26 Configuring Content Repository Connections

26.2.1 How to Create a Content Repository Connection Based on the Oracle Content Server Adapter

This section describes how to configure an Oracle Content Server-based content repository connection. To successfully perform the subsequent steps, you must use Oracle Content Server release 11.1.1.4.0 or 10.1.3.5.1. The release 10.1.3.5 or 11.1.1.3.0 are required for Content Presenter. For information about how to configure Oracle Content Server for Oracle WebCenter, see "Oracle Content Server Prerequisites" in Oracle Fusion Middleware Administrator's Guide for Oracle WebCenter.

To create an Oracle Content Server-based repository connection:

1. In Oracle JDeveloper, open your WebCenter Portal application.

2. In the Application Resources panel, right-click Connections and choose New Connection, then Content Repository.

3. In the Create Content Repository Connection dialog, specify a connection name for the connection; for example, MyOCSConnection.

   Tip:

   You can choose between creating application-specific connections in the Application Resources panel and creating common connections in the Resource Palette (IDE Connections).

4. Select Oracle Content Server from the Repository Type box.

5. Select Set as primary connection for Documents service, to make this connection the primary (default) connection for all content management operations through the Documents service or Content Presenter. Selecting this option writes a configuration to the adf-config.xml file that identifies this connection as the default connection. If connectionName parameter is specified for a Documents service task flow, that value overrides this setting.

   Note:

   To be able to set a connection as primary (default) connection for the Documents service, you must select the Application Resources option in Create Connection In. This is because connections created as IDE connections cannot be used directly, they must be added to applications.

6. Under Configuration Parameters, enter values for the parameters, as shown in Table 26-1 and Figure 26-1.

   Table 26-1 Configuration Parameters for Oracle Content Server

   Configuration Parameters	Values
   RIDC Socket Type	Determines whether the client library connects on the Content Server listener port or the Web server filter. It accepts socket, socketssl, or web. socket: Uses an intradoc socket connection to connect to the Oracle Content Server. The client IP address must be added to the list of authorized addresses in the Oracle Content Server. This corresponds to the SocketHostAddressSecurityFilter setting in the Content Server configuration file. socketssl: Uses an intradoc socket connection to connect to the Oracle Content Server that is secured using the SSL protocol. The client's certificates must be imported in the server's trust store for the connection to be allowed. web: Uses an HTTP(S) connection to connect to the Oracle Content Server. Table 26-2 includes more information on the configuration parameters required for each RIDC socket type.
   Server Host Name	Host name of the system where the Oracle Content Server is running. For example: mycontentserver.mycompany.com.
   Content Server Listener Port	Port of the server specified in the Server Host Name field. This corresponds to the IntradocServerPort setting in the Content Server configuration file, which defaults to port 4444.
   URL of the Web Server Plugin	If the RIDC socket type is web, then the URL must be: For Oracle Content Server release 11.1.1.4.0: http://host_name:port_number/_dav/web_root/plugin_root. For example: http://mycontentserver:4444/_dav/cms/idcplg For Oracle Content Server release 10.1.3.5: http://host_name:port_number/web_root/plugin_root. For example: http://mycontentserver:4444/cs/idcplg
   Web Server Context Root	The Web server context root for Oracle Content Server to integrate advanced metadata and Site Studio capabilities in the WebCenter application. The format of the Web server context root is /context_root. For example, /cs.
   Admin Username	The user name with administrative rights for the Oracle Content Server instance. It defaults to sysadmin.
   Admin Password	The password for the Oracle Content Server admin user. For example: password. This is needed for web connection only.
   KeyStore File Location	Location of key store that contains the private key used to sign the security assertions. The key store location must be an absolute path. For example: c:\keys\keystore.xyz.
   KeyStore Password	The password required to access the keystore.
   Private Key Alias	The client private key alias in the keystore. The key is used to sign messages to the server. The public key corresponding to this private key must be imported in the server keystore.
   Private Key Password	The client private key password required to retrieve the key from the keystore.
   Cache Invalidation Interval	The interval (in minutes) used by WebCenter caches to automatically detect external Oracle Content Server content changes. This allows WebCenter to automatically clear cached items when changes to those items are made directly in the Oracle Content Server UI.The interval is in minutes. A value of 0 disables cache invalidation. The minimum valid value to enable cache invalidation is 2.
   Binary Cache Maximum Entry Size	The maximum size (in bytes) for WebCenter caching of Oracle Content Server binary documents. Documents larger than this size are not cached by WebCenter.The unit is bytes and defaults to 102400 (100 Kb).

   
   

   Table 26-2 Oracle Content Server Connection Parameters for Each RIDC Socket Type

   Connection Parameters	RIDC Socket Type: web	RIDC Socket Type: socket	RIDC Socket Type: socketssl
   Server Host Name	Not applicable	Mandatory for Content Presenter Defaults to local host.	Mandatory for Content Presenter Defaults to local host.
   Content Server Listener Port	Not applicable	Port specified for the incoming provider in the server. Defaults to 4444.	Port specified for the sslincoming provider in the server. Defaults to 4444.
   URL of the Web Server Plugin	Mandatory	Not applicable	Not applicable
   Web Server Context Root	Optional	Optional	Optional
   Admin Username	Mandatory	Optional Defaults to sysadmin	Optional Defaults to sysadmin
   Admin Password	Mandatory	Not applicable	Not applicable
   Key Store and Private Key	Not applicable	Not applicable	Mandatory
   Identity Propagation	Not supported at runtime	Supported For testing purpose, connects as guest if no/invalid user name is specified.	Supported For testing purpose, connects as guest if no/invalid user name is specified.
   External Application	Mandatory	Supported Password is not used.	Supported Password is not used.
   User Name and Password	Supported	Supported The password is not verified during the test connection operation.	Supported The password is not verified during the test connection operation.

   
   

   Figure 26-1 Content Repository Connection - Oracle Content Server

   
   Description of "Figure 26-1 Content Repository Connection - Oracle Content Server"
   
   

7. In the Login Timeout (ms) field, specify the time in milliseconds. This timeout determines how long the application must wait when trying to establish a session with the content repository. If the network connection or the content repository server to which you are trying to connect is slow, then consider overriding the default value specified in this field.

8. Select the applicable authentication method. See Section 26.2.5.1, "What You Should Know About Using Identity Propagation and External Application Authentication Methods" for information. If you select the Identity Propagation authentication method, then you must configure secure socket layer (SSL) in Oracle Content Server. For information, see the section "Oracle Content Server - Security Considerations" in Oracle Fusion Middleware Administrator's Guide for Oracle WebCenter.

9. User Name and Password fields under the Specify login credentials for the current JDeveloper session checkbox are optional for the Identity Propagation authentication method. In a secured application when Identity Propagation is the chosen authentication method, selecting the Specify login credentials for the current JDeveloper session checkbox lets you navigate to the authenticated content repository connection at design time. When this checkbox is selected, you can also validate if user name and password you specified can be authenticated.

   Note:

   If the Specify login credentials for the current JDeveloper session checkbox is selected, then the credentials you entered are used. If the checkbox is not selected, then the connection is tested using External Application credentials (if they exist), otherwise null credentials are used.

   If you have selected External Application for authentication and also specified either public or shared credentials, then you can leave these fields blank, as the public or shared credentials can be used to login at design time. However, if you have selected External Application but have not specified public or shared credentials, then you must specify user name and password here.

10. Click Test.

    During testing user name and password are used (if specified). If they are not specified, but an external application is defined with either shared or public credentials, then this is used. Otherwise the guest user is used.

11. Click OK.

12. In the Application Resources panel, expand the repository connection you just created. The Connection Credentials dialog displays.

    Note:

    The Connection Credentials dialog displays if you do not save the credentials, that is, you do not select the Specify login credentials for the current JDeveloper session checkbox, or if you do not specify an External Application service that uses public or shared credentials.

13. Enter the User Name and Password for the Oracle Content Server connection and click OK. The connection displays under the Application Resources panel.

26.2.2 How to Create a Content Repository Connection Based on the Oracle Portal Adapter

This section describes how to create a content repository connection based on the Oracle Portal adapter. Before creating a repository connection, see Section 26.2.5, "What You May Need to Know When Creating a Repository Connection". You can use this connection to configure a content data control that will enable you to add content from the Oracle Portal repository to JSF pages.

To create an Oracle Portal repository connection:

1. In Oracle JDeveloper, open your WebCenter Portal application.

2. In the Application Resources panel, right-click Connections and choose New Connection and then Content Repository.

3. In the Create Content Repository Connection dialog, specify a name for the connection; for example, MyOraclePortal.

   Tip:

   You can choose between creating application-specific connections in the Application Resources panel and creating common connections in the Resource Palette (IDE Connections).

4. Select Oracle Portal from the Repository Type box, as shown in Figure 26-2.

   Figure 26-2 Content Repository Connection - Oracle Portal

   
   Description of "Figure 26-2 Content Repository Connection - Oracle Portal"
   
   

5. Select Set as primary connection for Documents service to make this connection the primary (default) connection for all content management operations through the Documents service or Content Presenter. Selecting this option writes a configuration to the adf-config.xml file that identifies this connection as the default connection. If connectionName parameter is specified for a Documents service task flow, that value overrides this setting.

   Note:

   To be able to set a connection as primary (default) connection for the Documents service, you must select the Application Resources option in Create Connection In. This is because connections created as IDE connections cannot be used directly, they must be added to applications.

6. Select a connection from the Database Connection list, or create a new connection to the Oracle Portal schema:

   1. In the Create Database Connection wizard, specify the connection name and type.

   2. Enter the database user name and password of the Oracle Portal schema. By default, the user is PORTAL.

   3. Under Oracle (JDBC) Settings, if you intend to specify a custom JDBC URL, then select the Enter Custom JDBC URL checkbox, and specify the database URL of the portal schema in the jdbc format:

      jdbc:oracle:thin:@dbhost:dbport:dbsid
      

   4. If you did not perform the above step, then select a driver, enter the host name, JDBC port, SID, and service name, as shown Table 26-3 and Figure 26-3.

      Table 26-3 Parameters for Creating Oracle Portal-based Content Data Control

      Parameters	Description
      Driver	There are two types of drivers: thin and oci8. The thin driver can be used to connect to Oracle Database release 8i or later databases with TCP/IP network protocols. This driver is included in the default Oracle JDBC library for all projects. The oci8 driver is used when creating a Java application that runs against an Oracle Application Server. This is a thick driver optimized for the Oracle Database. It is a mix of Java and native code. This driver handles any database protocol (TCP, IPX, BEQ, and so on). It is recommended for applications that are run from the computer on which they are stored.
      Host Name	Name of the Oracle Database. Use an IP address or a host name that can be resolved by TCP/IP; for example, myserver. The default value is localhost.
      JDBC Port	Value to identify the TCP/IP port.
      SID	Unique system identifier of an Oracle database instance.
      Service Name	The service name for an Oracle database instance.

      
      

      Figure 26-3 Create Database Connection

      
      Description of "Figure 26-3 Create Database Connection "
      
      

   5. Click OK.

7. In the Create Content Repository Connection dialog, in the Login Timeout (ms) field, specify the time in milliseconds. This timeout determines how long the application must wait when trying to establish a session with the content repository. If the network connection or the content repository server to which you are trying to connect is slow, then consider overriding the default value specified in this field.

8. Select the applicable authentication method. See Section 26.2.5.1, "What You Should Know About Using Identity Propagation and External Application Authentication Methods" for information.

9. Select the Specify login credentials for current JDeveloper session checkbox and enter the Oracle Portal single sign-on user name and password for logging in to your portal instance. The Oracle Portal single sign-on user name and password entered here are used to test the connection and are functional only at design time. Then click OK.

   Note:

   If the Specify login credentials for current JDeveloper session checkbox is selected, then the credentials you entered are used. If the checkbox is not selected, then the connection is tested using External Application credentials (if they exist), otherwise null credentials are used.

   If you have selected External Application for authentication and also specified either public or shared credentials, then you can leave these fields blank, as the public or shared credentials can be used to login at design time. If you specified both public and shared credentials for the external application, then the public credentials have higher precedence. However, if you have selected External Application but have not specified public or shared credentials, then you must specify user name and password here.

10. In the Application Resources panel, expand the repository connection you just created. The Connection Credentials dialog displays.

    Note:

    The Connection Credentials dialog displays if you do not save the credentials, that is, you do not select the Specify login credentials for the current JDeveloper session checkbox, or if you do not specify an External Application service that uses public or shared credentials.

11. Enter the user name and password for Oracle Portal connection and click OK. The connection displays under the Application Resources panel.

26.2.3 How to Create a Content Repository Connection Based on the File System Adapter

This section describes the procedure to create a content repository connection based on the file system adapter. The File System adapter is intended to be used in the development environment only.

To create a File System repository connection:

1. In Oracle JDeveloper, open your WebCenter Portal application.

2. In the Application Resources panel, right-click Connections and choose New Connection and then Content Repository.

3. In the Create Content Repository Connection dialog, enter a name for the connection; for example, MyConnection.

   Tip:

   You can choose between creating application-specific connections in the Application Resources panel and creating common connections in the Resource Palette (IDE Connections).

4. Select File System from the Repository Type box.

5. Select Set as primary connection for Documents service to make this connection the primary (default) connection for all content management operations through the Documents service or Content Presenter. Selecting this option writes a configuration to the adf-config.xml file that identifies this connection as the default connection. If connectionName parameter is specified for a Documents service task flow, that value overrides this setting.

   Note:

   To be able to set a connection as primary (default) connection for the Documents service, you must select the Application Resources option in Create Connection In. This is because connections created as IDE connections cannot be used directly, they must be added to applications.

6. Under Configuration Parameters, select the Base Path row, and enter the path to the folder in which your content is placed, for example, C:\MyContent.

   Note:

   The following must be considered while creating a file system connection:

   • The base path value is used as the root ("/") for the file system-based data control in Section 27.5, "Integrating Content Using Content Data Controls".

   • When you work on a UNIX system, the File System adapter inherits the case-sensitive file name characteristic of UNIX systems. So, on UNIX systems, you must ensure that references to files follow the same case as that used in the original file names. For example, suppose the Test.html file was created on a Microsoft Windows system. When you reference this file on a Linux system, you must ensure that you use Test.html, and not test.html or TEST.html.

7. Leave the Login Timeout (ms) field blank.

8. Click Test Connection to check whether you have entered the connection details correctly. You should see a Success! status, as shown in Figure 26-4.

   Figure 26-4 File System Connection

   
   Description of "Figure 26-4 File System Connection"
   
   

9. Click OK.

10. In the Application Resources panel, expand the repository connection you just created.

26.2.4 What Happens When You Create a Repository Connection

When you create a connection to a repository, the contents in the main directory of the repository display under the Content Repository connection in the Application Resources panel, as shown in Figure 26-5. You can double-click folders and files to view them.

Figure 26-5 Application Resources

Description of "Figure 26-5 Application Resources"

You can use repository connections to create JCR data controls that enable integration of the repository content with JSF pages. See Section 27.2, "Configuring Content Data Controls for JCR Adapters" and Section 27.5, "Integrating Content Using Content Data Controls" for information. These connections can also be consumed through the Documents service and Content Presenter task flows. See Chapter 29, "Integrating the Documents Service" for information.

26.2.5 What You May Need to Know When Creating a Repository Connection

This section includes:

• Section 26.2.5.1, "What You Should Know About Using Identity Propagation and External Application Authentication Methods"

• Section 26.2.5.2, "What You Should Know About Oracle Portal"

26.3.1 How to Edit a Common Repository Connection

Common repository connections (IDE connections) are created and edited under the Resource Palette.

To edit a common repository connection:

1. Under the Resource Palette, right-click the repository connection you intend to edit and choose Properties, as shown in Figure 26-6. The Edit Repository Connection dialog displays, as shown in Figure 26-7.

   Figure 26-6 Resource Palette - Properties

   
   Description of "Figure 26-6 Resource Palette - Properties"
   
   

   Figure 26-7 Edit Content Repository Connection

   
   Description of "Figure 26-7 Edit Content Repository Connection"
   
   

2. Change the appropriate parameters.

3. Test the connection and click OK.

26.3.2 How to Edit a WebCenter Portal Application-Specific Content Repository Connection

Application-specific content repository connections exist under the Application Resources panel.

To edit a WebCenter application-specific content repository connection:

1. In the Application Resources panel, right-click the connection you intend to edit, and choose Properties, as shown in Figure 26-8. The Edit Content Repository Connection dialog displays, as shown in Figure 26-9.

   Figure 26-8 Application Resources - Properties

   
   Description of "Figure 26-8 Application Resources - Properties"
   
   

   Figure 26-9 Edit Content Repository Connection

   
   Description of "Figure 26-9 Edit Content Repository Connection"
   
   

2. Change the appropriate parameters. Depending on the repository type, see the earlier sections that describe how to create repository connections. For example, for Oracle Content Server, see Section 26.2.1, "How to Create a Content Repository Connection Based on the Oracle Content Server Adapter".

3. Test the connection and click OK.