Overview of 10g Application Server

Overview of 10g Application Server
10g Application Server Consist of Infrastructure Tier & Middle Tier.

What is Infrastructure Tier ?
Infrastructure Tier provides Infrastructure Services to 10g Application Server & consist of following technical components
- Database : To Store User/Applications Identity Data (Portal,Wireless,OID data)
- OID : Oracle Internet Directory, to store User Credentials, Schema passwords, Application details & lot more ...
- HTTP Server : This Web Server (OHS, Oracle HTTP Server) on Infra Tier is used to access SSO (Single Sign-On Server) & OIDDAS (OID Delegated Administrative Services)
- OC4J : Oracle Container for J2EE (OC4J_Security for SSO), You have additional OC4J_OCA if you have OCA (Oracle Certifying Autority). OCA is Optional component in Infrastructure Tier.

What is Middle Tier ?
Middle Tier is tier where application Server & applications logic resides. It consist of following Technical Components
- HTTP Server : This OHS (Oracle HTTP Server) is separate from above OHS & this is OHS from where users access application Server like portal, wireless, j2ee
- OC4J : These are container which provide place holder for j2ee or web applications . Applications are deployed on OC4J's. 10g AS comes with default OC4J name "home", you create more OC4J depending on your requirement
- Web Cache : Web Cache acts as cache for fast response to web server.

Logical Services for Infrastructure Tier
Above was technical components of Infrastructure Tier , Logically Infrastructure Tier consist of Two main categories which are
1. Identity Management
2.Metadata Repository

What is Metadata Repository?
MR is similar to Database Metadata & MR you can further classify as Metadata repository for Products (Like Portal, Wireless, BI) This MR usually is user data. Lets assume I created some pages, documents in Portal or User entered some data in any application , such data when stored in database is called as Product MR.
MR for OID : Oracle Internet Directory contain some data & data related to this , one can classify as MR for IM (as OID is part of Identity Management - discussed later).
MR for SSO : Oracle Single Sign-On data & schema definitions , one can classify as MR for IM (as SSO is part of IM).

So broadly there are three kind of MR (that's how I classify MR)

What is Identity Management?
Logical Grouping of Services which help in Managing Identity is called as Identity Management.Identity management Consist of following Services like :
- OID: Oracle Internet Directory
- DAS: Delegated Administrative Services
- DIP: Directory Integration & Provisioning Services
- SSO: Single Sign-On Service
- OCA: Oracle Certifying Authority

Installation of 10g Application Server in next post.....