Oracle Fusion Middleware Concepts

Oracle Fusion Middleware provides two types of components:
■ A Java component, which is an Oracle Fusion Middleware component that is
deployed as one or more Java EE applications and a set of resources. Java
components are deployed to an Oracle WebLogic Server domain as part of a
domain template. Examples of Java components are the Oracle SOA Suite, Oracle
WebCenter Portal, and Oracle WebCenter Content components.
■ A system component, which is a manageable process that is not deployed as a
Java application. Instead, a system component is managed by Oracle Process
Manager and Notification (OPMN). The system components are:
■ Oracle HTTP Server
■ Oracle Web Cache
■ Oracle Internet Directory
■ Oracle Virtual Directory
■ Oracle Forms Services
■ Oracle Reports
■ Oracle Business Intelligence Discoverer
■ Oracle Business Intelligence

A Java component and a system component are peers.

After you install and configure Oracle Fusion Middleware, your Oracle Fusion
Middleware environment contains the following:
■ An Oracle WebLogic Server domain, which contains one Administration Server
and one or more Managed Servers. The Administration Server contains Oracle
WebLogic Server Administration Console and Fusion Middleware Control. The
Managed Servers contain components, such as Oracle WebCenter Portal and
Oracle SOA Suite.
■ If your environment includes system components, one or more Oracle instances.
■ A database that is used as a metadata repository, if the components you installed
require one. For example, Oracle SOA Suite requires a metadata repository.

Figure 2–1 shows an Oracle Fusion Middleware environment with an Oracle WebLogic
Server domain that contains an Administration Server, two Managed Servers, and an
Oracle instance. The environment also includes a metadata repository

Your environment also includes a Middleware home, which consists of theOracle
WebLogic Server home, and, optionally, an Oracle Common homeand one or more
Oracle homes

 

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Oracle WebLogic Server administration domain is a logically related group of Java
components. A domain includes a special WebLogic Server instance called the
Administration Server, which is the central point from which you configure and
manage all resources in the domain. Usually, you configure a domain to include
additional WebLogic Server instances called Managed Servers. You deploy Java
components, such as Web applications, EJBs, and Web services, and other resources, to
the Managed Servers and use the Administration Server for configuration and
management purposes only.
Managed Servers in a domain can be grouped together into a cluster.
The directory structure of a domain is separate from the directory structure of the
WebLogic Server home. It can reside anywhere; it need not be within the Middleware
home directory. The top-level directory of a domain is referred to as the domain home.
A domain is a peer of an Oracle instance. Both contain specific configurations outside
of their Oracle homes.
Figure 2–2 shows a domain with an Administration Server, three standalone Managed
Servers, and three Managed Servers in a cluster.

Managed Servers host business applications, application components, Web services,
and their associated resources. To optimize performance, Managed Servers maintain a
read-only copy of the domain's configuration document. When a Managed Server
starts, it connects to the domain's Administration Server to synchronize its
configuration document with the document that the Administration Server maintains.

 

For production environments that require increased application performance,
throughput, or high availability, you can configure two or more Managed Servers to

operate as a cluster. A cluster is a collection of multiple WebLogic Server instances
running simultaneously and working together to provide increased scalability and
reliability. In a cluster, most resources and services are deployed identically to each
Managed Server (as opposed to a single Managed Server), enabling failover and load
balancing. A single domain can contain multiple Oracle WebLogic Server clusters, as
well as multiple Managed Servers that are not configured as clusters. The key
difference between clustered and nonclustered Managed Servers is support for failover
and load balancing. These features are available only in a cluster of Managed Servers.

 

What Is Node Manager?

Node Manager is a Java utility that runs as a separate process from Oracle WebLogic
Server and allows you to perform common operations for a Managed Server,
regardless of its location with respect to its Administration Server. While use of Node
Manager is optional, it provides valuable benefits if your Oracle WebLogic Server
environment hosts applications with high-availability requirements.
If you run Node Manager on a computer that hosts Managed Servers, you can start
and stop the Managed Servers remotely using the Administration Console, Fusion
Middleware Control, or the command line. Node Manager can also automatically
restart a Managed Server after an unexpected failure.

 

What Is an Oracle Instance?

An Oracle instance contains one or more system components, such as Oracle Web
Cache, Oracle HTTP Server, or Oracle Internet Directory. The system components in
an Oracle instance must reside on the same computer. An Oracle instance directory
contains updatable files, such as configuration files, log files, and temporary files.
An Oracle instance is a peer of an Oracle WebLogic Server domain. Both contain
specific configurations outside of their Oracle homes.
The directory structure of anOracle instance is separate from the directory structure of
the Oracle home. It can reside anywhere; it need not be within the Middleware home
directory.

 

What Is an Oracle Home and the Oracle Common Home?

An Oracle home contains installed files necessary to host a specific component or
software suite. For example, the SOA Oracle home contains a directory that contains
binary and library files for Oracle SOA Suite.
An Oracle home resides within the directory structure of the Middleware home. Each
Oracle home can be associated with multiple Oracle instances or Oracle WebLogic
Server domains. There can be multiple Oracle homeswithin each Middleware home.
The Oracle Common home contains the binary and library files required for Fusion
Middleware Control and Java Required Files (JRF).

 

What Is the Oracle Metadata Repository?

The Oracle Metadata Repository contains metadata for Oracle Fusion Middleware
components, such as Oracle BPEL Process Manager, Oracle B2B, and Oracle Portal. It
can also contain metadata about the configuration of Oracle Fusion Middleware and
metadata for your applications.
A metadata repository can be database-based or file-based. If it is database-based, you
can create it in an existing database using the Repository Creation Utility (RCU).
Oracle Fusion Middleware supports multiple repository types. A repository type
represents a specific schema or set of schemas that belong to a specific Oracle Fusion
Middleware component (for example, Oracle SOA Suite or Oracle Internet Directory.)
A particular type of repository, the Oracle Metadata Services (MDS) repository,
contains metadata for most Oracle Fusion Middleware components, such as Oracle
B2B, and for certain types of applications.