Understanding Interoperability and Compatibility

1 Understanding Interoperability and Compatibility

This chapter provides an introduction to interoperability and compatibility. It also describes how to identify areas where compatibility and interoperability considerations may arise when you upgrade Oracle Fusion Middleware components, apply patch sets, or install new Oracle Fusion Middleware components.

This chapter contains the following sections.

What Is Compatibility?

For the purposes of this guide, compatibility is defined as the ability of two Oracle Fusion Middleware components of different versions (or releases) to work together (interoperate).

You need to consider compatibility when upgrading Oracle Fusion Middleware or when applying Oracle Fusion Middleware patches.

When upgrading, for example, you should know which components must be updated so that your existing integration points continue to work. To apply a patch, you should know if the new products work with other products of the same release or if they still work with previous versions.

Compatibility also includes the following.

Compatibility Between Oracle Fusion Middleware Software Suites

While upgrading your Oracle Fusion Middleware 11g environment to Oracle Fusion Middleware 12c, you are likely to update one area of your environment at a time.

For example, you can upgrade the middle tiers in one department to Oracle Fusion Middleware 12c in order to support new features. At the same time, you can leave your company-wide Oracle Identity Management components at Oracle Fusion Middleware 11g.

Compatibility Within Oracle Fusion Middleware Software Suites

When you upgrade to Oracle Fusion Middleware 12c, consider potential compatibility issues within a specific software suite.

Usually, issues are temporary and occur only during the upgrade process. After you finish upgrading the software suite, the issues are typically resolved. However, be aware of these potential concerns, because they can influence your upgrade planning.

What Is Interoperability?

For the purposes of this guide, interoperability is the ability of two Oracle Fusion Middleware products or components of the same version or release to work together (interoperate) in a supported Oracle Fusion Middleware configuration.

Interoperability applies when the first 4 digits of the release or version number are the same. For example, Oracle Fusion Middleware 12c (12.2.1.4.0) components are interoperable with other 12c (12.2.1.4.0) components.

Sometimes there may be interoperability issues between Oracle Fusion Middleware software suites. For example, you may experience issues with domains coexisting between Oracle Fusion Middleware 11g products such as SOA and WebCenter.

About Interoperability and Compatibility with Supported Databases

It is important to understand the prerequisites and limitations before planning the upgrade.

Each release of Oracle Fusion Middleware is certified against specific database versions. You can use these certified databases to host the Oracle Fusion Middleware component schemas.

To upgrade your database to a supported version before upgrading to a particular release of Oracle Fusion Middleware, see Planning an Upgrade of Oracle Fusion Middleware.

For the latest information about the databases supported by each Oracle Fusion Middleware release, see Oracle Fusion Middleware Supported System Configurations.

On the Supported Configurations page, you can locate the Oracle Fusion Middleware release you are using, as well as the target Oracle Fusion Middleware release to which you want to upgrade. For each Oracle Fusion Middleware release, a corresponding spreadsheet lists the certified configurations, including the supported databases.

Identifying Potential Compatibility and Interoperability Issues

It is important to understand common compatibility and interoperability issues.

The following sections describe how to identify and resolve common compatibility and interoperability issues using information from this guide, the Oracle Technology Network (OTN), and other Oracle documents.

Before You Begin

Whether you are installing a new product or updating an existing one (either to a new major version or a patch set), interoperability and compatibility issues may arise.

When you install a new product component , new product integrate with other Oracle Fusion Middleware components of the same release.

Consider how a new product to integrates with earlier versions of Oracle Fusion Middleware products that are already installed. When you update a product, consider the other components that need to be updated so that existing integration points continue to work.

Table 1-1 lists the tasks that help you collect the information necessary to plan your Oracle Fusion Middleware upgrade and installation strategy.

Table 1-1 Tasks for Preparing to Identify and Solve Interoperability Considerations

Task	Description	Documentation
Task 1 - Gather release and version information for your installed components and supporting infrastructure.	Collect the release and version information for each component or suite of components you have installed or plan to install or upgrade. In addition, collect version and release information for your operating system, database, JDKs, and third-party products.	See Collecting Your Component and Infrastructure Information
Task 2 - If you are planning an upgrade, develop an upgrade strategy and understand the supported starting points for upgrading to Oracle Fusion Middleware 12c.	An upgrade starting point is a version of Oracle Fusion Middleware that you must be running in order to upgrade. If the current version is not a supported upgrade starting point, then you must first upgrade to a supported starting point by using documentation from a previous release.	Planning an Upgrade of Oracle Fusion Middleware provides detailed information for developing and implementing an Oracle Fusion Middleware upgrade plan. Also, each of the Oracle Fusion Middleware products has an upgrade guide that details the upgrade process and identifies any post-upgrade configuration tasks that must be completed. See Using the Oracle Fusion Middleware Documentation Library for more information on locating the correct documentation for your upgrade.
Task 3 - If you are applying a patch, understand the patching requirements for your components and supporting infrastructure.	Patching involves copying a small collection of files over an existing installation. A patch is normally associated with a particular version of an Oracle product and involves updating from one minor version of the product to a newer minor version of the same product (for example, from version 12c (12.1.2) to version 12c (12.1.3).	Patching with OPatch describes the tools available for you to patch your existing Oracle Fusion Middleware environment. Information about the latest patches and patch sets is located in the Oracle Fusion Middleware System Requirements and Specifications Document.
Task 4 - If you are Installing new Oracle Fusion Middleware components, understand the installation requirements and the supported starting points.	Each Fusion Middleware product has an installation guide that describes prerequisites, supported starting points and post-installation configuration procedures. Read and follow the installation procedures to avoid potential interoperability and compatibility issues.	To view and download installation guides, release notes, white papers, and other documentation, go to the following URL: http://docs.oracle.com/

Using the Oracle Certification Matrixes

The Oracle Fusion Middleware Certification matrixes provide important compatibility and interoperability information such as supported system configurations, database versions, and third party products. Refer to the matrixes to ensure that your current environment can support an upgrade or patch set.

Note:

The information in this guide is meant to complement the information contained in the Oracle Fusion Middleware certification matrixes. If there is a conflict of information between this guide and the certification matrixes, then the information in the certification matrixes must be considered the correct version, as they are frequently updated.

Table 1-2 Oracle Fusion Middleware Certification Matrixes

Document Name	Description
Oracle Fusion Middleware Supported System Configurations	Each product area within Oracle Fusion Middleware maintains certification documentation that covers supported installation types, platforms, operating systems, databases, JDKs, and third-party products. On the Oracle Fusion Middleware Supported System Configurations page, locate the product area to select and review the appropriate certification document.
Oracle Fusion Middleware System Requirements and Specifications Document	The Oracle Fusion Middleware System Requirements and Specifications document covers information such as hardware and software requirements, minimum disk space and memory requirements, and required system libraries, packages, or patches.
Oracle JDeveloper and Application Development Framework Certification Information	Locate the Oracle JDeveloper and Oracle Application Development Framework (Oracle ADF) certification information to understand the various third party and Oracle products that are supported to work with the Oracle JDeveloper and Oracle ADF. Oracle ADF may support or certify with a superset of products then required for Oracle Fusion Middleware and this document serves as a reference for those cases.

Document Name

Description

Oracle Fusion Middleware Supported System Configurations

Each product area within Oracle Fusion Middleware maintains certification documentation that covers supported installation types, platforms, operating systems, databases, JDKs, and third-party products.

On the Oracle Fusion Middleware Supported System Configurations page, locate the product area to select and review the appropriate certification document.

Oracle Fusion Middleware System Requirements and Specifications Document

The Oracle Fusion Middleware System Requirements and Specifications document covers information such as hardware and software requirements, minimum disk space and memory requirements, and required system libraries, packages, or patches.

Oracle JDeveloper and Application Development Framework Certification Information

Locate the Oracle JDeveloper and Oracle Application Development Framework (Oracle ADF) certification information to understand the various third party and Oracle products that are supported to work with the Oracle JDeveloper and Oracle ADF.

Oracle ADF may support or certify with a superset of products then required for Oracle Fusion Middleware and this document serves as a reference for those cases.

Understanding the Compatibility Matrixes in this Guide

Interoperability and compatibility matrixes are used throughout this guide to identify potential issues and to provide links to additional information. When you use the interoperability and compatibility matrixes in this guide, the level of support can be defined in one of the following ways:

Table 1-3 How To Use the Matrixes in This Guide

Status		Description
Compatible or Interoperable		Integration between the components involved is expected to work with appropriate configuration. However, that compatibility is not a statement of certification. Certification information is located in the certification matrixes described in Table 1-2.
Not Compatible or Interoperable		Integration between the components involved is not expected to work.
A reference to a specific guide or section		A reference is provided when an individual guide provides more detailed information about the compatibility requirements and considerations that you must review when upgrading, patching, or installing Oracle Fusion Middleware 12c.
N/A		Not applicable.

Collecting Your Component and Infrastructure Information

Oracle Fusion Middleware release and version information are available for every component on your system. This information is required before you can effectively identify and solve interoperability or compatibility issues. The certification matrixes described in Using the Oracle Certification Matrixes provide certification and system requirements information for Oracle Fusion Middleware components.

This section provides information for the following:

Locating Oracle Fusion Middleware Product Release Information

To find release and version information for your Oracle Fusion Middleware components, see the installed product information using the Oracle Universal Installer (OUI). See Viewing Release Numbersin the Administering Oracle Fusion Middleware.

Note:

You can also find version and release information in the installation log files located in the oraInventory/logs directory of your Oracle Home.

Locating Your Oracle Database Release Information

To determine the release information of your Oracle database:

Start SQL*Plus from the Oracle home directory:

sqlplus /nolog
SQL> CONNECT / AS SYSDBA
SQL> select * from v$version;

The command returns the release information, such as the following:

Oracle Database 11g Enterprise Edition Release 11.2.0.4.0 - 64bit Production
PL/SQL Release 11.2.0.4.0 - Production
CORE    11.2.0.4.0      Production
TNS for Linux: Version 11.2.0.4.0 - Production
NLSRTL Version 11.2.0.4.0 - Production

Locating your Microsoft SQL Server Version Information

To determine the release information of your Microsoft SQL database:

From the command line, enter the following:

exec xp_msver ProductVersion

The command returns the product version information, such as the following:

ProductVersion 589824 9.00.1399.06

Locating your DB2 Version Information

To determine the release information of DB2, do one of the following:

On the Windows operating system command line, navigate to the following:

\Program Files\IBM\SQLLIB\BIN>db2level

The command returns the database version and applicable fix pack information such as the following:

DB21085I Instance "DB2? uses "32? bits and DB2 code release "SQL09011? with level identifier "01020107?.
Informational tokens are "DB2 v9.1.100.129?, "s061104?, "WR21374?, and Fix Pack "1?.
Product is installed at "D:\PROGRA~1\IBM\SQLLIB" with DB2 Copy Name "DB2COPY1?.

On the UNIX operating system command line, type the following:
```
db2ls
```
This command returns the installation path, version level, fix pack information and installation date of the installed DB2 product. Output from this command goes to the console by default.
```
Install Path        Level   Fix Pack    Install Number     Install Date
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
/opt/ibm/db2/V9.1   9.1.0.0        0          1    Fri Sep 3 10:26:33 2010 EDT  
```

Locating JDK Version Information

Many Fusion Middleware components need a supported JDK installed and configured. The currently supported JDK version information is documented in the Oracle Fusion Middleware Supported System Configurations matrix, as described in Using the Oracle Certification Matrixes.

To locate your current JDK version, use the java -version command to display the current version of Java you are using. For example:

> java -version
java version "1.8.0_91"
Java(TM) SE Runtime Environment (build 1.8.0_91-b14)
Java HotSpot(TM) 64-Bit Server VM (build 25.91-b14, mixed mode)

Note:

If you have more than one installation of Java on your system, then the Java command uses the installation identified in the JAVA_HOME system variable.

On UNIX systems, you can often identify the location of the default Java software by using the which command. For example:

> which java
/usr/bin/java

Using Release Notes

Refer to the Oracle Fusion Middleware release notes for information about required patch sets that address interoperability and compatibility issues that may surface during an upgrade or patching process. The release notes for each release are available on the Oracle Technology Network (OTN). To find the release notes for a specific release, go to the Oracle Fusion Middleware documentation page and choose the appropriate documentation library:

http://www.oracle.com/technetwork/middleware/fusion-middleware/documentation/index.htm

Using the Oracle Fusion Middleware Documentation Library

The Oracle Fusion Middleware documentation library provides access to information that can help you upgrade and patch your Oracle environment. You can review component-specific administration, installation, and upgrade guides for Oracle Fusion Middleware 12c documentation at:

http://www.oracle.com/technetwork/middleware/fusion-middleware/documentation/index.htm

The following guides provide information on installing, patching, and upgrading your Oracle Fusion Middleware environment: