Oracle SQL*Plus: The Definitive Guide, 2nd Edition

Chapter 3. Browser-Based SQL*Plus

The new three-tier, web browser-based iSQL*Plus introduced in 2001 as part of Oracle9i Database shook up the staid world of SQL*Plus, and certainly surprised many Oracle users (including me), who expected SQL*Plus to continue on as the simple, client-server application it always had been. Since then, Oracle has made virtually all of its administrative functionality web-accessible in the form of the newer, web-based Oracle Enterprise Manager interface in Oracle Database 10g.

In Oracle9i Database, iSQL*Plus ran under Oracle's HTTP Server, which was a version of the Apache web server connected to your Oracle database. In Oracle Database 10g, iSQL*Plus runs as a Java 2 Enterprise Edition (J2EE) application server using Oracle Containers for Java (OC4J) as the server engine. In Oracle9i Database, iSQL*Plus was installed separately from the database along with the HTTP Server. In Oracle Database 10g, iSQL*Plus is installed by default with the database on the database server.

Using iSQL*Plus means that you can connect to your database from any machine on your network without the need to first install Oracle's client software. That's a real convenience, even for those of us who prefer the older, two-tier, command-line SQL*Plus.

Starting iSQL*Plus

Starting iSQL*Plus and connecting to a database is relatively easy. The most difficult part is to remember the URL to type into your web browser.

Starting the iSQL*Plus Server

If you're the DBA, you may need to worry ...