Free Test for New Java and Web-Services Portal Standards

Creating an enterprise portal—especially one that conforms to open standards—can be complicated. Emerging protocols such as the Web Services for Remote Portals (WSRP) standard from the Organization for the Advancement of Structured Information Standards (OASIS) and the Java Specification Request (JSR) 168 standard from the Java Community Process (JCP) provide structure, but developers who want to deliver Web-based business applications and content services in enterprise portals have to program custom adapters to integrate their portal components or portlets.

To reduce the challenges of portal integration, Oracle has created the Oracle Portal Verification Service. Powered by Oracle9i Application Server (Oracle9iAS), the new, free service—available online from the Portal Center on Oracle Technology Network—enables corporate portal developers and independent software vendors to test the interoperability of their Web-based content and applications with the latest Java and Web services portal interoperability standards.

The proposed WSRP and JSR 168 specifications define standard ways to accomplish integration so that developers can deliver their applications to a wider audience of end users without the hassle of proprietary integration work. As a contributor to the OASIS WSRP specification and a member of the Expert Group for JSR 168, Oracle is helping define these interoperability standards and is incorporating support for them into Oracle9iAS Portal. As a result, the Oracle Portal Verification Service will make it easier for developers to create portlets that support the WSRP and JSR 168 standards.

Did You Know? Passwords Get Expensive Labor costs for configuring and maintaining password systems for a company of 100 employees average US$100 to $150 per user, per year. A business with 1,000 employees spends about US$200 per user, and enterprises with more than 100,000 employees spend US$300 to $350 per user. Source: Aberdeen Group www.aberdeen.com/ab_company/hottopics/ askanalyst/hurley050503.htm

Oracle Collaboration Suite's New Release Enhances iMeeting, Email

Oracle Collaboration Suite Release 2, the newest version of Oracle's integrated set of enterprise-class collaboration applications, includes these new features:

• iMeeting provides a common, flexible environment that can support all types of online meetings across an entire enterprise. It is designed to meet demanding real-time requirements, including blending of online meeting services (such as live help, interactive meetings, and Web seminars) into enterprise applications, corporate Web sites, portals, and exchanges. The new iMeeting console provides cobrowsing, document presentation, desktop sharing, voice streaming, and other interactive features.
• New features in Oracle Email include flashback recovery, which permits Microsoft Outlook users to recover deleted messages in a certain timeframe without administrator assistance. Backup and restore is done on a per-user basis, enabling faster recovery and eliminating the need to restore an entire e-mail system in the event of a small problem. Administration and mail management can be delegated on a group or individual basis, and standard e-mail clients can look up distribution lists and aliases. Virus-checking and spam-checking capabilities are enhanced as well.
• Oracle Calendar now includes resource scheduling (for items such as conference rooms) and integration with iMeeting. Oracle Calendar uses the new Oracle Sync Server, which uses the SyncML standard to support diverse mobile devices and applications. Multiple calendars can be created, populated, and managed for increased flexibility.
• The Oracle Connector for Outlook connects Microsoft Outlook and Oracle Collaboration Suite. Enhancements in the new release include server-side rules, including out-of-office reply preferences, and a new IMAP cache that reduces remote server calls.

Enhancements in wireless capabilities, security, globalization, migration, and coexistence with other collaboration products are also part of this major new release.

Java Tool Combines Enterprise Development, Deployment

Developers have another way to brew up Java—with Oracle9i Application Server (Oracle9iAS) Java Edition. The Java Edition includes everything you need to quickly begin developing and deploying Java applications and Web services. With Oracle9iAS Java Edition, you get an integrated enterprise Java software package that includes both an application server and an integrated development environment (IDE) and offers complete development and deployment capabilities for transactional business applications, Web services, dynamic Web sites, and e-commerce storefronts.

Oracle9iAS Java Edition includes Oracle9iAS Containers for J2EE, a full-featured, production-level application server with advanced clustering; Oracle9i JDeveloper, a complete Java IDE; Oracle HTTP Server for XML and Web services support; Oracle9iAS TopLink object-to-relational persistence software; and Oracle Enterprise Manager for end-to-end system management.

The benefits of Oracle9iAS Java Edition include enhanced developer productivity with a fast edit-test-deploy development cycle, end-to-end system management with a single console view into managing everything, and increased enterprise scalability with advanced clusters to run Linux, Windows, or UNIX on low-cost hardware.

Oracle9iAS Java Edition is immediately available for purchase or free download from Oracle Technology Network.

Building a Better Way to Protect Customers from Security Exploits

Nobody likes it when security vulnerabilities are found in internet applications. But increasingly, vendors and customers are also finding fault with the way those vulnerabilities are communicated—often discussed in chat or other public forums, sometimes with the code containing the flaw posted for all to see.

Enter the Organization for Internet Security (OIS), a coalition of software vendors—including Oracle—and internet security companies launched in September 2002 whose goal is to create standard processes for reporting and patching vulnerabilities—both to fix bugs and to prevent unsavory characters from exploiting them.

The OIS released the first draft of its Security Vulnerability Reporting and Response Process document in February 2003 for public comment and discussion. In addition to detailed procedures, the document also includes a Code of Conduct that requires researchers not to prepublish or discuss code—and requires vendors to respond to security alerts within a relatively short period of time. Other protocols are designed to protect the customer, while allowing a reasonable amount of time for the vendor to build fixes.

"The objective is productive dialogue with customers, vendors, and researchers to establish a common ground for dealing with security vulnerabilities," explains Oracle Chief Security Officer Mary Ann Davidson.

Web Locator Oracle Portal Verification Service portalcenter.oracle.com Oracle Collaboration Suite oracle.com/ip/deploy/cs Oracle9i Application Server oracle.com/ip/deploy/ias Oracle9iAS software downloads /software/products/ias Organization for Internet Safety www.oisafety.org Oracle Support oracle.com/support Oracle University Online Library oracle.com/education/library

Oracle Exceeds Government Requirements for IT Accessibility

As part of its effort to comply with Section 508 of the U.S. Rehabilitation Act Amendments of 1998, which requires government agencies to purchase IT products accessible to vision-impaired and hearing-impaired users, Oracle started an accessibility initiative in 1999 and is continuing to foster changes in both standards and product development.

Several teams are working together within Oracle Support to ensure that disabled users have full and equal access to Oracle solutions. These groups include an oversight team in each geographical area that coordinates corporate mandates and government standards in the context of technical support; a global content-management team that ensures all published solutions are accessible to blind and vision-impaired people; and various subject-matter expert teams that provide technical assistance and expertise on the third-party systems used to provide complete accessibility—well beyond the basic requirements of Section 508. These teams also work with Oracle's product-development organizations and partner companies to provide the best possible services and solutions for interoperability.

OU Launches Online Library

Oracle University's new Online Library is a self-paced, dynamic learning environment of more than 400 courses available through the internet. Members have access to all of the courses formerly included in both the Professional and End-User subscriptions of the Oracle Learning Network. "Courses in the Online Library complement what is learned in the classroom so our students can expand on what they've learned, study related concepts, and then explore new topics," says Eric Kuhnen, director of Oracle University's Self-Study Product Management. Oracle University is offering a free, 45-day membership to the Online Library with every purchase of an instructor-led event. Customers can also purchase an annual membership for US$280.

Sample Code: Re-creating or moving tablespaces This script will extract the definition of a tablespace (if the user provides a specific tablespace name at runtime) or all the tablespaces of a database (if the user enters a wildcard at runtime). *********************************************************** rem rc_tablespace.sqlset document off echo off rem rc_tablespace.sql *********************************************************** accept ts_name prompt 'Please Enter tablespace name (use wild card) : ' column dum1 noprint column dum2 noprint column dum3 noprint column col1 format a102 set termout off feedback off verify off timing off echo off pagesize 0 heading off linesize 103 document off spool on.lst Select tablespace_name dum1, 10 dum2, 1 dum3, 'Create tablespace '||tablespace_name||' datafile ' col1 from sys.dba_tablespaces where tablespace_name like upper('&&ts_name') UNION Select tablespace_name dum1, 20 dum2, 1 dum3, ' '''||file_name||''''||' SIZE '||to_char(bytes)||' REUSE' col1 from sys.dba_data_files where tablespace_name like upper('&&ts_name') UNION Select tablespace_name dum1, 30 dum2, 1 dum3, ' DEFAULT STORAGE (INITIAL '||to_char(initial_extent)|| ' NEXT '||next_extent|| ' MINEXTENTS '||min_extents|| ' MAXEXTENTS '||max_extents|| ' PCTINCREASE '||PCT_INCREASE||')' col1 from sys.dba_tablespaces where tablespace_name like upper('&&ts_name') UNION Select tablespace_name dum1, 40 dum2, 1 dum3, ' ONLINE;' col1 from sys.dba_tablespaces where tablespace_name like upper('&&ts_name') order by 1,2,3 / spool off set termout on feedback 15 verify on pagesize 20 linesize 103 space 1 heading on document on timing on clear col Rajesh Puneyani (rajpuneyani@hotmail.com) is an Oracle data architect and senior DBA in Parsippany, New Jersey.