1 Introduction to Oracle Fusion Middleware

Oracle Fusion Middleware is a comprehensive family of products ranging from application development tools and integration solutions to identity management, collaboration, and business intelligence reporting. This chapter provides an introduction to Oracle Fusion Middleware.

• What Is Oracle Fusion Middleware?
  Oracle Fusion Middleware is a collection of standards-based software products that spans a range of tools and services: from Java EE and developer tools, to integration services, identity management, business intelligence, and collaboration.
• Oracle Fusion Middleware Components
  Oracle Fusion Middleware Oracle WebLogic Serverprovides a wide variety of components, such as Oracle WebLogic Server, Oracle SOA Suite, and Oracle HTTP Server.

What Is Oracle Fusion Middleware?

Oracle Fusion Middleware is a collection of standards-based software products that spans a range of tools and services: from Java EE and developer tools, to integration services, identity management, business intelligence, and collaboration.

Oracle Fusion Middleware offers complete support for development, deployment, and management.

Understanding Oracle Fusion Middleware describes Oracle Fusion Middleware concepts.

Oracle Fusion Middleware Components

Oracle Fusion Middleware Oracle WebLogic Serverprovides a wide variety of components, such as Oracle WebLogic Server, Oracle SOA Suite, and Oracle HTTP Server.

Some of the components include:

• Oracle WebLogic Server is an enterprise-ready Java application server that supports the deployment of mission-critical applications in a robust, secure, highly available, and scalable environment. Oracle WebLogic Server is an ideal foundation for building applications based on service-oriented architecture (SOA).

  See Understanding Weblogic Server.

• Oracle Application Development Framework (Oracle ADF) is an end-to-end application framework that builds on Java EE standards and open-source technologies to simplify and accelerate implementing enterprise applications. Oracle ADF is suitable for enterprise developers who want to create applications that search, display, create, modify, and validate data using web, mobile, and desktop interfaces.

  See Overview of Oracle ADF in Understanding Oracle Application Development Framework.

• Oracle SOA Suite is a complete set of service infrastructure components, in a service-oriented architecture, for designing, deploying, and managing composite applications. Oracle SOA Suite enables services to be created, managed, and orchestrated into composite applications and business processes. Composites enable you to easily assemble multiple technology components into one SOA composite application.

  See Administering Oracle SOA Suite and Oracle Business Process Management Suite.

• Oracle HTTP Server provides a Web listener for Java EE applications and the framework for hosting static and dynamic pages and applications over the Web. Based on the proven technology of the Apache HTTP Server, Oracle HTTP Server includes significant enhancements that facilitate load balancing, administration, and configuration.

  See Administering Oracle HTTP Server.

• Oracle Web Services Manager provides a way to centrally define and manage policies that govern Web services operations, including access control (authentication and authorization), reliable messaging, Message Transmission Optimization Mechanism (MTOM), WS-Addressing, and Web services management. Policies can be attached to multiple Web services, requiring no modification to the existing Web services.

  See Administering Web Services.

• Oracle Platform Security provides enterprise product development teams, systems integrators, and independent software vendors (ISVs) with a standards-based, portable, integrated, enterprise-grade security framework for Java Standard Edition (Java SE) and Java Enterprise Edition (Java EE) applications.

  Oracle Platform Security provides an abstraction layer in the form of standards-based application programming interfaces (APIs) that insulate developers from security and identity management implementation details. With Oracle Platform Security, developers do not need to know the details of cryptographic key management or interfaces with user repositories and other identity management infrastructures. When you use Oracle Platform Security, in-house developed applications, third-party applications, and integrated applications benefit from the same uniform security, identity management, and audit services across the enterprise.

  See Securing Applications with Oracle Platform Security Services.

• Oracle Identity Management enables organizations to effectively manage the end-to-end lifecycle of user identities across all enterprise resources, both within and beyond the firewall and into the cloud. The Oracle Identity Management platform delivers scalable solutions for identity governance, access management and directory services. This modern platform helps organizations strengthen security, simplify compliance, and capture business opportunities around mobile and social access.

  For more information about integrating Oracle Identity Management components, see Introduction to IdM Suite Components Integration in Integration Guide for Oracle Identity Management Suite.

  Oracle Data Integrator provides a fully unified solution for building, deploying, and managing complex data warehouses or as part of data-centric architectures in a SOA or business intelligence environment. In addition, it combines all the elements of data integration — data movement, data synchronization, data quality, data management, and data services—to ensure that information is timely, accurate, and consistent across complex systems.

  See Administering Oracle Data Integrator.

• Oracle WebCenter Portal is an integrated set of components with which you can create social applications, enterprise portals, collaborative communities, and composite applications, built on a standards-based, service-oriented architecture. Oracle WebCenter Portal combines dynamic user interface technologies with which to develop rich internet applications, the flexibility and power of an integrated, multi-channel portal framework, and a set of tools and services that provide content, collaboration, presence and social networking capabilities. Based on these components, Oracle WebCenter Portal also provides an out-of-the-box enterprise-ready customizable application called WebCenter Portal, with a configurable work environment that enables individuals and groups to work and collaborate more effectively.

  See Administering Oracle WebCenter Portal.

• Oracle WebCenter Content is an integrated suite of applications designed for managing content. Oracle WebCenter Content contains the Oracle WebCenter Content Server, which is used to manage the content repository. Oracle WebCenter Content can help a corporation unify, manage, and leverage all types of content across the entire enterprise. All corporate lines of business such as marketing, brand management, web presence, sales, Human Resources, and engineering can share the same tools and easily access the same information in a common repository.

  See Understanding Oracle WebCenter Content Concepts.

• Oracle Business Intelligence is a complete, integrated solution that addresses business intelligence requirements. Oracle Business Intelligence includes Oracle BI Enterprise Edition, Oracle Business Intelligence Publisher, and Oracle Real-Time Decisions.

  See System Administrator's Guide for Oracle Business Intelligence Enterprise Edition