Software Deployment

This section provides information on the software packaging mechanism, the software categories within the system, and compatibility with Java software.

Software Packaging

Portal Server uses a “dynamic WAR file” approach to deploy software to the system. Portal Server is installed using Solaris^TM packages, which consist of individual files that comprise web applications, for example, JAR, JSP, template, and HTML files. The packages do not contain WAR or EAR files. The packages do contain web.xml fragments that are used to construct the Portal Server WAR file at installation time. This dynamically constructed file is then deployed to the web application container. As additional packages are added to the system, for example, for localization, the web application file is rebuilt and redeployed.

The WAR file packaging and deployment mechanism is for use only by Portal Server products. Customer modifications to the WAR file or any files used to build it are currently not supported.

Software Categories

Portal Server distinguishes between the following kinds of software that it installs onto the Portal Server node:

• Dynamic web applications. These include servlets running on a Java platform, JSP files, content providers, and other items that the web container processes when accessed by the user’s browser. For Portal Server, these files are deployed in the web container directory structure.

• Static web content. These include static HTML files, images, applet JAR files, and other items that can be served up directly by the web server without using the Web Server container. For Portal Server, these files are also deployed in the web container directory structure.

Static web content and dynamic web applications are all grouped together into a single WAR file.

• Configuration data. These include data that is installed into the directory, that is, the Access Manager service definitions and any other data that modifies the directory at installation time. This includes modifications to the console configuration data to connect in the Portal Server extensions. Configuration data is installed only once no matter how many Portal Server nodes there are.

• Software Development Kit (SDK). This is the JAR file or files that contain the Java APIs that are made available by a component. Developers need to install this package on a development system so that they can compile classes that use the API. The portal sdk files are located under the directory /opt/SUNWportal/sdk. The desktop subdirectory contains the desktopsdk.jar file required when building custom providers. The wsrp sub-directory contains the wsrpsdk.jar file.

Compatibility With Java Software

Portal Server software falls into three categories:

• Applets. Applets used in Portal Server are compatible with Java 1.1, which is supported by most browsers.

• Web applications. Web applications are intended to be compatible with the (J2EE^TM) web container based on the servlet's interface except where uses of special interfaces are identified. Web application compatibility includes Java 2 (J2SE 1.3) and later.

• Stand-alone Java processes. Stand-alone Java software processes are compatible with Java 2 and later. Some Portal Server software, specifically in Secure Remote Access, use Java Native Interface (JNI) to call C application programming interfaces (APIs).