Developing J2EE Connector Architecture

1. Developing J2EE Connector Architecture David Lucas President Lucas Software Engineering, Inc DDLUCAS@LSE.COM

2. Agenda • Introduction • What is a Connector? • Overview of Sun’s JCA • VisiConnect • Deployment to BES • Client Interface • Demo • Summary

3. Introduction • Welcome • Application Servers • JDBC • Enterprise Information System

4. What is a Connector? • Like a bridge, it attaches two ends together, J2EE and EIS EIS AppServer Connector Resource Adapter

5. Overview - Terms • EIS Resource (CICS, SAP, …) • Resource Manager • Managed Environment • Non-Managed Environment

6. Overview of Sun’s JCA • Part of J2EE 1.3 Specification, Latest now JCA 1.1 • Provide plug and play integration between EIS and J2EE AppServers • Simplifies EIS vendor work • System Contracts • Common Client Interface (CCI) • Deployment (RARs)

7. Overview of Sun’s JCA

8. Overview - Connectors PeopleSoft SAP Siebel IMS / VSAM or other data records B2B SOAP or XML-RPC • TIBCO • IBM MQ Series • Hogan • IBM CICS ECI • JD Edwards • Lawson

9. Overview - Potential Tools • Actional • Attunity • Borland • CrossWorlds • IONA • Merant Mercator Sybase / NEON TIBCO Vitria webMethods WRQ

10. Overview - System Contracts • Security Management • EIS Signon via JAAS • Transaction Management • 1PC & 2PC • Container Managed • Component Managed • Connection Management • Pooling • Error Logging & Tracing • Connection Event Notification

11. Overview - Deployment • J2EE Resource Archive • Resource Adapter with embedded JAR and Native files • RA.XML Descriptor • JNDI-Definition Descriptor (vendor)

12. Overview - Deployment Roles • Resource Adapter Provider (EIS Vendor) • Application Server / Container Provider (Borland and others) • Component Provider (EJB implementations that take advantage of the Connector)

13. Overview - CCI • Remote Function Call Interface (similar to JDBC) • Independent and Consistent (vendor neutral) • Optional support for Service Provider Interfaces • Execute Interactions with Records for Input and Output • Supports Result Record Sets

14. VisiConnect • JCA 1.0 spec now approved • Borland VisiConnect is available now • Provides Management of Resource Adapters • Currently supports basic password security

15. Deployment to BES • RAR file is created to package classes, interfaces, and native files • RA and JNDI Deployment descriptors describe meta information • Can deploy to BES as standalone or as part of an EAR

16. Deployment Strategy • EJB Session wraps EIS Vendor access Client AppServer AppServer EJB Session Bean AppServer CORBA Resource Adapter EIS

17. Client Invocation • Obtain factory context and get Connection to Resource Adapter • Create Interaction (like JDBC Statement) • Get Record Factory and create input and output Records as needed (like JDBC Result Set layout) • Create Interaction Spec that maps function to execute with records • Invoke execute and retrieve results

18. Client Invocation • Obtain factory context and get Connection to Resource Adapter javax.naming.Context context = new InitialContext(); ConnectionFactory cxfactory = (ConnectionFactory) context.lookup(“java:comp/eis/MyEIS”);

19. Client Invocation • Create Interaction (like JDBC Statement) • Get Record Factory and create input and output Records as needed (like JDBC Result Set layout) Interaction ix=cx.createInteration(); RecordFactory rfact=cxfactory.getRecordFactory(); MappedRecord input=rfact.createMappedRecord("INPUT"); IndexedRecord output= rfact.createIndexedRecord("OUTPUT");

20. Client Invocation • Create Interaction Spec that maps function to execute with records • Invoke execute and retrieve results InteractionSpec ixSpec = new my.eis.InteractionSpec(); ixSpec.setFunctionName("INQUERY"); boolean response = ix.execute(ixSpec, input, output);

21. Resource Adapter • Execute on the Resource side class MyInteraction implements Interaction { ... public boolean execute(ixSpec, input, output) throws ResourceException { boolean success = false; // grab input // execute EIS business logic // map output return success; } … }

22. Resource Adapter Descriptor <connector> <display-name>MyResourceAdapter</display-name> <vendor-name>ACME Software</vendor-name> <spec-version>1.0</spec-version> <eis-type>JDBC Database</eis-type> <version>1.0</version> <resourceadapter> <managedconnectionfactory-class>com.acme.ConFactory</managedconnectionfactory-class> <connectionfactory-interface>javax.resource.cci.ConnectionFactory</connectionfactory-interface> <connectionfactory-impl-class>com.acme.ConFactImpl</connectionfactory-impl-class> <connection-interface>javax.resource.cci.Connection</connection-interface> <connection-impl-class>com.acme.CciConnection</connection-impl-class> <transaction-support>local_transaction</transaction-support> ... </connector>

23. Resource Adapter JNDI Objects <jndi-definitions> <jndi-object> <jndi-name>java:comp/env/eis/ACMEResource</jndi-name> <class-name>com.acme.ConFact</class-name> <property> <prop-name>userName</prop-name> <prop-type>java.lang.String</prop-type> <prop-value>test</prop-value> </property> <property> <prop-name>password</prop-name> <prop-type>java.lang.String</prop-type> <prop-value>test</prop-value> </property> </jndi-object> </jndi-definitions>

24. Resource Adapter ejb-jar.xml <ejb-jar> <enterprise-beans> <session> ... <resource-env-ref> <description>ACMEResource</description> <res-env-ref-name>eis/ACMEResource</res-ref-name> <res-env-type>javax.resource.cci.ConnectionFactory</res-type> </resource-ref> </session> ... </ejb-jar>

25. Resource Adapter ejb-borland.xml <ejb-jar> <enterprise-beans> <session> <ejb-name>Shell</ejb-name> <bean-home-name>Shell</bean-home-name> <resource-ref> <res-ref-name>ACMEResource</res-ref-name> <jndi-name>java:comp/env/eis/ACMEResource</jndi-name> </resource-ref> <resource-env-ref> <resource-env-ref-name>eis/ACMEResource</resource-env-ref-name> <jndi-name>java:comp/env/eis/ACMEResource</jndi-name> </resource-env-ref> </session> </enterprise-beans> ... </ejb-jar>

26. DEMO • JCA to spawn a command shell and execute the "function" • Returns result in an output Record

27. Summary • JCA for J2EE 1.3 Specification • Defines asynchronous API, app servers should follow with IMPLs • Issues with JMS pluggability, stay tuned to JCA 1.5 spec (http://www.jcp.org/jsr/detail/112.jsp) • VisiConnect • Working environment in BES 5.x • Deployment tools with Jbuilder which support RARs

28. Resources JCA 1.5 JSR 112: http://www.jcp.org/jsr/detail/112.prthttp://java.sun.com/j2ee/connector/http://www.javaworld.com/javaworld/jw-11-2001/jw-1121-jca.htmlhttp://www.javaworld.com/javaworld/jw-02-2002/jw-0201-jca2.htmlhttp://www.intelligenteai.com/feature/010416/feat1.shtmlBorland VisiConnect: http://www.borland.com/devsupport/bes/faq/visiconnect/visiconnect.htmlBorland Enterprise Server Developers Guide 5http://www.borland.com/techpubs/books/bes/htmls/DevelopersGuide5/DevelopersGuide/VisiConnectOverview.htmlPresentations:Borland Software Corporation: Charlton Barreto, JavaOne 2002:- Designing and Developing JavaTM 2 Platform, Enterprise Edition (J2EETM) Connector

29. Resources BEA Systems, Inc: Deb June - Architecture Applications (TS-1032), - JavaTM 2 Platform, Enterprise Edition (J2EETM) Connector Architecture Overview and Futures (TS-2531)List of Providers: http://java.sun.com/j2ee/connector/industry.htmlProducts: http://java.sun.com/j2ee/connector/products.htmlBooks:- J2EE Connector Architecture and Enterprise Application Integration by Rahul Sharma, Beth Stearns, Tony Ng, Scott Dietzen ISBN 0201775808- Integrating Java Applications With the Enterprise, by Vijay Sarathy and Rahul Sharma, eAI Journal, May 2001- Java Connector Architecture: The Future of EAI, by Mark Hansen and Peter Mamorski, posted to eAI Journal, May 15, 2001

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