Deploying the Application

Application packaging (for deployment in the host Java or J2EE environment) influences TopLink use and configuration. For example, developers package a J2EE application in an EAR file. Within the EAR file, there are several ways to package persistent entities within WAR and JAR. How developers configure TopLink depends, in part, on how they package the application and how they use the class loader of the host application server.

This section discusses packaging and deployment from a TopLink perspective. However, if you deploy your application to a J2EE container, you must configure elements of your application to enable TopLink container support.

This section includes the following information:

• Understanding Deployments

• TopLink in a J2EE Application

For more information, see Part III, "Deploying a TopLink Application".

Understanding Deployments

The TopLink approach to deployment involves packaging application files into a single file, such as aJAR file, or an EAR file. This approach lets you create clean and self-contained deployments that do not require significant file management.

After creating these files, deploy the project.

TopLink in a J2EE Application

Although TopLink is an integral part of a J2EE application, in most cases the client does not interact with TopLink directly. Instead, TopLink features are invoked indirectly by way of EJB container callbacks.

As a result, the typical deployment process involves the following steps:

1. Build the project elements, including beans, classes, and data sources.

2. Define the application mappings in TopLink Workbench.

3. Build the application deployment files. Use TopLink Workbench to create the files.

4. Package and deploy the application.

5. Add code to the client application to enable it to access the TopLink application.