(Just About) Everything You Wanted To Know About the Java EE 5 Application Server
If you are still considering whether or not to give the SAP NetWeaver Application Server Java EE 5 edition a test-run, now is definitely the time. The Java EE 5 preview has become the most popular download in SDN’s history. Which means that by the time we release a production version as part of the SAP NetWeaver Composition Environment, a serious number of applications will already be built and ready to deploy. Our developers have been busy publishing a ton of detailed information about the different aspects of using the application server with Java EE 5. The only trouble is that it can be a bit hard to find. So I’m using this blog to put it all in one place and provide you with a handy set of shortcuts to the most useful information for getting started with the preview.
FAQ
Collected from the Java EE 5 forums on SDN, this top level overview is worth reading before, and even after you begin an installation. Along with highlighting the key features of the new edition, it points you to the documentation and offers some troubleshooting tips (i.e. make sure that the password you set during installation is no longer than 9 characters). This wiki page will be continually updated.
Installation
Oliver Schmidt from SAP’s Platform Ecosystem Market Development Engineering team has written the SAP NetWeaver Application Server - Reloaded for installing and operating the Java EE 5 enhanced SAP NetWeaver Application Server preview. It goes from pre-installation considerations to startup and even covers the Web admin interface, complete with screenshots.
Persistence API
The whole point of the new Java EE 5 platform is to ease development. But how? Sabine Heider, a member of the SAP NetWeaver Application Server Java development team, put together a fantastic article explaining the basics of the new Java Persistence API for handling object-relational persistence.
Enterprise JavaBeans
EJB 3.0 and Java EE 5 make it easier than ever for the application developer to create an Enterprise JavaBean by introducing dependency injection, which allows you to annotate the corresponding field or property in your client with the @EJB annotation and have the container automatically inject the desired reference into your business logic. Trouble is, it doesn’t work in non-Java clients. That’s why Vladimir Pavlov from the SAP NetWeaver Application Server Java development team wrote this step-by-step guide for accessing EJBs deployed in the Java EE 5 Edition from non-Java EE clients.
Java EE 5 supports a truly astounding number of different standards. So many, in fact, that I’m going to save it for another blog. For now, though, it’s worth taking a couple of minutes to browse this complete list of the technology and standards being supported in the SAP NetWeaver Application Server Java EE 5 edition. After reading these articles and blogs, you’ll have a great foundation for SAPPHIRE. The key pods you’ll want to visit to learn even more about these and other topics that are central to the Java EE 5 edition are: Creating Applications for Enterprise SOA with SAP NetWeaver Composition Environment and Custom Development and Composition of Java and ABAP Applications. See you there.
