Oracle Integration 3 : Connectivity Agents Overview

In Oracle Integration 3, connectivity agents are pivotal components designed to facilitate seamless integration between cloud and on-premises applications. As organizations increasingly adopt hybrid IT environments, the need for secure, efficient, and reliable data exchange across diverse systems becomes critical. Connectivity agents address this need by acting as intermediaries that manage and secure the communication between Oracle Integration Cloud and on-premises systems. This ensures that data flows smoothly and securely, enabling organizations to fully utilize the advantages of both cloud-based and on-premises solutions while maintaining high performance and data integrity.

In this post we will cover:

• What is Connectivity Agent & Why you Need
• Comparison of Agents in ICS and OIC
• Agent Framework
• Steps for Using Connectivity Agents in OIC
• Agents in HA

To know : FTP Adapter Connection In OIC Integration 3

What is Connectivity Agent & Why you Need?

• Connectivity Agents enable integrations between on-premises applications and Oracle Integration Cloud (OIC) Service.
• They are essential for OIC to communicate and exchange data with on-premises systems such as databases and enterprise applications like Oracle E-Business Suite.

Comparison of Agents in ICS and OIC

Agents in OIC have the same functional capabilities as what you have seen with the one in ICS. Customers on ICS can choose to be agents on ICS or migrate to OIC. Agents in OIC can take advantage of new features and services built into OIC.

• In ICS, we needed WebLogic alongside and it also needed Port to be opened resulting in exposed SOAP-based web services.
• While in OIC, we only need Java and it does not require any extra inbound port to open and the Connectivity agent use SSL to connect to Integration Cloud.

Agent Framework

The Connectivity Agents Framework in Oracle Integration (formerly known as Oracle Integration Cloud or OIC) is a component that facilitates secure communication between your on-premises applications and Oracle Integration Cloud. This framework enables you to connect your cloud-based integration flows with resources that reside within your corporate network or private cloud.

Here’s an overview of how the Connectivity Agents Framework works:

1. Agent Installation: You start by installing a lightweight agent within your corporate network. This agent acts as a bridge between your on-premises applications and Oracle Integration Cloud.
2. Secure Communication: The agent establishes a secure outbound connection to Oracle Integration Cloud over HTTPS. This connection ensures that data transmitted between your on-premises systems and the cloud integration platform remains encrypted and secure.
3. Outbound Communication: When you create integration flows within Oracle Integration Cloud, you can configure them to leverage the connectivity agent for outbound communication. This allows your cloud-based integrations to interact with on-premises resources such as databases, applications, and services.
4. Inbound Communication: The connectivity agent also supports inbound communication, enabling on-premises systems to initiate requests to Oracle Integration Cloud. This capability is useful for scenarios where your cloud-based integrations need to respond to events or triggers from your internal systems.
5. Proxy Support: The agent can be configured to work with corporate proxies, allowing it to communicate with Oracle Integration Cloud even in environments with strict network policies.
6. High Availability: To ensure reliability, you can deploy multiple connectivity agents in a high-availability configuration. This setup provides redundancy and fault tolerance, minimizing the risk of downtime for your integration processes.

Also Check : Calling External REST API in Oracle Integration Cloud

Steps for Using Connectivity Agents in OIC

1. Create Connectivity Agent Group in OIC.
2. Download and run the on-premises connectivity agent installer from OIC to Source/Target System that OIC is connecting.
3. Open Command prompt directory in the directory or browse to the directory in Command prompt where the agent is located.
4. Once installed, below successful message will appear on the screen.
5. Verify the connectivity agent by opening the Integration Cloud Agents page and see the count should increase from 0 to 1
6. Go to integration instance console and refresh the agent, you can see one active agent available.
7. Create an Adapter connection in OIC and associate the connectivity with the connectivity Agent Group.
8. Design the integration that uses this Adapter connection
9. Activate the integration.

Agents in HA:

• High Availability (HA) in Oracle Integration 3 (OIC 3) ensures that integration services are continuously available and resilient to failures. Agents in OIC 3 play a crucial role in achieving HA by managing the connectivity between Oracle Integration instances and on-premises applications or systems. These agents are lightweight software components installed on-premises to facilitate secure communication and data exchange with cloud services.
• For high availability, multiple agents can be deployed to provide redundancy. If one agent fails or becomes unavailable, another agent can take over the tasks, ensuring no disruption in the integration process.
• Agents are designed to balance loads and distribute tasks efficiently, minimizing downtime and maintaining seamless operations.

Conclusion

Connectivity agents in Oracle Integration 3 are essential for integrating on-premises and cloud applications. They ensure secure and efficient data flow between Oracle Integration Cloud and on-premises systems, allowing organizations to leverage both environments effectively. These agents enhance the platform’s flexibility, enabling robust hybrid integration solutions.

Frequently Asked Questions

Related Links:

• To apply for 1z0-1042-23 Oracle cloud platform integration 2023 certified professional
• Step by Step guide to get a FREE Oracle Cloud account.
• Oracle Integration Cloud (OIC) For Beginners Overview
• Create Oracle Integration Cloud Instance: Step by Step

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