1
Before You Install

This chapter provides some overview and background information to help you get ready for the actual installation and set-up process (described in the subsequent chapters).

1.1 What You Receive

The primary CD in your package contains the following:

• The Oracle Installer.

• The software in Forms Developer. This includes Form Builder itself (all the design-time, compile-time, and runtime components), but also the other Builders in the Forms Developer family. The Forms Server component is also included, which allows you to deploy applications on the web. ( Forms Server can be used for test purposes, with a restricted license.)

• A variety of support products: Oracle Net8 Client, SQL*Plus, Oracle JInitiator, Oracle OCX Pack, and Information Navigator.

• A number of manuals, in both online and printable format. (A copy of this Getting Started manual is also included.)

• The online help (accessible both as a separate file and via the Builders), and the Quick Tour and Cue Cards.

• The Release Notes document, which contains important last-minute information.

There is a second CD in the package; it holds the product demos. The demos are installed automatically when the CD is inserted. That installation process also produces a configuration notes file that describes the demos.

1.2 Hardware and Software Requirements

1.2.1 For Forms Developer Itself

1.2.1.1 Hardware

Forms Developer is designed to be installed and run on an IBM or 100% compatible PC with a Pentium processor or better. A CD-ROM drive functioning as a logical drive is also required for the installation process. For information on monitor, printer, and mouse requirements, see your Microsoft Windows documentation.

1.2.1.2 Operating System

This version of Forms Developer requires Microsoft Windows. Specifically, one of the following versions:

• Windows 95 (any version)

• Windows 98 (any version)

• Windows NT (Service Pack 5 or later)

1.2.1.3 RAM for Design Time

128 MB of RAM provides adequate space for for installing and using the design/compile portions of the Forms Developer product. You might find that your project works well with less.

1.2.1.4 RAM for Runtime

The amount of RAM required to run a completed Forms application depends on several factors: the mode in which it will be deployed (web/3-tier or client-server), and the size and complexity of the application itself.

1.2.2 Related Software

1.2.2.1 Database Server

Forms Developer is designed to be used with one of the following Oracle database servers:

• Oracle8 (8.0.5 or 8.0.6)

• Oracle8i (8.1.5 or 8.1.6)

Using the server also requires Net8 for Windows.

You can also use Personal Oracle for Windows or Personal Oracle Lite as your server. For the most robust support, however, Oracle8 or 8i is recommended.

You can also use a non-Oracle database server (through ODBC) if it provides equivalent function.

1.2.2.2 Web Server

If you are going to deploy your applications to the web (3-tier environment), then you also need a web server to act as a listener.

The Oracle WebDB Listener is provided on the Forms Developer CD, and is a convenient choice, but any web server can be used. Both the CGI (Common Gateway Interface) style and the cartridge style of listener are supported.

If you choose to use Oracle Application Server as the listener with this release of Forms, it must be OAS Release 4.0.8 or later.

1.3 Where to Install: ORACLE_HOME Considerations

Oracle products are designed to reside in an ORACLE_HOME.

When you install Forms Developer and its related products, you will be asked to choose a particular ORACLE_HOME into which the product will be installed. The following considerations apply when you make your choice.

• Forms Developer 6i must reside in the default ORACLE_HOME.

• Forms Developer 6i and its Oracle8/8i server must reside in separate ORACLE_HOMEs, although they can reside on the same physical machine.

• Similarly, in a web application deployment, Forms Server and Oracle Application Server must reside in separate ORACLE_HOMEs, although they can reside on the same physical machine.

If you intend to not only install this 6i release of Forms Developer, but also retain an earlier version of Oracle Developer (as this product was called in earlier releases), then you should be aware of the following:

• Oracle Developer 1.6.1 and Forms Developer 6i can co-exist in the same ORACLE_HOME.

• Oracle Developer 2.1 and Forms Developer 6i can co-exist in the same ORACLE_HOME.

• Oracle Developer 1.6.1 and Oracle Developer 2.1 cannot co-exist in the same ORACLE_HOME.

• Oracle Developer 6.0 and Forms Developer 6i cannot co-exist in the same ORACLE_HOME.

1.4 New Install versus Upgrade

If you are new to Forms Developer and are installing this product for the first time, detailed instructions are provided for you. Start with Chapter 2.

If you already have a previous version of the product and are upgrading to this current version, then the installation process is probably familiar to you. Instructions for upgrading start in Chapter 3. You will also need to consider recompiling your existing applications to run with this new version of the product. Information on that topic is also supplied in Chapter 3.

1.5 Deployment on Web or Client/Server?

There are two environments you need to set up:

• Design-time (which includes the compile step). This is the environment in which the developers will create applications. This environment includes the build and compile components of the Forms Developer product.

  All the instructions for setting up the design-time environment are included in this manual in the following chapters.

• Runtime. This is the environment in which the end users will run the finished applications. This environment includes not just the applications, but also the runtime components of the product.

  Web Runtime:

  Using the web to deploy your applications offers several advantages: easier, centralized maintenance, no storage overhead on client machines, and the power of the server.

  If you are going to run your applications in a web (that is, 3-tier) environment, then you will need to perform additional steps after you finish your design-time install. This primarily concerns installing and tuning the Forms Server component in the middle tier. The instructions for those additional steps are provided in several chapters of the manual Oracle Forms Server: Deploying Forms Applications to the Web, A73071.

  Client/Server Runtime:

  If you are going to run your applications in a client/server environment, then all the instructions you need for setting up that environment are included in this manual in the following chapters.

1.6 Check the Release Notes

Before installing any portion of the Forms Developer product, we strongly recommend that you read the Release Notes for the most current product information.

The Release Notes contain late-breaking information that only became available after this Getting Started manual was printed. The Release Notes may alert you to changes in the installation process or the system requirements. It also lists known problems in the product.

The Release Notes are contained on the product CD. To obtain the Release Notes, perform the following steps:

1. Start the Oracle Installer.

2. In the Installation Options dialog box, choose Custom Installation or Removal.

3. From the list of available products, select Forms Developer Release Notes.

4. Choose Install.

5. When installation is complete, exit the Oracle Installer.

Once the release notes have been installed from the CD, you can find them in the file relnotef in %ORACLE_HOME%\TOOLS\DOC60. They are available in both txt and pdf formats.

You can access the release notes by choosing Start'Oracle Forms Developer R6i'Release NotesStart->Oracle Developer R6i->Release Notes.

Once you have checked the release notes to see if there are any last-minute changes, you can begin the product installation process.