Configuring and Adapting J2EE
Applications
Purpose
Once the actual development has been completed, the application needs to be integrated into the Development Infrastructure (DI) to have its life cycle managed by the latter, as well as adapted to the NetWeaver runtime environment (the AS Java) to ensure proper operation at runtime.
Use of the Process
This process is part of the following IT scenarios:
IT Scenario |
Scenario Variant |
Leveraging J2EE Standards for Porting and Adopting Applications |
Prerequisites
You have tested the sources of the J2EE application in the SAP NetWeaver Developer Studio.
Process Flow
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1. Configure J2EE descriptors (DI)
The SAP NetWeaver Developer Studio supports the configuration of the J2EE application’s Web and EJB components using deployment descriptors. It effectively reduces the complexity of maintaining descriptors for the developer and application assembler by providing UI editors and organizing configuration options in a task-oriented manner. Standard time-consuming tasks (such as defining a servlet through the servlet name and servlet class in web.xml) are handled automatically.
The NetWeaver platform also extends the J2EE architecture by introducing additional deployment descriptors. These provide features needed by real enterprise applications (such as application failover setup) and help integrate the applications with the underlying services of the application server (such as application security role mapping to real server security roles).
2. Adapt security properties (DI)
A real business application is always based on a complex security architecture. It may define different views of application data, each associated with different roles the users execute. As the J2EE standard states, the role-based access is defined declaratively using the application’s deployment descriptors. However, the real security infrastructure and the user store reside on the application server. To bridge the two worlds, you use the security-related properties in the additional deployment descriptors of your Web or EJB modules, where you map the application-defined, declarative security role to a real one configured on the server.
3. Deploy initially with the NWDI (DI)
The SAP NetWeaver Developer Studio is installed with build tools and libraries required to compile and assemble applications. Applications are compiled and assembled locally as part of the same projects where the servlets, JSPs or enterprise beans are developed within the SAP NetWeaver Developer Studio. Build processes are managed by the Component Build Server (CBS) component of the DI in team-oriented development scenarios.
The actual deployment of a J2EE application residing within the local development environment to the AS Java is simple. The SAP NetWeaver Developer Studio includes a Software Deployment Manager (SDM) client that provides connectivity to the central application server. In this way, a J2EE developer needs only to configure the connection details to the central AS Java within the development environment to successfully deploy applications on it.
4. Manage software life cycle with the NWDI (DI)
By integrating your application sources into the DI, you can benefit from the services the Design Time Repository provides for managing and versioning the application components, especially when development is conducted in distributed teams. With the Change Management Service in place, you get support in transporting software changes within your Java development landscape according to your development environment configuration. You set up the Development Infrastructure centrally by defining a Development configuration file. With a simple import of such a file, all the latest sources and archives needed for development are centrally available for your specific development project. You can download all the objects you need to your local file system, so you have the flexibility of development on your local PC, combined with the advantages of a central development environment.
5. Add J2EE application to portal roles and pages (EPC)
You can integrate your J2EE application into a portal component using the Portal Runtime Technology (PRT). Using the wizards in the Portal Content Studio, existing portal components can easily be added to an existing or new portal page, which is assigned to a portal role.
Result
You configured the J2EE application successfully and deployed it on the server. It is added to portal roles and pages and can be accessed therewith by the end users.