Java Platform, Enterprise Edition (Java EE) applications and modules include an Extensible Markup Language (XML)-based deployment descriptor that specifies various Java EE artifacts that pertain to applications or modules. The Java EE artifacts include Enterprise JavaBeans (EJB) definitions, security role definitions, EJB references, resource references, and so on. These artifacts define various unresolved references that the application logic uses. The Java EE specification requires that these artifacts map to Java EE platform-specific information, such as that found in WebSphere® Application Server, during deployment of Java EE applications.
The application assembly
tools that WebSphere Application Server supports,
as well
as the application management support that is provided with the product,
facilitate collection of certain WebSphere Application Server information. The
collected information is used to resolve references that are defined
in various deployment descriptors in a Java EE application. This information
is stored in the application EAR file in conjunction with the deployment
descriptors. The following diagram shows the structure of an enterprise
archive (EAR) file that is populated with deployment information that
is specific to WebSphere Application Server.
The application management architecture provides a set of classes with which deployers can collect WebSphere Application Serverdeployment information. This information is also referred to as binding information, and is stored in the application EAR file. The deployer can install the EAR file into aWebSphere Application Serverconfiguration by using the AppManagement interface.
The application management support in WebSphere Application Server provides functions such as installing and uninstalling applications, editing binding information for installed applications, updating the entire application or part of the application, exporting the application, and so on. The com.ibm.websphere.management.application.AppManagement interface, which is exposed as a Java Management Extensions (JMX)-based AppManagement MBean in WebSphere Application Server, provides this functionality. Code that runs on the server or in a stand-alone administrative client program can access the interface. Access to the application management functions is also possible in the absence of WebSphere Application Server. This mode, known as local mode, is particularly useful for installing Java EE applications as part of product installation.