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Overview of Oracle9i

This chapter presents an overview of the architecture and various components of Oracle9i. It contains the following sections:

• Introduction
• Oracle9i Database
• Oracle9i Application Server
• Oracle9i Developer Suite

Introduction

Epitomizing high-quality service in a service-driven marketplace, Oracle9i maximizes the usefulness of traditional business and intranet applications while also providing users with the functionality needed to foster the growth of the emerging hosted applications market on the Internet.

Oracle9i builds on historic Oracle strengths to offer the first complete and simple software infrastructure for the Internet's next generation of intelligent, collaborative applications. Oracle9i new features expedite delivery of the performance, scalability, and availability that is crucial to providing hosted service software for anyone, anywhere, and anytime.

Oracle9i architecture is depicted in Figure 1-1.

Figure 1-1 Oracle9i Architecture

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Oracle9i is made up of the following components:

• Oracle9i Database
• Oracle9i Application Server
• Oracle9i Developer Suite

Oracle9i Database

The Oracle9i Database introduces the following advanced and automated design features to stand alone or to work in conjunction with the Oracle9i Application Server or the Oracle9i Developer Suite to optimize performance for traditional applications and for the emerging hosted applications market.

Oracle9i Real Application Clusters

Oracle9i Real Application Clusters provides the following functionality:

• Out-of-the-box linear scaling transparency
• Compatibility with all applications without redesign
• Capacity for rapidly adding nodes and disks

Systems Management

Integrated system management products in Oracle9i create a comprehensive view of all critical components that drive e-business processes. From the client and application server to the database and host, Oracle9i quickly and completely assesses the overall health of an e-business infrastructure.

High Availability

Setting a new standard for high availability, Oracle9i introduces powerful new functionalities in the areas of disaster recovery, system fault recovery, and planned downtime.

High Security

Oracle9i offers the most secure internet platform available to protect company information with multiple layers of security for data, users, and companies. Included are features for building internet-scale applications, for providing security for users, and for keeping separate the data from different hosted user communities.

Oracle9i Application Server

Recognized as the leading application server for database-driven Web sites, Oracle9i Application Server offers the industry's most innovative and comprehensive set of middle-tier services.

Comprehensive Middle-tier Services

Continued innovation within comprehensive middle-tier services--ranging from self-service enterprise portals to e-stores and supplier exchange--continues to establish that the Oracle9i Application Server is the industry's preferred application server for database-driven Web sites.

New Caching Technology

The new caching technology in Oracle9i can dramatically increase Web site performance, scalability, and availability. Oracle9i provides greater numbers of users with more personalized, dynamic Web content without adding application or Databases.

Scalability and Performance

Superb scalability and performance now is made available for all Web applications. Oracle Portal services make it easy for Web site developers to deploy enterprise portals with centralized management and unified security. Standard Java, with rich XML and content management support--as well as back-office transactional applications built using Oracle Forms Developer--can easily be deployed.

Wireless Device Access

Information in any database or internet application is easily available through Oracle9i so that support for each wireless device's specific markup language is no longer necessary.

Business Intelligence

Oracle9i Application Server has built-in reporting and ad hoc query functionality to derive business intelligence after Web site deployment.

Oracle9i Developer Suite

Oracle Internet Developer Suite combines leading Oracle applications development tools, business intelligence tools, and enterprise portal building tools into a single, integrated product. Built on internet standards such as Java, XML, CORBA, and HTML, the Oracle Internet Developer Suite provides a high-performance development environment with tools needed to respond to rapidly changing markets and user demands.

Extensive Development Alternatives

Oracle Internet Developer Suite tools are suitable for any kind of development approach including component-based development, Java coding, or visual modeling. They also offer rapid application development based on fourth generation language (4GL). Applications can be developed for all clients, including High Productive Java Client, Universal HTML Client, and Anywhere Mobile Client.

Tools

Oracle Internet Developer Suite includes the following tools:

• Oracle Forms Developer, which enables developers to leverage declarative capabilities and visual editors to automatically generate highly interactive Java clients without having to code in Java.
• Oracle Designer, which models business processes, data entities, and relationships. Models are automatically transformed into designs, which automatically generate complete applications and databases.
• Oracle JDeveloper and Business Components for Java, which includes a J2EE(tm) development environment with end-to-end support for developing, debugging, and deploying e-business applications.
• Oracle Reports Developer, which can build enterprise-level reports rapidly and productively and which is wizard-driven, includes a graphical layout editor, and delivers advanced capabilities to tackle the most challenging reports involving complex queries and programmatic logic.
• Oracle Discoverer, which provides users with powerful, on-demand query and reporting capabilities to gain strategic insight into their business and to formulate new ebusiness strategies.

Other Features

All applications are single, middle-tier deployable with Oracle9i Application Server. Oracle Portal is available for an integrated, personalized portal view with all applications. Integrated business intelligence for enterprise reporting and ad-hoc query is also available.