Re: OAS 9i stupid questions

From: Hans Forbrich <forbrich_at_telusplanet.net>
Date: Sat, 21 Jul 2001 21:57:43 GMT
Message-ID: <3B33C592.84466D98@telusplanet.net>

OK Let's try it this way ...

Assuming you are talking about Oracle9i Application Server and NOT about Oracle9i Database (which is now released as the next gen after Oracle8i Database) and also NOT about the Oracle8i Application Server (which has been obsolete since October 2000) ...

Oracle9i Database is the method of managing and storing 'information', whereas Oracle9i App Server is the method of access and distribution of same information.

Oracle9i Application Server has 2 base versions (Standard and Enterprise) and one primary option (Wireless, which sits on top of Enterprise) and it includes

1. Standard
   • Web Server (based on Apache)
   • Portal engine
   • J2EE (1.2 certified) engine for SOAP/XML
   • Messagng engine
   • Workflow engine
2. Enterprise adds
   • Database cache (and includes database for persistent store)
   • Dynamic web cache/dynamic proxy services
   • LDAP 3.0 engine
   • Reports engine
   • Web forms engine
   • Ad hoc query engine
   • Integration engine (similar to Vitria/Tibco)
   • XML engine
   • PL/SQL engine
   • ODBC/JDBC (database neutral) engine
3. Wireless option adds
   • design component to access any database, web site or XML source
   • transformers and transform design to output the above component to any wireless devices (not restricted to WAP)

Thus, Oracle9i Application Server includes virtually everything (but the kitchen sink) necessary to provide data access, distribution and manipluation >>>services<<<. Note that most of the 'engine' pieces above require persistent store as a separate unit, which is the Oracle8i/Oracle9i database.

The Oracle9i App Server is designed so that the above listed functionality can reside on several machines, appropriately sized and/or located. Indeed, each piece of functionality 'could' be installed on it's own (bank of) machine(s) if necessary [reference to bank of to permit clustering/high availability/load balancing/etc] OR it could be collapsed to a minumum number of machines is preferred, based on the business requirements.

Oracle9i Database does happen to include a number of similar things - a basic web server (because some people do not want to have a full blown application server); XML (because that is simply a different representation of the data, and a lot of people actually do not want to take an additional translation step; Java (because it is a decent language to write business apps and triggers/functions in); J2EE (in case you want to have network efficiencies by moving things between middle tier and back end); CORBA (in case you don't like Net8 or can leverage other vendors' access technology).

In addition, the database manages to 'store' information - traditional rows & columns, also now cubes (OLAP), multimedia (called intermedia), all with appropriate security. With recent improvements, security (authentication and authorization) can be optionally managed by LDAP (happens to be implemented in Oracle9i database, but that's immaterial) supporting Single Sign On. Since there is a possibility of large volume of data, large volume of users and/or large volume of transactions, which could come from the (potentially distributed) application server, the database is now capable of handling the entire load (with Oracle9i Database Real Application CLusters).

So - my take on the '3 stupid questions' is:

1. Not much - in technology, a lot in cconcept
2. When running the Oracle JVM in the middle tier (as compared to the receently released OC4J), you are actually running the JVM from 8.1.7
3. you deploy 'where it makes sense to the business, including load, scalability, security, development, maintainance and business process considerations'

In some cases, it makes sense to have a 'business process' cross several databases, in which case, probably deploy to the middle tier. Sub processes mayt be best handled in the back end.

Use the power (flexibility)

HTH
/Hans

Konstantin Gordiyenko wrote:

> Sorry, you're wrong. I DO know the difference. And also I DO know that
> 'app server' means much more than 'web app'. And, of course, I DO know
> the difference between app server and <quote>some of the other web
> pieces</quote>.
>
> It seems that RDBMS vendors don't know the difference. Otherwise, I
> can't understand why the latest RDBMS versions are so heavy loaded with
> app server features.
>
> My question was: "what's the big difference between OAS9i and app server
> features of RDBMS 8i, assuming that these two products share 90% of
> binaries and 60% of docs".
>
> Anyway, thanks for the reference to outdated book. I'll recover it from
> my garbage can.
>
> Van Messner wrote:
> >
> > You're absolutely right on all counts.  The original poster didn't seem to
> > even know the difference between a database and an app server, so I thought
> > the O'Reilly book could at least show him some concepts.
> >
> > Van
> >
> > "John Alexander" <jalexander_at_summitsoftwaredesign.com> wrote in message
> > news:59DN6.249813$fs3.42895106_at_typhoon.tampabay.rr.com...
> > > I agree, that is a good book. But unless it has been updated, it may be

 too
> > > out-of-date to be of value in determining what options are available for > > > configuring and designing a web app with iAS. The book is very heavy on  the
> > > PL/SQL toolkit to build dynamic HTML, which doesn't seem to have caught  on.
> > > Too bad, because it is fast (and fun) to write a web app with PL/SQL. The > > > book doesn't really address the other methods for building a web app  (JSPs,

> > > servlets, etc) based on an Oracle database.
> > > But having said that book is out-of-date, I can't think of an alternative
> > > that is current and gives a good overview of iAS....
> > > In the meantime, I've stopped using anything that is proprietary for any

 app

> > > server and am using pure JSP, since I think the jury is still out on iAS.
> > > Oracle has a history of releasing products, and then quietly dropping them
> > > if they don't catch on.
> > >
> > > John Alexander
> > > www.summitsoftwaredesign.com
> > > St. Petersburg, FL
> > >
> > >
> > >
> > > Van Messner <vmessner_at_bestweb.net> wrote in message
> > > news:WejN6.2106$gA.717543_at_monger.newsread.com...
> > > > You need some basic facts.  There is a good O'Reilly book called Oracle

 Web
> > > > Applications that you can read in a weekend. It's not completely  current,
> > > > but it gives you a feel for the difference between the database  (Oracle),
> > > > the application server (OAS) and some of the other web pieces. As  you'll

> > > > see, there is quite a difference between OAS and Oracle.
> > > >
> > > > Van
> > > >
> > > >
> > > > "Konstantin Gordiyenko" <konstantin_at_techone.com> wrote in message
> > > > news:3B057B64.8BAB2843_at_techone.com...
> > > > > Hi All,
> > > > >
> > > > > I just installed OAS 9i and I'm trying to understand what is this. I
> > > > > have some experiense with EJBs/CORBA on Oracle 8.1.7. But I still

 can't
> > > > > find the answers to three simple questions (please, don't answer  "RTFM"

> > > > > - I already did it):
> > > > > What's the big difference between OAS 9i and Oracle 8.1.7? My guess is
> > > > > "no difference, except for caching, forms, reports, and discoverer
> > > > > stuff".
> > > > > When I'm running OAS 9i, in which OS process the Oracle JVM resides?

 My

> > > > > guess is "Oracle 8.1.7 instance".
> > > > > Where I have to deploy servlets/EJBs/CORBA apps? My guess is "Oracle
> > > > > 8.1.7 database".
> > > > >
> > > > > Am I right?
> > > >
> > > >
> > > >
> > >
> > >

Received on Sat Jul 21 2001 - 16:57:43 CDT