Installing Oracle SOA Suite 11g R1

Introduction:

In this post we will see detailed steps to install SOA 11g. The approach used in all 11g FMW components (Including SOA) is very different then 10g. The basic limitation of any 10g component involving infrastructure was that the product itself used to create database and configure the entire infrastructure. This used to put limitation on database port which always used to be 1521.

Here in 11g version, a user has a flexibility to use any port. 11g expects installed database as a pre-reqs and uses that database to create corresponding repository. This way we can have database and listener at any port and provide that information while creating repository.

Also another important feature with all 11g components is that web server used is weblogic and it is kept as another separate component in the form of pre-reqs. So any 11g components requiring web server expects weblogic as pre-reqs. With this brief introduction about 11g FMW components characteristics we will see the installation procedure for SOA 11g.

Installing SOA 11g:

Following are the brief steps for installing SOA 11g

1. Install database 11g (11.1.0.6 / 11.1.0.7) including configuring TNS and listener. You could also use Oracle XE Universal Edition.
2. Create repository using Oracle RCU (Repository Creation Utility).
3. Install WLS (weblogic Server) and create a Middleware Home.
4. Install SOA 11g inside middleware home.
5. Use config.sh (Unix) / config.cmd (Windows) or WLST to create and configure SOA domain and managed servers.
6. In case of SOA 11g, BAM also gets install and configured if selected. Here we will install both SOA and BAM.

Download Locations:

Download all the software to get started.

1. In the following steps, save all downloaded files to c:\stageSOA. This document assumes that path. If you save them somewhere else then make sure there are no spaces in your path and adjust accordingly when c:\stageSOA is referenced in this document.

• Oracle WebLogic Server 11gR1 (10.3.2) + OEPE - Package Installer
• Oracle SOA Suite (11.1.1.2.0)
• Repository Creation Utility (11.1.1.2.0)
• Oracle XE Univ

2. Unzip the Oracle SOA Suite (11.1.1.2.0) ZIP file to c:\stageSOA.

3. Unzip the Repository Creation Utility (11.1.1.2.0) ZIP file to c:\stageSOA.

Step 1) Install database 11g  including configuring TNS and listener or XE Universal Edition

Having your database up and running is the most important pre-requisite for installing SOA Suite.

• Read the following requirements carefully to be sure you are ready to begin the SOA Suite installation:
• You need one of:
• Oracle XE Universal database version 10.2.0.1
• Oracle 10g database version 10.2.0.4+
• Oracle 11g database version 11.1.0.7+
• You cannot use any other database version in 11gR1 (certification of additional databases is on the roadmap). Specifically, you cannot use XE Standard, it must be Universal.
• We have seen problems with installing XE when a full 10g database is already installed in the environment.
• The Windows registry sometimes gets the database file location confused. It is recommended to pick one or the other to avoid such issues.
• If you need to uninstall XE, make sure that you follow the instructions in Oracle Database Express Edition Installation Guide 10g Release 2 (10.2) for Microsoft Windows Part Number B25143-03, Section 7, Deinstalling Oracle Database XE (http://download.oracle.com/docs/cd/B25329_01/doc/ install.102/b25143/toc.htm).
• If you need to uninstall 10.2, be sure to follow the instructions in Oracle atabase Installation Guide 10g Release 2 (10.2) for Microsoft Windows (32-Bit) Part Number B14316-04, Section 6, Removing Oracle Database Software (http://download. oracle.com/docs/cd/B19306_01/install.102/b14316/ deinstall.htm).
• Install OracleXEUniv.exe recommended for a small footprint database. Make sure that you read step 1 above before installing. You can get XE from here: http://www.oracle.com/technology/products/database/xe/index.html or Download from Oracle XE Univ.
• Configure Oracle XE Universal Edition as follows.
  When you are using Oracle XE, you must update database parameters if you have never done this for your database installation. You only have to do this once after installing. Set the processes parameter to >=200 using the following instructions.

<Prompt> sqlplus sys/welcome1@XE as sysdba
<SQL> show parameter session
<SQL> show parameter processes
<SQL> alter system reset sessions scope=spfile sid='*';
<SQL> alter system set processes=200 scope=spfile;
<SQL> shutdown immediate
<SQL> startup
<SQL> show parameter session
<SQL> show parameter processes

Step 2) Create repository using Oracle RCU (Repository Creation Utility)

Using RCU, you can create repository for SOA. You dont have to install RCU for using it. RCU comes as a zip file which you need to unzip. Once you unzip you run <RCU_UNZIP>/bin/rcu binary

This will invoke a GUI. On the first page you can select “Create Repository” and click on next.

On the next page RCU will ask for database details in which you want to create the repository. The page will look as shown below

Once you connect to database, on the next page you need to select the repository that you want to create. Here you can select SOA as shown below. Metadata services will get selected automatically. Also you can use any prefix for these schema. All these schema created will have the prefix string prefixed to it. In this case it will prepend DEV before each schema name. Example DEV_MDS, DEV_SOAINFRA etc.

Once you click on next, it will show the summary and will create tablespace if they dont exists. After tablespace creation, click on create and it will create the required repository schemas.

Step 3) Install WLS (weblogic Server) and create a middleware home

Next step is to install WLS server. Carry out the basic installation of WLS. You need to provide a new location for middleware home when asked for as shown below.

Next it will ask for the location of weblogic. Here you can accept the default value as it will be created inside middleware home.

Select all other values as default and install WLS.

Step 4) Install SOA 11g inside middleware home

Installation of SOA home is again very straight. Installation of SOA will just lay down the file system, it wont configure anything. Important input while installing SOA is the middleware home location and location for SOA home

Here Oracle_SOA1 directory will get created inside mwhome directory. Rest of the inputs for SOA installation can be default.

Step 5) Use config.sh or WLST to create and configure SOA domain and managed servers

Once SOA installation is done, the last and the most important step is configuring SOA domain.

You need to navigate to <middleware_home>/Oracle_SOA1/common/bin location and run config.sh script. This script will open a new GUI window. Follow the below screen shots for configuring SOA.

Select all the required template from this screen. If you don’t need BAM installation, you can uncheck the Business Activity Monitoring template. Click on Next.

On the next screen give any domain name (soa_domain) in this case. You can keep the Domain location and Application location as default. These directories will get automatically created when this domain gets created at the end of installation. Click on Next.

On this screen, provide the weblogic password and click on Next.

On this screen you need to provide the database connection details like database name, hostname and database port. You also need to provide all the schema names and password you created using RCU. RCU will create exact 5 schemas required for SOA configuration. You need to provide details of those schemas on this screen. Once you click in next, the configurator will test the connection for all 5 schemas.

Once the connection test goes successful, you can keep rest of the values as default and create the required domain.

After domain creation start the weblogic server using <middleware_home>/user_projects/domain/<domain_name>/bin/startWeblogic.sh script

Also start the managed servers using <middleware_home>/user_projects/domain/<domain_name>/bin/startManagedWeblogic.sh script

You can then login to console using http://<SOA hostname>:<AdminServer port>/console

In the next post, I will provide the WLST details instead of config.sh for performing tasks in step 5) above.

Hope this helps !!