Working with Oracle 9iAS

Pramati Studio provides tight integ ration with Oracle 9i application server versions 1.0.2.2.1 and 9.0.2.1.0. Studio creates the required deployment descriptors when the application is deployed, and keeps the application in a ready-to-deploy state. This chapter discusses how to develop EJB 1.1 applications and MDB using Studio and deploy them on Oracle.

To develop applications in Studio and test-deploy them on Oracle 9iAS server, Oracle deployer should be configured in Studio. Select Tools > Configure from the main menu.

In the dialog, select Oracle Deployer. Close the dialog and create multiple server instances in Studio, which is one development server on the development machine or a single central production server on a remote machine.

Applications developed in Studio can be deployed on both local and remote Oracle servers. In case of remote deployment, the server must be installed on the development machine and the remote machine.

Creating Oracle server instances

To create an instance of Oracle server, select Tools > Server Configuration from the main menu. In the Server Configuration dialog click New to create a new instance of server. In the Add New Server dialog, enter:

Server Name: Name of the server instance that is to be created

Server Type: Select type of the server from the drop-down as Oracle 9iAS

Press OK to create a server instance. This displays the Server Configuration panel. Enter the following server properties:

Server Name: Server name entered in the Add New Server dialog is selected, automatically. To configure another server instance, choose from the drop-down

Server Type: The type selected in the Add New Server dialog is selected, automatically

Oracle9iAS Version: Select a version from the drop-down. Studio supports two versions, 1.0.2.2.1 and 9.0.2.1.0

IP Address: Enter the IP address on which Oracle server is installed and where the application will be deployed. For example, localhost

Naming Port: Enter the RMI port number on which the server listens for RMI requests. The port number should be the same as in rmi.xml configured by the user. The RMI port number is 23791 by default

HTTP Port: Enter the port number at which Oracle server listens for http requests. This port number should have the same value as configured by the user in default-web-site.xml. This value is 8888, by default

Install Dir: This is the directory on the local machine, where Oracle 9iAS Server has been installed. Filling in the wrong installation directory prompts the user for the valid installation directory. For example, c:\Oracle\oracle9ias

This directory is the parent directory of the subdirectory /j2ee/home created when Oracle server is installed.

User Name: Enter the user name required to login to the server on which the application is to be deployed. Default value is admin

Password: Enter the system password for Oracle Server in this field. The password entered here should be the password that was supplied when Oracle Server was installed. Default password is welcome

After filling in all the required information, use the OK button to add the instance of the Oracle Server. To delete a server instance, select the required server from the field, Server Name and use the Delete button.

For embedded Oracle9iAS (9.0.2.1.0), the default website is http-web-site with the listening port 8888. The configuration of the http-web-site is normally located at <Oracle install-dir>\j2ee\home\config\server.xml file in <web-site path = "./http-web-site.xml"/>. This line can be added to the server.xml if it is not there. All web module are bound with this website.

Starting & Stopping Server

After creating the Oracle server instance in Studio close the Server Configuration dialog, and select the instance from the Server Box in the Status bar. Selecting the Oracle server here makes it the current server, and all server specific operations for the active desk is performed on the current server.

The Oracle server can be started/stopped in a similar way as any other server in Studio. Use Tools > Start Server to start the Server. To stop a server, use Tools > Stop Server from the main menu. The Server can also be started/stopped using the signal box.

Defining datasource

All datasources defined in the desk are bound to the current server when the server is started. Adding a datasource on the desk with the same JNDI name as that of a datasource on Oracle server, overwrites the datasource on the server.

Via the Oracle management console

By modifying the jms.xml located in <Oracle install_dir>\j2ee\home\config\jms.xml

Deploying on Oracle

Applications can be deployed on Oracle as normal archived JARs, WARs, and ears, or directly as Modules.

Deploying the desk as an archive

Right Clicking on the Desk > Deploy as .ear always deploys the application as an enterprise archive on the current Oracle server.

The enterprise archive is created by packaging the EJB modules as JARs, the Web modules as WARs, and then adding these into the EAR with the name - Desk_DeskName.ear, where DeskName is the name of the desk. The ear is stored under the directory, <install_dir>\oracleEars and deployed on Oracle server. The ear contains all the Oracle specific XML files, which can be used to deploy on any Oracle server outside Studio.

Deploying the modules

Right clicking on the module > Deploy always deploys the module on the current Oracle server. Deploying a module

Creates a directory structure inside the <orcl_install_dir>\j2ee\home\application\DeskName, where <orcl_install_dir> is the installation directory of Oracle server, and DeskName is a folder created with the name of the desk. The structure that is created is kept similar to an enterprise archive file structure

Makes an entry in the server.xml and default-web-site.xml files in the directory j2ee/home/config to register the application with the server.

If a desk is right-click deployed on Oracle server, then you can right click > Deploy the specific modules which are changed. The entire desk does not required to be redeployed.

Exporting into archives

Developing applications in Studio creates archives and modules with Pramati XML files. To create archives with Oracle XMLs, follow the given steps:

Export the desk into an archive by right clicking on the desk node in the Explore Panel and selecting Export as Archive. The archive that is created contains Pramati XML files.

Deploy the enterprise archive by right clicking on the ear file and selecting Deploy, or using the Deploy tool. This creates an ear with the name, DeskName.ear and stores it under the directory, <install_dir>\orclEars. This archive contains Oracle specific XML files and can be used to be deployed on any Oracle server.

Debugging on Oracle

Pramati Studio supports debugging applications on local as well as remote Oracle server. However, the JSP Pages can be debugged only on a local server. To start the debugger, use Debug > Start from the main menu.

If the server is on the local machine, then check the option, Application for J2EE. This starts the server in the debug mode. The application can now be deployed. The Debugger panel appears only after the break points have been inserted.

Check the option, Remote Application.

Enter the IP Address and the port number, which the Debugger uses to connect to the remote server. The value of the port number should be same as that was used by the user to start the server on the remote machine.

Oracle Usage Restrictions

Adding or modifying a datasource to the server using the Resource tool after the server has been started requires the server be stopped and restarted for the datasource to be picked up.

Oracle does not support J2EE 1.3 specifications completely. Please ensure that the application developed does not use any attributes that are not supported by Oracle server. For example, Oracle server does not support local interfaces

For remote Oracle server, only application deployment is supported

In case of remote deployment on Oracle server, resources including datasource, JMS resource, mail resource, and url resource cannot be added from studio. Add resources via Oracle management console or update the respective config files