Oracle Apps R12 New Features

Oracle Apps R12 New Features

I: Advantage & Disadvantages of Forms Servlet Mode

1: Simple SSL Configuration (as no separate SSL configuration is required for Forms as connections are via web/http server)

2: No port need to open to access forms in firewall.

3: More secure method of deployment over Internet

4: Result in more network traffic because of HTTP is more chatty than socket (dedicated)
so not preferred in WAN implementation.

5: Unified APPL_TOP in Oracle Applications R12

6: Unified APPL_TOP in Oracle Applications R12 which is different from Separate APPL_TOP in Oracle Applications 11i.

7: Unified APPL_TOP make more sense if you are using multi node Oracle Applications R12.


8: In Oracle Applications 11i , in multi node installation each APPL_TOP have its different
name and files in each APPL_TOP will depend on type of Node (i.e. Forms Node will
have fmx or forms related files where as APPL_TOP belonging to CM only node will
have .rdf or files required to run CM node)

9: Starting from R12, it will use Unified APPL_TOP which means all files required for all middle tier services are included in all nodes of Multi Node installation (irrespective of services running on that node)


II: Advantages of Unified APPL_TOP

1: Cloningof multi node Oracle Application install, only one copy (any one APPL_TOP) of Application Node files need to copied to target instance.

2: Cloning of Multi Node to Single Node you don’t have to merge APPL_TOP in R12 as required in 11i .

3: Services start/stop If you are using adstrtall.sh to start services on a node then it will start services which were configured to start during install on that node (You can still start a specific service even though it was not suppose to configure/start by calling startup script of that specific services).
To explain this better, let’s assume you installed multi node R12 instance with Node 1 as
Forms & Web Server where as Node 2 was installed with Concurrent Manager. Now on
Node1 when you use adstrtall.sh script to start services as expected it will start Forms and
Web services but unlike 11i, You can still start Concurrent Manager on Node1 by
running  adcmctl.sh


4: FND_NODESFrom R12 all nodes will have Y against all services (For multi Node) inFND_NODES table.



III: Additional New Feature in R12

1: Rapid install


2: Store Base Configuration in Database


3: No need to copy config.txt


4: Multiple Domain Support for Database and Middle Tier


5: Rapid Install supports deploying the database node and the middle tier node into different domains.

6: Shared File System Support

7: Rapid install allows you to select if app servers are using shared APPL_TOP

8: No hardcode apps password on Unix file system

9: FNDCPASS Utility New Feature: Enhance Security With Non-Reversible Hash Password (enhance FND_USER password security)

10: Improved Forgot password feature

–Retrieve user_name and password

–no workflow inbound process needed

11: New environment variables e.g. FORMS_TRACE_DIR
FORMS_ environment variables replace FORMS60_
Delivers native runtime executables for Forms (frmweb) (11i: frmwebx)
Forms Trace in addition to Forms Runtime Diagnostics (FRD) record both built-in Formsdata and performance data in a single output (profile: Forms Runtime Parameters)
Reports Only available through Concurrent Manager
Reports Server is not used
Reports executable rwrun is used directly


12: APPS Password change made easy, no need to change the password in any files as in 11i.


13: How to change Oracle Applications Products/Schema Password including APPS ?

As most of you might already be aware that you use FNDCPASS utility on Concurrent Manager Node to change the password.

FNDCPASS logon 0 Y system/password mode username new_password

WhereMODE is SYSTEM/USER/ORACLE/

ALLORACLE (Introduced with patch 4745998)

Changing APPS Password using FNDCPASS

example FNDCPASS apps/apps 0 Y system/manager SYSTEM APPLSYS  WELCOME

In 11i we need to change the passwords in the below files as it was used and hard coded,
in R12i there is no files where the password is stored, so we need not worry about
changing the passwords in any file, this is due to the security reason,

Only recommended is to run the autoconfig on the Middle Tier after changing the APPS Password.

14: In 11i files to change after changing Apps Password ?

Once you change apps password you need to change apps password stored in file wdbsvr.app at $IAS_ORACLE_HOME/Apache/modplsql/cfg

Following Metalink Notes are useful & related to Oracle Applications or Apps Password
–303621.1

15: How to Change and Which Apps Database Users Passwords Can Be Changed
in a Multi – Node Apps Installation?
–159244.1 How To Use FNDCPASS to Change The Oracle Users, APPS, APPLSYS
and Application Module Passwords (INV, AR, AP, etc.) For Applications 11.5 in UNIX.
– 437260.1 – How to Change Oracle Applications Release 12 Passwords using Oracle
Applications Schema Password Change Utility (FNDCPASS)