APPX 5 connectivity to Oracle on Linux

How to configure APPX 5 to store data inside Oracle on Linux.

Overview

Release 5.0.0 or higher of the APPX Utility allows APPX to connect to Oracle via Oracle's Instant Client instead of the Oracle Client Interface. This allows for an easier configuration because the files can be placed on the server by hand instead of making use of an Oracle install routine to place the Client. This document will show you were to get the Oracle Instant Client, where you might place the Instant Client Files from Oracle, and how to make APPX aware of the Oracle Instant Client files so that you can store APPX data inside Oracle. This document will focus on the Linux platform, specifically the Red Hat Enterprise product.

Oracle Instant Client

Downloading

APPX requires a 32 bit Oracle interface for all Oracle connections. Even if your OS is 64 bit, even if your Oracle is 64 bit, APPX requires you to connect to Oracle via the 32 bit version of the Oracle Instant Client. You can download the 32 bit version of Oracle Instant Client here. On my test server here I have APPX installed on Red Hat Enterprise 5 64 bit OS. Oracle is installed on a secondary server - Red Hat Enterprise 4 32 bit. The connection from APPX to Oracle should work fine to Oracle 10.2.0.4 and above (including 11). I downloaded the 32 bit version of Oracle's Instant Client 10.2.0.4, selecting two file bundles, Instant Client Package - Basic and Instant Client Package - SQL*Plus. I chose the rpm, but the zip packages work just as well. The rpms deposited the Oracle Instant client files as shown below:

Installing

[root@appx502 10.2.0.4-32bit]# rpm -ivh oracle-instantclient-basic-10.2.0.4-1.i386.rpm oracle-instantclient-sqlplus-10.2.0.4-1.i386.rpm 
Preparing...                ########################################### [100%]
   1:oracle-instantclient-ba########################################### [ 50%]
   2:oracle-instantclient-sq########################################### [100%]
[root@appx502 10.2.0.4-32bit]#
[root@appx502 10.2.0.4-32bit]# rpm -qlp oracle-instantclient-basic-10.2.0.4-1.i386.rpm oracle-instantclient-sqlplus-10.2.0.4-1.i386.rpm 
/usr/lib/oracle/10.2.0.4/client/bin/genezi
/usr/lib/oracle/10.2.0.4/client/lib/libclntsh.so.10.1
/usr/lib/oracle/10.2.0.4/client/lib/libnnz10.so
/usr/lib/oracle/10.2.0.4/client/lib/libocci.so.10.1
/usr/lib/oracle/10.2.0.4/client/lib/libociei.so
/usr/lib/oracle/10.2.0.4/client/lib/libocijdbc10.so
/usr/lib/oracle/10.2.0.4/client/lib/ojdbc14.jar
/usr/bin/sqlplus
/usr/lib/oracle/10.2.0.4/client/bin/sqlplus
/usr/lib/oracle/10.2.0.4/client/lib/glogin.sql
/usr/lib/oracle/10.2.0.4/client/lib/libsqlplus.so
/usr/lib/oracle/10.2.0.4/client/lib/libsqlplusic.so
[root@appx502 10.2.0.4-32bit]#

Testing

The location isn't terribly important, only that you know where the library files libclntsh, libnnz10, libocci, libociei and the executable file sqlplus are located. Let's test the Oracle Instant Client with SQL*Plus. You can't test the Oracle Instant Client with just any SQL*Plus. You must use a version of SQL*Plus that was developed to use the Instant Client library files.

-- JoeOrtagus - 2010-07-07