Browser Version Detection (OHS Customization Part 2)

One of my customers running EPM 11.1.2.1 faced issues last week when some of their end users had received new laptops with Internet Explorer 9 installed. It took some time for the IT department and EPM admins to figure out that the random problems that were being reported were actually caused by the unsupported browser version instead of other technical issues. We discussed how to work around the problem of unwanted browser versions - the most important method being centralized control over browser installations of course - but this gave me an idea of giving EPM end users a warning in case they were using an unsupported web browser.

Must-Have Patch for Load-Balanced HFM Environments

If you're planning to install an EPM 11.1.2.1 environment where HFM web components are running on two web servers you should definitely pick up the following patch from Oracle Support:

• Shared Services 11.1.2.1.000 Patch Set Exception (PSE): 13240594

The patch fixes (among a few other things) an issue with the clustered OHS (Oracle HTTP Server) ProxyPass configuration which is automatically created by EPM System Configurator. The incorrect configuration caused me quite a few head-scratching moments before I found out about the HSS patch as it messes up cookie handling for LCM and potentially also for some other web applications. So be sure to apply this and follow the instructions in the readme file carefully!

Customize the OHS Home Page

If your EPM 11.1.2.x configuration uses Oracle HTTP Server (OHS) as the front-end web server you have probably seen the page shown below. This is the Fusion Middleware welcome page that OHS is configured to display as its home page by default.

The OHS welcome page

The welcome page may be confusing to end users as it talks about Fusion Middleware but doesn not mention EPM or Hyperion at all so you might want to customize it to include some more appropriate content. Here are four easy steps to accomplish this: