1.5 What s Next?

1.5 What's Next?

Most readers of technical books skip around in the text, checking out the chapters that seem most likely to help them solve their particular needs at a particular point in time. However, because Oracle Application Server is such a rich and varied suite of software, we encourage you to read this book sequentially. We want to be sure that you familiarize yourself with the varied capabilities available in the product and described in this book.

In the past, we've encountered a number of Oracle Application Server customers who set out to evaluate new technologies, not realizing that the product they own already provided the very technology solution they were seeking. Usually, such customers had simply focused on only one of Oracle Application Server's many capabilities; for example, those familiar with Oracle Application Server's Java capabilities may be less aware of its business intelligence capabilities.

With this introduction to Oracle Application Server capabilities and packaging behind us, we'll move on:

• Chapter 2, Chapter 3, and Chapter 4 cover basic information on Oracle Application Server architecture, systems management, and security and identity management.

• Chapter 5, Chapter 6, and Chapter 7 provide detailed information on core Oracle Application Server components : Oracle HTTP Server, OC4J, and OracleAS Web Cache.

• The remaining chapters cover the building and deployment of functional solutions, including Java, XML, other Oracle development tools, Web Services, business intelligence tools, OracleAS Portal, mobile (OracleAS Wireless) solutions, and integration capabilities.