Loggerhead Data Server Home Page

Loggerhead is a web based application for providing access to an Oracle 8i database. It is an Oracle Pro*C dynamic library designed for integration into the Injun Application Server which acts as the web server to the client browsers. A plug in browser module provides a simple means of browsing the structure and contents of the database from a Web browser.

                                                                Oracle Database
                                                                +-------------+
                                  Server                        |             |
                                +-------------+                 | TTPL        |
                                |             |                 | Packages    | 
  Client                        | Injun       |                 |             |
+-------------+                 | Server      |                 +-------------+
|             |    Internet     |             |     Net8        |             |
| Web         | <=============> +-------------+ <=============> | Loggerhead  |
| Browser     |    Intranet     |             |                 | Packages    |
|             |                 | Loggerhead  |                 |             |
+-------------+                 | Library     |                 +-------------+
                                |             |                 |             |
                                +-------------+                 | Application |
                                                                | Packages    |
                                                                |             |
                                                                +-------------+

The target audience of Loggerhead is users who require infrequent or limited access to Oracle. eg.,

Managers who do not possess the technical skills to use a tool such as SQL*Plus or a development environment such as SQL*Navigator, but may have a need to access certain data.
Non-Oracle developers who need access to the database to validate that their client application updated the expected data.
Anyone requiring access to the database from a machine with no Oracle tools installed.

Loggerhead has been developed using a proof of concept approach and as such only has basic features available in the initial version. However, more features will be added in subsequent versions.

Multi-platform access	Since all content is delivered in html, the database is accessible from any browser, on any platform, from anywhere, at any time. All that is needed for access is a web browser. Thus avoiding all the headaches that come with deploying client applications to multiple platforms, or even just deploying client applications to a single platform !
Minimal Server Platform Dependency	Loggerhead has been implemented in such a way as to minimise the amount of platform dependent code (ie., the dynamic library) which is written in ProC. While this server component must run on the platform on which Injun is installed, the Oracle database can be on any platform to which a Net8 (SQLNet) connection can be established.
Stable Server Platform	The server component of Loggerhead is currently available for Solaris 7 (Sparc) and Linux, with a view to providing an NT version as and when time allows.
PL/SQL based	The interface to the database is provided over Net8 by PL/SQL packages constructed using the Loggerhead API to generate Web pages, these packages are in turn executed through the use of dynamic SQL. Due to the richness of features now available in PL/SQL a great variety of web based applications can be developed this way and the supplied browser and demo applications demonstrate this.
Image retrieval	To enrich the visual appearance of generated web pages images stored in the database can be utilised. The required image is retrieved by using the supplied API.
Browse capability	A PL/SQL package is supplied to provide a simple means to browse the structure and contents of the database. Using the supplied API it dynamically generates the requested web pages.

18/02/2000	Version 1.0.0 released

last updated 17-February-2000