Overview of Oracle Fusion Middleware Components

This chapter provides an overview of the Oracle Fusion Middleware components. It includes the following sections:

• Understanding Oracle WebLogic Server
• Understanding Oracle SOA Suite
• Understanding Oracle Identity Management
• Understanding Oracle WebCenter Portal
• Understanding Oracle Business Intelligence
• Understanding Oracle Business Intelligence Discoverer
• Understanding Oracle Portal
• Understanding Oracle Reports
• Understanding Oracle Forms Services
• Understanding Oracle HTTP Server
• Understanding Oracle Web Services
• Understanding Oracle WebCenter Content
• Understanding Oracle Data Integrator

3.1 Understanding Oracle WebLogic Server

The Oracle WebLogic Server is a scalable, enterprise-ready Java Platform, Enterprise Edition (Java EE) application server. The Oracle WebLogic Server infrastructure supports the deployment of many types of distributed applications and is an ideal foundation for building applications based on SOA.
Java EE is a widely used platform for server programming in the Java programming language. The Java EE Platform differs from the standard edition of Java in that it adds libraries which provide functionality to deploy fault-tolerant, distributed, multi-tier Java software, based largely on modular components running on an application server.
In addition to the Java EE implementation, Oracle WebLogic Server enables enterprises to deploy business-critical applications in a robust, secure, highly available, manageable, and scalable environment. These features allow enterprises to configure clusters of Oracle WebLogic Server instances to distribute load and provide extra capacity in case of hardware or other failures. New diagnostic tools allow system administrators to monitor and tune the performance of deployed applications and the Oracle WebLogic Server environment itself. You can also configure Oracle WebLogic Server to monitor and tune application throughput automatically, without human intervention. Extensive security features protect access to services, keep enterprise data secure, and prevent malicious attacks.
For more information, see the Oracle Fusion Middleware Oracle WebLogic Server Administration Console Online Help.

3.2 Understanding Oracle SOA Suite

Oracle SOA Suite is a middleware component of Oracle Fusion Middleware. Oracle SOA Suite enables services to be created, managed, and orchestrated into SOA composite applications. Composite applications enable you to easily assemble multiple technology components into one SOA composite application. Oracle SOA Suite plugs into heterogeneous infrastructures and enables enterprises to incrementally adopt SOA.
For more information, see the Oracle Fusion Middleware Administrator's Guide for Oracle SOA Suite and Oracle Business Process Management Suite

3.3 Understanding Oracle Identity Management

Oracle Identity Management is an enterprise identity management system that automatically manages users' access privileges within the resources of an enterprise. The architecture of Oracle Identity Management works with the most demanding business requirements without requiring changes to existing infrastructure, policies, or procedures. Oracle Identity Management components manage throughout the entire identity management lifecycle; from initial creation of access privileges to dynamically adapting to changes in enterprise business requirements.
Oracle Identity Management products provide for a shared infrastructure for all Oracle applications. It also provides services and interfaces that facilitate third-party enterprise application development. These interfaces are useful for application developers who must incorporate identity management into their applications.
Oracle Identity Management 11g Release 1 includes the following components:

• Oracle Internet Directory (OID)
• Oracle Directory Integration Platform (ODIP)
• Oracle Virtual Directory (OVD)
• Oracle Directory Services Manager (ODSM)
• Oracle Identity Federation (OIF)

Oracle Identity and Access Management 11g Release 1 includes the following components:

• Oracle Identity Manager (OIM)
• Oracle Access Manager (OAM)
• Oracle Adaptive Access Manager (OAAM)
• Oracle Identity Navigator (OIN)
• Oracle Entitlements Server (OES)

Refer to the following documents for additional information on Oracle Identity Management components:
Oracle Identity Management

• Oracle Fusion Middleware Getting Started with Oracle Identity Management
• Oracle Fusion Middleware User Reference for Oracle Identity Management

Oracle Internet Directory

• Oracle Fusion Middleware Administrator's Guide for Oracle Internet Directory
• Oracle Fusion Middleware Application Developer's Guide for Oracle Identity Management

Oracle Directory Integration Platform

• Oracle Fusion Middleware Integration Guide for Oracle Identity Management

Oracle Virtual Directory

• Oracle Fusion Middleware Administrator's Guide for Oracle Virtual Directory.

Oracle Directory Services Manager

• Oracle Fusion Middleware Administrator's Guide for Oracle Internet Directory
• Oracle Fusion Middleware Administrator's Guide for Oracle Virtual Directory

Oracle Identity Federation

• Oracle Fusion Middleware Administrator's Guide for Oracle Identity Federation.

Oracle Identity Manager

• Oracle Fusion Middleware Administrator's Guide for Oracle Identity Manager

Oracle Access Manager

• Oracle Fusion Middleware Administrator's Guide for Oracle Access Manager

Oracle Adaptive Access Manager

• Oracle Fusion Middleware Administrator's Guide for Oracle Adaptive Access Manager

Oracle Identity Navigator

• Oracle Fusion Middleware Administrator's Guide for Oracle Identity Navigator

3.4 Understanding Oracle WebCenter Portal

Oracle WebCenter Portal provides an open, standards-based, and extensible portal framework that allows users to interact with business applications and services. It supports a single, modern framework for developing popular styles of websites that are critical to the success of the modern organization: internet sites, intranets, extranets, and social networks. WebCenter Portal applications make it easy for users to get the information they need and to work with others to make the necessary changes to business processes.
WebCenter Portal includes WebCenter Portal services like instant messaging, document and content management, discussion forums, wikis, blogs, tagging, activity tracking, personalization, polls, and others. To provide an accessible and streamlined user experience, Oracle WebCenter Portal is integrated and certified with Oracle WebCenter Content, Oracle Identity Management Suite, Oracle SOA Suite, Oracle Enterprise Manager, and Oracle eBusiness Suite, as well as PeopleSoft, Siebel, and JD Edwards enterprise applications. Together, these tools and services empower end users and IT to build and deploy next-generation collaborative portals that take advantage of the creativity and intellect of every user, and improve the productivity of key internal and external business processes.
Oracle WebCenter Portal 11g includes components that provide a full range of functionality to develop customer facing internet web sites, intranets, extranets, and social networking applications. These components include:

• Oracle WebCenter Portal: Framework
• Oracle WebCenter Portal: Spaces
• Oracle WebCenter Portal: Services
• Composer in WebCenter Portal

For more information about WebCenter Portal, see "Introducing Oracle WebCenter Portal" in the Oracle Fusion Middleware Administrator's Guide for Oracle WebCenter Portal.

3.5 Understanding Oracle Business Intelligence

Oracle Business Intelligence (BI) is a portfolio of technology and applications that provides the industry's first integrated, end-to-end Enterprise Performance Management System, including BI foundation and tools as well as financial performance management applications, operational BI applications, and data warehousing. See Oracle Fusion Middleware System Administrator's Guide for Oracle Business Intelligence Enterprise Edition

3.6 Understanding Oracle Business Intelligence Discoverer

Oracle Business Intelligence Discoverer (Oracle BI Discoverer) is a business intelligence tool for analyzing data, and is a key component of Oracle Fusion Middleware. The latest release of Oracle Business Intelligence Discoverer 11g offers new functionality, including published Discoverer Webservice APIs, integration with Oracle WebCenter Portal, integration with Oracle WebLogic Server, integration with Enterprise Manager (Fusion Middleware Control) and improved performance and scalability.
For more information, see "What is Oracle BI Discoverer?" in the Oracle Fusion Middleware Configuration Guide for Oracle Business Intelligence Discoverer.

3.7 Understanding Oracle Portal

Oracle Portal offers a complete and integrated framework for building, deploying, and managing enterprise portals. Only Oracle Portal delivers a unified and secure point of access to all enterprise information and services to improve business visibility and collaboration, reduce integration costs, and ensure investment protection.
For more information about Oracle Portal, see the Oracle Fusion Middleware Administrator's Guide for Oracle Portal.

3.8 Understanding Oracle Reports

Oracle Reports is an enterprise reporting tool that enables businesses to give immediate access to information to all levels within and outside of the organization in a scalable and secure environment.
With Oracle Reports, you can rapidly develop and deploy sophisticated Web and paper reports against any data source, including an Oracle database, JDBC, XML, and text files. By leveraging Java EE technologies, such as JSP and XML, you can publish your reports in a variety of formats to any destination in a scalable, efficient manner.
For more information about Oracle Reports, see the Oracle Fusion Middleware Publishing Reports to the Web with Oracle Reports Services.

3.9 Understanding Oracle Forms Services

Oracle Forms Services is a middle-tier application framework for deploying complex, transactional forms applications to a network such as an intranet or the Internet. Developers build Forms applications with Oracle Forms Builder and deploy them with Oracle Forms Services.
For more information, see the following:

• Oracle Fusion Middleware Forms Services Deployment Guide
• Oracle Forms Upgrading Oracle Forms 6i to Oracle Forms 11g

3.10 Understanding Oracle HTTP Server

Oracle HTTP Server (OHS) is the underlying deployment platform for all programming languages and technologies that Oracle Fusion Middleware supports. It provides a Web listener and the framework for hosting static and dynamic pages and applications over the Web. Based on the proven technology of the Apache 2.2.10 infrastructure, OHS includes significant enhancements that facilitate load balancing, administration, and configuration. It also includes a number of enhanced modules, or mods, which are extensions to the HTTP server that extend its functionality for other enterprise applications and services.
OHS is, and includes modules developed specifically by Oracle. The features of single sign-on, clustered deployment, and high availability enhance the operation of the Oracle HTTP Server.
OHS allows developers to program their sites in a variety of languages and technologies, such as Java, Perl, C, C++, PHP, and PL/SQL. Additionally, it can serve as either a forward or reverse proxy server.
For more information about OHS see the Oracle Fusion Middleware Administrator's Guide for Oracle HTTP Server.

3.11 Understanding Oracle Web Services

A Web Service is a set of functions packaged into a single application that is available to other systems on a network. The network can be a corporate intranet or the Internet. Because Web Services rely on basic, standard technologies which most systems provide, they are an excellent means for connecting distributed systems together. They can be shared by and used as a component of distributed Web-based applications. Other systems, such as customer relationship management systems, order-processing systems, and other existing back-end applications, can call a Web Service function to request data or perform an operation.
For an overview of Web services in Oracle Fusion Middleware 11g, a description of the Web services and clients supported in each category, and a roadmap for implementing Oracle Fusion Middleware Web services, see Oracle Fusion Middleware Introducing Web Services.

3.12 Understanding Oracle WebCenter Content

Oracle WebCenter Content is a comprehensive suite of digital content management tools. These tools can be used across the enterprise to cohesively track, manage, and dispose of content whether written, in digital images, or as email. It brings together the most complete portfolio of portal, web experience management, content, social, and collaboration technologies into a single integrated product suite.
Because of the interaction between tools in WebCenter Content, it is recommended that you read the Oracle WebCenter Content Concepts Guide to familiarize yourself with the entire product family.

3.13 Understanding Oracle Data Integrator

Oracle Data Integrator provides a fully unified solution for building, deploying, and managing complex data warehouses or as part of data-centric architectures in a SOA or business intelligence environment. In addition, it combines all the elements of data integration—data movement, data synchronization, data quality, data management, and data services—to ensure that information is timely, accurate, and consistent across complex systems.
Oracle Data Integrator (ODI) features an active integration platform that includes all styles of data integration: data-based, event-based and service-based. ODI unifies silos of integration by transforming large volumes of data efficiently, processing events in real time through its advanced Changed Data Capture (CDC) capability, and providing data services to the Oracle SOA Suite. It also provides robust data integrity control features, assuring the consistency and correctness of data. With powerful core differentiators - heterogeneous E-LT, Declarative Design and Knowledge Modules - Oracle Data Integrator meets the performance, flexibility, productivity, modularity and hot-pluggability requirements of an integration platform.