Understand the oracle reports server

16 Oracle Application Server 10g Administration Handbook

This is one of the most exciting components of Application Server 10g because it holds the promise for wireless voice communications with Oracle Databases. This technology could bring millions of end users into far closer contact with their valuable data.

■ Execution The verified request is then queued for execution in the Reports Server. Note that you can configure multiple run-time engines for each Reports Server.

Single Sign-On (SSO)
With Single Sign-On, a client can sign onto the application once and be automatically authenticated for other components within the application server, as well as to external applications if properly set up. SSO provides a central authentication repository rather than having a separate authentication for each application on the server. SSO uses the Infrastructure instance to validate users as they move from application to application without forcing them to reauthenticate.

The SSO component interacts with the Oracle HTTP Server (OHS) and allows the formatting of Single Sign-On information as an open source Apache header. Note that SSO only functions within the domain of your Oracle system. Many distributed e-commerce systems communicate with third-party portals, and SSO cannot be extended to service these external clients. For example, an Oracle e-commerce site might need to process a payment request with Cybercash, and Cybercash would require its own independent SSO mechanism. Hence, many Application Server 10g administrators must develop XML Data Type Definition (DTD) protocols for communication with external third-party systems.

Metadata Repository (Infrastructure)
The metadata repository is a critical component of Application Server 10g because it allows for a common management interface between multiple instances of Application Server 10g and the other components. The metadata repository is commonly referred to as the Infrastructure, which