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Introducing Oracle8i Personal Edition for Windows 98

This chapter introduces you to Oracle8i Personal Edition for Windows 98.

Specific topics discussed:

• Oracle8i Personal Edition Overview

• New on Windows 98 in this Release

• What Documentation Do I Read First?

Oracle8i Personal Edition Overview

Oracle8i Personal Edition for Windows 98 is a deployment platform for the Internet.

Oracle8i Personal Edition features include the following:

• A built-in Java Virtual Machine (JVM) that lets you store and run Java code within an Oracle8i database.

• Support for SQLJ, a programming syntax that lets you embed SQL statements in Java programs.

• Integration with the Component Object Model (COM).

Supported Operating Systems

Oracle8i Personal Edition for Windows 98 operates on a personal computer (PC), running on the Windows 98 operating system.

New on Windows 98 in this Release

This table describes the new products of Oracle8i Personal Edition Release 2 (8.1.6) for Windows 98.

New Product	Description	See...
Database Configuration Assistant (DBCA)	Oracle Database Configuration Assistant allows the user to create or delete a database	Chapter 6, "Post-Installation Database Creation" of Oracle8i Personal Edition Administrator's Guide Release 2 (8.1.6) for Windows 98.
Oracle Provider for OLE DB	OLE DB is an open standard data access methodology that utilizes a set of interfaces for accessing and manipulating all types of data. These interfaces are available from various database providers. The Oracle Provider for OLE DB interfaces offer high performance and efficient access to Oracle data by applications, compilers, and other database components.	Oracle Provider for OLE DB User's Guide

Additional Information: See Getting to Know Oracle8i for the list of new products and features common to all operating systems.

New Features

This table describes the new features of Oracle8i Personal Edition Release 2 (8.1.6) specific to Windows 98.

New Feature	Description	For more information, see...
Optimal Flexible Architecture (OFA)	Provides a structured method for installing Oracle databases and applications in a manner that helps promote ease of maintenance, improved performance, and reliability.	of Oracle8i Personal Edition Administrator's Guide Release 2 (8.1.6) for Windows 98. Note: OFA has caused a number of changes to the Oracle directory tree, file names, directory names, and the definition of Oracle home since Release 8.0.x. See Chapter 3, section "Differences Between Directory Trees by Release" of Oracle8i Personal Edition Administrator's Guide Release 2 (8.1.6) for Windows 98 for a list of changes.

What Documentation Do I Read First?

Your Oracle documentation set is described in Appendix D, "Getting Started with Your Documentation". This appendix provides:

• A list of available online documentation formats

• A list of documentation available on your CD-ROM

Oracle Corporation recommends that you read or review the following documentation before you begin installing Oracle components. This helps ensure that you make the correct decisions during Oracle component installation.

For Information About...	See...
How to obtain customer support	Oracle Customer Support Guide
Important last-minute installation and configuration information	READMEDOC.HTM file located at the top of the product CD-ROM for last-minute additions not included in the Release Notes Release Notes Note: After installation, all README files are accessible from the ORACLE_BASE\ORACLE_HOME\RELNOTES directory.
Upgrading or migrating your Oracle database from a previous release	Oracle8i Migration Note: Oracle Data Migration Assistant automatically prompts you during installation to migrate a pre-8.1.6 database detected on your hard drive.
Installing Oracle components into multiple homes on a single computer	Chapter 3 of Oracle8i Personal Edition Administrator's Guide for Windows 98
Installing all Oracle components available on the CD-ROM	Chapter 5, "Installing Oracle Components" of this guide
Basic database concepts and administration	Oracle8i Concepts Oracle8i Administrator's Guide Oracle8i Personal Edition Administrator's Guide for Windows 98
Networking concepts and administration	Net8 Administrator's Guide

Viewing Documentation on the CD-ROM

The Oracle8i Online Documentation is included on a separate CD-ROM. When you insert your CD-ROM into the CD-ROM drive, the Autorun window automatically appears. This window provides easy access to the Oracle8i Online Documentation. Follow these instructions to view the documentation.

To view the documentation on the CD-ROM:

1. Insert the Oracle8i Online Documentation CD-ROM into your CD-ROM drive.

   The Autorun window appears. If the Autorun window does not appear:

   1. Choose Start > Run.

   2. Enter the following:

      DRIVE_LETTER:\AUTORUN\AUTORUN.EXE
      

   The Autorun window appears.

2. Click Browse Documentation to view the Oracle8i Online Documentation for all components. These documents are in HTML and PDF formats. The Oracle Information Navigator, a Java-based search and navigation applet, also starts.

3. Review the documentation described in the table in "What Documentation Do I Read First?" and any other documentation appropriate to your environment.

   Note: You can also install your Oracle8i Online Documentation. See "Installing and Viewing the Oracle8i Online Documentation" for instructions.

   Note:: You can also access your Oracle8i Online Documentation without using the Autorun window. To do this: Exit the Autorun window. Go to the DOC directory at the root of the Oracle8i Online Documentation CD-ROM. Click either INDEX.HTM (to start both your Oracle8i Online Documentation and the Oracle Information Navigator, a Java-based search and navigation applet) or PRODUCTS.HTM (to start your Oracle8i Online Documentation without the Oracle Information Navigator).