1.2 The Oracle Application Server Family

Oracle Application Server 10 g is the name of the most recent major version of the Oracle Application Server family of products. These products all share common source code. The family includes the following packages:

Oracle Application Server Java Edition

A version targeted for Java developers.

Oracle Application Server Standard Edition

A version targeted for deployment requiring less middle- tier functionality.

Oracle Application Server Enterprise Edition

A version targeted for more complex deployment. This version offers additional functionality, including business intelligence and integration components and the OracleAS Personalization and OracleAS Wireless features.

At the time of this writing, these were the only packages available for Oracle Application Server. If additional packages or bundles are offered , we'll provide updates on the web page for this book (see the Preface).

Oracle focuses development around a single source-code model for all its products, including Oracle Application Server. The Oracle Application Server releases are available today on Windows, RedHat and SuSE Linux, and on Unix platforms such as HP Compaq Tru64, HP/UX, IBM AIX, and Sun Solaris. Because features are consistent across platforms for implementations of Oracle Application Server, companies can migrate easily to various hardware vendors and operating systems while leveraging their investments in Oracle technology. This development strategy also enables Oracle to focus on implementing new features only once in its product set, instead of having to add functionality at different times to different implementations.

Oracle Application Server 10 g includes a web listener based on the popular Apache Web Server distribution. It also includes support for Java 2 Enterprise Edition (J2EE) containers and a JavaServer Pages (JSP) translator, as well as business logic and data access technologies. Business logic may be enabled through JavaBeans and Enterprise JavaBeans (EJBs). Data access technologies may include Java DataBase Connectivity (JDBC), SQLJ, EJBs, and J2EE resource adapters. Finally, Oracle Application Server also provides the infrastructure needed for developing, deploying, and managing Web Services.

Every Oracle Application Server edition also includes Oracle Enterprise Manager 10 g Application Server Control, a tool used for configuring and managing each server. Another tool, Oracle Enterprise Manager 10 g Grid Control, is used to manage multiple Oracle Application Servers and can provide a single point of access to each Application Server Control installed with multiple servers. The Grid Control software is installed from a separate Grid Control CD.

The following sections briefly describe each Oracle Application Server edition. At this point, we won't attempt to explain the features mentioned here. You will find more detailed information in Section 1.3.

1.2.1 Oracle Application Server Java Edition

Oracle Application Server Java Edition is a specific Oracle Application Server package created by Oracle for developers of Java-based software who aren't interested in the deployment features available in other Oracle Application Server editions. The Java Edition bundle includes the following:

• Oracle HTTP Server

• Oracle Application Server Containers for J2EE (OC4J)

• Oracle Business Components for Java (BC4J)

• Oracle Application Server TopLink

• Oracle JDeveloper named user licensing

This edition is the least expensive version of Oracle Application Server.

1.2.2 Oracle Application Server Standard Edition

In terms of functionality and pricing, Oracle Application Server Standard Edition is packaged to compete in the entry-level category for application servers. The Standard Edition adds the following components to features previously noted for the Java Edition:

• Oracle Application Server Portal

• Oracle Application Server Single Sign-On security

• Oracle Application Server Content Management Software Development Kit (SDK)

A restricted-use Oracle Internet Directory is provided in the Standard Edition to enable OracleAS Single Sign-On.

1.2.3 Oracle Application Server Enterprise Edition

Oracle Application Server Enterprise Edition is aimed at larger-scale implementations that require additional features. Enterprise Edition adds the following features to those available in the Java Edition and the Standard Edition:

• OracleAS Forms Services and OracleAS Reports Services

• OracleAS Discoverer

• Oracle Internet Directory

• Oracle Workflow

• Oracle Application Server InterConnect and Oracle Application Server ProcessConnect

• OracleAS Personalization

• OracleAS Wireless

Before Oracle Application Server 10 g , OracleAS Personalization and OracleAS Wireless, described next , were available only as options.

OracleAS Personalization

This feature provides a means by which a web server can gather data on how a web-site visitor traverses the site. This data is sent to an Oracle database where a taxonomy describing the business and business goals is defined. Analysis of this data occurs periodically using data mining algorithms in the database, and recommendations are created. These recommendations are populated in middle-tier "recommendation engines" that can redirect web-site users to "personalized" web pages of material that are likely to interest them.

OracleAS Wireless

This feature provides an integrated set of capabilities enabling multichannel mobile access, including voice, to applications. At the core of OracleAS Wireless is support of HTTP and XML. OracleAS Wireless enables the building of portlets that can be displayed on wireless devices. It also provides mobile services such as personal information management (PIM) and email, and location-based and two-way messaging services.