The Architecture

Web-deploying your Forms applications uses a mix of Web and client/server. In essence, it is a three-tier environment that is really just an evolution of an old environment—that of two-tier or client/server. Client/server architecture consists of two logical machines: a client and a server (although you can run both client and server processes on the same machine). The client runs the runtime software and accesses the Form Builder files on the local machine or on a file server. The client is “thick,” that is, it must have enough hard disk space and RAM to store and run the Forms runtime files and the forms. The server runs the database management system, which also accesses the data files. Figure A shows the components of a simple Oracle Forms Developer client/server runtime environment. In this model, the client machine accesses application runtime files on its disk system (or on a file server disk system). The runtime program operates on the client machine. This communicates with the database server for its data needs. The web-deployed forms multi-tier (or web-enabled client) architecture consists of three logical machines: a client, an application server, and a database server. Normally, each tier is located on a separate machine. It is possible to run the tiers on one or two machines, but maintenance and performance optimization are easier if the tiers are on separate machines.