Resolution coming for Oracle Reports xvfb issues....

[Steven E. Protter]

Tune into this call later.

I will be posting the necessary steps to run the Oracle ias v1 reports server.

Configuration changes are required to the xvfb program X Windows Virtual Frame Buffer to work with the most recent Oracle Patches on the server.

Steve

[Steven E. Protter]

I apologize for the delay. I'm a sabbath observant Jew, there were complications, and I literally finshed verifying this documentation 2 minutes before I had to stop working for sundown Fridya.

Note: This problem has dogged me through 18 months of running Oracle Reports Server on HP-UX v 11.00 and 11.11. When the problem first ocurred, Oracle could not help at all. I found the xvfb document on itrc and solved the problem, emailing oracle the url so they could make it available to their metalink users.

It gets better however, becasue with each suceeding bug fix patch, oracle doesn't bother testing the patch on HP-UX(they believe they have a true compile once, distribute to multiple platform product). I and other HP-UX shops are doing their job for them.

Last note: If HP wants to make this a document, or integrate it into their xvfb document, thats cool with me. I want a credit by name with contact information.

Step one in fighting the Oracle REP-3000 error is as follows. Read this document, download xvfb and untar it. This will correctly install the X Windows Virtual Frame Buffer on machine start level 2.

It will not however let you successfully run Oracle Reports as part of Internet Application Server v1. You will need to make some enhancements.

http://www2.itrc.hp.com/service/cki/docDisplay.do?docLocale=en_US&docId=200000065774334

For Oracle Reports as delivered to ias v1.0.2.2 patch level 6 and above, you will need to make the following changes.

vi the file
/etc/rc.config.d/xvfb

Make the file look exactly as its posted here...

1 START_XVFB=1
2 USE_XHP=1
3
4 XINIT=/usr/contrib/bin/X11/xinit
5 XVFB_XINITRC=/etc/X11/xvfb.xinitrc
6
7 PERL=/usr/contrib/bin/perl
8 XVFB_DAEMON=/etc/X11/xvfb_daemon.pl
9
10 XHP=/usr/bin/X11/Xhp
11 XVFB=/usr/bin/X11/Xvfb
12
13 XVFB_USER="daemon"
14 XVFB_GROUP="daemon"
15 XVFB_DISPLAY=10
16 XVFB_MMAP="/var/X11/Xserver"
17 XVFB_ARGS="-ac -screen 0 1024x768x8 -fbdir ${XVFB_MMAP}"
18 XVFB_PIDFILE=/var/run/Xvfb_${XVFB_DISPLAY}.pid
19 XVFB_LOG=/var/X11/Xserver/logs/Xvfb_${XVFB_DISPLAY}.log

The changes I made seem quite simple, but without them you will get the dreaded REP-3000 error.

Line 17, I added the command line parameter -ac.

That's pretty much all. I don't think it makes a idfference, but the same line where it says 1024x768x8 is delivered as 640x480x8

Oracle recommended the mod, so I made it.

Though probably quite unecessary, I added the folloing line to the script /sbin/init.d/xvfb

TERM=vt100
export TERM

I've gotten tired of seeing the rc.log pile of complaints about tty, stty and typewriters, so adding this line helps with that. It also gives oracles barely tested scripts an environment to work with.

Typically, an oracle script will work on the command line after system start and completely fail to work when called in init. Then you get told to contact hp support, because it must be an os issue.

Well, sure its an os issue, oracle hasn't adequately tested on the HP-UX os.

Final note to hp. Please feel free to remove my editorial comments from this. I'd be happy to collaborate on updating the url above to reflect these necessary changes.

This post applies to Oracle Internet Application Server v1.0.2.2 patch levels 6-12. It may apply to earlier patch levels, but I'm not running a research shop and I don't have time to test it.