2.3 Installation Types

The complexity of the Oracle Application Server infrastructure depends on the type of product installation. There are three Oracle Application Server installation types:

• J2EE and Web Cache

• Portal and Wireless

• Business Intelligence and Forms

Each installation type builds on its predecessor's functionality; consequently, each requires a more complex infrastructure.

2.3.1 J2EE and Web Cache

The J2EE and Web Cache installation provides a high-performing and very scalable J2EE application server. In the Enterprise Edition version of the Oracle Application Server product, it consists of the following:

• Oracle HTTP Server

• Oracle Application Server Containers for J2EE

• OracleAS Web Cache

Note, however, that OracleAS Web Cache isn't included in the Java and Standard Editions.

This installation requires a DCM repository in which Oracle Application Server configuration data can be stored. The repository for this version can be either file-based or stored in an Oracle database.

2.3.1.1 Portal and Wireless

The Portal and Wireless installation contains all the components of the J2EE and OracleAS Web Cache installation. It also contains:

• OracleAS Portal, a complete, out-of-the-box, user -configurable portal solution

• OracleAS Wireless, which allows you to use web-based applications on mobile devices

Although this edition doesn't contain the following components, it uses them at runtime, so the infrastructure has to exist before you install this edition:

Identity Management

This infrastructure must exist in the form of Oracle Application Server Single Sign-On product support; this product allows your users to use one set of login credentials for all applications running on the application server.

Oracle Internet Directory

This infrastructure is added to the Identity Management infrastructure because Oracle Application Server Single Sign-On requires an LDAP server.

Note that OracleAS Portal and OracleAS Wireless store their own application data in the infrastructure's OracleAS Metadata Repository.

2.3.1.2 Business Intelligence and Forms

The Business Intelligence and Forms installation contains all the components available in the OracleAS Portal and OracleAS Wireless installation, as well as the following additional components:

• OracleAS Discoverer

• OracleAS Forms Services

• OracleAS Reports Services

• OracleAS Personalization

This installation doesn't add any more complexity to the infrastructure because no additional infrastructure components are required, but it does add more metadata. Like the Portal and Wireless edition, the Business Intelligence and Forms edition uses a preexisting infrastructure. However, there is also a standalone installation for the Forms Server and Reports Server that doesn't require an infrastructure.