Mike Hogeboom wrote:
>
> Hi,
>
> I've been asked by my company to research the possibility of using Avalon.
> But I'm confused. Avalon is a server framework but is it a framework to
> build a server from the ground up. Or can you place it on top of an existing
> web server with a servlet engine. Some information suggests that it loads
> the server other suggests its put on top of a server. I know that it's
> purpose is to maintian a common framework for server applications using
> Java(which is why they asked me to look at it). I've looked at Jesktop and
> Cocoon but I'm still not sure.
The Avalon Documentation is under construction, and will clear these issues
up when it is done. In the mean time, I will tell you what Avalon is.
Avalon is a project that contains several subprojects. The Subprojects are:
Framework, Excalibur (and scratchpad), LogKit, Testlet, Cornerstone, and
Phoenix.
Framework, Excalibur, and LogKit are of interest to anyone who wants to
write components that opperate in a server side environment.
Framework is the definition of interfaces and contracts surrounding the interfaces
along with some default implementations of some of the interfaces.
Excalibur is a collection of Avalon Components that make development alot easier.
LogKit is the official logging mechanism of Avalon. This will change when
the JSR for java logging is finalized.
Testlet is the testing framework that Avalon uses to excercise it's components.
Cornerstone and Phoenix are completely server related, and are used to build
servers.
Cornerstone is a collection of server Blocks that make development alot easier.
Phoenix is the server kernel that manages Blocks, and automatically assembles
your server.
All that being said, the answer to your question "Is Avalon a server framework
or is Avalon a server-side framework" is "yes". It has parts that make it both.
Because the Avalon team recognized that it incorporated pieces that focused on
different concerns, we broke it up into smaller subprojects that focused on
the different concern areas.
It all starts with Avalon Framework--so if you have code that you want to
embed in a server environment (i.e. a Servlet) then you would use this code.
Avalon Excalibur is an extention of that Framework, and provides object pooling
code and IO utility code, as well as a component management framework that
automatically enforces many of the contracts in the Avalon Framework. This is
what Cocoon 2 uses.
When your needs grow, and you need to create a server, then you start to look
at Cornerstone and Phoenix. This is wat Jesktop and JAMES use. Phoenix provides
a framework and deployment management system for Server ARchives and Block ARchives
(.sar files and .bar files respectively). Cornerstone provides common server
facilities like a net socket management service, and others like that.
Our work is cut out for us to rebrand the Avalon name :).
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