1
Overview

This chapter provides an overview of Oracle Application Server InterConnect (OracleAS InterConnect) installation process.

Topics discussed are:

• OracleAS InterConnect Overview

• OracleAS InterConnect Installation Types

• Dependent Products

• Deployment Topology

• Hardware Requirements

• Software Requirements

• Multiple OracleAS InterConnect Adapters on One Computer

OracleAS InterConnect Overview

This section explains terminology used in this guide:

Design Time

The phase of integration development where you model the integration scenario. The modeling information is stored as metadata. The following components are required for modeling your integration:

• iStudio

• Repository

• Hub Database

• Oracle Workflow Builder (required only if your scenario has business process modeling)

Runtime

At runtime, the metadata gathered at design time is used to carry out integration. The following components are required for runtime:

• Adapters

• Repository

• Hub Database

• Oracle Workflow (required only if your scenario has business process modeling)

• Oracle Workflow Communication (required only if your scenario has business process modeling)

• Oracle Enterprise Manager

Hub and Spoke

These are industry standard terms that describe the physical architectural approach for integration used by OracleAS InterConnect. In this approach, all applications (spokes) are connected through a central server (hub), as illustrated in Figure 1-1.

Figure 1-1 Hub and Spoke Architecture

Text description of the illustration topo1.gif

The OracleAS InterConnect hub has the following components:

• Hub Database

• Repository

• Oracle Workflow

• Oracle Workflow Communication

At the spokes are the adapters connecting to the applications.

iStudio

The tool used at design time to model the integration. All the modeled integration is stored in the hub database through the repository.

Repository

This is a middle-tier repository server communicating with the repository schema in the hub database to store and retrieve metadata. At design time, this server is used to store metadata in the hub database. At runtime, the repository provides access to this metadata to adapters so that they carry out the integration.

Hub Database

The hub database has three uses:

• Store Metadata: The repository schema contains all the metadata modeled at design time through iStudio.

• Store and Forward Messages: At runtime, all messages enter and leave the OracleAS InterConnect hub AQ queues.

• Store Tracking and Error Information: At runtime, all message tracking and error information is stored in the repository schema.

Adapters

They are the runtime engines that carry out the integration based on the metadata modeled during design time.

Oracle Workflow Builder

This component is used to model a business process at design time.

Oracle Workflow Communication

This component is used to communicate between OracleAS InterConnect hub and Oracle Workflow at runtime.

Oracle Workflow

The collection of Workflow design time (Oracle Workflow Builder) and runtime components.

Oracle Enterprise Manager

The tool used for monitoring OracleAS InterConnect at runtime.

OracleAS InterConnect Development Kit

This contains iStudio and adapter SDKs that allow you to extend OracleAS InterConnect.

See Also: Oracle Application Server InterConnect User's Guide

OracleAS InterConnect Installation Types

OracleAS InterConnect installation types are presented in Table 1-1. You can choose the installation types on the "Install Types" screen during installation.

Table 1-1 OracleAS InterConnect Installation Types

Installation Type	Description
Hub	Installs the OracleAS InterConnect Repository and Oracle Workflow Communication.
Adapter	Installs OracleAS InterConnect Adapters.
Development Kit	Installs iStudio (Windows only) and OracleAS InterConnect Development Kit.

Dependent Products

You must use an Oracle 9.2 database as hub database to run OracleAS InterConnect.

Deployment Topology

Following are the commonly used deployment topologies:

• All OracleAS InterConnect runtime components on one computer and iStudio on a separate development computer, as illustrated in Figure 1-2.

  Figure 1-2 OracleAS InterConnect Components on One Computer

  

  Text description of the illustration topo2.gif

• All hub components on one computer and all spoke components on separate computers and iStudio on a separate development machine, as illustrated in Figure 1-3. In this case, there is a dedicated computer for the hub components. Adapters have either have dedicated separate computers, or are co-located with the applications they are connected to.

  Figure 1-3 OracleAS InterConnect Runtime Components on Different Computers

  

  Text description of the illustration topo3.gif

The OracleAS InterConnect hub can exist on the same, or a different computer as the hub database. If you are installing OracleAS InterConnect hub on the same computer as the database, you must install it in a different Oracle home from the Oracle database.

iStudio is typically installed separately from the hub and spoke components on a Windows machine.

Hardware Requirements

This section contains hardware requirements for the following:

• Hub Computer

• Adapters

• OracleAS InterConnect Development Kit

Hub Computer

If you are installing OracleAS InterConnect hub on a computer that does not have an Oracle Application Server installation, the computer should meet the minimum requirements listed in Table 1-2.

Table 1-2 Hardware Requirements for Hub Computer

Hardware	UNIX	Windows
Memory	512 MB	512 MB
Disk Space	10 GB	10 GB
CD-ROM Device	A CD-ROM drive to install, or the ability to access a CD-ROM device over the network.	A CD-ROM drive to install, or the ability to access a CD-ROM device over the network.

Note: Do not perform the installation remotely on a UNIX computer using Exceed as that can cause problems during installation.

Adapters

Table 1-3 lists the hardware requirements for OracleAS InterConnect adapters.

Table 1-3 Hardware Requirements for Adapters

Hardware	UNIX	Windows
Memory	512 MB	512 MB
Disk Space	5 GB	5 GB

OracleAS InterConnect Development Kit

Table 1-4 lists hardware requirements for OracleAS InterConnect Development Kit.

Table 1-4 Hardware Requirements for Development Kit

Hardware	UNIX	Windows
Memory	N/A	512 MB
Disk Space	N/A	500 MB

See Also: Oracle Workflow Administrator's Guide for hardware requirements.

Software Requirements

This section contains the software requirements for the following:

• Operating System

• Java Runtime Environment

• Operating System Patches

Operating System

Table 1-4 lists the operating systems that the hub computer and the spoke computer run on:

Table 1-5 Operating System Requirements

Operating System	Version
Windows NT	Version 4.0 with service pack 6 or higher
Windows 2000	With service pack 1 or higher
IBM-AIX5L	AIX-based systems 64-bit, version 5.1
HP Tru64	HP Tru64 UNIX, version 5.1a
HP-UX	HP 9000 Series HP-UX 64 bit, Version 11.0, HP-UX 11i (11.11) PA-RISC or higher
LINUX	LINUX Intel 32-bit, RedHat Advanced Server, version 2.1, UnitedLinux 1.0
Sun SPARC Solaris	Versions 8 and 9

Java Runtime Environment

OracleAS InterConnect runs on Java Runtime Environment (JRE) 1.4.1.

JRE is bundled with OracleAS InterConnect on Sun SPARC Solaris, Linux, and Windows. When you install OracleAS InterConnect on these platforms, JRE is automatically installed for you.

See Also: Platform-specific installation and user's guide for details.

Operating System Patches

The operating system requirements can be found at OracleMetaLink:

http://metalink.oracle.com

Multiple OracleAS InterConnect Adapters on One Computer

Oracle Universal Installer does not allow you to install more than one of the same OracleAS InterConnect adapter types in an Oracle home. When you install the same OracleAS InterConnect adapter a second time, the first installation is deinstalled. For example, you cannot install more than one database adapter in an Oracle home.

If you need to install more than one instance of the same OracleAS InterConnect adapter on the same computer, you have the following two options:

• Create multiple Oracle homes on the computer. When you install an adapter the second time, choose a different Oracle home than the first adapter installation.

• Use the copyAdapter script located in ORACLE_HOME/oai/9.0.4/bin to install multiple OracleAS InterConnect adapters of the same type in the same Oracle home.

  Usage: copyAdapter app1 app2