When forms run SOCKET Mode these are dedicated connection between Client Machine & Form Server (Started by adfrmctl.sh).
Socket mode allows desktop clients to access the Forms Server directly.
When Forms run in servlet mode the forms requests are fulfilled by Jserv in Apache . There will be additional JVM for Forms Request in that case and you won’t start form via adfrmctl.sh.
All connection is via HTTP Server so there is no need to start form server and no need to open form server port between client machine and application tier.
servlet is more secure as compared to Forms Socket Mode.
In Servlet mode no additional certificate is required during SSL implementation for application tier, single certificate will handle both forms & web connection.
Result is more network traffic because of HTTP than socket (dedicated) so not preferred in WAN implementation.
By default in R12 forms mode is servlet and 11i is Socket.
To check form service is in servlet or socket mode :
$ ./adformsctl.sh status
We can check it from front end also as follows.
Log in to Oracle Applications and launch a Forms-based application.
Open the Sun Java Console (from Tools Menu in Internet Explorer).
Check whether the "mode" directive displayed in Sun Java Console when
launching forms-based applications, is set to HTTP.
Direct Forms Servlet Launch is:
web_protocol>://.:/forms/frmservlet
To check if it is socket from front end do as follows
Log in to Oracle Applications and launch a Forms-based application.
Open the Sun Java Console (from Tools Menu in Internet Explorer).
Check whether the "mode" directive displayed in Sun Java Console when
launching forms-based applications is set to socket.
The direct launch URL for Forms Socket Mode is:
://.:/OA_HTML/frmservlet
Manually Starting/stoping/status of Forms Server in socket mode:
$INST_TOP/admin/scripts/adformsrvctl.sh start
$INST_TOP/admin/scripts/adformsrvctl.sh stop
$INST_TOP/admin/scripts/adformsrvctl.sh status
Convert from Servlet mode to Socket mode:
Stop all the application tier services:
Run the following command to enable Forms Socket Mode:
$FND_TOP/bin/txkrun.pl -script=ChangeFormsMode \
[-contextfile=] \
-mode=socket \
[-port=] \
-runautoconfig= \
-appspass=
$INST_TOP/appl/admin/.xml
-mode servlet - to enable Forms Servlet mode. This is the default value.
-socket - to enable Forms Socket mode
-port : Port number used to run Forms in socket mode. The default port number
is 9095.
A port number is not needed if servlet mode is used.
-runautoconfig : Specify whether AutoConfig should be run after changing the
forms mode. Possible values are as follows:
No : Do not run AutoConfig after enabling Forms servlet/socket mode. This is the
recommended value.
Yes : Run AutoConfig after enabling Forms servlet/socket mode.
-appspass :Password for the applications.
