Overview of the Development Process for an Add-On Component

To ensure that an add-on component behaves identically to components that are supplied in Enterprise Server distributions, the component must meet the following requirements:

• If the component generates management data or monitoring data, it must provide that data to other Enterprise Server components in the same way as other Enterprise Server components.

• If the component generates management data or monitoring data, it must provide that data to users through Enterprise Server administrative interfaces such as Administration Console and the asadmin utility.

• The component must be packaged and delivered as an OSGi bundle.

To develop add-on components that meet these requirements, follow the development process that is described in the following sections:

• Writing HK2 Components

• Extending the Administration Console

• Extending the asadmin Utility

• Adding Container Capabilities

• Packaging and Delivering an Add-On Component

Writing HK2 Components

The Hundred-Kilobyte Kernel (HK2) is the lightweight and extensible kernel of Enterprise Server. To interact with Enterprise Server, add-on components plug in to this kernel. In the HK2 component model, the functions of an add-on component are declared through a contract-service implementation paradigm. An HK2 contract identifies and describes the building blocks or the extension points of an application. An HK2 service implements an HK2 contract.

For more information, see Chapter 2, Writing HK2 Components.

Extending the Administration Console

The Administration Console is a browser-based tool for administering Enterprise Server. It features an easy-to-navigate interface and online help. Extending the Administration Console enables you to provide a graphical user interface for administering your add-on component. You can use any of the user interface features of the Administration Console, such as tree nodes, links on the Common Tasks page, tabs and sub-tabs, property sheets, and JavaServer Faces pages. Your add-on component implements a marker interface and provides a configuration file that describes how your customizations integrate with the Administration Console.

For more information, see Chapter 3, Extending the Administration Console.

Extending the asadmin Utility

The asadmin utility is a command-line tool for configuring and administering Enterprise Server. Extending the asadmin utility enables you to provide administrative interfaces for an add-on component that are consistent with the interfaces of other Enterprise Server components. A user can run asadmin commands either from a command prompt or from a script. For more information about the asadmin utility, see the asadmin(1M) man page.

For more information, see Chapter 4, Extending the asadmin Utility.

Adding Container Capabilities

Applications run on Enterprise Server in containers. Enterprise Server enables you to create containers that extend or replace the existing containers of Enterprise Server. Adding container capabilities enables you to run new types of applications and to deploy new archive types in Enterprise Server.

For more information, see Chapter 5, Adding Container Capabilities.

Packaging and Delivering an Add-On Component

Packaging an add-on component enables the component to interact with the Enterprise Server kernel in the same way as other components. Integrating a component with Enterprise Server enables Enterprise Server to discover the component at runtime. If an add-on component is an extension or update to existing installations of Enterprise Server, deliver the component through Update Tool.

For more information, see Chapter 6, Packaging, Integrating, and Delivering an Add-On Component.