0.8.2: What is WAR file conversion?

IBM WebSphere Application Server Version 3.5 Fix Pack 2 (also known as Version 3.5.2) introduces support for WAR files. However, Fix Pack 2 has been designed to maintain compatibility with existing applications. As such, WAR files are only used as a deployment vehicle in Version 3.5.2. After a WAR file is installed into the server runtime, the WAR file itself is no longer used.

To install a WAR file into Version 3.5.2, a set of conversion tools are provided. The tools convert a WAR file using the following methodology:

  1. Unjar the WAR file.
  2. Create an IBM Web Application directory structure (classpath containing a "servlets" directory and a document root directory called "web")
  3. Copy the contents of the WEB-INF/lib and WEB-INF/classes directories to the "servlets" directory of the IBM Web Application.
  4. Copy the JSP Tag Library .tld files and the remainder of the files in the WAR into the "web" directory of the IBM Web Application.
  5. Transform the information in the web.xml deployment descriptor into a format that is understood by Version 3.5.2.

Some tools are available for converting WAR files. See article 6.6.8 for an overview of tools geared for system administrators. See article 4.2.10 for a method geared to WebSphere programmers.