Oracle Apps doesn't like soft links

Oracle E-Business Suite or Oracle Apps doesn't like soft links or symbolic links. Starting from 11.5.10, the upgrade document mentions that we should not use a softlink for any directory in Apache. The technology validation utility (Metalink Note 277366.1) will show any directories as a fail in its report

PASS Report
Number of Symbolic links found under directories served by Oracle HTTP Server 0 PASS

FAIL Report
Number of Symbolic links found under directories served by Oracle HTTP Server 2 FAIL

Check for Symbolic links for Web Root directories (%s_html%, %s_javatop% and %s_pt%) - UNIX only

In one of the SRs, a metalink analyst mentioned that severe performance issue was reported in mobile services due to the use of a softlink to point to java directory. The issue was resolved by removing the Softlink as the Softlink was killing the MWA Performance. Once the JDK was installed on the Applications as it should be and the Softlink removed, the MWA Performace was increased and the Hanging no longer occured.

One more error is mentioned in metalink note 336119.1:

Oracle Application Object Library - Version: 11.5.5 to 11.5.10
This problem can occur on any platform.

Symptoms

Autoconfig exits with the following eror:


# HotSpot Virtual Machine Error : 11
# Error ID : 4F530E43505002BD 01
# Please report this error at
# http://java.sun.com/cgi-bin/bugreport.cgi
#
# Java VM: Java HotSpot(TM) Client VM (1.3.1_05-b02 mixed mode)
#
# An error report file has been saved as hs_err_pid17339.log.
# Please refer to the file for further information.
#

Cause

Softlinks for the jdk install

Solution

To implement the solution, please execute the following steps:

1 - open the xml file from $APPL_TOP/admin
2 - search for s_jdktop
3 - change the value to a location that is not a softlink but directly to the jdk location
4 - rerun autoconfig, now it will use the location from the xml file that is not having a softlink to the java program.