Using Existing Connectors
Whether they come with the installation of the SAP NetWeaver Portal or are developed separately and installed for portal users, the connectors to the back-end systems are deployed on the Java EE application server level. This offers distinct advantages for connector consumers in a managed environment, such as:
-
JNDI lookup
Instead of having to create a connection factory instance, you need only implement the connector gateway service of the portal. For code examples, see Using the JDBC Connector .
-
Connection pooling
The application server manages connections, reusing already open ones for new requests.
The main task of the developer of portal content, such as iViews that retrieve information from a back-end system (EIS), is to open a connection to that system.
The portal comes with a number of ready-to-use connectors. For more information, see:
-
Using the JDBC Connector for universal database connectivity
-
Using the SAP System Connector for connectivity to back-end SAP systems
-
Using the Web Service Connector for interacting with any Web service
Following are the prerequisites for using connectors that are deployed in the portal.
|
File/Environment |
Description |
Source |
|---|---|---|
|
GenericConnector.jar |
Required to test the application |
Portal |
|
ExtendedConnector.jar |
Adds functionality to the generic connector |
Java EE application server |
|
Connector.jar |
Contains the JCA 1.0 API |
Java EE application server |
|
JAAS.jar (Java Authentication and Authorization Service) |
Required by the connector framework |
Java EE application server |
|
JTA.jar (Java Transaction API) |
Required by the connector framework |
Java EE application server |
|
EIS (Enterprise Information System) |
Required to test the application |
Has to be installed separately |
|
Java Application Server |
Any J2EE JCA 1.0-compliant WAS to work with servlets without the portal |
Has to be installed separately |
|
PRT (Portal Runtime) |
Required to test the application in the portal environment |
Portal |
|
Portal Wizard Framework |
The portal wizard framework is an effective tool to create a portal application that uses a connector. |
Portal |
|
Connector Web Service |
Necessary to communicate between application and connector as Web service, using HTTP calls and SOAP. |
Portal |