This preface contains information about and conventions for the entire Oracle GlassFish Server (GlassFish Server) documentation set.
GlassFish Server is developed through the GlassFish project open-source community at . The GlassFish project provides a structured process for developing the GlassFish Server platform that makes the new features of the Java EE platform available faster, while maintaining the most important feature of Java EE: compatibility. It enables Java developers to access the GlassFish Server source code and to contribute to the development of the GlassFish Server. The GlassFish project is designed to encourage communication between Oracle engineers and the community.
The following topics are addressed here:
The GlassFish Server documentation set describes deployment planning and system installation. For an introduction to GlassFish Server, refer to the books in the order in which they are listed in the following table.
| Book Title | Description |
|---|---|
| Release Notes | Provides late-breaking information about the software and the documentation and includes a comprehensive, table-based summary of the supported hardware, operating system, Java Development Kit (JDK), and database drivers. |
| Quick Start Guide | Explains how to get started with the GlassFish Server product. |
| Installation Guide | Explains how to install the software and its components. |
| Upgrade Guide | Explains how to upgrade to the latest version of GlassFish Server. This guide also describes differences between adjacent product releases and configuration options that can result in incompatibility with the product specifications. |
| Deployment Planning Guide | Explains how to build a production deployment of GlassFish Server that meets the requirements of your system and enterprise. |
| Administration Guide | Explains how to configure, monitor, and manage GlassFish Server subsystems and components from the command line by using the asadmin utility. Instructions for performing these tasks from the Administration Console are provided in the Administration Console online help. |
| Security Guide | Provides instructions for configuring and administering GlassFish Server security. |
| Application Deployment Guide | Explains how to assemble and deploy applications to the GlassFish Server and provides information about deployment descriptors. |
| Application Development Guide | Explains how to create and implement Java Platform, Enterprise Edition (Java EE platform) applications that are intended to run on the GlassFish Server. These applications follow the open Java standards model for Java EE components and application programmer interfaces (APIs). This guide provides information about developer tools, security, and debugging. |
| Add-On Component Development Guide | Explains how to use published interfaces of GlassFish Server to develop add-on components for GlassFish Server. This document explains how to perform only those tasks that ensure that the add-on component is suitable for GlassFish Server. |
| Embedded Server Guide | Explains how to run applications in embedded GlassFish Server and to develop applications in which GlassFish Server is embedded. |
| High Availability Administration Guide | Explains how to configure GlassFish Server to provide higher availability and scalability through failover and load balancing. |
| Performance Tuning Guide | Explains how to optimize the performance of GlassFish Server. |
| Troubleshooting Guide | Describes common problems that you might encounter when using GlassFish Server and explains how to solve them. |
| Error Message Reference | Describes error messages that you might encounter when using GlassFish Server. |
| Reference Manual | Provides reference information in man page format for GlassFish Server administration commands, utility commands, and related concepts. |
| Message Queue Release Notes | Describes new features, compatibility issues, and existing bugs for GlassFish Server Message Queue. |
| Message Queue Technical Overview | Provides an introduction to the technology, concepts, architecture, capabilities, and features of the Message Queue messaging service. |
| Message Queue Administration Guide | Explains how to set up and manage a Message Queue messaging system. |
| Message Queue Developer's Guide for JMX Clients | Describes the application programming interface in Message Queue for programmatically configuring and monitoring Message Queue resources in conformance with the Java Management Extensions (JMX). |
| Message Queue Developer's Guide for Java Clients | Provides information about concepts and procedures for developing Java messaging applications (Java clients) that work with GlassFish Server. |
| Message Queue Developer's Guide for C Clients | Provides programming and reference information for developers working with Message Queue who want to use the C language binding to the Message Queue messaging service to send, receive, and process Message Queue messages. |
The following tutorials explain how to develop Java EE applications:
Your First Cup: An Introduction to the Java EE Platform (). For beginning Java EE programmers, this short tutorial explains the entire process for developing a simple enterprise application. The sample application is a web application that consists of a component that is based on the Enterprise JavaBeans specification, a JAX-RS web service, and a JavaServer Faces component for the web front end.
The Java EE 6 Tutorial (). This comprehensive tutorial explains how to use Java EE 6 platform technologies and APIs to develop Java EE applications.
Javadoc tool reference documentation for packages that are provided with GlassFish Server is available as follows.
The API specification for version 6 of Java EE is located at .
The API specification for GlassFish Server 3.1.2, including Java EE 6 platform packages and nonplatform packages that are specific to the GlassFish Server product, is located at .
Additionally, the Java EE Specifications () might be useful.
For information about creating enterprise applications in the NetBeans Integrated Development Environment (IDE), see the NetBeans Documentation, Training & Support page ().
For information about the Java DB database for use with the GlassFish Server, see the Java DB product page ().
The Java EE Samples project is a collection of sample applications that demonstrate a broad range of Java EE technologies. The Java EE Samples are bundled with the Java EE Software Development Kit (SDK) and are also available from the Java EE Samples project page ().
The following table describes the typographic changes that are used in this book.
| Typeface | Meaning | Example |
|---|---|---|
AaBbCc123 |
The names of commands, files, and directories, and onscreen computer output | Edit your .login file.
Use
|
AaBbCc123 |
What you type, contrasted with onscreen computer output | machine_name% su
|
| AaBbCc123 | A placeholder to be replaced with a real name or value | The command to remove a file is rm filename. |
| AaBbCc123 | Book titles, new terms, and terms to be emphasized (note that some emphasized items appear bold online) | Read Chapter 6 in the User's Guide.
A cache is a copy that is stored locally. Do not save the file. |
The following table explains symbols that might be used in this book.
| Symbol | Description | Example | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
[ ] |
Contains optional arguments and command options. | ls [-l] |
The -l option is not required. |
{ | } |
Contains a set of choices for a required command option. | -d {y|n} |
The -d option requires that you use either the y argument or the n argument. |
${ } |
Indicates a variable reference. | ${com.sun.javaRoot} |
References the value of the com.sun.javaRoot variable. |
| - | Joins simultaneous multiple keystrokes. | Control-A | Press the Control key while you press the A key. |
| + | Joins consecutive multiple keystrokes. | Ctrl+A+N | Press the Control key, release it, and then press the subsequent keys. |
| > | Indicates menu item selection in a graphical user interface. | File > New > Templates | From the File menu, choose New. From the New submenu, choose Templates. |
The following table describes the default paths and file names that are used in this book.
| Placeholder | Description | Default Value |
|---|---|---|
| as-install | Represents the base installation directory for GlassFish Server.
In configuration files, as-install is represented as follows:
|
Installations on the Oracle Solaris operating system, Linux operating system, and Mac OS operating system:
user's-home-directory Installations on the Windows operating system: SystemDrive |
| as-install-parent | Represents the parent of the base installation directory for GlassFish Server. | Installations on the Oracle Solaris operating system, Linux operating system, and Mac operating system:
user's-home-directory Installations on the Windows operating system: SystemDrive |
| domain-root-dir | Represents the directory in which a domain is created by default. | as-install/domains/ |
| domain-dir | Represents the directory in which a domain's configuration is stored.
In configuration files, domain-dir is represented as follows:
|
domain-root-dir/domain-name |
| instance-dir | Represents the directory for a server instance. | domain-dir/instance-name |
The Oracle web site provides information about the following additional resources:
Besides searching Oracle product documentation from the Oracle Documentation () web site, you can use a search engine by typing the following syntax in the search field:
search-term site:oracle.com
For example, to search for "broker," type the following:
broker site:oracle.com
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