OWM stands for Oracle Wallet Manager. It is one of the components of OracleAS and a stand alone Java-based application used to administer a wallet. OWM (a GUI application) is used to perform the following tasks:

• Creating Oracle Wallets
• Creating private keys
• Downloading certificates in the Oracle wallet
• Uploading certificates to the OID directory
• Managing security credentials on OracleAS, the Oracle database, and other clients

The dcmctl command-line utility is used to perform general application server administration tasks without using Enterprise Manager. It is also used to perform some common OC4J administration tasks. It automates tasks such as startups, shutdowns, and some regular deployments (J2EE applications).

Oracle Application Server Key Components, Architecture, and Features

• The Portal and Wireless, and J2EE and Web Cache have OracleAS Web Cache components resulting in enhancing the performance of Internet-based applications.
• The OracleAS Web Cache is a server accelerator type of Web caching solution.
• The OracleAS Web Cache is a server accelerator type of Web caching solution and provides load balancing services.
• OracleAS Infrastructure would not be needed when using J2EE and OracleAS Web Cache Middle-Tier installation type.

Installing OracleAS Infrastructure and OracleAS middle tier

• OracleAS Infrastructure is a complete and integrated platform to develop, deploy, and administer an Internet application using industry browsers.
• Business Intelligence and Forms is optional and can be installed later.
• The order, OracleAS Metadata Repository, OracleAS Middle Tier, and Identity Management should be followed.
• The OracleAS Metadata Repository should be installed in an existing or new database.
• The OracleAS Metadata Repository Creation Assistant is required to create the OracleAS Metadata Repository in an existing Oracle database.
• The Oracle Internet Directory should be installed before installing some specific components.
• Oracle Internet Directory is the only component of the Middle-Tier that cannot be configured once it has been installed.
• OHS, OC4J, and Oracle Web Cache constitute the middle-tier.
• Install the middle tier with Portal and Wireless installation type and access the installed OracleAS middle-tier components.
• OIDMON is used to start the OID monitor process.
• Data Translation is done by OracleAS Wireless using the Wireless Access Protocol.
• OracleAS Wireless is used to develop location-based and voice-enabled applications.
• OracleAS Wireless is used for Short Messaging Service (SMS).
• your_ServerName.port is the URL through which the Oracle ServerAS 10g Server can be accessed.

Using Oracle Application Server Management Tools and configuring Directives and virtual hosts

• Access OracleAS Component pages of the Application Server Control and use the dcmctl utility to obtain configuration information.
• The password of admin_user can be changed with the emdctl utility.
• The emctl utility is used to change the ias_admin password.
• The dcmctl command-line tool is used to create a new OC4J instance and to deploy a J2EE application.
• Describe the configuration directories and their scope, the process of merging containers and contents, and the process of setting up virtual hosts.
• A complete list of port assignment and allowed port ranges can be found in ASCP Page and the portlist.ini file.
• Virtual hosting is a technique that is used to maintain multiple Web sites on a single machine.
• The .htaccess directories override the directories inside the directory container directives.
• Directory is processed in order from the shortest directory component to the longest.
• Configure directories and enable directory indexes and use configuration directives such as Option, Alias, and Script Alias.
• The FollowSymLinks parameter allows the HTTP Server to follow the symbolic links.
• The Indexes parameter indicates the HTTP Server whether to produce an HTML page on directory request.
• The IndexIgnore directive is used to prevent users from accessing backup and other critical files.
• The Options directive is used to configure server features that are available in a directory.
• The ScriptAlias directive enables the execution of CGI scripts without specifying the execCGI option.

Managing the Oracle Internet Directory, Oracle HTTP Server, OracleAS Web Cache, OC4J, and the OracleAS Portal

• The configuration parameter ORCLSERVERPROCS determines the number of Server processes to be created.
• You should use the Configuration option on the home page of the OID Self-Service console to configure, add, or modify the information in the directory.
• The certificate and other related information can be viewed in the Metadata Repository.
• Registration Authority is used for verifying and identifying a public key.
• The default user accounts are created in the user container of the default Identity Management realm.
• Data Access Protocol (DAP) enables efficient transfer of high amount of data.
• The function of a Web server is to serve static content to a Web browser.
• The Directory Access Service (DAS) is used to implement system security.
• The ldifwrite tool is used to back up the directory information.
• Virtual hosting is the maintenance of multiple Web sites on a single machine.
• The OracleAS Metadata Repository is a collection of schemas in the database. It can be in an existing or a new database and can be database-based or file-based.
• The MD4 algorithm is the default Oracle Internet Directory (OID) encryption algorithm.
• ldifwrite is used to write data from the OID to a database and back up data.
• The configuration parameter ORCLSERVERPROCS determines the number of Server processes to be created.
• The directive AccessFileName allows for changing the name of the .htaccess file.
• The AllowOverride directive controls the contents of the .htaccess files.
• The user and group management tasks can be performed through the Delegated Administrative Service (DAS) with the help of the portlet set, Services, User, and Group.
• The export import utilities of OracleAS Portal are used for consolidating, moving, or updating portal objects between development and production instances.
• OracleAS Portal provides administrative services such as manage user, groups, administer the portal, and search features, etc.
• Configuration scripts are used to configure some particular aspects of the OracleAS Portal.
• OracleAS Portal administrative user interface, Oracle Application Server Control, and Configuration script are the methods of configuring the OracleAS Portal.
• WebDAV is used for managing files on remote Web servers.
• The Parallel Page Engine is a shared server process servlet engine, which runs the Oracle Application Server Containers for J2EE and service page requests.
• OIDCTL commands are used to manage the instance, and OIDMON is used to interpret and process the OIDCTL commands.
• The OIDMON utility is responsible for interpreting and processing the OIDCTL commands required to manage the OID Server instance.
• The OID Monitor process should be started first by using OIDMON, and then the OID server instance should be started using the OIDCTL.
• The dcmctl create Component option is used to return a list of all OracleAS components specified by you.
• The dcmctl, opmnctl, and the Application Server Control are used to manage the OC4J instance. However, the Application Server Control is a recommended alternative.
• The iasconfig.xml script is used to configure data of portal-related components.
• The ptllang tool is used to configure additional languages.
• The self-registration feature is used to enable users to create their own portal accounts by filling a self-registration form.
• The portal administrator must invalidate the portal content in the Web cache.
• Following are the OHS Server log files that are stored in the logs directory:
  • access_log
  • httpd.pid
  • error_log

• The access_log, httpd.pid, and error_log OHS Server log files are stored in the logs directory.
• The Notice message refers to a normal but noteworthy category of LogLevel directive messages.
• Event logs contain logging information.
• The OracleAS Web Cache Manager is the tool by which manual rollover of logs is done.
• Access log keeps the record of HTTP requests made to the OracleAS Web Cache.
• The access_log, httpd.pid, and error_log log files are stored in the logs directory.
• OIDCTL and OIDMON are the two OID command-line tools, and a user cannot be connected to an OID server without an OID server instance being up.
• The Oracle Directory Manager is used to control access to the OID.
• Data in the OID server is managed by the Oracle Directory Manager.
• The ODM connects to a running Oracle Directory instance for the management of OID contents.
• The AllowOverride directive is valid only in the Directory containers.
• IndexIgnore keeps users from accessing the backups of CGI scripts.
• The Web server serves static content to a Web browser.
• MaxClients is used on UNIX and determines the number of simultaneous connections possible.
• Redo logs are meant to record the changes made to the database.
• The trusted certificate must be installed before installing a user certificate.
• The URL https://hostname.domain_anme:ssl_port/oca/user will be used to access the required page.
• You must choose the Managing User Entries option for assigning privilege to user and groups.
• Oracle Directory Manager has been designed for administering the Oracle Internet Directory. It is a Java-based tool.
• The SSL Signing Wallet and the SSL CA Wallet are required by the OracleAS Certificate Authority (OCA).
• OracleAS Web Cache is used to send and receive HTTP requests.
• The opmnctl startproc process-type=WebCacheAdmin command should be used to start the WebCacheAdmin process.
• The OracleAS Web Cache uses POST body parameters, embedded URL parameters, and cookies to substitute values for personalized attributes.
• Listen ports and operation ports will be required to configure the port settings for OracleAS Web Cache.
• The OracleAS Web Cache enables a user to accelerate static and dynamic content delivery, and perform as a load balancer at a reduced hardware cost.
• Caching rules are specified in the Surrogate-Control response-header field.
• Directory structure and naming policies customize the directory structure, location of identities, and their method of identification.
• Database Providers are used when there is heavy interaction with databases.
• Locally Built Providers, Registered Providers, and Provider Groups are the three types of providers.
• The PORTAL, ORCLADMIN, PORTAL_ADMIN, and PUBLIC users are the default portal users.
• Oracle Portal Configuration Assistant is used to configure the OracleAS Portal.

Deploying J2EE Applications, Configuring Oracle Application Server Components in OID, Administering

• Deploy Web applications to Oracle Application Server, J2EE applications, and Web providers.
• To access multiple databases, a user must use a non-emulated data source.
• EAR files are used to deploy J2EE applications.
• You must use the Access control list to know who can access the portal element.
• The My Profile tab is used to view and change your preferences and password respectively.
• Global privileges are used to grant access to users on objects of a specific type in a portal.
• The group container is created in the default Identity Management realm’s group container.
• Data source is used to retrieve connections to a database server.
• Oracle Wallet Manager is used to manage the Oracle Wallet. It is also used to create private keys and certificate requests, etc.
• OracleAS Single Sign-On Server is used to log into multiple applications securely.
• The OID allows for single-user identities by storing all the information needed by the OID server.
• The Oracle Directory Manager is used to perform the administrative tasks.
• An Application Administrator is eligible to delegate the power of management of application’s data.
• The Metadata Repository should be installed first because the Identity Management requires the Metadata Repository to store its data.
• Either the HTTP Server or the OC4J instance can be used to manage the OracleAS Single Sign-OnServer.
• The Delegated Administrative Service is used to delegate or authorize administrative powers to users.
• You want to have separate password policies for different entries.
• You can store an Oracle Wallet in OID.
• Oracle Delegated Administrative Services is used for changing password before password expiration.
• The wallet is used to store authentication and signing credentials. It is a password-protected container. The wallet must contain a SSL certificate and should be open for export.
• Single Sign-On is used to enable a user to access many applications but sign in only once.
• Oracle Wallet Manager (OWM) is one of the components of OracleAS. It is a stand alone Java-based application used to administer wallets.
• The User Edit Group is used to delegate user management.
• The Edit Group enables a user to edit the group properties.
• The user certificates are used to access SSL-enabled websites. They are used by server applications to validate an entry.
• The ocactl command-line tool is used to create, manage, and expire certificates.
• The OracleAS Portal default user accounts are created in default Identity Management realm’s user container.
• Secure Sockets Layer is used to secure HTTP communications between Web browsers and Web servers.
• Oracle Internet Directory is a general purpose directory service that manages the user and network information.
• SSLEngine enables the HTTP server.
• A wallet can be uploaded to an LDAP directory

The OIDCTL utility is one of the OID command-line tools. The OIDCTL utility is used to start and stop the OID server instance. The actual commands to start and stop the OID server instance are issued through the OIDCTL utility.

The opmnctl command-line utility is used to manage processes on a particular Applications tier. It is also used to manage OHS and to start, stop, and restart the Oracle HTTP Server, including all OracleAS components. It also helps a user start, stop, restart, and view the status of OracleAS Web Cache components.

The ocactl command-line utility is used to specify the parameters needed to perform various Oracle Application Server Certificate Authority operations.

Note: Whenever this utility is invoked, it requires the OCA admin password.

OID stands for Oracle Internet Directory. It is an Oracle application that is a part of Oracle’s Identity Management infrastructure. The application is used for security purposes. Basically, it is a general purpose directory service that helps in managing user and network information.

Note: OID is not a security product. However, it is a data management product.

A Web Cache is also known as a “content-aware” server accelerator. It behaves like a virtual server on behalf of the OracleAS instance. It caches specified Web application server content and passes it to the clients. It also enhances the availability, scalability, and performance of Web sites.

Note: A Web Cache not only provides caching facilities but also load balancing and failover capabilities.

An Oracle wallet is a logical container used to store security credentials, which include certificates and public or private key pairs.

The OIDMON utility is one of the OID command-line tools. OIDMON is used to start the OID Monitor process that interprets and processes the OIDCTL commands. Therefore, it is responsible for managing the OID instance.