In my previous post on Essbase Studio Server & OC4J as a Windows Service I mainly tailored that information to Essbase Studio.  I received a bit of feedback on making sure I added the OC4J component in a similar fashion and here it is.  Don’t forget to watch the video tutorial for full disclosure.

Installation

Here is the OC4J Windows Service files download.

I recommend extracting the Zip file to the following root path, ORACLEBI_HOME\server\.

Similar to the Essbase Studio windows service files you will need to update the RegisterService.bat and ServiceRegistration.reg files to point to your installation’s correct OC4J file paths.  Once that has been confirmed execute the _init_BuildAppAsWinServiceWrapper.bat to launch the process.  Click ‘OK’ for all registry update prompts.

Gotchas

There are no gotchas to this solution that I have yet found.  If you spy any please leave a comment and I will seek to provide an update.  The main thing to note is that this solution was developed for the 10.1.3.4 release of OBIEE which is the 10.1.3.1.0 release of OC4J and the Embedded Java Containers.  If you run the following command in a command window you will be able to see the version of OC4J that your machine is running:

• ORACLEBI_HOME\oc4j_bi\bin\oc4j.cmd -version

Conclusion

Again, once one knows how to use the inherent code for Windows Servers it is actually quite straightforward to implement this type of solution.

As promised, based on my previous post regarding setting up Essbase Studio Server and OC4J to run as a Windows Service, I have provided a video to visually assist you with your integration.

Essbase Studio Server & OC4J As a Windows Service from ArtOf BI on Vimeo.

If you have any questions or comments please post them so that everyone can benefit from them.

As you know, the Hyperion 11.1.1.3 release of Essbase Studio Server was not release as a windows service. After my last Essbase Studio implementation project, and being repeatedly asked, “How do we run Essbase Studio as a Windows Service?”, I decided to dig deep into the details and deliver a concrete answer to those that care to read on.  Of course, I was successful in my endeavor, hence this post. Now, I ask, Do you want to see Essbase Studio Server launchable in your services panel like this…?

I keep getting asked “Was the Essbase Studio installation ever provided as a windows service?”. My reply to that now is “Who cares?”. If the Oracle think-tank decided not to make life easier for us with a Windows Service for Essbase Studio upon install then so be it. At least now, I’ve got a great rebuttal and a top-notch solution. Now, no longer must this one piece of the Hyperion BI suite be the outcast with only the startServer.bat file to launch the server.
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Anyone who has installed OBIEE in the past few years knows that the default web/application server that comes with the installation binaries is OC4J.  A lot of clients question having the application server and the BI Server on the same box, not only from an infrastructure standpoint but as well as a valid performance concern when implementing a distributed environment.  You have probably heard some performance “red-flag” statements such as “don’t use OC4J if you plan to have more than 200+ users hitting the server”, etc. just like I have.  And, that might be a valid statement, however, I have not personally benchmarked it with any performance testing software but it does make perfect sense once you uncover what OC4J really is.

OC4J is a slimmed down version of Oracle Application Server. For those that have done an OBIEE install, you are familiar with the one installation prompt where you can choose either the standard or advanced option.  If you choose advanced you are prompted to provide Oracle Application Server connection information. Otherwise, you are defaulted to OC4J.  And, this version of OC4J that you get with OBIEE is a pre-packaged “StandAlone” (or, unmanaged) version that only has a little more than the basic functionality that the full-blown Oracle Application Server (OAS) has.  Think of OC4J as OAS-lite.
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