Sun Java Enterprise System 2005Q4 Technical Overview

Java Enterprise System Components

Java Enterprise System is an integration of discrete software products and components into a single software system. The components of this system have been tested together to ensure interoperability. Their integration is facilitated by a number of system-level features:

All components are synchronized on a common set of shared libraries.
All Java ES components are installed using a single installer.
All Java ES components can share an integrated user identity and security management system.

These features are described in subsequent chapters of this book. The focus of this section is to introduce the various components that are integrated into Java Enterprise System. These system components can be grouped into three main categories, as shown in the following illustration:

System service components. These components provide the main Java Enterprise System infrastructure services that support distributed enterprise applications.
Service quality components. These components enhance the availability, security, scalability, serviceability and other components of system service components and distributed application components.
Shared components. These components provide the environment in which many system service components and service quality components run.

Figure 1–2 Categories of Java ES Components

Diagram showing categories of Java ES components and their relationship
to one another

System Service Components

A number of Java ES components provide the main services that support distributed software solutions. These system services include portal services, communication and collaboration services, identity and security services, web container services, and J2EE application services.

The system service components that provide these distributed services, and the services they provide are briefly described in the following table. Each system service component is a multi-threaded server process capable of supporting a large number of clients. For more details on any component, see System Service Component Descriptions

Table 1–1 Java ES System Service Components


Component	System Services Provided
Sun Java System Access Manager	Provides access management and digital identity administration services. Access management services include authentication (including single sign-on) and role-based authorization for access to applications and/or services. Administration services include centralized administration of individual user accounts, roles, groups, and policies.
Sun Java System Application Server	Provides J2EE container services for Enterprise JavaBeans^TM (EJB) components, such as session beans, entity beans, and message-driven beans. The container provides the infrastructure services needed for tightly coupled distributed components to interact, making the Application Server a platform for the development and execution of e-commerce applications and web services. The Application Server also provides web container services.
Sun Java System Calendar Server	Provides calendar and scheduling services to end users and groups of end users. Calendar Server includes a browser-based client that interacts with the server.
Sun Java System Directory Server	Provides a central repository for storing and managing intranet and Internet information such as identity profiles (employees, customers, suppliers, and so forth), user credentials (public key certificates, passwords, and pin numbers), access privileges, application resource information, and network resource information.
Sun Java System Instant Messaging	Provides secure, real-time communication between end users, such as instant messaging (chat), conferencing, alerts, news, polls, and file transfer. The service includes a presence manager that tells users who is currently on line and includes a browser-based client that interacts with the server.
Sun Java System Message Queue	Provides reliable, asynchronous messaging between loosely coupled distributed components and applications. Message Queue implements the Java Message Service (JMS) API specification and adds enterprise features such as security, scalability, and remote administration.
Sun Java System Messaging Server	Provides secure, reliable, high-capacity store-and-forward messaging that supports email, fax, pager, voice, and video. Messaging Server can concurrently access multiple message stores and provides content filtering to help reject unsolicited email and prevent virus attacks.
Sun Java System Portal Server	Provides key portal services, such as content aggregation and personalization, to browser-based clients accessing business applications or services. Portal Server also provides a configurable search engine.
Sun Java System Web Server	Provides J2EE^TM web container services for Java web components, such as Java Servlet and JavaServer Pages^TM (JSP^TM) components. Web Server also supports other web application technologies for delivering static and dynamic web content, such as CGI scripts and sun Java System Active Server Pages.
Sun Java System Service Registry	Provides a registry and repository to support web Service-Oriented Architeture (SOA) applications. Service Registry implements industry standards for registering and discovering web services as well as for managing the associated information and facts, artifacts, such as XMLSchema, business process rules, access control, version control, and so forth.

Service Quality Components

In addition to the system service components shown in Table 1–1, Java Enterprise System includes a number of components used to enhance the quality of services provided by system service components. Service quality components can also enhance custom-developed application services. The service quality components fall into the following categories:

Availability components
Access components
Administrative components

Availability Components

Availability components provide near-continuous uptime for system service components and custom application services. The availability components included in Java Enterprise System and the services that they provide are shown in the following table. For more details on any component, see Availability Component Descriptions.

Table 1–2 Java ES Availability Components


Component	Availability Services Provided
Sun Cluster	Provides high availability and scalability services for Java Enterprise System, the applications that run on top of the Java Enterprise System infrastructure, and the hardware environment in which both are deployed.
High Availability Session Store	Provides a data store that makes application data, especially session state data, available even in the case of failure.

Access Components

Access components provide front-end access to system services, often secure access from Internet locations outside an enterprise firewall. In addition to providing such access, many provide a routing function as well. The access components included in Java Enterprise System and the services that they provide are shown in the following table. For more details on any component, see Access Component Descriptions.

Table 1–3 Java ES Access Components


Component	Access Services Provided
Sun Java System Directory Proxy Server	Provides security services for Directory Server from outside a corporate firewall. Directory Proxy Server provides directory access control,and routing for multiple Directory Server instances.
Sun Java System Web Proxy Server	Provides for caching, filtering, and distribution of web content for both outgoing and incoming internet requests.
Sun Java System Communications Express	Provides web-based access to Messaging Server, Calendar Server, and Directory Server, depending on configuration.
Sun Java System Portal Server Secure Remote Access	Provides secure, Internet access from outside a corporate firewall to Portal Server content and services, including internal portals.

Sun Java System Connector for Microsoft Outlook	Provides desktop clients using Microsoft Outlook with an interface to both Messaging Server and Calendar Server.

Administrative Components

Administrative components provide management functions, such as configuration and monitoring, for system services. The administrative components included in Java Enterprise System and the services that they provide are shown in the following table. For more details on any component, see Administrative Component Descriptions.

Table 1–4 Java ES Administrative Components


Component	Administrative Services Provided
Sun Java System Administration Server (and Console)	Provides a graphical administration tool that lets you configure and manage Directory Server and Messaging Server.
Sun Java System Directory Preparation Tool	Provides a script for configuring Directory Server with the schema needed to provision users for Messaging Server and Calendar Server.
Sun Java System Delegated Administrator	Provides both command-line and GUI tools for populating user entries in Directory Server with user attributes needed by Messaging Server and Calendar Server.

Shared Components

Java Enterprise System includes a number of locally installed shared libraries upon which many system service components and service quality components depend. Java ESshared components provide local services to Java ES components running on the same host computer.

Shared components are often used to provide portability across different operating systems. Examples of Java Enterprise System shared components include: Java 2 Platform, Standard Edition (J2SE^TM platform), Netscape Portable Runtime (NSPR), Network Security Services (NSS), Network Security Services for Java (JSS), and so forth. For a complete list, see Shared Components.

Shared components are installed automatically by the Java ES installer depending on the system service and service quality components that are being installed.