| Oracle® Beehive Concepts Release 1 (1.4) Part Number E13794-02 |
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| Oracle® Beehive Concepts Release 1 (1.4) Part Number E13794-02 |
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View PDF |
This module provides an overview of several concepts related to deploying Oracle Beehive, and contains the following topics:
This section provides an overview of several fundamental terms related to deploying Oracle Beehive, including:
A site is a collection of hardware in a specific geographic location and on which Oracle Beehive runs. A site can support multiple instances of a variety of components including Oracle Beehive servers and Oracle Database instances. Oracle Beehive currently supports only one site per deployment.
An instance is an Oracle Beehive server that is running on a computer in an Oracle home (ORACLE_HOME). An instance may respond to requests from a specific enterprise. Oracle Beehive supports one server instance on each computer.
An enterprise is a container for all of the users, groups, and resources that are a part of a single Oracle Beehive deployment. Typically, an enterprise includes all of the users, groups, and resources within a company. Oracle Beehive supports one enterprise for each deployment.
Enterprises are the containers for organizations, which are groups defined by a department, line of business, project, or other criteria.
The hierarchical relationship between enterprises and organizations in Oracle Beehive provides a logical structure for organizing users, groups, and resources. This structure also allows system administrators to more easily manage users, groups, and resources through their organizational associations.
Coexistence is the ability to integrate Oracle Beehive with another system (or application) so that certain data from each system is exposed to the users of the other system. Currently, Oracle Beehive supports coexistence with Microsoft Exchange Server 2003, which enables users of Oracle Beehive and Microsoft Exchange Server to seamlessly collaborate in a variety of ways. This includes sending e-mail messages, scheduling meetings, and creating tasks in one system and viewing or receiving the results of those actions in both systems. Coexistence also enables Microsoft Exchange Server users to access Oracle Beehive workspaces.
Through its coexistence features, Oracle Beehive provides enterprises a non-intrusive deployment approach by giving users a choice in how they access their data, either from Oracle Beehive or other clients such as Microsoft Outlook (with Oracle Beehive Integration for Outlook and connected to Microsoft Exchange). With this approach, users can be introduced to Oracle Beehive and its contextual environment without needing to immediately adopt and adapt to it. This approach also enables users of third-party systems to leverage Oracle Beehive functionality through their existing applications.
Coexistence in Oracle Beehive is supported and managed by the Oracle Collaboration Coexistence Gateway, which is a logical part of the Coexistence Service. For more information on the Oracle Collaboration Coexistence Gateway, please refer to "Overview of the Oracle Collaboration Coexistence Gateway".
Oracle Beehive provides a flexible system deployment model that supports several distinct scenarios, including:
Oracle Beehive can be deployed on a single computer. In this case, the system can leverage a single Oracle Database instance that may be located on the same computer or on a different computer, although the latter is recommended. The system can also leverage a database cluster, located among several other computers, using Oracle Real Application Clusters (Oracle RAC).
Out of the box, Oracle Beehive provides all required user directory components so it can function as an independent system. It can also integrate with external corporate directories, if preferred or required.
Deploying Oracle Beehive on a single computer is suitable for test environments, development environments, and small production environments. Due to the lack of its failover capabilities, this deployment scenario is unsuitable in cases where very high levels of guaranteed services are required.
For more information on these scenarios and the considerations that each entail, please refer to "Oracle Beehive Deployment Configurations" in the Oracle Beehive Deployment Guide.
Oracle Beehive supports deployments where multiple Oracle Beehive server instances are distributed across multiple computers. In this scenario, each computer hosts one Oracle Beehive server instance, which can be accessed through a load balancing router (LBR).
In this scenario, each instance runs all available services provided with Oracle Beehive. For example, if you have 5 computers, each with a Oracle Beehive server instance, you will 5 instances of the User Directory Service, the E-mail Service, the Workflow Service, and so forth. However, each service is instantiated as a single instance, or as a collection of all of the available instances.
This deployment scenario requires either a single database instance or an Oracle RAC cluster. From the user directory standpoint, you can integrate Oracle Beehive with an external corporate directory, or you can deploy it as a standalone system that leverages its own user directory capabilities and features.
Typically, a deployment with multiple Oracle Beehive instances across multiple computers is used in test environments, large production environments, or in situations where a higher level of service (high availability) is required. Test environments in this scenario can either be replicas of their associated production environments (recommended) or they may be scaled-down versions that mimic production environment topologies but with less hardware. Cloning of Oracle Beehive instances is supported to facilitate this process.
For more information on these scenarios and the considerations that each entail, please refer to "Oracle Beehive Deployment Configurations" in the Oracle Beehive Deployment Guide.
Oracle Beehive supports deployments across networks zones, which are used to logically split the different layers of Oracle Beehive into the following areas:
Client Access Zone
Application Zone
Data Zone
Firewalls and multiple network zones are supported in this deployment scenario, providing increased security measures where user access to the system is required from corporate networks and the Internet. Network zones such as corporate intranets or demilitarized zones (DMZs) are also supported. Oracle Beehive services may have a dedicated system on which they run so that only the required services are exposed in the DMZ.
In this scenario, the Client Access Zone is separated from the other zones and their services, and resides in a separate network layer such as a DMZ. Firewalls may exist between the different zones, and a reverse proxy may also be present in the Client Access Zone. To provide higher levels of service (high availability), this deployment scenario may also consist of multiple computers each running an Oracle Beehive server instance. For more information, refer to "Deployments with Multiple Oracle Beehive Instances on Multiple Computers".
Typically, organizations deploy Oracle Beehive in this scenario for the increased security that it provides. This scenario protects core data (in the Data Zone) behind several layers (zones) and barriers. Similarly, this scenarios also protects application logic while seamlessly providing users needed access and functionality. Network connectivity layers are thin but, upon successful authentication, allow full access to available services.
For more information on these scenarios and the considerations that each entail, please refer to "Oracle Beehive Deployment Configurations" in the Oracle Beehive Deployment Guide.
The Oracle Beehive platform provides a unified client implementation model that supports the following end-user client and device deployments:
Oracle Beehive Deployments with Oracle Beehive Integration for Outlook (OBIO)
Oracle Beehive Deployments with Oracle Beehive Integration for Zimbra
Oracle Beehive Deployments with Standards-based and Open Source Clients
Oracle Beehive Integration for Outlook (OBIO) requires installation on the computers of individual users. To access, download, and install on users' computers, Oracle Beehive provides a download agent that administrators can make available to users on internal websites. Upon execution, the download agent connects users to Oracle Beehive, challenges them for their credentials, and enables them to download and install OBIO. Users can delete the download agent once they complete the OBIO installation.
Note:
In addition to the download agent distribution model, administrators can manage and distribute the OBIO installation package through Microsoft Windows Server 2003 SP 2 for Windows Terminal Services. OBIO can also leverage Windows Terminal Services once it is installed.By default, Oracle Beehive provides the OBIO installation package as a zip file (.zip) in the Device Management Application Repository. The contents of the zip file include a Windows executable installation program (.msi) and an Extensible Markup Language (XML) file that describes the installation program.
Oracle Beehive also provides a language pack application module for OBIO as well as a profile migration tool that enables users to migrate certain preferences and settings, such as LDAP settings and personal folders files (.pst), from previous Microsoft Outlook installations.
Deploying Oracle Beehive Integration for Zimbra requires installation on an Oracle Beehive server instance, in an Oracle home designated for Zimbra only. The Oracle Beehive Integration for Zimbra installation is bundled with the Oracle Beehive installation and can be performed as part of the latter's installation procedure. Once installed and configured on an Oracle Beehive server instance, users can access and leverage Oracle Beehive Integration for Zimbra simply by launching a supported Web browser and entering the URL configured for the client.
Oracle Beehive Central is automatically deployed during the Oracle Beehive installation process. To access Oracle Beehive Central, users need only to launch a supported Web browser and enter the URL designated for Oracle Beehive Central for their deployment. Oracle Beehive Central supports Mozilla Firefox 2.0 in the Windows, Linux, Mac OS X, and Solaris operating systems, and Microsoft Internet Explorer 7.0 in the Windows operating system only.
Oracle Beehive Conferencing requires a client installation on the computers of individual users. Administrators can make the Oracle Beehive Conferencing client installation package available to users through internal websites or Oracle Beehive Central. Users can then download and install the Oracle Beehive Conferencing client on their computers.
Oracle Beehive supports several standards-based protocols, enabling users to access Oracle Beehive information with commonly available clients. For the list of standards-based and open source clients that Oracle Beehive supports, refer to "Standards-based and Open Source Clients Supported by Oracle Beehive".
Typically, standards-based and open source clients require installation on the computers or devices of individual users. For details on how to install a particular client, please refer to the documentation provided with the client that you want to install. For details on how to configure a particular client for Oracle Beehive, please refer to the Oracle Beehive End-User Help.
Oracle Beehive enables users of supported mobile devices to receive and send collaborative data. For administrators managing these users and their devices, Oracle Beehive provides many useful functions including the ability to create configuration files for client application installations, provision client applications, and upload device logs, among others.
Before being able to access their collaborative data from mobile devices, users must register their devices with Oracle Beehive's Device Management Service. Once registered, users can take advantage of clients supported by their devices and Oracle Beehive. Broadly speaking, mobile device clients supported by Oracle Beehive fall into the following categories:
For Microsoft Windows Mobile devices, Oracle Beehive provides a plug-in for Microsoft Windows Mobile Outlook that enables real-time push mail. To install, provision, and manage the plug-in, Oracle Beehive provides the Mobile Management Console. Users must first install the Mobile Management Console, provided as a cabinet file (.cab), on their mobile devices through one of the following methods:
Over-the-air (OTA): Users open a preassigned Web page or URL from their mobile devices, or they receive a Short Message Service (SMS) message that contains the URL, enabling them to access, download, and install the .cab file. For more information on these options, please refer to "Over-the-Air Configuration Using SMS" and "Over-the-Air Configuration Without SMS" in Oracle Beehive End-User Information.
Active synchronization (ActiveSync): Users download the .cab file to their computers through a Windows-based utility provided with Oracle Beehive. Users then synchronize their mobile devices with their computers to install the .cab file. For more information on this option, please refer to "Configuration Using ActiveSync" in Oracle Beehive End-User Information.
Storage card: Administrators or support personnel download the .cab file to their computers through a Windows-based utility provided with Oracle Beehive. Then, they run the utility from the command line to install the .cab file on storage cards. Users can then insert the storage cards into their devices.
After the Mobile Device Management Console is installed, it automatically starts up, connects to the Oracle Beehive Mobile Device Management Service, and requests a list of all available mobile software for the user. This list contains the default Mobile Outlook plug-in, but it can also contain other third-party mobile software managed by Oracle Beehive. The user may then choose which software to install on the mobile device, including the Mobile Outlook plug-in.
To upgrade the Mobile Outlook plug-in or other third-party mobile software managed by Oracle Beehive, users can periodically check for updates on their mobile devices or they can wait for their Oracle Beehive administrators to provide alerts informing them of available updates.
Oracle Beehive supports a variety of standards-based clients for mobile devices. For the list of standards-based clients that Oracle Beehive supports, please refer to "Standards-based and Open Source Clients Supported by Oracle Beehive".
To deploy standards-based clients with Oracle Beehive, administrators should provide their users all required third-party software and configuration information on a preassigned Web page, such as on their organization's intranet, or from another internally accessible location. They can also upload client applications to the Device Management Application Repository using the beectl utility. However, for third-party clients, this last option requires a bootstrap application preinstalled on users' machines and devices, which can then be used to connect to the Device Management Application Repository and download any associated client installation packages. For more information on these options, please refer to the Oracle Beehive Deployment Guide.
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