Overview of J2EE Features and Services

The Java™ 2 Platform, Enterprise Edition (or J2EE™ Platform) includes features and services that are available as resources to all J2EE applications and modules. The Sun™ Open Net Environment (Sun ONE) Application Server 7, a J2EE 1.3 compliant server, provides access to these resources. This guide describes the following features:

• Java™ Database Connectivity (JDBC™) API
• Transaction Service
• Java Naming and Directory Interface™ (JNDI) API
• Java™ Message Service (JMS) API
• JavaMail™ API

Java™ Database Connectivity (JDBC™) API

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The standard way to connect to a database from a J2EE application or module is through a JDBC driver. Sun ONE Application Server supports the core JDBC 3.0 API and the JDBC 2.0 extensions and works with a wide range of JDBC Compliant™ drivers. A JDBC resource associates a JDBC driver and database to a JNDI name that applications and modules can reference.

For information about the JDBC API in the Sun ONE Application Server, see "Using the JDBC™ API for Database Access."

Transaction Service

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The purpose of a transaction is to ensure that data is updated in an all-or-nothing fashion in order to preserve data integrity. The transaction service provides transactional resource managers for the JDBC API, the JMS API, and resource adapters (connector modules). In the Sun ONE Application Server, you can configure transactions and reference them using the JNDI API.

For information about transactions in Sun ONE Application Server, see "Using the Transaction Service."

Java Naming and Directory Interface™ (JNDI) API

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The JNDI API allows application components and clients to look up distributed resources, services, and EJB™ components. The J2EE resources described in this guide are made available through the JNDI API. External JNDI resources and custom resources are also configurable in the Sun ONE Application Server.

For information about the JNDI API in the Sun ONE Application Server, see "Using the Java Naming and Directory Interface™."

Java™ Message Service (JMS) API

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The JMS API provides a common way for J2EE applications and modules to create, send, receive, and read messages in a distributed environment. The fully integrated JMS provider for Sun ONE Application Server is the Sun™ Open Net Environment (Sun ONE) Message Queue software. JMS queues, topics, and message destinations are made available through the JNDI API.

For information about the JMS API in the Sun ONE Application Server, see "Using the Java™ Message Service."

JavaMail™ API

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The JavaMail API allows J2EE applications to create, send, receive, and read mail messages. The JavaMail API includes support for the IMAP4, POP3, and SMTP mail protocols. JavaMail sessions are made available through the JNDI API.

For information about the JavaMail API in the Sun ONE Application Server, see "Using the JavaMail™ API."