Exercise 12.2: Exporting your EAR file

Before you begin, you must complete Exercise 12.1: Mapping a network drive.

The J2EE standard has the concept of an Enterprise Archive File (EAR). This file is a zip file that contains all information about your Web application. In the workbench, this file is built automatically for Web projects. Since your WebFacing project is a Web project, the wflabxxEAR file exists already. You only have to move it to the application server, point to it, and then install the application. There is no need to know about the structure of the application. Everything is handled in the workbench.

To export your EAR file:

  1. Return to the workbench.
  2. In the WebFacing perspective, click File from the workbench menu.
  3. Click Export on the pop-up menu.

    The Select page of the Export wizard opens.
    Export dialog

  4. Select the EAR file icon.

    An EAR file is a compressed Enterprise Application Archive, and it contains all the files needed for the Web application.

  5. Click Next.

    The EAR Export page opens.
    The EAR file export dialog

  6. Select the name of the resources you used when creating your WebFacing project. This should be wflabxxEAR from the Enterprise Application project name list.
  7. In the Destination field, specify where you want to put the EAR file by entering the drive and directory structure of the IFS drive you mapped in the steps before. For example, use the default directory structure for installable applications for WebSphere Application Server Express:
    x:UserData\Websphere\AppServer\V6\Base\profiles\was6express\installableApps
    

    where x: is the drive letter mapped from your iSeries host in the previous steps.

  8. Select the Overwrite existing files without warning check box.
  9. Click Finish.

    If you see a message asking you to create a directory or delete an existing file, Click OK or Yes and continue. Now you can install the application in WebSphere Application Server.

You have exported the EAR file and now you are ready to begin Exercise 12.3: Installing the application.