Fat Client vs. Web Dev Client

jimmymac

Reputable Poster
I guess I'm showing my age. Prior to my current position I had always worked on OneWorld XE or older releases, on the Iseries. Now for a year and a half I have been working with E1 9.0 using the Oracle database on a windows server.

However, now I am confused about something in this post XE environment. What I am confused about is the term web dev client. We have I thought installed on our three IT PCs that have E1 installed, is a JDE Fat Client used for development, OMW, etc.

But now I am hearing also the term Web Dev Client. Is this is a separate thing than a Fat Client? How does one install one as opposed to the other, and what are the reasons you might install the Fat Client vs the Web Dev and vice versa.
 
The Web Dev client is a fat client with a local Java server installed. This allows the developer to test a web application locally.

You can use IBM Websphere Express (which needs to be installed separately) or OAS (Oracle app server) which installs when you run the installer.

The installers in the the THIRDPARTY/WebDevFeature of the deployment server and can be included in a full package definition.

That's the basics, there should be more on the oracle support site.

Craig
 
Jimmymac

Let me build on Craig's post.

In the 9.x world, the fat client is used for Development and/or CNC work.

The development tools are still the same as in XE. You are using omw, RDA, FDA, etc.

The difference is how you test things locally. In XE, you could just go ahead and test out the interactive app you just created. You could (and still can) test out the ube or version you just created.

You still can lob your project over to the CNC and have them build a package so that you can test.

What is different is how to test locally BEFORE you lob things over the fence to the CNC. To test a new app locally, you need to see it on the web. Oracle provides two web engines to accommodate that. You can use either OAS or Websphere express.

OAS is the far easier option. Your CNC can opt to add in a "feature" to the full package build that will call and install OAS the next time you install a full package. Or, you can navigate to the third party client folder on the deployment server, and launch the install from there. Just be sure to provide the appropriate jde_home information when you do that install.

Websphere Express is a bit more of a hassle to install. You'll need to grab it from IBM, grab the right fixpack, yada yada yada.

Which one should you use? it depends. If your webserver is Weblogic, than use the OAS flavor. If your webserver is Websphere, than you have two options.

If I am deploying a package to a developer, I use the OAS option. If I am building a workstation to do E-Generation for Websphere, then I'll go through the trouble of installing Websphere express. One thing to note, your Jas.ini will be quite different depending on which route you go to.

If you don't care about testing applications locally (your are a cnc or a functional person that just build reports), then don't bother with webdev. you don't need it. If you are a developer and you want to test your apps locally, then you need to have that installed.

- Gregg
 
Thanks Craig and Gregg for the info.

Gregg, I am the lead developer and the CNC here. Only had some basic CNC skills when I started here 18 months ago, but now do most CNC duties, except for things like a tools upgrade we are planning later this year. We'll hire a consultant to help with that.

But your explanation helps alot. Since I've been here we've never actually had a need to create a new interactive application so I think for now we are fine with just the fat client.

We have two desktops that we use for development and a support laptop where the E1 local has been corrupted and we are going to be reinstalling the client install which is why this question is coming up. Not sure if we'll install the fat or web dev on the support laptop.

However, a final question. For the two desktops, JDE was installed before I got here so is there a way to tell whether the fat client or web dev is installed?

Thanks.
 
Hi Gregg,
I never considered to test apps on OAS local instance if my JAS is WAS.

Can you explain the advantage of this?
 
Bruno,

I have used the local jas to get a debug log of an application that is web only for trouble shooting. That debug log is a lot easier to get and displays more information (from what I've seen in my experience) than web server/ web server manager logs.
 
The local OC4J is also easier to install. WebSphere Express can be a pain especially where you have multiple users sharing a development workstation.

My argument as to why this setup is just fine is that under Weblogic there is no equivalent Weblogic "express" local client for developers. You use the OC4J in the Weblogic case. My thinking is that this makes the same approach valid for WebSphere.
 
Hi Peter,
not sure to understand your poitn.

I asked for local WAS vs local OAS when the JAS server is WAS.
 
Bruno,

The following quotes should put my comment in context. I should have supplied these in my post. It is another use of the local JAS (OSA or WAS Express). I found OAS a lot simpler to install in E1/TR 9.1 than WAS Express in E8.11/TR 8.97.

From Gregg Larkin

[ QUOTE ]

...
What is different is how to test locally BEFORE you lob things over the fence to the CNC. To test a new app locally, you need to see it on the web. Oracle provides two web engines to accommodate that. You can use either OAS or Websphere express.
...


[/ QUOTE ]

From Bruno Condemi

[ QUOTE ]
I never considered to test apps on OAS local instance if my JAS is WAS.


[/ QUOTE ]
 
Bruno

You asked why to use OAS locally when your web server is WAS. For a developer to test locally, the web server is just a means to an end. It will show your code and allow you to debug. Which one you use doesn't matter, you will get the same results.

The only argument for websphere express is to set up a webgen machine, if you are running websphere. The reason is Java. In that scenario, I match java on the egen machine with the version on the web server. If your Java is out of synch, your egen is useless. You can do a full egen, but as soon as someone logs in, the web server will regenerate the objects using its version. You can see that in the logs. The logs will be full of binary2spec messages.

When I push out full pd packages for some clients, I will take the extra step of running webgen to gen all of the objects, making the user experience better. For some of my other clients, their enterprise servers ( I work with a lot of AS400 customers) are so fast that the end users never experience the web jiti.

For a developer, OAS is much simpler to install.

- Gregg Larkin

Supporting XE through 9.1. Windows and AS400. SQL and DB2
 
Hi Gregg,
I undertand your point and may be there ae no difference running JDE web app locally on OAS or WAS but I have found no issue with WAS express, I don't include the web dev feautures into the full pkg, I have a copy of the was dir so I can restore it after the full pkg deployment on fat client, it speed up the install processs too. So, I prefear to let developers test te code on an evironment very similar to the real server environemnt (same java version, same container, same http server, etc...). There are very low risk that code runs different between OAS and WAS but when things goes wrong I want to have the most real environment to replicate the issue.

Just my consideration.
 
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