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Introducing Rdb Web Agent

Rdb Web Agent lets you easily deploy Oracle Rdb databases on the World Wide Web. Using Rdb Web Agent, you can replace forms-based front-end applications with web-based applications, using web browsers to interactively query and update data in Oracle Rdb databases. You can let users within your company use Rdb Web Agent applications to query or update the data using a corporate-wide intranet or you can make the applications and the data available on the internet. You can browse or maintain the data using either a corporate-wide intranet or general access on the internet.

Rdb Web Agent provides SQL stored routines and application programming interfaces (APIs) that let you easily generate web-based applications. For example, Rdb Web Agent generates the following web-based query form for the sample personnel database:

If you use Oracle Web Application Server, you can use the Rdb Web Cartridge or the Rdb Web CGI (Common Gateway Interface) Interface or both. If you use another web server, you can use only the Rdb Web CGI Interface.

The Rdb Web Cartridge lets your Oracle Rdb applications take advantage of the performance and features of Oracle Web Application Server. Oracle Web Application Server is a high-performance, multithreaded application platform. You can deliver Rdb Web Agent applications directly through the Oracle Web Application Server component, Web Request Broker, avoiding CGI or Perl scripts.

Understanding the Rdb Web Agent Environment

Rdb Web Agent lets you use any workstation, PC, network computer or terminal to access Oracle Rdb data. You can display the data in any form supported by your web browser.

Rdb Web Agent is available as:

• A full client/server kit for Windows NT, OpenVMS, and Digital UNIX

• A web server, or client-only, kit for OpenVMS, Digital UNIX, Windows NT, and Sun Solaris

This choice of options lets you install and set up Rdb Web Agent in a single tier or in multiple tiers:

• Install both the Rdb Web Agent client and server components on a single system. The single system serves as both the web server and the database server.

• Install the Rdb Web Agent client on a web server system separate from the database server system. Locating the web server on a system separate from the database server gives you greater flexibility in the choice of platform and web server.

You can use a browser located on any system to access your Rdb Web Agent application.

When you use Rdb Web Agent, you use the following software and components:

• Any available web browser, such as Netscape or a network computer.

• A web server, a software component separate from the operating system or Rdb Web Agent. It handles requests for information from browsers and provides the requested information or directs Rdb Web Agent to perform a specific action. The web server interacts with Rdb Web Agent to assist in accessing the Oracle Rdb database.

  To take advantage of the improved performance and enhancements of the Rdb Web Cartridge, use Oracle Web Application Server.

• Rdb Web Agent, an Oracle SQL/Services client application, which provides:
  • The Rdb Web Cartridge or Rdb Web CGI Interface

    You can use either the Rdb Web Cartridge or Rdb Web CGI Interface or both. Consider the differences listed in Table 1-1.

    Although you configure Rdb Web Agent differently depending upon whether you choose the Rdb Web Cartridge or the Rdb Web CGI Interface, there are no differences in how you develop your application.

  • The Rdb Web API Installer

    The Rdb Web API installer creates a series of SQL stored routines, domains, and tables that Rdb Web Agent uses to dynamically generate HTML. The generated HTML is passed back through Rdb Web Agent to the web browser for display. The dynamic HTML consists of HTML tags incorporated with Oracle Rdb data from the database. This utility resides on the database server system. For more information, see "Using the Rdb Web API Installer".

  • The Rdb Web Application Generator

    The Rdb Web Application Generator creates SQL script files containing basic browse, query, insert, update, and delete procedures for each table and view (you can only browse or query views) defined in the database at the time you run the Rdb Web Application Generator. You can edit this SQL script file to customize the generated procedures, remove unwanted procedures, and add new procedures before incorporating the SQL procedures into the database. This utility resides on the database server system. For more information, see "Using the Rdb Web Application Generator".

• Oracle SQL/Services, the networking interface between Rdb Web Agent and the database.

• Oracle Rdb, the database engine.

Table 1-1 illustrates the differences between the Rdb Web Cartridge and the Rdb Web CGI Interface.

Table 1-1 Choosing the Rdb Web Cartridge or CGI Interface

Rdb Web Cartridge	Rdb Web CGI Interface
Acts as an Oracle SQL/Services client, interacting with Oracle Web Application Server and the database to provide data to the web browser. The web server activates the Rdb Web Cartridge upon a request by the web browser.	Acts as an Oracle SQL/Services client, interacting with any supported web server and the database to provide data to the web browser. The web server activates the CGI interface upon a request by the web browser.
Resides on the web server system.	Resides on the web server system.
Takes the form of a program file such as a dynamically linked library (DLL) or shared object code.	Typically, takes the form of an image, although, depending on the web server and operating system, you may need to call it from a command procedure.
Use with Oracle Web Application Server.	Use with any web server.
Provides more features in the Configuration Manager as well as better performance than Rdb Web CGI Interface.	Provides fewer features and lower performance than the Rdb Web Cartridge.

Refer to "Rdb Web Agent Product Requirements" for detailed information on supported configurations and product versions.

Steps to Using Rdb Web Agent

To use Rdb Web Agent, you take the following steps:

1. Set up Oracle SQL/Services for Rdb Web Agent use.

2. Install the Rdb Web Agent server components on the database server system.

   If you do not have an Rdb Web Agent server kit, contact your Oracle sales representative.

3. Install the Rdb Web Agent client on your web server system.

4. Configure the Rdb Web Cartridge or CGI Interface on the web server system.

   Steps 1 through 4 are discussed in Chapter 2.

5. For the CGI interface, you may need to modify the Rdb Web Agent resource configuration file, rdbweb.rc.

   For more information, see "Creating the Rdb Web Agent Resource Configuration File".

6. If necessary, create or modify the Rdb Web Agent configuration file, rdbweb.cfg.

   For more information, see "Creating and Modifying the Rdb Web Agent Configuration File".

7. For each database that you want to enable for web access, take the following steps:
   1. Run the Rdb Web API Installer on the database.

   2. Run the Rdb Web Application Generator on the database and execute the resulting SQL script.

Rdb Web Agent Product Requirements

Before you install and use Rdb Web Agent, you must have the following software installed:

• A web server currently supported by Rdb Web Agent
  • OpenVMS web servers:
    • CERN Web server

    • Purveyor WebServer

  • Digital UNIX web servers:
    • Oracle Web Application Server

    • Netscape Enterprise Server

  • Windows NT web servers:
    • Oracle Web Application Server

    • Netscape Enterprise Server

    • Microsoft Internet Information Server

  • Sun Solaris web servers:
    • Oracle Web Application Server

      You can use only the Rdb Web Cartridge on Sun Solaris and you must use the Oracle Web Application Server.

• Oracle SQL/Services Release 7.0.1 or higher

  You install Oracle SQL/Services on your database server system. In addition, if your web server is not the same system as your database server, you must install the Oracle SQL/Services client API option on the web server system.

• Oracle Rdb Release 7.0.1 or higher

• Operating system: see Before You Install Oracle Rdb Web Agent for information about the operating system versions required.

• Connection to internet or intranet using TCP/IP or DECnet network protocol

  For OpenVMS, the only TCP/IP stack currently tested is Digital TCP/IP.

The following table shows the software required on the database server system and the web server system:

Software Type	Database Server	Web Server
Web server	N/A	A supported web server
Rdb Web Agent	Rdb Web Application Generator Rdb Web API Installer	rdbweb.exe or cartridge rdbweb.rc rdbweb.cfg
Oracle Rdb	Oracle Rdb 7.0.1 or higher installed, with Oracle Rdb database	Not required
Oracle SQL/Services	Server package	Client package

For further information about the software requirements, see Before You Install Oracle Rdb Web Agent and the platform-specific readme files.

Finding Information About Web Servers

Rdb Web Agent supports the following web servers:

• Oracle Web Application Server is a HyperText Transfer Protocol (HTTP) internet server that supports many platforms, including Windows NT, Sun Solaris, and Digital UNIX. It lets you publish hypermedia documents and deploy applications across the World Wide Web and corporate intranets, as well as provides database integration and a development environment.

  Web Request Broker is a central component of Oracle Web Application Server. It is an asynchronous request handler with an API that enables it to interact dynamically with Web Request Broker applications called cartridges.

  For more information about Oracle Web Application Server and Web Request Broker, see the Oracle Web Application Server documentation or refer to the following web site:

  http://www.oracle.com
  
  

  Note: Effective with Release 3.0, the Oracle WebServer has been renamed the Oracle Web Application Server. In most cases, this document refers to all releases as Oracle Web Application Server.

• CERN Web server is a public domain, hypertext server available for OpenVMS. For information on obtaining and installing the CERN Web server (also known as the CERN httpd or W3C httpd), refer to the following web site:

  http://www.w3.org/hypertext/WWW/Daemon
  
  

• Purveyor WebServer is a server developed by Process Software Corporation and supports platforms including OpenVMS. For information on obtaining and installing Purveyor WebServer, refer to the following web site:

  http://www.process.com
  
  

• Netscape Enterprise Server is a server developed by Netscape Communications Corporation and supports platforms including Digital UNIX and Windows NT. For information on obtaining and installing the Netscape Enterprise Server, refer to the following web site:

  http://www.netscape.com
  
  

• Microsoft Internet Information Server is a server developed by Microsoft Corporation and supports Windows NT. For information on obtaining and installing the Microsoft Internet Information Server, refer to the following web site:

  http://www.microsoft.com
  
  

  The external URLs listed were valid at the time this page was written, but we cannot guarantee that they will remain valid.

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