On November 3, 2009, the OGh (Oracle Gebruikersclub Holland - An independent Oracle user group in The Netherlands) will organize a DBA day. Topic of the day is High Availability.
I will be doing a presentation on the subject of recovering a corrupted database without restoring the backup. A Demo will be included, as well as pros and cons, opportunities and limitations.
The rest of the day will be defined soon, so for the moment no further information is available.
Check back soon for more details!
Thursday, August 27, 2009
Thursday, August 20, 2009
New Feature Added: E-Mail Notification
I added a new feature to my blog today: E-Mail Notification.
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Happy reading and have a wonderful day.
If you are interested in getting updates from this Weblog, simply subscribe using the widget at the side-bar of this page. You will get an e-mail as soon as new posts are published.
Happy reading and have a wonderful day.
Friday, July 3, 2009
Certified, at last!
Last year I took the beta exam for E-Business Suite Release 12, Install, Patch and Maintain Applications. Unfortunately I failed that exam, but I didn't prepare at all. In fact, I found out about the beta exam one day before the beta program ended...
Now I took some more time to prepare for the exam and passed with 82% score.
So, as of today I am officially allowed to call myself: Oracle E-Business Suite Release 12 Database Administrator Certified Professional.
The exam was very appropriate: Proper level of difficulty, good questions, some pretty hard, I must say.
If you want to prepare: Take the course (Install Patch and Maintain Applications), learn all the new features of R12, the new file locations (logfiles, etc), and make yourself familiar with the managment tools around R12. Then you should be able to pass without too much problems.
Now I took some more time to prepare for the exam and passed with 82% score.
So, as of today I am officially allowed to call myself: Oracle E-Business Suite Release 12 Database Administrator Certified Professional.
The exam was very appropriate: Proper level of difficulty, good questions, some pretty hard, I must say.
If you want to prepare: Take the course (Install Patch and Maintain Applications), learn all the new features of R12, the new file locations (logfiles, etc), and make yourself familiar with the managment tools around R12. Then you should be able to pass without too much problems.
Thursday, June 25, 2009
E-Business Suite R12.1.1 - Which database version?
Fooling around with E-Business Suite R12.1.1 installation this week led to some confusion about which database version comes with the distribution.
So it is true! Oracle E-Business Suite Release 12.1.1 comes with 11.1.0.7 database!
The first surprise came when we started Rapid Install and unfolded the components to be installed, as outlined in the welcome screen:
Huh? 9.2.0.5??? I thought 11.1.0.7 was to be installed with R12? 9.2.0.5 isn't even certified.
After we entered all the information, the installation was kicked off, and we saw the following information on our screen:
Still, not quite the version that we were expecting, but coming close, at least.
After the installation was finished, we were - again - mislead, as you can see in this and the following screenshot:
Luckily, checking the database version from within E-Business Suite (Help - About), finally told us the truth, and nothing but the truth:
So it is true! Oracle E-Business Suite Release 12.1.1 comes with 11.1.0.7 database!
Thursday, June 11, 2009
Upgrading 11.5.9 base to R12.1.1: Do we need CU2 or not?
We have recently started the process of upgrading one of our customers environments to R12.1.1. The current version of the E-Business Suite is 11.5.9 base.
First thing we did was to investigate the Oracle Applications Upgrade Guide: Release 11i to Release 12.1.1.
This document states (Chapter 1, Supported Upgrade Paths, on page 1-1) that it is possible to upgrade from 11.5.9 base, directly to R12.1.1.
However, the text on page 2-29 (Prepare for the Upgrade, Step 4: Migrate or upgrade your database to at least Oracle 10g Release 2) can be a bit misleading. The text states the following:
Oracle Applications Release 11.5.9 (with CU2 applied) and Release 11.5.10 (with CU2applied) are certified for use with Oracle 10g Release 2, while 11.5.10 (with CU2) iscertified for use with Oracle 11g Release 1. If you have not already done so, you canupgrade your production database to at least 10g now, before the upgrade downtime.Follow the instructions in Database Preparation Guidelines for an Oracle E-Business SuiteRelease 12.1.1 Upgrade (Doc ID: 761570.1).
The misleading part (in a way) is the first line. The conclusion one can draw here is that is is necessary to first apply CU2 to 11.5.9 base before upgrading the database to 10gR2. We almost did, anyway. Further investigation in the provided note (761570.1) showed us that we need to apply the Interoperability Notes for Oracle 10gR2 database with 11i Applications (Note 362203.1), but skip the following sections:
First thing we did was to investigate the Oracle Applications Upgrade Guide: Release 11i to Release 12.1.1.
This document states (Chapter 1, Supported Upgrade Paths, on page 1-1) that it is possible to upgrade from 11.5.9 base, directly to R12.1.1.
However, the text on page 2-29 (Prepare for the Upgrade, Step 4: Migrate or upgrade your database to at least Oracle 10g Release 2) can be a bit misleading. The text states the following:
Oracle Applications Release 11.5.9 (with CU2 applied) and Release 11.5.10 (with CU2applied) are certified for use with Oracle 10g Release 2, while 11.5.10 (with CU2) iscertified for use with Oracle 11g Release 1. If you have not already done so, you canupgrade your production database to at least 10g now, before the upgrade downtime.Follow the instructions in Database Preparation Guidelines for an Oracle E-Business SuiteRelease 12.1.1 Upgrade (Doc ID: 761570.1).
The misleading part (in a way) is the first line. The conclusion one can draw here is that is is necessary to first apply CU2 to 11.5.9 base before upgrading the database to 10gR2. We almost did, anyway. Further investigation in the provided note (761570.1) showed us that we need to apply the Interoperability Notes for Oracle 10gR2 database with 11i Applications (Note 362203.1), but skip the following sections:
- Verify software versions
- run adgrants.sql
- implement and run Autoconfig
- re-create grants and synonyms
- apply Oracle Receivables patch
- restart Applications Server processes
The first mentioned section (Verify software versions) is the section that holds the instruction to apply CU2 to 11.5.9.
In short, if
- your E-Business Suite is at level 11.5.9 base or CU1 and
- your E-Business Suite database is 9.2.0.x,
in the process of upgrading to R12.1.1, there is no need to apply CU2 to 11.5.9 before upgrading your database to 10gR2.
PS. It is not possible to upgrade your 11.5.9/9.2.0.x database to 11gR1. You will not use the 11gR1 ORACLE_HOME, which is delivered with your R12.1.1 techstack installation during the upgrade. If you want to upgrade your database to 11gR1, you can do so after the upgrade to R12.1.1 has completed.
Thursday, May 28, 2009
Password Policies in Oracle E-Business Suite
One of my customers is challenging the possibility to enforce strong passwords in E-Business Suite (Release 12). Using the generic User Define Form you can define when a password expires, but that is more or less all you can do from that screen. In order to enforce an advanced Password Policy, you should go to the Profile Options:
Signon Password Failure Limit
The Signon Password Failure Limit profile option defines the maximum number of login attempts before the user’s account is disabled.
Signon Password Hard to Guess
Set this Profile Option to Yes to ensure that they will be "hard to guess."
A password is considered hard-to-guess if it meets this requirements:
• The password contains at least one letter and at least one number.
• The password does not contain the username.
• The password does not contain repeating characters.
Signon Password Length
Signon Password Length defines the minimum length of the password. Te default is 5 characters
Signon Password No Reuse
This profile option specifies the number of days before any previously given password can be reused.
Signon Password Case
Set this profile option to 'Sensitive' to make the password case sensitive (it defaults to 'Insensitive in 11i, apparently, it defaults to 'Sensitive' in R12.1.1).
In this example, Users will have to enter a case sensitive password, they are not allowed to enter more than 3 wrong passords, the password must be hard to guess (see above), the lenght is set to at least 8 characters and cannot be used again for at least a year after it has expired.
In the Define User screen we can set the Password Expiration to either
• Days (see example),
• Accesses (the number of logins) or
• None.
Combining the profile options with the Password Expiration will give you a robust password policy for Oracle E-Business Suite.
Signon Password Failure Limit
The Signon Password Failure Limit profile option defines the maximum number of login attempts before the user’s account is disabled.
Signon Password Hard to Guess
Set this Profile Option to Yes to ensure that they will be "hard to guess."
A password is considered hard-to-guess if it meets this requirements:
• The password contains at least one letter and at least one number.
• The password does not contain the username.
• The password does not contain repeating characters.
Signon Password Length
Signon Password Length defines the minimum length of the password. Te default is 5 characters
Signon Password No Reuse
This profile option specifies the number of days before any previously given password can be reused.
Signon Password Case
Set this profile option to 'Sensitive' to make the password case sensitive (it defaults to 'Insensitive in 11i, apparently, it defaults to 'Sensitive' in R12.1.1).
In this example, Users will have to enter a case sensitive password, they are not allowed to enter more than 3 wrong passords, the password must be hard to guess (see above), the lenght is set to at least 8 characters and cannot be used again for at least a year after it has expired.
In the Define User screen we can set the Password Expiration to either
• Days (see example),
• Accesses (the number of logins) or
• None.
Combining the profile options with the Password Expiration will give you a robust password policy for Oracle E-Business Suite.
Tuesday, May 26, 2009
R12.1.1 - New Technology Features at a Glance
Here is a quick list of the new technology features for E-Business Suite Release 12.1.1:
Application Server
10.1.2.3 for Forms And Reports
10.1.3.4 for Java code and OAF, HTTP Server and OJSP
Third Party Technology
Java JDK version 6.0
Native Java Plugin for Client side browser) version 6.0 (5.0 still supported for upgrading customers).
Technology Components in APPL_TOP
JDeveloper runtime libraries version 10.1.3.4
Oracle BI Beans version 3.1.1.7
Oracle Thin JDBC Drivers version 11.1.0.7
Externally Installed Technology Certified with 12.1.1
Oracle AS 10g Portal 10.1.4.2
Oracle AS 10g Single Sign-on 10.1.4.3
Oracle AS 10g Discoverer 10.1.2.3
Oracle Collaboration Suite 10.1.2
Oracle Enterprise Manager 10.2.0.2
* The above require separate installation, the products mentioned don't come packaged with the distro.
Technology Configuration Management
Autoconfig has been improved greatly in this new release of Oracle E-Business Suite:
Profiler Mode
This mode has been added to the 12.1.1 AutoConfig. When you run AutoConfig in this mode, it can generate a performance report containing timing details about each script that is run by AutoConfig.
Parallelization
Autoconfig can be run in parallel on multiple nodes, reducing downtime.
Control Dependency Management
Redesigned service and service group definitions in the context file, enabling a service to be in different service groups and easing the addition of new services. Additional support for dependencies between service group. Introducing the possibility to enable and disable specific OC4J instances on the Application Tier Servers.
adchkcfg
Enhanced to report on file system and database changes prior to running autoconfig. The report has a R12 L&F.
adbldxml on the Database Tier
This utility can now be used to create new context files on the database tier to facilitate database upgrades and cross-platform migration. This feature was available in 11i, but removed in R12.0, but luckily reintroduced again in R12.1.1
AutoConfig Search Utility
Run from the command line, this utility can be used to get detailed information on context variables and the templates where these are used. Nice detail: If you don't know the entire variable name, it also accepts part of the variable name.
Technology Stack Inventory Validation Report
This utility validates the TechStack Inventory, similar to the TechStack Validation utility. The resulting report shows component versions, installed patches and patch sets.
Application Tier File System sharing
There is now support for sharing the Application Tier File System amongst multiple Oracle E-Business Suite instances. In Release 12.0 the APPL_TOP could be shared, because the Instance Home was introduced. Now there is support to share the entire Application Tier File System (including the Application Server Tech Stacks). Refer to Metalink Note 384248.1.
Enhancements in support for major load balancing methods: DNS, HTTP Layer and Native OC4J. Refer to Metalink Note 380489.1
Network Traffic Encryption
There is now Autoconfig support for securing the main communication with SSL: Desktop To WebServer (HTTPS), WebServer to JVM (AJPS), JVM (and other technology processes) to database (Advanced Security or Encrypted SQL*Net). See Metalink Note 376700.1
Oracle Connection Manager
AutoConfig now supports Oracle Connection Manager with R12.1.1. Oracle Connection Manager is a security tool acting as a proxy server that forwards connection requests to database servers. For more information, see Metalink Note 558959.1.
One option that I cannot leave unnoticed (taken from Steven Chan's weblog):
The R12.1.1 Rapid Install allows you to upgrade to 12.1.1 from EBS 11.5.9, 11.5.10, 11.5.10.CU1, and 11.5.10.CU2. That is one cool feature to explore. Will do that soon, hopefully.
Come back soon!
Versions
Database
Version 11.1.0.7 comes pre-packaged with E-Business Suite Release 12.1.1.
Version 10gR2 is still supported, for upgrades
Application Server
10.1.2.3 for Forms And Reports
10.1.3.4 for Java code and OAF, HTTP Server and OJSP
Third Party Technology
Java JDK version 6.0
Native Java Plugin for Client side browser) version 6.0 (5.0 still supported for upgrading customers).
Technology Components in APPL_TOP
JDeveloper runtime libraries version 10.1.3.4
Oracle BI Beans version 3.1.1.7
Oracle Thin JDBC Drivers version 11.1.0.7
Externally Installed Technology Certified with 12.1.1
Oracle AS 10g Portal 10.1.4.2
Oracle AS 10g Single Sign-on 10.1.4.3
Oracle AS 10g Discoverer 10.1.2.3
Oracle Collaboration Suite 10.1.2
Oracle Enterprise Manager 10.2.0.2
* The above require separate installation, the products mentioned don't come packaged with the distro.
Technology Configuration Management
Autoconfig has been improved greatly in this new release of Oracle E-Business Suite:
Profiler Mode
This mode has been added to the 12.1.1 AutoConfig. When you run AutoConfig in this mode, it can generate a performance report containing timing details about each script that is run by AutoConfig.
Parallelization
Autoconfig can be run in parallel on multiple nodes, reducing downtime.
Control Dependency Management
Redesigned service and service group definitions in the context file, enabling a service to be in different service groups and easing the addition of new services. Additional support for dependencies between service group. Introducing the possibility to enable and disable specific OC4J instances on the Application Tier Servers.
adchkcfg
Enhanced to report on file system and database changes prior to running autoconfig. The report has a R12 L&F.
adbldxml on the Database Tier
This utility can now be used to create new context files on the database tier to facilitate database upgrades and cross-platform migration. This feature was available in 11i, but removed in R12.0, but luckily reintroduced again in R12.1.1
AutoConfig Search Utility
Run from the command line, this utility can be used to get detailed information on context variables and the templates where these are used. Nice detail: If you don't know the entire variable name, it also accepts part of the variable name.
Technology Stack Inventory Validation Report
This utility validates the TechStack Inventory, similar to the TechStack Validation utility. The resulting report shows component versions, installed patches and patch sets.
Application Tier File System sharing
There is now support for sharing the Application Tier File System amongst multiple Oracle E-Business Suite instances. In Release 12.0 the APPL_TOP could be shared, because the Instance Home was introduced. Now there is support to share the entire Application Tier File System (including the Application Server Tech Stacks). Refer to Metalink Note 384248.1.
Enhanced Support for DMZ deployments
New demilitarized zone (DMZ) deployment options added, like support for forward proxies, reverse proxies without external web tiers, and the option to use hardware load-balancers without an external web tier.
More information in Metalink Note 380490.1
Enhancements in support for major load balancing methods: DNS, HTTP Layer and Native OC4J. Refer to Metalink Note 380489.1
Network Traffic Encryption
There is now Autoconfig support for securing the main communication with SSL: Desktop To WebServer (HTTPS), WebServer to JVM (AJPS), JVM (and other technology processes) to database (Advanced Security or Encrypted SQL*Net). See Metalink Note 376700.1
Oracle Connection Manager
AutoConfig now supports Oracle Connection Manager with R12.1.1. Oracle Connection Manager is a security tool acting as a proxy server that forwards connection requests to database servers. For more information, see Metalink Note 558959.1.
One option that I cannot leave unnoticed (taken from Steven Chan's weblog):
The R12.1.1 Rapid Install allows you to upgrade to 12.1.1 from EBS 11.5.9, 11.5.10, 11.5.10.CU1, and 11.5.10.CU2. That is one cool feature to explore. Will do that soon, hopefully.
Come back soon!
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