Assembling applications with the Assembly Toolkit
Assemble enterprise application modules (EAR files) from new or
existing Java 2 Platform, Enterprise Edition (J2EE) Version 1.2 or 1.3 modules,
including these archives: Web application archives (WAR), resource adapter
archives (RAR), enterprise bean (EJB) JAR files, and application client archives
(JAR). This packaging and configuration of code artifacts into application
modules or stand-alone Web modules is necessary for deploying the applications
onto the application server.
Before you begin
The Assembly Toolkit replaces the Application Assembly Tool (AAT).
The Assembly Toolkit consists of the J2EE Perspective of the WebSphere Studio
Application Developer product. With the Assembly Toolkit, you can create and
modify J2EE applications and modules, edit deployment descriptors, and map
databases.
The Assembly Toolkit is one of the tools provided by the Application
Server Toolkit (ASTK). Follow instructions available with the ASTK to install
the Assembly Toolkit.
Visit the Web site http://www.ibm.com/support/docview.wss?rs=180&context=SSEQTP&q=ASTK&uid=swg24005125&loc=en_US
to
download the Application Server Toolkit (ASTK) product, which offers the Assembly
Toolkit and other products.
Why and when to perform this task
Gather the code artifacts that you want to package into one or more
assembled modules. Code artifacts include these items that you have created
and unit tested in your favorite integrated development environment:
The Assembly Toolkit provides extensive online documentation. The
articles on Assembly Toolkit provided in the information center supplement
that documentation.
Steps for this task
- Start the Assembly Toolkit.
- (Optional)
Read the online documentation for the Assembly
Toolkit.
- Read the section Assembly Tool on the Welcome to the Application
Server Toolkit page. To access this page, click Help > Welcome > Application
Server Toolkit.
- Click Help > Help Contents > Assembly Toolkit information.
The displayed documentation provides extensive information about the Assembly
Toolkit.
- Press F1 to access information specific to an Assembly Toolkit view
or window.
- Visit the information center for IBM WebSphere Studio Application
Developer at http://publib.boulder.ibm.com/infocenter/wsphelp/index.jsp
.
Click WebSphere Studio Application Developer > J2EE development. The
documentation in the information center for WebSphere Studio is similar to
that in the Assembly Toolkit online information.
- See the article "Assembly Toolkit: Resources for learning"
for additional sources.
- (Optional)
Open the J2EE perspective to work with J2EE
projects. Click Window > Open Perspective > Other > J2EE.
- (Optional)
Open the J2EE Hierarchy view. Click Window
> Show View > J2EE Hierarchy. Other helpful views include the Project
Navigator view (Window > Show View > Other > J2EE > Project Navigator)
and the Navigator view (Window > Show View > Navigator).
- Migrate EAR, WAR, enterprise
bean JAR files, application client JAR files, or resource adapter RAR files created
with the Application Assembly Tool (AAT) or a different tool to the Assembly
Toolkit. To migrate files, import the files to the Assembly Toolkit.
- (Optional)
Migrate a project from J2EE 1.2 to J2EE 1.3
using the J2EE Migration wizard. As part of the migration, you can migrate
CMP 1.x beans to CMP 2.x beans. The J2EE Migration wizard is
similar to the earconvert batch utility or the File > ConvertEar option
of the AAT.
- In the J2EE Hierarchy view, right-click the enterprise application
project (EAR file) you want to migrate.
- Click Migrate > J2EE Migration Wizard.
- Follow the instructions in the wizard.
- Create an enterprise
application project to which you can add archive files. You can create
an enterprise application project separately or when you create archive files
such as the following:
- Edit the deployment
descriptors as needed. You can edit deployment descriptors for enterprise
application, Web, application client, and enterprise bean (EJB) modules.
- (Optional)
Generate
enterprise bean (EJB) to relational database (RDB) mappings for EJB
modules.
- Verify the archive files.
- Generate code
for deployment for EJB modules or for enterprise applications that
use EJB modules.
- Generate
code for deployment for Web services-enabled modules or for enterprise
applications that use Web service modules.
- (Optional)
Test your completed module on a WebSphere
Application Server installation. Right-click a module, click Run on Server,
and follow the instructions in the displayed wizard. Note that Run on Server works
on the Windows, Linux/Intel, and AIX operating systems only; you cannot deploy
remotely from the Assembly Toolkit to a WebSphere Application Server installation
on a UNIX operating system such as Solaris.
Important: Use Run On Server for unit testing only. Application
Server Toolkit controls the WebSphere Application Server installation and,
when an application is published remotely, the Toolkit overwrites the server
configuration file for that server. Do not use on production servers.
What to do next
After assembling your applications, use a systems management tool
to deploy the EAR or WAR files onto the application server. The systems management
tool follows the security and deployment instructions defined in the deployment
descriptor, and enables you to modify bindings specified within the Assembly
Toolkit. The tool locates the required external resources that the application
uses, such as enterprise beans and databases.
Select a tool to use:
If you are uncertain of which systems management tool to use, try
using the administrative console.
If your application has a large number
of modules, it might not install successfully onto a server. Package your
application so that the .ear file contains necessary modules only.
Modules can include metadata for the modules such as information on deployment
descriptors, bindings, and IBM extensions.
Use the administrative console
at installation to complete the security instructions defined in the deployment
descriptor and to locate required external resources, such as enterprise beans
and databases. You can add configuration properties and redefine binding properties
defined in the Assembly Toolkit.

EJB modules
Enterprise applications
Web applications
Web modules
Application clients
Resource adapter archive file

Assembling application clients
Assembling EJB modules
Assembling resource adapter (connector) modules
Assembling Web applications
Developing Web applications
Securing enterprise bean applications using the Assembly Toolkit
Securing Web applications using the Assembly Toolkit

Developing and testing a complete J2EE "Hello World"
application with WebSphere Studio V5
Developing and Deploying an End-to-end
J2EE Application to JBoss Application Server using WebSphere Studio V5
Getting to know WebSphere Studio Application Developer:
Its capabilities, technologies, and relationship to the open-source Eclipse
IDE
Setting Up a Remote WebSphere Application
Server in WebSphere Studio V5
Searchable topic ID:
tatk_assembling
Last updated: Jun 21, 2007 9:56:50 PM CDT
WebSphere Application Server for z/OS, Version 5.0.2
http://publib.boulder.ibm.com/infocenter/wasinfo/index.jsp?topic=/com.ibm.websphere.zseries.doc/info/zseries/ae/tatk_assembling.html