Application assembly is the process of creating an Enterprise Archive (EAR) file containing all files related to an application, as well as an XML deployment descriptor for the application. This configuration and packaging prepares the application for deployment onto an application server.
EAR files are comprised of the following archives:
Ensure that modules are contained in an EAR file so that they may be deployed onto the server. The exceptions are WAR modules, which you can deploy individually. Although WAR modules can contain regular JAR files, they cannot contain the other module types described previously.
The assembly process includes the following:
As you configure properties using the Application Assembly Tool (AAT), the tool generates the deployment descriptor for you. While the AAT graphical interface is recommended, you can also edit descriptors directly in your favorite XML editor.