The Infrastructure Repository - Oracle

As the scope of Application Server 10g expanded, Oracle recognized that a centralized data repository was needed to handle all of the metadata required by Application Server 10g. This was achieved by creating an Oracle database on the Application Server 10g midtier called iasdb. The metadata repository is known by several names, including the Application Server 10g infrastructure repository, the infrastructure instance, and iasdb. The iasdb name is the default $ORACLE_SID for the Oracle 9i database that holds the data.

The metadata repository holds configurations for many of the Application Server 10g components, and is also extended for use by SSO. As of release 9.0.4, there are nearly 20 Application Server 10g components, and many of these use iasdb for centralized metadata storage. Also, starting in release 9.0.4, the infrastructure may be any supported release of Oracle 9i that is at the correct version and patch level.

Remember, not all Application Server 10g components make the same use of iasdb. For example, OID and SSO use iasdb to store security access data, while other components such as OHS and Web Cache only store configuration information in iasdb.

The iasdb database contains all of the metadata and internal information for all SSO components, Oracle Portal, Oracle Wireless, and some DCM components. The infrastructure repository holds data for all Application Server 10g components in a farm, and is critical to the proper operation of these components:

• OID     Oracle Internet Directory (LDAP)

• DCM    Distributed Configuration Manager

• Portal  The web development component of Application Server 
            10g

• OEM    The repository for many OEM components

• SSO     Oracle Single Sign-On

• Wireless   Oracle Wireless metadata

Let’s take a quick tour of the various schemas within the iasdb database and see how each schema is used by the Application Server 10g components. Then we will examine the iasdb log files and look at queries that can be automated for easy viewing.

The iasdb database instance has many individual schemas. Each of these schemas has a special function to help control and manage each of the various Application Server 10g components. Table 2-1 lists the Application Server 10g schemas within iasdb. These schema components are always installed in the infrastructure database, even if you are not using a component.

Once you understand the schema owner’s purpose, you can examine the complexity of each schema. As an Application Server 10g administrator, you must become intimate with these schemas and understand which schemas control what system functions. The iasdb instance has some schemas that must be locked, others whose passwords may be changed at will, and others that are registered with the OID and should only be changed using OEM.

Some schemas are immutable, and the passwords and data structures must never be changed. This is especially true for this group of iasdb schemas:

Schema Name  Used By                 Default Password _________________________________________________________

CTXSYS       Intermedia Text option  change_on_install
MDSYS        Spatial Data option     mdsys     OLAPDBA      OLAP Services option    olapdba  OLAPSVR      OLAP Services option    instance OLAPSYS      OLAP Services option    manager
ORDPLUGINS   InterMedia Audio option ordplugins ORDSYS       InterMedia Audio option ordsys        OUTLN        Stored Outlines         outln