Network Requirements
Typically, the computer on which you want to install Oracle Fusion Middleware is connected to the network. The computer has local storage to store the Oracle Fusion Middleware installation and also contains a display monitor and DVD drive.
This section describes how to install Oracle Database on computers that do not meet the typical scenario. It describes the following cases:
- Guidelines for a Correct Format of Entries in the /etc/hosts File
- Understanding IPv6 and Oracle Fusion Middleware
- Configuration Requirements for Installing on a DHCP Host
- Configuration Requirements for Installing on a Non-Networked Computer
- Configuration Requirements for Installing on a Multihomed Computer
- Configuration Requirements for Time Synchronization
Parent topic: System Requirements and Specifications
Guidelines for a Correct Format of Entries in the /etc/hosts File
To ensure that both forward lookup (find the IP address given the hostname) and reverse lookup (finding the hostname given the IP address) return the same results, make sure your /etc/hosts file is formatted correctly using the following guidelines:
-
The host name may contain only alphanumeric characters, hyphen, and period. The name must begin with an alphabetic character and end with an alphanumeric character.
-
Host names should be specified as fully qualified host names (host name with the appended domain name).
-
Lines cannot start with a blank space or tab character, but fields may be separated by any number of space or tab characters.
-
Comments are allowed and designated by a pound sign (#) preceding the comment text.
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Trailing blank and tab characters are allowed.
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Blank line entries are allowed.
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Only one host entry per line is allowed.
Parent topic: Network Requirements
Understanding IPv6 and Oracle Fusion Middleware
Oracle Fusion Middleware supports Internet Protocol Version 4 (IPv4) and Internet Protocol Version 6 (IPv6.) Among other features, IPv6 supports a larger address space (128 bits) than IPv4 (32 bits), providing an exponential increase in the number of computers that can be addressable on the Web.
An IPv6 address is expressed as 8 groups of 4 hexadecimal digits. For example:
2001:0db8:85a3:08d3:1319:8a2e:0370:7334
This section contains the following additional topics to help you understand IPv6 in Oracle Fusion Middleware:
Parent topic: Network Requirements
Understanding IPv6 Support by Component
Table 2-13 describes support for IPv6 by Oracle Fusion Middleware components:
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The column IPv6 Only shows whether a component supports using IPv6 only for all communication.
-
The column Dual Stack shows whether a component supports using both IPv6 and IPv4 for communication. For example, some components do not support using IPv6 only, because some of the communication is with the Oracle Database, which supports IPv4, not IPv6. Those components support dual stack, allowing for IPv6 communication with other components.
Table 2-13 IPv6 Support in Oracle Fusion Middleware
| Component | IPv6 Only | Dual Stack | Comments |
|---|---|---|---|
|
Oracle Application Development Framework |
Yes |
Yes |
None. |
|
Oracle HTTP Server |
Yes |
Yes |
To configure Oracle HTTP Server for IPv6, see Configuring Oracle HTTP Server for IPv6 in Administering Oracle Fusion Middleware. |
|
Oracle WebLogic Server |
Yes |
Yes |
The Oracle WebLogic Server Web Server plug-ins support IPv6, beginning with the 11g release. |
|
Oracle Data Integrator |
No |
Yes |
Requires a dual stack because Oracle Database requires IPv4 addresses. The Agent requires IPv4 addresses. The Oracle Data Integrator server can be on a dual-stack host. The browser client can be on either IPv4 or IPv6 hosts. |
|
Oracle Forms Services |
No |
No |
Oracle Forms and Reports are configured with Oracle HTTP Server and |
|
Oracle Information Rights Management |
No |
Yes |
Requires a dual stack but the client (the browser) can be on a host configured for IPv6. |
|
Oracle Platform Security Services |
No |
Yes |
Requires a dual stack because Oracle Database requires IPv4 addresses. |
|
Oracle Reports |
No |
No |
Uses reverse proxy to communicate with Oracle HTTP Server, which can be configured for IPv6. |
|
Oracle SOA Suite |
No |
Yes |
Requires a dual stack because Oracle Database requires IPv4 addresses. |
|
Oracle WebCenter Content: Imaging |
No |
Yes |
Requires a dual stack, but the client (the browser) can be on a host configured for IPv6. |
|
Oracle WebCenter Portal |
No |
Yes |
Requires a dual stack because Oracle Database requires IPv4 addresses. |
|
Oracle Internet Directory, Oracle Unified Directory and Directory Integration Platform |
Yes |
Yes |
None |
Parent topic: Understanding IPv6 and Oracle Fusion Middleware
Understanding IPv6 Support by Topology
Table 2-14 shows the supported topologies for IPv4 and IPv6 (dual-stack means that the host is configured with both IPv4 and IPv6):
Table 2-14 Supported IPv6 Topologies
| Topology | Description |
|---|---|
|
Topology A |
This topology includes:
|
|
Topology B |
This topology includes:
|
|
Topology B |
This topology includes:
|
|
Topology C |
This topology includes:
|
|
Topology D |
This topology includes:
|
|
Topology E |
This topology includes:
|
|
Topology F |
This topology includes the following:
|
|
Topology D |
This topology includes:
|
|
Topology G |
This topology includes:
|
|
Topology G |
This topology includes:
|
Parent topic: Understanding IPv6 and Oracle Fusion Middleware
Configuration Requirements for Installing on a DHCP Host
Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol (DHCP) assigns dynamic IP addresses on a network. Dynamic addressing allows a computer to have a different IP address each time it connects to the network. In some cases, the IP address can change while the computer is still connected. You can have a mixture of static and dynamic IP addressing in a DHCP system.
In a DHCP setup, the software tracks IP addresses, which simplifies network administration. This lets you add a new computer to the network without having to manually assign that computer a unique IP address. However, before installing Oracle Database onto a computer that uses the DHCP protocol, you must install a loopback adapter to assign a static, non-routable IP address to that computer.
If you are installing your Oracle Fusion Middleware products on a DHCP host, refer to your operating system documentation for instructions on how to properly configure a loopback adapter.
Parent topic: Network Requirements
Configuration Requirements for Installing on a Non-Networked Computer
You can install your Oracle Fusion Middleware product on a non-networked computer, such as a laptop. Because a non-networked computer has no access to other computers, you have to install all the components that you need on the computer.
In addition, you must follow the instructions in Configuration Requirements for Installing on a DHCP Host to install a loopback adapter and modify the hosts file on your system.
Parent topic: Network Requirements
Configuration Requirements for Installing on a Multihomed Computer
You can install your Oracle Fusion Middleware product on a multihomed computer. A multihomed computer is associated with multiple IP addresses. This is typically achieved by having multiple network cards on the computer. Each IP address is associated with a host name; additionally, you can set up aliases for each hostname.
The installer picks up the fully qualified domain name from the first entry in /etc/hosts (on UNIX operating systems) or %SYSTEMROOT%\system32\drivers\etc\hosts (on Windows operating systems) file. So if your file looks like the following (IPv4 example shown below):
127.0.0.1 localhost.localdomain localhost 10.1.1.1 examplehost1.example.com examplehost1 10.2.2.2 examplehost2.example.com examplehost2
examplehost1.example.com would be picked for configuration.
For specific network configuration of a system component, refer to the individual component's configuration documentation.
In any situation where you change any combination of the host name, domain name, or IP address of a host, you also change the information for your Oracle Fusion Middleware components. See "Changing the Network Configuration of Oracle Fusion Middleware" in Administering Oracle Fusion Middleware for more information about additional steps that need to be performed.
Parent topic: Network Requirements
Configuration Requirements for Time Synchronization
To ensure proper interoperability between Oracle Fusion Middleware services, databases, and storage, it is critical that all of the computers have synchronized clocks. A common way to achieve this is to use the Network Time Protocol (NTP) and configure redundant synchronization to multiple time servers. Optionally, to achieve fail-safe redundancy, consider configuring the local servers as NTP peers as well.
See Configuring a Host to Use an NTP (time) Server in an Oracle Fusion Middleware Enterprise Deployment Guide for Oracle WebCenter Portal.
Parent topic: Network Requirements