Choosing a Release Version

Oracle Application Server release numbering is unconventional. Whereas most application server vendors raise the major version numbers incrementally with every large release, Oracle tries to coordinate versioning across its entire product line. This means that major overhauls to the J2EE containers may only warrant a small incremental update to the Oracle 10g AS platform (for example, from 9.0.2 to 9.0.3). Consequently, it's dangerous to assume that J2EE configuration files will be compatible between these minor releases.

Tip 

Version 9.0.2 only supports the J2EE 1.2 family of specifications (with a few exceptions), whereas 9.0.3 is J2EE 1.3 compatible. The current 9.0.4 release is also J2EE 1.3 compatible.

Furthermore, some releases only include a subset of the Oracle 10g AS services. For example, version 9.0.3 updates only J2EE and TopLink and requires an existing 9.0.2 installation for enterprise features like Clustering and Advanced Security.

This book focuses on the 9.0.4 release, which is a complete platform upgrade. The official name is "Oracle 10g Application Server (Version 9.0.4)" or as we refer to it: 10g AS. Although the name is 10g AS, the product version is 9.0.4, which can be confusing. The following is a historical overview of the product versions and will be useful as we describe upgraded features throughout this book.

OAS

Oracle Application Server, written by Oracle and ending with the OAS 4.0.8.2 release. This product had problems and was ultimately dropped from the product line.

iAS

First release of Oracle's Internet Application Server, based on Oracle 8i technology and the Apache web server using JServ. This was a complete rewrite of the OAS software. Oracle wisely incorporated proven products (such as Apache) within iAS rather than trying to "reinvent the wheel." Java was implemented via JServ in this product.

9iAS v1

The release of Internet Application Server based on Oracle 8i technology and Oracle Developer 6i. Though it still used Apache and JServ, Internet Application Server did allow for the integration with the first versions of OC4J Standalone via Apache ProxyPass directives. This product was the first version to see widespread use. It represents product versions 1.0.2 and 1.0.2.2.2 and is still in use supporting Developer 6i applications.

9iAS v2

This release represented a fundamental change in architecture for the product line. It was the first to fully integrate OC4J within the product directly for the support of J2EE applications and indirectly as a means to support other components such as Oracle Forms and Reports. Though previous versions of the product attempted to integrate the components, this 9iAS v2 release represents the first truly successful integration of all the components such as Application Server Control (ASC), OHS, and OC4J. However, like most major initiatives there were problems. Most of the issues with 9iAS v2 involved very stringent (and often impractical ) installation requirements, slow response from ASC, and the instability of Oracle Reports, OID issues, and miscellaneous bugs . While this product certainly was usable for production systems and had its good points, it did have problems, especially for the first projects that used it. This product encompassed two versions: 9.0.2 and 9.0.3. It's still in use as of this writing, although new projects are upgrading to 10g AS and current projects are upgrading to 10g AS.

10g AS

The initial release of 10g AS is actually the long-awaited patch release of 9.0.4. It's more evolutionary than revolutionary, although it does include some new features especially within the area of security and Identity Management. While 9iAS v2 had its quirks , the 10g AS product is very solid. It fixes the problems on 9iAS v2 and uses Java 1.4. Thus far it appears to be stable, solid, and reasonable to work with assuming you understand Java, Oracle, and web server administration. This book is written for the 9.0.4 (10g AS) release.

Tip 

What does it take to be an Enterprise Edition 10g AS administrator? Obviously, it depends a lot on the nature of the project (J2EE, Oracle, Apache, and so on), but so far we've found that it takes a hybrid administrator who either knows or can quickly learn the following: Apache, J2EE and Orion, Oracle development products, intermediate Oracle Database Administration (DBA), security, systems architecture and planning, and network telecommunications. If that sounds like a lot, it's because it is a lot of topics to understand. Managing 10g AS requires the skills of an Oracle DBA, web administrator, developer (J2EE or PL/SQL), systems administrator, and network administrator. This wide range of skills is necessary because the product touches so many different areas. Most successful candidates are either from the system administration or database administration realms, but the most important factors are the ability to learn new technologies and do some problem solving.