Installation guide

Page 12 of 59
• Infrastructure tier
Choosing Oracle Application Server Releases
Since OracleAS 10.1.3 is not a complete replacement for OracleAS 10.1.2,
Administrators attempting either an upgrade or a fresh install may be confused by the
options presented by the two versions. Fortunately, the decisions required are not as
difficult to make as it first may appear. Depending on your requirements, it is fairly easy
to make some general recommendations.
First of all, it is important to understand that OracleAS 10.1.3 can work with certain
10.1.2 components. It is possible to redeploy 100% 10.1.2 J2EE applications under
10.1.3 (in fact, this is encouraged). It is also possible to use 10.1.2 Web Cache as a
reverse proxy for either 10.1.2 or 10.1.3. The 10.1.2 version of Oracle Identity
Management can also be used with 10.1.3. Finally, OracleAS Portal version 10.1.2 (or
version 10.1.4) can be used to publish OracleAS 10.1.3 content. (Note that Portal still
requires the presence of a 10.1.2 version of OC4J.)
Given these facts, if you wish to install or upgrade OracleAS, answering some simple
questions will help you to determine the correct path. After examining the list of
supported 10.1.3 components listed above, will you need to install any OracleAS
components that do not appear in the 10.1.3 list? If the answer is no, you can start by
performing a clean install of 10.1.3.
If the answer is yes, you will need to first install the 10.1.2 version of the components.
For middle tier components, this implies that a 10.1.2 version of Oracle HTTP server and
OC4J must also be installed. Note that the “compatible” list just discussed requires a
layer of 10.1.2 components. Even if you have 100% Java applications that you wish to
redeploy under 10.1.3, you may find it convenient to first install under 10.1.2. Therefore,
the general case is that you should start by performing a full install under 10.1.2.
Do you need to install 10.1.3 at all? The answer is yes if you have “home grown” J2EE
applications that you wish to deploy or redeploy with the latest and most advanced
architecture (applications typically developed with JDeveloper and TopLink). If your
main goal is to utilize applications generated through Forms Services, Report Services, or
Portal, version 10.1.3 may not add much value for you.
Note that if you do install 10.1.3, it is not truly an “upgrade”. Rather, it is the installation
of independent products, which can interoperate in certain cases.
Since the majority of those installing Oracle Application Server will need to install
OracleAS 10.1.2, that will be the focus of this whitepaper. Those wishing to upgrade
their J2EE components are encouraged to refer to the “Oracle Application Server
Upgrade and Compatibility Guide 10g Release 3 (10.1.3)”.