database name--the default is asdb.domainname
- Location of datafiles--the default is ORACLE_HOME/oradata
- Database character set
- Password for the SYS user
- Password for the SYSTEM user
In Oracle9iAS Release 2, it was a requirement for the Oracle9iAS Metadata Repository to be registered with Oracle Internet Directory. In Oracle Application Server 10g, you can:
- Register the OracleAS Metadata Repository with Oracle Internet Directory. This is required in order for Portal and Wireless or Business Intelligence and Forms installations to use the Metadata Repository. It is optional for J2EE and Web Cache (see next bullet).
- Use a standalone OracleAS Metadata Repository, not registered with Oracle Internet Directory. This is handy if you have a J2EE and Web Cache installation and would like to use a Metadata Repository for the DCM repository and Oracle Application Server Managed Clusters, but do not require the single sign-on services offered by Oracle Internet Directory and Oracle Identity Management.
  
  See Also:
  Oracle Application Server 10g Installation Guide
In Oracle9iAS Release 2, the only way to obtain an Oracle9iAS Metadata Repository was by installing it as part of an Infrastructure installation with Oracle Universal Installer. In Oracle Application Server 10g, you can obtain an OracleAS Metadata Repository in two ways:
- You can install an OracleAS Metadata Repository as part of an Infrastructure installation with Oracle Universal Installer
- You can install the OracleAS Metadata Repository into an existing Oracle9i database using the Oracle Application Server Repository Creation Assistant (OracleAS RepCA)
Note that both of the above methods support installing a Metadata Repository that is registered or not-registered with Oracle Internet Directory.

See Also:
Oracle Application Server 10g Installation Guide

More Flexibility in the Infrastructure Installation Type

The Infrastructure installation type is divided into two distinct pieces:

Oracle Identity Management
OracleAS Metadata Repository

Oracle Application Server 10g provides greater flexibility for installing an Infrastructure:

You can install Oracle Identity Management and the OracleAS Metadata Repository together in the same Oracle home. (This option was available in Oracle9iAS Release 2.)
You can install only Oracle Identity Management and have it use an existing OracleAS Metadata Repository in a different Oracle home or on a different host. (This option is new in Oracle Application Server 10g.)
You can install only a OracleAS Metadata Repository and register it with the Oracle Internet Directory in an Oracle Identity Management installation in a different Oracle home or on a different host. (This option was available in Oracle9iAS Release 2.)
You can install only a OracleAS Metadata Repository and not register it with the Oracle Internet Directory in an Oracle Identity Management installation. (This option is new in Oracle Application Server 10g.)

Because the Infrastructure is divided into these two pieces that provide different services, it is often too imprecise to refer to the Infrastructure as a whole when discussing administrative operations. For example, a middle-tier instance may use Oracle Identity Management in one Infrastructure installation, and the OracleAS Metadata Repository in another Infrastructure installation. In this case, it is not accurate to refer to the "Infrastructure" used by a middle-tier instance. You will notice that Oracle Application Server 10g tools and documentation often refer specifically to the Oracle Identity Management installation or OracleAS Metadata Repository used by a middle-tier instance.

New Features in Oracle Enterprise Manager Application Server Control

The Oracle9iAS Oracle Enterprise Manager Web site has been renamed to Oracle Enterprise Manager 10g Application Server Control (Application Server Control, for short).

Application Server Control is installed and configured in every Oracle Application Server installation. Each installation has its own ias_admin password and uses a different port for Application Server Control. There is no primary Oracle home and no emtab file.

Application Server Control includes the following enhancements:

Ports Page--summarizes the port numbers used by your installation and contains links for changing port numbers

See Also:
Chapter 5, "Managing Ports"
Log Viewer--allows you to view Oracle Application Server log files in one place and trace problems across multiple log files

See Also:
Chapter 4, "Managing Log Files"
J2EE Applications Page--summarizes the J2EE applications deployed in an Oracle Application Server instance
Process Management Page--allows you to configure opmn.xml
Application Server Instance Status--the status of an application server instance is "up" if all components are up and "down" if at least one component is down; there is no partial up or down status
Enable/Disable components--prevents or allows specified components to be started with your application server instance and displayed in Application Server Control

See Also:
Chapter 3, "Starting and Stopping"
Infrastructure Page--allows you to change the Identity Management services or OracleAS Metadata Repository used by a middle-tier instance, and change OracleAS Metadata Repository schema passwords

See Also:
Chapter 8, "Changing Infrastructure Services" and Chapter 6, "Managing an OracleAS Metadata Repository"
Performance enhancements
The emctl command has new syntax

See Also:
Chapter 2, "Introduction to Administration Tools"

Expanded Role of Oracle Process Manager and Notification Server (OPMN)

OPMN has expanded to provide process management and monitoring for most Oracle Application Server components, and opmnctl is the primary command-line tool for starting and stopping.

In Oracle9iAS Release 2, you used several different command-line tools to start an application server instance. In Oracle Application Server 10g, you use a single opmnctl command to start all of the components in an application server instance in the proper order.

See Also:
Chapter 3, "Starting and Stopping"
The scope of the opmnctl command has expanded--you can start a specified instance in the farm, all instances in the farm, and Oracle Application Server clusters.
The opmn.xml file has changed to provide more power and flexibility for configuring Oracle Application Server. You can edit the opmn.xml file manually or using the Process Management page in Application Server Control.
OPMN provides many other new features, including event scripts, improved monitoring, and operating system-level statistics.

See Also:
Oracle Process Manager and Notification Server Administrator's Guide

New Features in Distributed Configuration Management (DCM)

In Oracle Application Server 10g, DCM and the dcmctl command provide many new features, including:

DCM provides a new archiving feature. You can create an archive of the configuration of an Oracle Application Server instance or cluster, then apply the archived configuration to the same instance or cluster, or to a different instance or cluster. DCM archiving contains all of the functionality of the deprecated saveInstance and restoreInstance commands, plus much more.
DCM provides expanded support for managing the DCM repository when it is stored in the filesystem (file-based repository) and the DCM repository when it is stored in the OracleAS Metadata Repository (database repository).
DCM provides support for managing OracleAS Clusters
The dcmctl command and Application Server Control can be used together. There is no need to disable one while you are using the other, as in Oracle9iAS Release 2.
By default, the -v and -d options are enabled for every dcmctl command. This provides useful error messages and diagnostic output. Oracle recommends you always use the -v and -d options, however, you can enable and disable them using the dcmctl set command.

See Also:
Distributed Configuration Management Reference Guide

Some SSL Ports Are Not Enabled During Installation

For security purposes, the following SSL ports are not enabled during installation--you can selectively enable them after installation:

Simplified Starting and Stopping

The opmnctl command now starts and stops most Oracle Application Server components, in the proper order. This has greatly simplified starting and stopping an Oracle Application Server instance.

See Also:

Chapter 3, "Starting and Stopping"

New Tools for Viewing Log Files

Oracle Application Server 10g provides the following new tools for viewing log files:

Log Loader--collects data from various Oracle Application Server log files and consolidates it into a single log repository

See Also:
Chapter 4, "Managing Log Files"
Log Viewer--a feature of Application Server Control, this is a Web-based tool for viewing log files and tracing problems across multiple log files

See Also:
Chapter 4, "Managing Log Files"
printlogs--a command-line tool that reads and filters log messages and prints them to standard output in a single format

See Also:
Appendix E, "printlogs Tool Syntax and Usage"

Improved Port Management

Oracle Application Server 10g provides the following improvements for managing ports:

You can specify the port number to assign to a particular component during installation by creating a template file (staticports.ini) and launching Oracle Universal Installer with special options. This is supported for most port numbers.

See Also:
Oracle Application Server 10g Installation Guide
You can view all port numbers used in an Oracle Application Server instance on the Ports Page in Application Server Control.

See Also:
Chapter 5, "Managing Ports"
Oracle provides complete instructions for changing port numbers, including dependencies on other components.

See Also:
Chapter 5, "Managing Ports"

Changing Infrastructure Services Used by a Middle-Tier Instance

You can change the Oracle Identity Management installation or OracleAS Metadata Repository used by a middle-tier instance after installation.

New Tool for Changing the Hostname or IP Address

Oracle Application Server 10g offers a new tool (chgiphost.sh) that allows you to update Oracle Application Server installations when you change the hostname or IP address of your host.

New Backup and Recovery Procedures and Tool

Oracle Application Server 10g offers complete backup and recovery procedures for your Oracle Application Server environment, along with an Oracle Application Server Backup and Recovery Tool.

See Also:

Part IV, "Backup and Recovery"

New High Availability Solutions

Oracle Application Server 10g offers many high availability solutions, including:

OracleAS Clusters Managed Using Database Repository
OracleAS Clusters Managed Using File-based Repository
OracleAS Cold Failover Cluster
OracleAS Active Failover Cluster (Limited Release)
OracleAS Disaster Recovery

See Also:
Oracle Application Server 10g High Availability Guide