Application assembly is the process of creating an enterprise archive (EAR) file containing all files related to an application, as well as an XML deployment descriptor for the application. This configuration and packaging prepares the application for deployment onto an application server.
EAR files are comprised of the following archives:
Ensure that modules are contained in an EAR file so that they can be deployed onto the server. The exceptions are WAR modules, which you can deploy individually. Although WAR modules can contain regular JAR files, they cannot contain the other module types described previously.
The assembly process includes the following actions:
As you configure properties using an assembly tool, the tool generates the deployment descriptor for you. While the Application Server Toolkit or Rational Application Developer graphical interface is recommended, you can also edit descriptors directly in your favorite XML editor.
As part of the assembly process, you might also set environment-specific
binding information. These bindings are defaults for an administrator to use
when installing the application through the administrative console. Further,
you might define IBM extensions to the J2EE specification, such as to allow
servlets to be served by class name. To ensure portability to other application
servers, these extensions are saved in an XML file that is separate from the
standard J2EE deployment descriptor.