Managing The Oracle Tuxedo Service Metadata Repository

This topic includes the following sections:

•	Oracle Tuxedo Service Metadata Repository

•	Creating The Oracle Tuxedo Service Metadata Repository

•	Configuring The Oracle Tuxedo Service Metadata Repository Server

•	Accessing The Oracle Tuxedo Service Metadata Repository File

Oracle Tuxedo Service Metadata Repository

The Oracle Tuxedo service metadata repository contains Oracle Tuxedo service definitions that allow Oracle Tuxedo clients to access Oracle Tuxedo service parameter information. It provides Oracle Tuxedo application developers and administrators the ability to store and retrieve detailed service parameter information on any or all Oracle Tuxedo application services.

The Oracle Tuxedo service metadata repository is designed to process interactive queries by developers and administrators during application development or modification. It is not designed to process high volumes of automated queries during the application production phase.

Five utilities are used in conjunction with the Oracle Tuxedo service metadata repository

•	TMMETADATA(5): Oracle Tuxedo service metadata repository server. It provides one service, .TMMETAREPOS, which uses an FML32 input and output buffer format described in METAREPOS(5)

Note:

The .TMMETAREPOS buffer format is similar to MIB(5).

•	tmloadrepos(1): creates or updates the binary metadata repository file and loads it with service parameter information.

•	tmunloadrepos(1): displays service information from the Oracle Tuxedo service metadata repository. Output can be optionally specified as plain text format, WSDL format, or C pseudocode

•	tpgetrepos(3c): programmatically uses FML32 buffers to output service information from the Oracle Tuxedo service metadata repository

•	tpsetrepos(3c): programmatically uses FML32 buffers to add, delete, or update service parameter information to the metadata repository file

Oracle Jolt Repository Similarities and Differences

Oracle Jolt also provides a service repository that allows applications to manually enter Oracle Tuxedo service information, including service names, input and output buffer types, parameter names, parameter data types, the number of times each parameter is expected, and whether each parameter is for input, output, or both. All of which seem very similar to the Oracle Tuxedo service metadata repository. However, there are also some distinct difference as noted in Table 8‑1:

 

Table 8‑1 Oracle Jolt Repository Similarities and Differences

	Oracle Jolt Repository	Oracle Tuxedo Service Metadata Repository
Function	Designed for JAVA client communication with Oracle Tuxedo servers	Designed for Web service based communication with Oracle Tuxedo servers
GUI interface	Yes	No
Uses plain text repository input file	Yes (via bulkloader)	Yes (via tmloadrepos)
Service and Parameter keywords and values	Yes	Yes (but more than Oracle Jolt Repository to provide more detailed service information)
Repository file format	Plain text	Binary (service indexed for quick access)
Access method	Administration utility, direct editing	Administration utility, programming API, system service
Unload output format	Plain text	Plain text and C-pseudocode
Inter operability	Cannot read Oracle Tuxedo service metadata repository file	Can read, but not modify, existing Oracle Jolt Repository file. Cannot create an Oracle Jolt Repository file.

MIB(5) Similarities and Differences

Programmatic access to the Oracle Tuxedo System Metadata Repository is accomplished through the use of a FML32 buffer format that is very similar to the Oracle Tuxedo MIB format. However, there are also some distinct difference as noted in Table 8‑2:

 

Table 8‑2 MIB(5) Similarities and Differences

	MIB(5)	METAREPOS(5)
Input/out buffers	FML32	FML32
Generic MIB fields	Yes	Yes, but with some limitations. See METAREPOS(5)
Authentic MIB class entities	Many	No authentic MIB class entities, but uses similar type
Service entry	.TMIB in BBL	.TMMETAREPOS in TMMETADA server

Creating The Oracle Tuxedo Service Metadata Repository

The metadata repository file contains all the service parameter information that is accessed in the Oracle Tuxedo service metadata repository. The tmloadrepos command is used to create a metadata repository file. Metadata repository file service parameter information is input directly from the computer console (standard input) if a repository input file is not specified or from a specified plain text repository input file. For example:

tmloadrepos -i/usr/tuxedo/repository_input_file/usr/tuxedo/
service_metatdata_repository.

The Oracle Tuxedo Service Metadata Repository Input File

The repository_input_file contains service parameter keywords and their associated values. Keywords are divided into two categories: service-level and parameter-level.

Note:

Keyword abbreviations are also supported. Both keywords and abbreviations are case sensitive. For more information on keywords, abbreviations, and values, see Using Service-Level Keywords and Values and Using Parameter-Level Keywords and Values.

No more than one keyword/value combination can be specified per line. The maximum line character length is 1024 bytes. String parameter values do not need to be set off with quotation marks.

The repository_input file uses the following syntax: <keyword><=value> and has the following input conventions:

“(” and “)”

When a parameter must define a sub-parameter, a line consisting of a single left parenthesis '( 'and a line consisting of a single right parenthesis ') ' denotes the beginning and end of the embedded sub-parameter portion of the parameter. The left and right parentheses can be used recursively.

\ and “\”

You can include blank lines in the repository_input file as needed for readability. A new line is preceded by a \ character. To use an actual '\' character it must be written as '\\'.

#

Lines starting with a '#' are interpreted as comment lines. Unlike comments specified via the svcdescription or paramdescription keywords, comments are not stored in the binary repository_file or output by tmunloadrepos.

The repository_input file can consist of zero or more service parameter definitions. Each service definition starts with a line beginning with the <service> keyword followed by zero or more lines beginning with one of the other service-level keywords, followed by parameter-level keywords. A particular service-level keyword may not be repeated for a particular service.

Using Service-Level Keywords and Values

A service definition must begin with the keyword service<=NAME> or the abbreviation sv<=NAME>. Services using CARRAY, STRING, or XML buffer types can have only one parameter per service. The Oracle Tuxedo service metadata repository service-level keywords are as follows in Table 8‑3:

 

Table 8‑3 Service-Level Keyword, Abbreviations, and Values 

Service-Level Keyword	Keyword Abbreviation	Value
service	sv	Any Oracle Tuxedo service name Note: This key valued can only be once per Metadata Repository instance. It cannot be duplicated within the same Metadata Repository.
tuxservice	tsv	Actual Oracle Tuxedo service name Note: The difference between the service and tuxservice keywords is: • service represents the service entry stored in the Metadata Repository. • tuxservice represents the actual Oracle Tuxedo service name. Two or more service definitions can have the same value as tuxservice. When used together, these two keywords make it possible to have multiple service definitions for one Oracle Tuxedo service. By default, tuxservice has the same value as service
servicetype	st	Service invocation type. Legal values are: service - the service is a synchronous oneway - the service will not send response to the client queue - the service is a /Q related application
servicemode	sm	Type of service origination(Optional). Legal values are: tuxedo - the service is an Oracle Tuxedo originated service webservice - the service is a SALT proxy service converted from external Web Service Interface If not specified, tuxedo is the default value. Note: Do not specify webservice for any Oracle Tuxedo service, webservice is reserved for SALT proxy service only.
export	ex	Y (default) or N. In the Oracle Jolt repository, this keyword is used to determine service availability to the Oracle Jolt client. In the Oracle Tuxedo repository, this keyword does not have any meaning, but is nevertheless accepted to maintain compatibility with existing Oracle Jolt bulk loader files.
inbuf	bt	Oracle Tuxedo service request (input) buffer type. Select one of the following type values (case sensitive): FML, FML32, VIEW, VIEW32, STRING, CARRAY, XML, X_OCTET, X_COMMON, X_C_TYPE, MBSTRING or other arbitrary string representing an application defined custom buffer type. Note: The "inbuf" value of each service definition cannot be NULL.
outbuf	BT	Oracle Tuxedo service response (output) buffer type with TPSUCCESS. Select one of the following type values (case sensitive): FML, FML32, VIEW, VIEW32, STRING, CARRAY, XML, X_OCTET, X_COMMON, X_C_TYPE, MBSTRING or other arbitrary string representing an application defined custom buffer type. Note: The "outbuf" value of each service definition cannot be NULL for a "service" typed service or a "queue" typed service.
errbuf	ebt	Oracle Tuxedo service response (error) buffer type with TPFAIL. Select one of the following type values (case sensitive): FML, FML32, VIEW, VIEW32, STRING, CARRAY, XML, X_OCTET, X_COMMON, X_C_TYPE, MBSTRING or other arbitrary string representing an application defined custom buffer type.
inview	vn	View name for input buffer(Optional) Note: This keyword is mandatory only if one of the following buffer types is used: VIEW, VIEW32, X_COMMON, X_C_TYPE.
outview	VN	View name for output buffer (Optional) Note: This keyword is mandatory only if one of the following buffer types is used: VIEW, VIEW32, X_COMMON, X_C_TYPE.
errview	evn	View name for error buffer (Optional) Note: This keyword is mandatory only if one of the following buffer types is used: VIEW, VIEW32, X_COMMON, X_C_TYPE.
inbufschema	isc	Customized message schema association for input buffer (Optional). Value format is: XSD_E:<element_local_name>@namespaceURI For example, XSD_E:Book@http://example.org represents the input buffer is associated with a XML element <Book> defined in the XML namespace “http://example.org”. Note: This keyword is introduced for supporting Oracle SALT extensible message mapping and conversion feature. For more information about SALT message conversion, see Data Type Mapping and Message Conversion in Oracle SALT Programming Web Services.
outbufschema	osc	Customized message schema association for output buffer (Optional). Value format is: XSD_E:<element_local_name>@namespaceURI
errbufschema	esc	Customized message schema association for error buffer (Optional). Value format is: XSD_E:<element_local_name>@namespaceURI
svcdescription	sd	Any string value. A new-line break can be used to improve readability if the string is too long.
sendqspace	sqs	Send queue space name. Optional for a "queue" typed service.
sendqueue	sqn	Send queue name. Optional for a "queue" typed service.
rplyqueue	rqn	Reply queue name. Optional for a "queue" typed service.
errqueue	eqn	Error queue name. Optional for a "queue" typed service.
rcvqspace	RQS	Receive queue space name. Optional for a "queue" typed service.
rcvqueue	RQN	Receive queue name. Optional for a "queue" typed service.
version	vs	This parameter is exclusive to the Oracle Tuxedo service metadata repository and accommodates any string value used by the application. Oracle Tuxedo does not interpret this parameter.
attributes	att	This parameter is exclusive to the Oracle Tuxedo service metadata repository and accommodates any string value used by the application. Oracle Tuxedo does not interpret this parameter.
fieldtbls	ftb	This parameter is optional and specifies a comma-separated list of field tables where the FML or FML32 fields used by this service can be found. The fieldtbls parameter is intended for reference use by application developers.

Using Parameter-Level Keywords and Values

A parameter begins with the keyword <param><=NAME> or the abbreviation <pn><=NAME> followed by a listing of parameter keywords. It ends with another <param> or <service> keyword, or when end-of-file is encountered. The parameters can be listed in any order after <param><=NAME>.

Note:

A particular service can specify multiple occurrences of the <param> keyword. That is to say, more than one parameter can exist for a particular service. For example, a parameter with an FML or VIEW buffer.

The Oracle Tuxedo service metadata repository parameter-level keywords are as follows in Table 8‑4:

 

Table 8‑4 Parameter-Level Keyword, Abbreviations, and Values 

Parameter-Level Keyword	Metadata Repository Abbreviation	Value
param	pn	Any parameter name
type	pt	byte, short, integer, float, double, string, carray, dec_t, xml, ptr, fml32, view32, mbstring. Note: The parameter type must be consistent with its service buffer type. For example, an FML16 buffer only allow parameters with the following type: byte (char), short, integer, long, float, double, string, carray. All other type parameters are not permitted. See following buffer type/parameter type matching table.
subtype	pst	A view name for a view32 typed parameter
access	pa	in, out, err, inout, inerr, outerr, inouterr, noaccess. in - indicates a parameter that is used for input only. out - indicates a parameter that is used for output only. err - indicates a parameter that is used for error output only. inout - indicates a parameter that is used for both input and output. inerr - indicates a parameter that is used for both input and error output. outerr - indicates a parameter that is used for both output and error output. inouterr - indicates a parameter that is used for input, output and error output. noacesss - indicates a parameter that must be provided on input but which is not referenced in the server, such as an obsolete parameter or a parameter that must be provided as a filler field in a view. The set of parameters expected on input is those specified with in, inout, inerr, inouterr, or noaccess access The set of parameters returned on output is those specified with out, inout, outerr, or inouterr access. The set of parameters returned on error output is those specified with err, inerr, outerr, or inouterr access.
count	po	Maximum number of occurrences (default is 1). The value for unlimited occurrences is 0. The value range is [0, 32767]. In the Oracle Jolt repository, this parameter is used only by the Repository Editor to format test screens. In the Oracle Tuxedo repository, this parameter is stored for display and is also used by tmunloadrepos(1)pseudocode generation options.
paramdescription	pd	Any string value. A new-line break can be used to improve readability if the string is too long.
size	pl	This optional parameter indicates the number of bytes allocated for the parameter. It is used in pseudo code generation for non-numeric parameters and can be used for programmer reference purposes. The following parameter types expect this value: carray, string, xml, mbstring.
requiredcount	ro	Minimum number of times that the parameter must be specified.The value range is [0, 32767].
fldnum	fno	This optional parameter indicates the field number of the parameter if it is a FML/FML32 field. Note: It is not recommended that you use this information if the fieldtbl files have already been defined by indicating field table directories using environment FLDTBLDIR(32) and indicating field table files using environment FIELDTBLS(32)or fieldtbl service-level keyword. Note: If you configured the fldnum field, you will receive the responding fldid according to the fldnum value instead of the param value.
vfbname	vfb	This parameter is optional for view structure members. It is used to indicate the field name in the fielded buffer. Please reference viewfile(5)
vflag	vfl	This parameter is optional for view structure members. Legal values are combination of the following options: 'C', 'F', 'L', 'N', 'P', 'S'. Please reference viewfile(5).
vnull	vnu	This parameter is optional for view structure members. It indicates the view member default null value.
paramschema	psc	This parameter is optional to save the XML Schema information for the decomposed FML32 field. Note: This parameter keyword is introduced especially for “servicemode=webservice” typed service definition, i.e. SALT proxy service for outbound call. The parameter value is generated by Oracle SALT wsdlcvt utility from converting an external WSDL file. Do not manually specify or modify this keyword value.
primetype	pxt	This parameter is optional to save the original XML primitive data type for the decomposed FML32 field. Note: This parameter keyword is introduced especially for “servicemode=webservice” typed service definition, i.e. SALT proxy service for outbound call. The parameter value is generated by Oracle SALT wsdlcvt utility from converting an external WSDL file. Do not manually specify or modify this keyword value.
(		Indicates the beginning of the description of the parameters contained in an embedded FML32 or VIEW32 buffer field. It contains no associated value and is specified separately on a line by itself. It is valid only if a previous type keyword has been specified for this parameter with a FML32 or VIEW32 value. A closing right parenthesis ')' ends the embedded parameter description.
)		Ends an embedded FML32 or VIEW32 parameter definition of that began with an opening matching left parenthesis '('. It contains no associated value and is specified separately on a line by itself. It is valid only if a previous only if there is a previous matching '(' keyword. In addition, the maximum embedded level depends on the upper limit of embedded FML32 nesting level (18 at present).

Parameter Occurrences

As a generally applied Oracle Tuxedo rule, only FML/FML32, VIEW/VIEW32, X_COMMON, and X_C_TYPE typed buffers can specify multiple parameters (due to their information structure). All other typed buffers have only one parameter with the corresponding parameter type. For example, a CARRAY type buffer has only one CARRAY typed parameter to describe the necessary information that it contains. You must follow this rule to define application services.

 

Table 8‑5 Service Buffer Type (SMALL CAPS)/Service Parameter Type (lower case) Matching Table I 

	byte (char)	short	integer	long	float	double	string
CARRAY
FML	X	X	X	X	X	X	X
FML32	X	X	X	X	X	X	X
STRING							X
VIEW	X	X	X	X	X	X	X
VIEW32	X	X	X	X	X	X	X
X_COMMON		X		X			X
X_C_TYPE	X	X	X	X	X	X	X
XML							X
X_OCTET
MBSTRING

 

Table 8‑6 Service Buffer Type (SMALL CAPS)/Service Parameter Type (lower case) Matching Table II 

	carray	dec_t	xml	ptr	fml32	view32	mbstring
CARRAY	X
FML	X
FML32	X		X	X	X	X	X
STRING
VIEW	X	X
VIEW32	X	X					X
X_COMMON
X_C_TYPE
XML			X
X_OCTET	X
MBSTRING	X						X

Configuring The Oracle Tuxedo Service Metadata Repository Server

To configure the Oracle Tuxedo service metadata repository you must:

•	add TMMETADATA to the *SERVERS section of the UBBCONFIG(5).

•	run tmloadcf(1) on the UBBCONFIG file.

•	use tmloadrepos(1) to create and enter service parameter information into the metadata repository file.

•	boot the server.

Once the Oracle Tuxedo metadata server is running, the.TMMETAREPOS service is automatically activated. .TMMETAREPOS is an Oracle Tuxedo system service and cannot be modified.

All requests made to the server are responded to on a first-come-first-served basis.

Configuring Multiple Oracle Tuxedo Service Metadata Repository Servers

Setting up multiple TMMETADATA servers on a particular Oracle Tuxedo node requires adherence to two crucial configuration rules:

•	Each TMMETADATA server must be configured to access the same metadata repository file or an exact copy of the file to provide consistent request results. Therefore, it is strongly recommended that a stable version of the metadata repository is made available for multiple TMMETADATA server access.

•	Permission settings must be consistently applied (either read only or read/write) for multiple TMMETADATA servers on a particular node.

Accessing The Oracle Tuxedo Service Metadata Repository File

The Oracle Tuxedo service metadata repository facilitates native and remote client access in order to view, update, add, or delete service metadata repository parameter information.

•	For native clients exclusively, tpgetrepos(3c), and tpsetrepos(3c)are used for Oracle Tuxedo service metadata repository access.

tpgetrepos(3c) and tpsetrepos(3c) can access the Oracle Tuxedo service metadata repository whether the server is booted or not.

•	For remote and native clients, TMMETADATA(5) can be used.

See Also

TMMETADATA(5), METAREPOS(5), tmloadrepos(1), tmunloadrepos(1), tpgetrepos(3c), tpsetrepos(3c)