1 Installation Overview

Oracle SOA Suite is a middleware component of Oracle Fusion Middleware. Oracle SOA Suite enables services to be created, managed, and orchestrated into SOA composite applications. Composites enable you to easily assemble multiple technology components into one SOA composite application. Oracle SOA Suite plugs into heterogeneous infrastructures and enables enterprises to incrementally adopt SOA.

Oracle Business Process Management Suite provides a complete set of tools for creating, executing, and optimizing business processes.

This chapter includes the following sections:

Section 1.1, "Oracle SOA Suite Components"
Section 1.2, "Oracle SOA Suite Installation Roadmap"

1.1 Oracle SOA Suite Components

Oracle SOA Suite contains the following components:

Oracle Business Process Execution Language (BPEL) Process Manager (PM), with Mediator, Rules, B2B, and Human Workflow

Oracle BPEL is an XML-based language for enabling task sharing across multiple enterprises using a combination of Web services. BPEL is based on the XML schema, simple object access protocol (SOAP), and Web services description language (WSDL).

Oracle BPEL Process Manager provides a framework for easily designing, deploying, monitoring, and administering processes based on BPEL standards.
Oracle Business Activity Monitoring (BAM)

Oracle BAM provides a framework for creating dashboards that display real-time data inflow and creating rules to send alerts under specified conditions.
Oracle Business Process Management Suite

This product is available in 11g (11.1.1.3) only. If you want to install Oracle Business Process Management Suite, go to Section 2.3, "Patching your Software and Installing Oracle Business Process Management Suite" for instructions.

1.2 Oracle SOA Suite Installation Roadmap

Figure 1-1 shows the directory structure of a simple Oracle SOA Suite installation on a single host, using all of the default values.

Figure 1-1 Directory Structure of Oracle SOA Suite Installation

Description of "Figure 1-1 Directory Structure of Oracle SOA Suite Installation"

The steps you need to take to install Oracle SOA Suite are described in Table 1-1.

Table 1-1 Tasks in the Oracle SOA Suite Installation Procedure

Task	Description	Documentation
Task 1 - Prepare your system environment for installation.	Ensure that your system environment meets the general installation requirements for Oracle Fusion Middleware as well as Oracle SOA Suite and RCU.	For system requirements information, go to: http://www.oracle.com/technology/software/products/ias/files/fusion_requirements.htm For certification information, go to: http://www.oracle.com/technology/software/products/ias/files/fusion_certification.html
Task 2 - Run RCU to create the necessary schemas.	Oracle SOA Suite and Oracle BAM require schemas that must be installed in a database. You create and load these schemas in your database by using RCU.	Make sure you have a supported Oracle database up and running. See `http://www.oracle.com/technology/software/products/ias/files/fusion_certification.html` for more information. See "Creating Schemas" in Oracle Fusion Middleware Repository Creation Utility User's Guide for instructions.
Task 3 - Install Oracle WebLogic Server and create a Middleware home	Oracle SOA Suite requires a Middleware home directory. The Middleware home is created during the Oracle WebLogic Server installation. The WebLogic Server installer also creates the WebLogic home directory within the Oracle Middleware home directory.	To download the latest Oracle WebLogic Server, see "Product Distribution" in Oracle Fusion Middleware Installation Guide for Oracle WebLogic Server. For installation instructions, see "Running the Installation Program in Graphical Mode" in Oracle Fusion Middleware Installation Guide for Oracle WebLogic Server. For more information about the Middleware home and WebLogic home directories, see "Middleware Home and WebLogic Home Directories" in Oracle Fusion Middleware Installation Planning Guide.
Task 4 - Install Oracle SOA Suite	Use the installer to install Oracle SOA Suite. This creates the SOA Oracle home directory (`Oracle_SOA1` by default) and the Oracle Common home (`oracle_common`) directory.	Chapter 2, "Installing Oracle SOA Suite and Oracle Business Process Management Suite".
Task 5 - Update your Oracle SOA Suite software.	Run the Patch Set Installer to update your Oracle SOA Suite software to the latest version. The Patch Set Installer for Oracle SOA Suite also installs the Oracle Business Process Management software.	"Applying the Latest Oracle Fusion Middleware Patch Set with the Patch Set Installers" in Oracle Fusion Middleware Patching Guide.
Task 6 - Configure Oracle SOA Suite and create your WebLogic Domain.	Use the Oracle Fusion Middleware Configuration Wizard to create your WebLogic Domain and configure your Oracle SOA Suite components. The installer creates the `user_projects/domain` and `user_projects/applications` directories, both of which contain an Oracle SOA Suite domain directory. The Oracle SOA Suite domain directory in the `domains` directory contains the Administration Server and several Managed Servers, depending on the components you choose to install. After the domain is created, you can extend it later if you want to add more components to the domain.	Chapter 3, "Configuring Oracle SOA Suite and Oracle Business Process Management Suite".
Task 7 - Start the servers.	Start the Administration Server and Managed Servers.	Section 3.5, "Starting the Servers".