Debug mode for JCA framework

Enable the debug mode for the JCA framework

1. Edit the alsbdebug.xml file in the domain directory ( root directory of your Oracle Service Bus domain ) 
2. Set the category flag to true
3. Restart the servers
4. debug information is logged to the server log at: DOMAIN_DIRECTORY/servers/servername/logs/.log

Refer: http://download.oracle.com/docs/html/E15867_01/app_debugging.htm

Upgrading/Migrating Fusion Middleware from Oracle DB 11.2.0.2 to 11.2.0.3.1

Upgrade:

• Certification Matrix excel:

          1) 10g R3
          2) 11g R1

• Understanding Interoperability & Compatibility

 SOA activities:

• Shutdown the server (to shut all apps connecting to the target db)
• Oracle DB upgrade from 11.2.0.2 to 11.2.0.3.1
• Start servers
• PVT: 

          Initiate a transaction involving BPEL and confirm it thru EM.

Migrate

• MDS

          Doc ID 1335908.1: Exporting and Importing SOA Composites and Configuration Files from a SOA 

MetaData Store (MDS)

         Doc ID 1403569.1: Move the SOA metadata from one to another database

TNSPING

Sample tnsnames.ora entry:

tns_entry =
  (DESCRIPTION =
    (ADDRESS_LIST =
      (ADDRESS = (PROTOCOL = TCP)(HOST = myhost)(PORT = 1521))
    )
    (CONNECT_DATA =
      (SERVICE_NAME = service_name)
    )
  )

Connecting thru sqlplus:

$> sqlplus scott/tiger@tns_entry

  tns will look in your tnsnames.ora for an entry called 'tns_entry'. Next, tns sends a request to (PORT = 1521) on (HOST = myhost) using (PROTOCOL = TCP), asking for a connection to (SERVICE_NAME = service_name)

tnsping format: 
     requires ORACLE_HOME set in local machine

C:\>tnsping (address=(protocol=tcp)(address=myhost)(port=1521))

TNS Ping Utility for 32-bit Windows: Version 10.2.0.1.0 - Production on 26-SEP-2012 09:56:36

Copyright (c) 1997, 2005, Oracle.  All rights reserved.

Attempting to contact (address=(protocol=tcp)(address=myhost)(port=1521))
OK (720 msec)

      tnsping uses tcp protocol. When the request gets passed from tns to the next layer in the network stack, the name 'myhost' will get resolved to an IP address, either via a local 'hosts' file, via DNS, or possibly other less used mechanisms. You can also hard-code the ip address (instead of 'myhost') in tnsnames.ora

Thereafter, the request arrives at port 1521 on myhost. Hopefully, there is a listener on myhost configured to listen on port 1521, and that listener knows about SERVICE_NAME = curley. If so, you'll be connected.

tnsping goes no further than to verify there is a listener at the specified host/port. It DOES NOT prove anything regarding the status of the listener's knowledge of any particular database instance.

C:\>set oracle_sid=service_name

C:\>tnsping service_name

TNS Ping Utility for 64-bit Windows: Version 11.2.0.1.0 - Production on 27-APR-2010 19:57:13

Copyright (c) 1997, 2010, Oracle. All rights reserved.

Used parameter files:
C:\app\han\product\11.2.0\dbhome_2\network\admin\sqlnet.ora
Used TNSNAMES adapter to resolve the alias Attempting to contact (DESCRIPTION = (ADDRESS = (PROTOCOL = TCP)(HOST = localhost)(PORT = 1521)) (CONNECT_DATA = (SERVER = DEDICATED) (SERVICE_NAME = service_name))) OK (80 msec)

• The listener is a server side only process. It's entire purpose in life is the receive requests for connections to databases and set up those connections. Once the connection is established, the listener is out of the picture. It creates the connection. It doesn't sustain the connection. One listener, running from one oracle home, listening on a single port, will serve multiple database instances of multiple versions running from multiple homes. It is an unnecessary complexity to try to have multiple listeners. That would be like the telephone company building a separate switchboard for each customer.
• The tnsnames.ora file is a client side issue. It's purpose is for addressess resolution - the tns equivelent of the 'hosts' file further down the network stack. The only reason it exists on a host machine is because that machine can also run client processes.

Possible errors:

• No be an entry for 'tns_entry' in your tnsnames => "ORA-12154: TNS:could not resolve the connect identifier specified"
• There is entry for 'tns_entry' was found, but myhost couldn't be resolved to an IP address (say there was no entry for myhost in the local hosts file) => "ORA-12545: Connect failed because target host or object does not exist"
• There iss an entry for myserver in the local hosts file, but it specified a bad IP address. => "ORA-12545: Connect failed because target host or object does not exist"
• If IP was good, but there is no listener running => "ORA-12541: TNS:no listener"
• If IP was good, there is a listener at myhost, but it is listening on a different port =>  "ORA-12560: TNS:protocol adapter error"
• If IP was good, there is a listener at myhost, it is listening on the specified port, but doesn't know about SERVICE_NAME = service_name => "ORA-12514: TNS:listener does not currently know of service requested in connect descriptor"

XML-binary Optimized Packaging (XOP)

• An XML document has an information set if it is well-formed and satisfies the namespace constraints.
• XML-binary Optimized Packaging (XOP) convention, a means of more efficiently serializing XML Infosets.
• A XOP package is created by placing a serialization of the XML Infoset inside of an extensible packaging format (such a MIME Multipart)
• Then, selected portions of its content that are base64-encoded binary data are extracted and re-encoded (i.e., the data is decoded from base64) and placed into the package.
• necessary to have a one to one correspondence between XML Infosets and XOP Packages, hence binary data is base64-encoded

How it works?

Terminology:

• Original XML Infoset - An XML Infoset to be optimized.
• Optimized Content - Content which has been removed from the XML Infoset.
• XOP Infoset - The Original Infoset with any Optimized Content removed and replaced by xop:Include element information items.
• XOP Document - A serialization of the XOP Infoset using any W3C recommendation-level version of XML.
• XOP Package - A package containing the XOP Document and any Optimized Content. As a whole, the XOP Package is an alternate serialization of the Original Infoset.
• Reconstituted XML Infoset - An XML Infoset that has been constructed from the parts of a XOP Package.

Reference:

W3C

ASIC Connect - Window to search Australian companies

ASIC Connect
ConnectOnline is a new offering from Australia’s corporate, markets and financial services regulator - ASIC. This serves as a window to peep into the publicly
Australia stands on top (Rank2) in Starting a business. ASIC is manages starting/registering a company in Australia.

The Searching functionality overcomes the inability for customers to conduct paid searches direct from the ASIC website. This service also enables customer to purchase products that are otherwise not available an Information Broker (eg: certificates, certified documents, and Australian Financial Services (Licensees and Representatives) extracts etc) and hence saving time visiting a service centre or mail a request for these products. Moreover, products seems to be Cheaper for Better ;)

Features include searching & buying products by:
1. Organisation Search
2. Checkname availability
3. Document Search
4. Banned and Disqualified Persons
5. Professional Registers

Purchaseable products include different types of extracts and documents for company and prof registers.
 The reports can also be purchased from Information brokers

Looks like the Asic connect has more to offer for the future.

Help page

References:
Thinking of starting a business
Starting business rankings
ConnectOnline gone public!
Counterpart for New Zealand

Work Manager vs Throttling in OSB

Work Manager with Proxy Service:

Work Manager configured on Proxy Service is used to limit the number of threads running a Proxy Services.

_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Work Manager with Business Service:

Work Manager configured on Proxy Service is used to limit the number of threads that process responses from the back-end system.

_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Throttling with Business Service:

Throttling configured on Business Service only limited loads (requests) to back-end services and to avoid overloading the back-end.

Throttling is used to restrict the message flow to a business service however work managers are used to prioritize service work.

Eg: The WorkManager with MaxThreadsConstraint only limits the number of threads which can be used for example to limit the number of listening threads on a queue. 

If business service cannot cope with too many concurrent messages, you can edit your business service and go to the Operational Settings tab. There you can set the Throttling State to enabled and enter the number of simultaneous messages in the field Maximum Concurrency.

In case of throttling there is possibility of message loss however with work manager setup there is no such possibility.

Ref:

http://blog.xebia.com/2009/12/02/restricting-the-number-of-jms-mq-connections-made-by-the-osb/

AusPost and DPID

Australia Post is a government owned postal authority in Australia. They operate in three core areas:

• Letters and associated services; 
• Retail merchandise and agency services; and 
• Parcels and logistics.

 It offers delivery services, retail products, financial services (such as bill payment and banking through its retail network), logistics and fulfilment services, and direct marketing and database management services.

Australia Post's PreSort Letters Service offers discounted postage rates for customers lodging more than 300 machine-addressed articles that are barcoded and sorted. This service is the most cost effective way to send fully addressed mail. Barcoding and sorting the articles helps AusPost to more efficiently process the mail resulting in reduced costs which passed onto customer in the form of a reduced postage rate. This is commonly used by business for sending regular mails like statements, bills etc.

Benefits of PreSort Letters

• save money with our discounted postage rates.
• receive further discounts when choosing off peak services.

Delivery Point Identifier (DPID)
The DPID is an eight-digit number that is appended to all 8.8 million delivery addresses in Australia which uniquely identifies each delivery point to which Australia Post delivers mail. It is often used as a proxy for identifying unique households and can enable discounted mailing rates when appended to a mailing list. This is barcoded which represent letters, numerals, and other human readable characters which can be deciphered by mail sorting equipment.

Appending DPID will assist your business with:

• Reducing dead mail costs
• Achieving bulk mail discounts
• DPID can help identify invalid or duplicate addresses.

A database, called Postal Address File (PAF), is built and maintained by Australia Post. It is privacy compliant because it does not hold the names of residents but rather, just the delivery address information.
Address Matching Approval System (AMAS) is a software approval program developed by Australia Post that provides a standard by which to test and measure the quality of address matching software and its ability to append a unique Delivery Point Identifier (DPID) to each address record held within a database.

The barcode format adopted by Australia Post is called the 4-State barcode. The name is derived from the fact that the bars can only be placed in one of four positions - Tracker on its own, Tracker with Ascender, Tracker with Descender, and Tracker with Ascender and Descender.
When an address is validated, a BSP (Barcode Sort Plan) number, ranging from 1 to 54, is assigned to each postcode. To benefit from Barcoded PreSort mail discounts, mail must be sorted by the BSP number.