This chapter describes how to install and configure Oracle Forms and Reports.
The following topics are covered:
Before you begin, read this section carefully to make sure that your environment and other software needs are met prior to installing Oracle Forms and Reports.
Section 2.1.1, "Reviewing System Requirements and Specifications"
Section 2.1.3, "Reviewing Interoperability and Compatibility"
Section 2.1.4, "Understanding Oracle Fusion Middleware Concepts"
Section 2.1.5, "Obtaining the Oracle Fusion Middleware Software"
Section 2.1.6, "Installing Oracle Forms and Oracle Reports on Separate Servers"
Section 2.1.7, "Installing Oracle Forms and Reports in a New Middleware Home"
Section 2.1.8, "Installing Oracle Forms and Reports as a Non-Default User"
Before performing any installation you should read the system requirements documentation to ensure that your environment meets the minimum installation requirements for the products you are installing.
The system requirements document covers information such as hardware and software requirements, database schema requirements, minimum disk space and memory requirements, and required system libraries, packages, or patches. This document can be found on the Oracle Fusion Middleware System Requirements and Specifications page.
Before performing any upgrade or installation you should read the Oracle Fusion Middleware certification document for your particular release. This document contains certification information related to supported 32-bit and 64-bit operating systems, databases, Oracle WebLogic Servers, web servers, LDAP servers, adapters, IPv6, JDKs, and third-party products. It is located on the Oracle Fusion Middleware Supported System Configurations page.
Before performing any upgrade or installation you should read the Oracle Fusion Middleware Interoperability and Compatibility Guide for Oracle Forms and Reports. This document contains important information regarding the ability of Oracle Fusion Middleware products to function with previous versions of other Oracle Fusion Middleware, Oracle, or third-party products. This information is applicable to both new Oracle Fusion Middleware users and existing users who are upgrading their existing environment.
Note:
The Oracle Fusion Middleware Interoperability and Compatibility Guide for Oracle Forms and Reports is located in the 11g Release 1 documentation libraries and is not available in the 11g Release 2 (11.1.2) documentation library. However, the concepts in the guide are applicable for both releases.
If you are new to Oracle Fusion Middleware, you should read Oracle Fusion Middleware Concepts to familiarize yourself with some of the concepts and terminology you will encounter.
Note:
This document is located in the 11g Release 1 documentation libraries and is not available in the 11g Release 2 (11.1.2) documentation library. However, the concepts in the guide are applicable for both releases.
Depending on your specific needs, there are multiple places where you can obtain Oracle Fusion Middleware software. For details, refer to the Oracle Fusion Middleware Download, Installation, and Configuration ReadMe Files page, where you can find the ReadMe file for your specific release.
To install and configure Oracle Forms and Reports, you will need to download the following software:
The installer for a certified version of Oracle WebLogic Server. Make sure you refer to the certification document (see Section 2.1.2, "Reviewing Certification Information") to determine which version of Oracle WebLogic Server you should obtain.
The installer for Oracle Forms and Reports.
If you are want to install the 32-bit version of Oracle Forms and Reports on a 64-bit Windows operating system, be sure to read "Installing 32-Bit Oracle Forms and Reports on 64-Bit Windows Operating Systems" in the Oracle Fusion Middleware System Requirements and Specifications document.
If you want to secure your Oracle Forms and Reports installation with Identity Management, you can also download Oracle Internet Directory with Oracle Access Management.
Make a note of the directory where you download each installer; you will need this information when it is time to run the installer for each product.
If you choose to install Oracle Forms and Oracle Reports on different servers, you must perform some manual configuration in order for these two products to be able to communicate properly with each other.
The instructions for doing so are available in "Communication Between Reports and Forms When Installed on Different Instances" in Oracle Fusion Middleware Publishing Reports to the Web with Oracle Reports Services.
Oracle Forms and Reports must be installed inside a Middleware home directory, which is created when Oracle WebLogic Server is installed.
Oracle Forms and Reports must be installed in its own Middleware home directory that it does not share with any other Oracle Fusion Middleware products.
On UNIX operating systems, the installation of Fusion Middleware products is owned and controlled as a known user (for example, "oracle"). The file permissions associated with this installation are configured to ensure the highest level of security possible, which by default are 700 (meaning all files are owned and accessible by the owner only).
Changing the default permissions settings will reduce the security of the installation and possibly your system. Therefore, making such a change is not recommended. If access to particular files or executables is required by other users, the UNIX sudo command (or other similar command) should be considered in lieu of changing file permissions.
Refer to your UNIX operating system Administrator's Guide or contact your operating system vendor if you need further assistance.
On Windows operating systems, the user must be a member of the Windows "Admin" group. This gives the user the proper permissions required to start and stop processes after the installation, including the Builders.
Oracle Forms and Reports requires Oracle WebLogic Server, which creates the Middleware home directory during installation. This section contains the following topics:
Section 2.2.1, "Planning Your Middleware Home Location for Oracle Reports (Windows Only)"
Section 2.2.2, "Downloading the Correct Installer for your Operating System"
Section 2.2.3, "Finding Oracle WebLogic Server Installation Instructions"
Section 2.2.4, "Stopping Node Manager Before Installing Oracle Forms and Reports (Windows Only)"
Make sure you read the Oracle Fusion Middleware certification document for your particular release to determine the minimum version of Oracle WebLogic Server that is required. This document is located on the Oracle Fusion Middleware Supported System Configurations page.
If you are going to install Oracle Reports on a Windows operating system, make sure the path to your Middleware home directory is not too long. For more information, see Section F.3, "Verifying Environment Variable Lengths for Oracle Reports (Windows Only)".
See Section 2.1.5, "Obtaining the Oracle Fusion Middleware Software" for information on where to obtain your Oracle WebLogic Server installer.
For Oracle WebLogic Server installation instructions, see "Running the Installation Program in Graphical Mode" in Oracle WebLogic Server Installation Guide. The WebLogic Server installation must be completed so that a Middleware home directory is created; you do not have to create a WebLogic Server domain as the Oracle Forms and Reports installer will allow you to do this for your Oracle Forms and Reports products.
If you are installing on a Windows operating system, be sure to read Section 2.2.4, "Stopping Node Manager Before Installing Oracle Forms and Reports (Windows Only)" after your Oracle WebLogic Server installation is complete.
If you are installing Oracle Forms and Reports on a Microsoft Windows operating system, you must make sure that the Node Manager utility that was installed with Oracle WebLogic Server is stopped before you begin the installation:
Verify the Oracle WebLogic Server Node Manager utility is stopped. If it is running, kill the process.
Determine if the nodemanager.properties file is present in the WebLogic_Home\common\nodemanager directory.
If the nodemanager.properties file is not present, continue installing Oracle Forms and Reports.
If the nodemanager.properties file does exist, open it and verify that the ListenPort parameter is included and that it is set. If the ListenPort parameter is not included or set, edit the nodemanager.properties file so that it is similar to the following, where NODE_MANAGER_LISTEN_PORT represents the port the Node Manager listens on, such as 5556:
ListenPort=NODE_MANAGER_LISTEN_PORT
Your Oracle Forms and Reports installation can be protected with Identity Management (see Section 1.4, "Securing Oracle Forms and Reports With Identity Management". If you choose to secure your Oracle Forms and Reports with Oracle Internet Directory and Oracle Access Manager, you must download and install these products if you do not already have them.
Oracle Identity and Access Management must be installed in a separate Middleware home directory from your Oracle Forms and Reports installation (see Section 2.1.7, "Installing Oracle Forms and Reports in a New Middleware Home"). For performance reasons, Oracle recommends that Oracle Forms and Reports is installed on a separate machine from your Oracle Identity Management product.
Installation instructions for Oracle Identity and Access Management can be found in "Installing and Configuring Oracle Identity and Access Management (11.1.1.5.0)" in Oracle Fusion Middleware Installation Guide for Oracle Identity Management.
This section contains information and instructions for installing Oracle Forms and Reports. The following topics are covered:
Section 2.4.1, "Running the rootpre.sh Script on IBM AIX Operating Systems"
Section 2.4.2, "Starting the Oracle Forms and Reports Installer"
Section 2.4.4, "Configuring Your Oracle Inventory (UNIX Only)"
Section 2.4.5, "Following the Installation Screens and Instructions"
Section 2.4.6, "Running the Configuration Tool for Oracle Forms and Reports"
If you are installing on an IBM AIX operating system, you must run the rootpre.sh script as the root user from the Disk1 directory before you start the installer. The rootpre.sh script should be run only once on a system, to load the right kernel extensions required for Oracle Database or Oracle Fusion Middleware.
Once the installer is started on IBM AIX, the following message appears:
Answer 'y' if root has run 'rootpre.sh' so you can proceed with Oracle installation. Answer 'n' to abort installation and then ask root to run 'rootpre.sh'. Has 'rootpre.sh' been run by root? [y/n] (n) Answer 'y', if root has run 'rootpre.sh' so that you can proceed with Oracle installation. Answer 'n', to abort installation and then ask root to run 'rootpre.sh'.
To skip this message on systems where rootpre.sh has run before, set the SKIP_ROOTPRE environment variable to TRUE.
To start the installer, go to the directory where you downloaded the Oracle Forms and Reports installer and unpacked the archive file. Switch to the Disk1 directory.
On Windows operating systems, double-click on the setup.exe file in the Disk1 directory.
On UNIX operating systems, use the runInstaller command:
cd unpacked_archive_directory/Disk1
./runInstaller
The installer writes logs files to the Oracle_Inventory_Location/log (on UNIX operating systems) or Oracle_Inventory_Location\logs (on Windows operating systems) directory. Refer to Section F.2.1, "Installation Log Files" for more information about the log files and their contents.
If you are installing on a UNIX operating system, and if this is the first time any Oracle product is being installed on your system with the Oracle Universal Installer, you will be asked to provide the location of an inventory directory. This is where the installer will set up subdirectories and maintain inventory data for each Oracle product that is installed on this system.
Use the inventory screens in Table 2-1 to configure the inventory directory and group information. For more help, select the screen name in the table, or click the Help button in the GUI.
Table 2-1 Inventory Directory and Group Screens
| Screen | Description |
|---|---|
|
Specify the Oracle inventory directory and group permissions for that directory. The group must have write permissions to the Oracle inventory directory. |
|
|
Run the |
If you do not wish to use the Oracle central inventory, you can create a file called oraInst.loc and in this file, include the full path of the inventory directory of your choice. For example, a typical oraInst.loc file would contain the following:
inventory_loc=/home/username/oraInventory inst_group=group
Then, you can start the installer and point to the oraInst.loc file. For example:
./runInstaller -invPtrLoc location_of_oraInst.loc_file
Follow the instructions in Table 2-2 to install and configure Oracle Forms and Reports.
Note:
If you choose the Install Software - Do Not Configure option, follow the instructions in this flowchart to install the software, then follow the instruction in Section 2.4.6, "Running the Configuration Tool for Oracle Forms and Reports" to configure your components.
If you need additional help with any of the screens, click on the screen name in the "Screen" column in Table 2-2, or click Help on the screen to access the online help.
A flowchart describing the order in which the screens appear is also available in Section A.1, "Flowchart of Oracle Forms and Reports Installation and Configuration Screens".
Table 2-2 Oracle Forms and Reports Installation and Configuration Screens
| Screen | When This Screen Appears | Description |
|---|---|---|
|
Always. |
This page introduces you to the Oracle Fusion Middleware installer. |
|
|
Always. |
Select the method you want to use for obtaining software updates, or select Skip Software Updates if you do not want to get updates. If updates are found, the installer will automatically attempt to apply them at this point; make sure that the server you are using to perform the installation is connected to the Internet. Some updates will require that the installer be restarted; if this happens, the Software Updates screen will not be seen the next time. |
|
|
Always. |
Choose the installation type you want to use. If you choose the Install Software - Do Not Configure type, you can follow the instructions in this table to install your software; you will only see the screens marked with "Always" in the "When This Screen Appears" column. After the installation is completed, but must run the configuration tool to configure your components, as described in Section 2.4.6, "Running the Configuration Tool for Oracle Forms and Reports". |
|
|
Always. |
Verify that your system meets all necessary prerequisites. |
|
|
Always. |
Specify the following installation directories:
If you selected Install Software - Do Not Configure on the Installation Type screen, you will only be asked for the Middleware home and Oracle home locations. |
|
|
If Install and Configure is selected on Installation Type. |
Specify whether you want to configure your components for deployment (includes Oracle HTTP Server and Oracle Enterprise Manager) or development (does not include Oracle HTTP Server and Oracle Enterprise Manager. See Section 1.3, "Understanding Oracle Forms and Reports Configuration Types" for more information. |
|
|
If Install and Configure is selected on Installation Type. |
Select how you want to configure your domain for your components (create a new domain, extend an existing domain, or expand a cluster). NOTE: You can only extend a domain or expand a cluster that was created by the Oracle Forms and Reports installer for this release (11g Release 2 - 11.1.2). |
|
|
Always. |
Select the method in which you want to receive the latest product information and security updates. |
|
|
If Install and Configure is selected on Installation Type. |
Select the components you want to configure. Oracle Forms Builder and Reports Builder cannot be installed without Oracle Forms Server and Reports Server, respectively. If you selected Configure for Development on Configuration Type, Oracle HTTP Server and Oracle Enterprise Manager will not appear on this screen. |
|
|
If Install and Configure is selected on Installation Type. |
Select the method you want to use for port configuration. |
|
|
If Oracle Reports is selected on Configure Components. |
Some features of Oracle Reports Server support retrieving or sending information through a firewall. For these features to function properly, Oracle Reports Server requires the proxy information on this screen. |
|
|
If Oracle HTTP Server is selected on Configure Components. |
Select Use Application Identity Store to secure your installation with Oracle Identity Management, and provide the credentials to your Oracle Internet Directory server. You can skip this screen by de-selecting Use Application Identity Store. If you decide you want to add security with Oracle Identity Management later, refer to the information in Oracle Fusion Middleware Forms Services Deployment Guide. |
|
|
If Use Application Identity Store is selected on Application Identity Store. |
Select which product you want to use for authentication:
|
|
|
Always. |
Verify the information on this screen, then click Install to begin the installation. |
|
|
Always. |
This screen shows the progress of the installation. If you are installing on a UNIX operating system, you may be asked to run the |
|
|
If Install and Configure is selected on Installation Type. |
This screen shows the progress of the configuration. |
|
|
Always |
Click Save to save your configuration information to a file. This information includes port numbers, installation directories, URLs, and component names which you may need to access at a later time. After saving your configuration information, click Finish to dismiss the installer. |
If you selected the Install Software - Do Not Configure option on the Installation Type screen, you must manually run the configuration tool to configure your components after they have been installed. Doing so does the following:
If you already have an existing WebLogic Server domain, your components can be associated with this existing domain.
If you are creating a new domain, your components can be associated with the newly created domain.
Oracle Instances are created for your system components.
The configuration tool is located in the bin directory inside your Oracle home.
On UNIX operating systems:
ORACLE_HOME/bin/config.sh
On Windows operating systems:
ORACLE_HOME\bin\config.bat
Note:
Make sure the Oracle Forms and Reports installer is not running; running the installer and configuration tool concurrently is not supported.
After you have started the configuration tool, follow the instructions in Table 2-3.
If you need additional help with any of the screens, click on the screen name in the "Screen" column in Table 2-3, or click Help on the screen to access the online help.
A flowchart describing the order in which the screens appear is also available in Section A.1, "Flowchart of Oracle Forms and Reports Installation and Configuration Screens".
Table 2-3 Oracle Forms and Reports Configuration Tool Screens
| Screen | When This Screen Appears | Description |
|---|---|---|
|
Always. |
This page introduces you to the Oracle Forms and Reports configuration tool. |
|
|
Always |
Specify whether you want to configure your components for deployment (includes Oracle HTTP Server and Oracle Enterprise Manager) or development (does not include Oracle HTTP Server and Oracle Enterprise Manager. |
|
|
Always. |
Select the method in which you want to receive the latest product information and security updates. |
|
|
Always. |
Specify the following installation directories:
|
|
|
Always |
Select how you want to configure your domain for your components (create a new domain, extend an existing domain, or expand a cluster). NOTE: You can only extend a domain or expand a cluster that was created by the Oracle Forms and Reports installer for this release (11g Release 2 - 11.1.2). |
|
|
Always. |
Select the components you want to configure. Oracle Forms Builder and Reports Builder cannot be installed without Oracle Forms Server and Reports Server, respectively. If you selected Configure for Development on Configuration Type, Oracle HTTP Server and Oracle Enterprise Manager will not appear on this screen. |
|
|
Always. |
Select the method you want to use for port configuration. |
|
|
If Oracle Reports is selected on Configure Components. |
Some features of Oracle Reports Server support retrieving or sending information through a firewall. For these features to function properly, Oracle Reports Server requires the proxy information on this screen. |
|
|
If Oracle HTTP Server is selected on Configure Components. |
Select Use Application Identity Store to secure your installation with Oracle Identity Management, and provide the credentials to your Oracle Internet Directory server. You can skip this screen by de-selecting Use Application Identity Store. If you decide you want to add security with Oracle Identity Management later, refer to the information in Oracle Fusion Middleware Forms Services Deployment Guide. |
|
|
If Use Application Identity Store is selected on Application Identity Store. |
Select which product you want to use for authentication:
|
|
|
Always. |
Verify the information on this screen, then click Configure to begin the configuration. |
|
|
Always. |
This screen shows the progress of the configuration. |
|
|
Always |
Click Save to save your configuration information to a file. This information includes port numbers, installation directories, URLs, and component names which you may need to access at a later time. After saving your configuration information, click Finish to dismiss the installer. |