4 Using Oracle Fusion Middleware Tools

Oracle Fusion Middleware provides tools to use to perform administration tasks such as installing, configuring, and managing your middleware components and for developing applications.

• About the Installation and Configuration Tools
  Oracle Fusion Middleware offers the following primary tools for installing, configuring and upgrading Oracle Fusion Middleware:
• About the Administration Tools
  After you install and configure Oracle Fusion Middleware, you can use the graphical user interfaces or command-line tools to manage your environment.
• About the Development Tools
  Oracle Fusion Middleware provides the followng development tools support for building Web applications:

About the Installation and Configuration Tools

Oracle Fusion Middleware offers the following primary tools for installing, configuring and upgrading Oracle Fusion Middleware:

• Oracle Universal Installer
  
• Repository Configuration Utility
  
• OPatch
  
• Configuration Wizard
  
• Reconfiguration Wizard
  
• Upgrade Assistant
  

Oracle Universal Installer

Oracle Universal Installer (OUI) is a Java-based installer that enables you to install and deinstall Oracle components. It performs component-based installations as well as complex installations, such as integrated bundle and suite installations, and installations over the Web.

One of the key features of OUI is that it provides a prerequisite checking tool to diagnose the readiness of an environment for installation. The prerequisite checks are run as part of the installation process, but can also be run as a separate application.

See Using the Oracle Universal Installer in Installing Software with the Oracle Universal Installer.

Repository Configuration Utility

Many of the Oracle Fusion Middleware components require the existence of schemas in a database prior to installation. These schemas are created and loaded in your database using the Repository Creation Utility (RCU). See About the Repository Creation Utility in Creating Schemas with the Repository Creation Utility.

OPatch

OPatch is a utility that assists you with the process of applying interim patches to Oracle's software. OPatch is a Java-based utility that can run on either OUI-based Oracle homes or standalone homes. It works on all operating systems for which Oracle releases software. See Patching Your Environment Using OPatch in Patching with OPatch.

Configuration Wizard

The Configuration Wizard creates the appropriate directory structure for a WebLogic Server domain or a standalone domain, a domain configuration file, and scripts you can use to start the servers in the domain.

The Configuration Wizard guides you through the process of creating or updating a domain for your target environment by selecting the product components to include in your domain, or by selecting template JAR files. If necessary, you can also customize the domain to suit your environment by adding and configuring Managed Servers, clusters, and machine definitions, or customizing predefined JDBC data sources and JMS file store directories.

See Overview of the Configuration Wizard in Creating WebLogic Domains Using the Configuration Wizard.

Reconfiguration Wizard

The Reconfiguration Wizard reconfigures an existing WebLogic Server domain, which was created using a prior release. The following items are automatically updated, depending on the applications in the domain:

• WLS core infrastructure

• Domain version

If your domain also includes Oracle Fusion Middleware products, other items may also be updated, depending on the particular product. This lets you take advantage of new features that are included with the newest version of Oracle Fusion Middleware.

See Reconfiguring a WebLogic Domain in Graphical Mode in Upgrading Oracle WebLogic Server.

Upgrade Assistant

The Upgrade Assistant automates the upgrade of many aspects of the Oracle Fusion Middleware environment. The Oracle Fusion Middleware upgrade Assistant guides you through the process of upgrading from previous versions.

See Upgrade Planning Roadmap in Planning an Upgrade of Oracle Fusion Middleware.

About the Administration Tools

After you install and configure Oracle Fusion Middleware, you can use the graphical user interfaces or command-line tools to manage your environment.

Note that you should use these tools, rather than directly editing configuration files, to perform all administrative tasks unless a specific procedure requires you to edit a file. Editing a file may cause the settings to be inconsistent and generate problems.

Oracle offers the following primary tools for managing your Oracle Fusion Middleware installations:

• Oracle Enterprise Manager Fusion Middleware Control
  
• Oracle WebLogic Server Administration Console
  
• Oracle WebLogic Scripting Tool (WLST)
  
• Oracle Enterprise Manager Cloud Control
  

Oracle Enterprise Manager Fusion Middleware Control

Oracle Enterprise Manager Fusion Middleware Control (Fusion Middleware Control) is a Web browser-based, graphical user interface that you can use to monitor and administer a domain.

It can manage the Administration Server, Managed Servers, clusters, and the Oracle Fusion Middleware components that are installed, configured, and running in the domain.

Fusion Middleware Control organizes a wide variety of performance data and administrative functions into distinct, Web-based home pages for the domain, clusters, servers, components, and applications. The Fusion Middleware Control home pages make it easy to locate the most important monitoring data and the most commonly used administrative functions, all from your Web browser.

Fusion Middleware Control provides direct access to Oracle WebLogic Server Administration Console. The Web pages in the Fusion Middleware Control interface contain links that take enable you to access the Administration Console. For example, on the Domain home page, the Summary area contains a link that takes you to the Administration Console.

See Getting Started Using Oracle Enterprise Manager Fusion Middleware Control in Administering Oracle Fusion Middleware.

Oracle WebLogic Server Administration Console

Oracle WebLogic Server Administration Console is a Web browser-based, graphical user interface that you use to manage an Oracle WebLogic Server domain. It is accessible from any supported Web browser with network access to the Administration Server.

Use the Administration Console to:

• Configure, start, and stop Oracle WebLogic Server instances

• Configure Oracle WebLogic Server clusters

• Configure Oracle WebLogic Server services, such as database connectivity (JDBC) and JMS messaging

• Configure security parameters, including creating and managing users, groups, and roles

• Configure and deploy Java EE applications

• Monitor server and application performance

• View server and domain log files

• View application deployment descriptors

• Edit selected run time application deployment descriptor elements

See Getting Started Using Oracle WebLogic Server Administration Console in Administering Oracle Fusion Middleware.

Oracle WebLogic Scripting Tool (WLST)

The Oracle WebLogic Scripting Tool (WLST) is a command-line scripting environment that you can use to create, manage, and monitor Oracle WebLogic Server domains and standalone domains. It is based on the Java scripting interpreter, Jython. In addition to supporting standard Jython features such as local variables, conditional variables, and flow control statements, WLST provides a set of scripting functions (commands) that are specific to Oracle WebLogic Server and Oracle Fusion Middleware components. You can extend the WebLogic scripting language to suit your needs by following the Jython language syntax.

You can use any of the following techniques to invoke WLST commands:

• Interactively, on the command line

• In script mode, supplied in a file

• Embedded in Java code

See Getting Started Using Oracle WebLogic Server Scripting Tool (WLST) in Administering Oracle Fusion Middleware and WebLogic Server WLST Online and Offline Command Reference in the WLST Command Reference for WebLogic Server.

Oracle Enterprise Manager Cloud Control

Oracle Enterprise Manager Cloud Control provides a comprehensive management solution for Oracle WebLogic Server, Oracle Fusion Middleware, non-Oracle middleware technology, and lifecycle management including configuration management, compliance management, provisioning, and patching. Cloud Control encompasses out-of-the-box availability and performance monitoring, robust diagnostics, configuration management, and lifecycle management across middleware software such as Oracle WebLogic Server, Oracle Coherence, and Oracle HTTP Server.

Cloud Control is a Web browser-based, graphical user interface that you can use to monitor multiple Oracle Fusion Middleware environments and Oracle WebLogic Server domains. In fact, Cloud Control provides deep management solutions for Oracle technologies including Oracle packaged applications, Oracle Database and Oracle VM. Cloud Control also offers extensive support for non-Oracle technologies through more than two dozen heterogeneous management plug-ins and connectors including Microsoft MOM, IBM WebSphere, JBoss, EMC storage, F5 BIG IP, Check Point Firewall, and Remedy.

Beyond managing your entire data center from a single interface, Cloud Control offers critical features that help you manage Oracle Fusion Middleware and Oracle WebLogic Server more effectively and efficiently. Such additional management capabilities include:

• Analyze and report on trends based upon collected availability and performance data.

• Receive alert notifications (via email, page, SNMP) for metrics which have crossed thresholds previously defined by you.

• Automate common administrative operations (for example, start or stop, WLST scripts).

• Resolve problems faster through visibility into all Java activity---including in-flight transactions---and tracing transactions from Java to Database and vice-versa.

• Detect, validate, and report authorized and unauthorized configuration changes in real time.

• Ensure configuration consistency across development and production environments.

See Oracle Enterprise Manager Cloud Control Introduction available on OTN.

About the Development Tools

Oracle Fusion Middleware provides the followng development tools support for building Web applications:

• Oracle JDeveloper
  
• Oracle Application Development Framework
  
• Oracle TopLink
  
• Oracle Help
  

Oracle JDeveloper

Oracle JDeveloper is an integrated development environment (IDE) for building applications, such as SOA applications, using the latest standards for Java, XML, Web services, and SQL. It supports the complete development lifecycle with integrated features for modeling, coding, debugging, testing, profiling, tuning, and deploying applications. Oracle JDeveloper is the main development platform for the Oracle Fusion Middleware suite of products. It is a cross-platform IDE that runs on Windows, Linux, Mac OS X, and other UNIX-based systems.

Oracle JDeveloper provides a visual and declarative development approach and works together with the Oracle ADF to simplify development.

Key features of Oracle JDeveloper include:

• A consistent development environment that can be used for various technology stacks including Java, SOA, Oracle WebCenter Portal, SQL and PL/SQL, HTML, and JavaScript.

• XML-based application development.

• A full development and modeling environment for building database objects and stored procedures.

• A wide range of application deployment options, including Integrated Oracle WebLogic Server, an integrated run-time service for running and testing applications before deploying to a production environment.

• Extension capabilities that enable customization of the IDE based on development needs and add additional functionality.

See Introduction to Oracle JDeveloper in Developing Applications with Oracle JDeveloper.

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 service-oriented applications. Oracle ADF is suitable for enterprise developers who want to create applications that search, display, create, modify, and validate data using Web, wireless, desktop, or Web services interfaces. Used in tandem, Oracle JDeveloper and Oracle ADF provide an environment that covers the full development lifecycle from design to deployment, with drag-and-drop data binding, visual UI design, and team development features built in.

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

Oracle TopLink

Oracle TopLink is an advanced, object-persistence and object-transformation framework that provides development tools and run time capabilities that reduce development and maintenance efforts, and increase enterprise application functionality.

Oracle TopLink builds high-performance applications that store persistent object-oriented data in a relational database. It successfully transforms object-oriented data into either relational data, or Extensible Markup Language (XML) elements.

See Overview of Oracle TopLink in Understanding Oracle TopLink.

Oracle Help

Oracle Help provides the means for developing and displaying HTML-based help systems for Java applications and Web applications. Authors can create a single help system that can be displayed---without modification---both in a Java environment, using Oracle Help for Java, and in a Web environment, using Oracle Help for the Web. Oracle Help for the Web is available in two formats: Oracle Help for the Web - UIX and Oracle Help for the Web – Rich Client.

Oracle Help for Java (OHJ) is a set of Java components, a Java API, and a file formats specification for developing and displaying HTML-based help content in a Java environment. OHJ is designed primarily for displaying help for Java applications, although it can also be implemented as a standalone document viewer for use in a Java environment.

Oracle Help for the Web – UIX (OHW-UIX) is a Java servlet and a file formats specification for developing and delivering HTML-based help content in a Web environment. OHW-UIX can be used to provide context-sensitive help for Web applications or as a means for processing and displaying structured views of independent HTML content on the Web.

Oracle Help for the Web – Rich Client (OHW-RC), similar to OHW-UIX, delivers HTML-based Help content in a Web environment. It uses Oracle ADF, which is based on the JavaServer Faces (JSF) technology, to build a user interface that follows Oracle's Browser Look And Feel Plus (BLAF+) guidelines.

See Introduction to Oracle Help in Developing Help Systems with Oracle Help.