Preface


This preface describes the iAS documentation set and illustrates what you can expect to find in this Programmer's Guide.

This preface contains the following sections:

• Using the Documentation

• About This Guide

• What You Should Already Know

• How This Guide Is Organized

• Documentation Conventions

• Related Information

Using the Documentation

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The following table lists the tasks and concepts that are described in the iPlanet Application Server (iAS) and iPlanet Application Builder (iAB) printed manuals and online read-me file. If you are trying to accomplish a specific task or learn more about a specific concept, refer to the appropriate manual.

Note that the printed manuals are also available as online files in PDF and HTML format.

Table 1 iAS documentation Roadmap

For information about	See the following	Shipped with
Late-breaking information about the software and the documentation	readme.htm	iAS 6.0, iAB 6.0
Installing iPlanet Application Server and its various components (Web Connector plug-in, iPlanet Application Server Administrator), and configuring the sample applications	Installation Guide	iAS 6.0
Installing iPlanet Application Builder.	install.htm	iAB 6.0
Basic features of iAS, such as its software components, general capabilities, and system architecture.	Overview	iAS 6.0 Developer Edition (Solaris), iAS 6.0, iAB 6.0
Administering one or more application servers using the iPlanet Application Server Administrator tool to perform the following tasks: Deploying applications with the Deployment Manager tool Monitoring and logging server activity Setting up users and groups Administering database connectivity Administering transactions Load balancing servers Managing distributed data synchronization	Administration and Deployment Guide	iAS 6.0
Migrating your applications to the new iPlanet Application Server 6.0 programming model from version 2.1 & 4.0, including a sample migration of an Online Bank application provided with iPlanet Application Server	Migration Guide	iiAS 6.0, iAB 6.0
Creating iAS 6.0 applications within an integrated development environment by performing the following tasks: Creating and managing projects Using wizards Creating data-access logic Creating presentation logic and layout Creating business logic Compiling, testing, and debugging applications Deploying and downloading applications Working with source control Using third-party tools	User's Guide	iAB 6.0
Creating iAS 6.0 applications that follow the new open Java standards model (Servlets, EJBs, JSPs, and JDBC), by performing the following tasks: Creating the presentation and execution layers of an application Placing discrete pieces of business logic and entities into Enterprise Java Bean (EJB) components Using JDBC to communicate with databases Using iterative testing, debugging, and application fine-tuning procedures to generate applications that execute correctly and quickly	Programmer's Guide (Java)	iAS 6.0, iAB 6.0
Using the public classes and interfaces, and their methods in the Netscape Application Server class library to write Java applications	Server Foundation Class Reference (Java)	iAS 6.0, iAB 6.0
Creating iAS C++ applications using the iAS class library by performing the following tasks: Designing applications Writing AppLogics Creating HTML templates Creating queries Running and debugging applications	Programmer's Guide (C++)	Order separately
Using the public classes and interfaces, and their methods in the Netscape Application Server class library to write C++ applications	Server Foundation Class Reference (C++)	Order separately

About This Guide

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This guide describes how to create J2EE applications intended to run on the iPlanet Application Server.

This guide is intended for information technology developers in the corporate enterprise who want to extend client-server applications to a broader audience through the World Wide Web. In addition to describing programming concepts and tasks, this guide offers sample code, implementation tips, and reference material that includes a glossary.

What You Should Already Know

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This guide assumes you are familiar with the following topics:

• the Java 2 Platform, Enterprise Edition (J2EE) specification

• the Internet and World Wide Web

• Hypertext Markup Language (HTML)

• Java programming

• JavaSoft APIs as defined in specifications for Enterprise JavaBeans, JavaServer Pages, and JDBC

• structured database query languages such as SQL

• relational database concepts

• software development processes, including debugging and source code control

How This Guide Is Organized

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This guide is organized into fourteen chapters and two appendixes, loosely arranged into several parts.

The first part provides an overview for designing programs for the iPlanet Application Server environment. This part includes:

• Chapter 1 "Designing iAS Applications

The next part describes the programming tasks associated with presentation logic and page design. This part includes the following topics:

• Chapter 2 "Controlling Applications with Servlets

• Chapter 3 "Presenting Application Pages with JavaServer Pages

The next part describes the programming tasks associated with business logic and data access. This part includes the following topics:

• Chapter 4 "Introducing Enterprise JavaBeans

• Chapter 5 "Using Session EJBs to Manage Business Rules

• Chapter 6 "Building Business Entity EJBs

• Chapter 7 "Handling Transactions with EJBs

• Chapter 8 "Using JDBC for Database Access

• Chapter 9 "Rich Client

The next part describes issues that affect all parts of an application. This part includes the following topics:

• Chapter 10 "Packaging for Deployment

• Chapter 11 "Creating and Managing User Sessions

• Chapter 12 "Writing Secure Applications

• Chapter 13 "Taking Advantage of iAS Features

The appendixes include the following reference material:

• Appendix A "Using the Java Message Service

• Appendix B "Dynamic Reloading

• Appendix C "Sample Deployment Files

Finally, a Glossary and Index are provided.

Documentation Conventions

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File and directory paths are given in Windows format (with backslashes separating directory names). For Unix versions, the directory paths are the same, except that slashes are used instead of backslashes to separate directories.

This guide uses URLs of the form:

http://server.domain/path/file.html

In these URLs, server is the name of server on which you run your application; domain is your Internet domain name; path is the directory structure on the server; and file is an individual filename. Italic items in URLs are placeholders.

This guide uses the following font conventions:

• The monospace font is used for sample code and code listings, API and language elements (such as function names and class names), file names, pathnames, directory names, and HTML tags.

• Italic type is used for book titles, emphasis, variables and placeholders, and words used in the literal sense.

Related Information

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You can find a directory of URLs for the official specifications at installdir/ias/docs/index.htm.

Additionally, we recommend the following resources:

Programming with Servlets and JSPs

Java Servlet Programming, by Jason Hunter, O'Reilly Publishing

Java Threads, 2nd Edition, by Scott Oaks & Henry Wong, O'Reilly Publishing

The web site http://www.servletcentral.com

Programming with EJBs

Enterprise JavaBeans, by Richard Monson-Haefel, O'Reilly Publishing

The web site http://ejbhome.iona.com

Programming with JDBC

Database Programming with JDBC and Java, by George Reese, O'Reilly Publishing

JDBC Database Access With Java: A Tutorial and Annotated Reference (Java Series), by Graham Hamilton, Rick Cattell, Maydene Fisher