Russell, et al.
I am using JBoss as my EJB server, but I have a decoupled Tomcat-4.1.12 installation hosting Axis. I think that (minus a few Sun RI vs. JBoss issues) the problem domain is nearly identical. I can appreciate your pain in getting this to work. It was no cake walk, but I'm happy to share what I have.
Phase one, general Tomcat -> JBoss integration (mileage will vary for Sun RI customers...) -- slightly off-topic, but since Axis is a servlet application: somewhat applicable.
Include five magic jars in the $CATALINA_HOME/common/lib directory (why the j2ee.jar from Sun is causing problems for some, I have no idea -- maybe some additional jars?!?)
jboss-j2ee.jar
jboss-client.jar
jboss-common-client.jar
jbosssx-client.jar
jnp-client.jar
Allow Tomcat to know about initial context stuff for JNDI naming. I have no idea if this is required for Axis (since JNDI info is in the deployment descriptor), but my Tomcat is setup this way so it might help ;-) This is one long line, which will doubtless get wrapped. It defines three properties that control JNDI context. Two of these are specified in the deployment descriptor below (as well).
CATALINA_OPTS=-Djava.naming.factory.initial=org.jnp.interfaces.NamingContextFactory -Djava.naming.provider.url="localhost:1099" -Djava.naming.factory.url.pkgs=org.jboss.naming:org.jnp.interfaces
Once that was done, my servlets could call EJBs that were running in JBoss! So, I wrote some simple Java objects that I let Axis morph into webservices (using Java2WSDL & WSDL2Java). That was fine, but the extra work and indirection seemed wasteful. Then, I saw all the posts to the mailing list regarding the EJB provider. I started looking for documentation. I went back to the mailing list.... I watched more posts. I took the best and the worst of the code/wsdd snippits. Then I went to work turning them into something that worked for me. Tada,
Here is my deployment descriptor for Axis (with some comments)....
<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>
<deployment xmlns="http://xml.apache.org/axis/wsdd/"
xmlns:java="http://xml.apache.org/axis/wsdd/providers/java"
xmlns:commonns="http://common.polk.collaborative.bw.com">
<!-- xmlns:commonns is my namespace for my common elements (i.e. complex types). -->
<!-- I put the remote interface, home interface, and all my complex data types into
the same java namespace. That namespace is represented above is somesort of
funky xml-ification that I don't fully understand. -->
<service name="polk" provider="java:EJB">
<!-- the following is particular to your deployment of your SessionBean -->
<parameter name="beanJndiName" value="ejb/Polk"/>
<!-- the following are particular to your SessionBean -->
<parameter name="homeInterfaceName" value="com.bw.collaborative.polk.common.PolkHome"/>
<parameter name="remoteInterfaceName" value="com.bw.collaborative.polk.common.Polk"/>
<!-- I used this to filter out the inheirited EJB methods -->
<parameter name="allowedMethods" value="vinDecode,vinDecode2,vinDecode3,listAllYears,listAllManufacturers,getManufacturersForYear,getModelsForManufacturer,getPolkDetailForModel"/>
<!-- This is JBoss's JNDI stuff; non-JBoss users will have a different URL and Class -->
<!-- Also, I used a real hostname instead of just localhost. -->
<!-- Also(2), I have no idea if the usually "defaults" will be used by the naming context factory, if you don't specify port and protocol -->
<parameter name="jndiURL" value="jnp://bw003838:1099"/>
<parameter name="jndiContextClass" value="org.jnp.interfaces.NamingContextFactory"/>
<!-- these are my complex types -->
<!-- qname is the class name in that funky namespace from above
type is the java class
my complex types are JavaBeans, so I used axis' supplied serializer/deserializer (whew!)
encoding style(?) -- I just copied this from somewhere else -->
<typeMapping
qname="commonns:VinDecodeValue"
type="java:com.bw.collaborative.polk.common.VinDecodeValue"
serializer="org.apache.axis.encoding.ser.BeanSerializerFactory"
deserializer="org.apache.axis.encoding.ser.BeanDeserializerFactory"
encodingStyle="http://schemas.xmlsoap.org/soap/encoding/"/>
<typeMapping
qname="commonns:YearValue"
type="java:com.bw.collaborative.polk.common.YearValue"
serializer="org.apache.axis.encoding.ser.BeanSerializerFactory"
deserializer="org.apache.axis.encoding.ser.BeanDeserializerFactory"
encodingStyle="http://schemas.xmlsoap.org/soap/encoding/"/>
<typeMapping
qname="commonns:ManufacturerValue"
type="java:com.bw.collaborative.polk.common.ManufacturerValue"
serializer="org.apache.axis.encoding.ser.BeanSerializerFactory"
deserializer="org.apache.axis.encoding.ser.BeanDeserializerFactory"
encodingStyle="http://schemas.xmlsoap.org/soap/encoding/"/>
<typeMapping
qname="commonns:ModelValue"
type="java:com.bw.collaborative.polk.common.ModelValue"
serializer="org.apache.axis.encoding.ser.BeanSerializerFactory"
deserializer="org.apache.axis.encoding.ser.BeanDeserializerFactory"
encodingStyle="http://schemas.xmlsoap.org/soap/encoding/"/>
<typeMapping
qname="commonns:PolkDetailValue"
type="java:com.bw.collaborative.polk.common.PolkDetailValue"
serializer="org.apache.axis.encoding.ser.BeanSerializerFactory"
deserializer="org.apache.axis.encoding.ser.BeanDeserializerFactory"
encodingStyle="http://schemas.xmlsoap.org/soap/encoding/"/>
</service>
</deployment>
Axis will have to have access to all the public parts of your EJB. That means the Remote Interface, Home Interface and all the complex types being used as parameters. I just copied them into the WEB-INF/classes directory, but you could just as easily jar them up and put them in lib (I assume).
Now, here's the difficult part. Sometimes, you get really helpful messages spewing in the Tomcat logs/windows -- sometimes not. Several times, I found myself confronted with "nothing worked and there don't seem to be any errors." Regardless of that past pain (much of which I have tried to block out), this is what does work -- for me and this particular session bean.
Hope this helps some others.
--- bhw
-----Original Message-----
From: Russell Brown [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]]
Sent: Wednesday, November 06, 2002 12:42 PM
To: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Subject: RE: EJBs deployed as webservices continued
Objectman,
I am not using jBoss but the sun RI ( j2sdkee1.3 ). Also I am not trying to deploy axis into the J2EE app server as a web client to the bean. What I have is a working bean deployed into the RI container. I then deploy the Bean in Axis as a webservice ( under Tomcat ) with a wsdd. The deployment throws no errors and ( it appears that it ?) succeeds ( running the axis client shows it in the list ) but all the axis servlets stop displaying ( wierd ).
No, all I need is a way for Tomcat to find the class javax.ejb.EJBObject and I am laughing, however whereever I put the j2ee.jar I get badness.
If its under the %TOMCAT_HOME%/webbapps/axis/WEB-INF/lib dir its ignored ( no class def error )
If its under %TOMCAT_HOME%/lib dir its ignored ( no class def error )
If its under %TOMCAT_HOME%/server/libdir its ignored ( no class def error )
if its under %TOMCAT_HOME%/common/lib then Tomcat will not start, it throws a no class def error on org/apache/ajp/tomcat4/Ajp13Connector . Which is just as wierd 'cos I haven't removed anything, I've just added the j2ee.jar.
I'll try a cross post to tomcat_users list on this. I'm sure if I tried the Axis into jBoss ( or even jBoss into Axis ) trail it would work, but I am bloody minded, and if docs say "this works" I am going to make it work sooner or later ( or go mad )
Thanks for your help
Russell
-----Original Message-----
From: objectman [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]]
Sent: 06 November 2002 18:15
To: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Subject: Re: EJBs deployed as webservices continued
You directory hierarchy should look like the following.
/whereverYouJBossIs/server/default/deploy/axis.war
Under axis.war is where you need to place the axis distribution.
Once that is in place. Restart the jboss server. You can test your
installation by
placing a simple test case class in the WEB-INF subdir of the axis.war
distribution.
Name the java source test.jws. Then, point your web browser to
http://yourhostname:8080/axis/test.jws
----- Original Message -----
From: "Russell Brown" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
To: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
Sent: Wednesday, November 06, 2002 9:00 AM
Subject: EJBs deployed as webservices continued
Hi again,
Thanks everyone for all your help to date: here is where I am now.
I bought the Axis book from wrox, and read the short appendix on deploying
EJBs as web services. They added the step of putting the jBoss jars into the
lib directory of Tomcat ( a new one on me ).
Not being on jBoss I added the j2ee.jar to the lib ( since I'm using Sun's
RI ). Now when I deploy the service I get the same basic behaviour which is:
Browsing the service URL results in a blank html page.
Browsing the services url?wsdl results in a blank html page.
Running the admin client list function shows that the service is deployed.
Browsing the list of deployed services in Axis shows a blank html page ( not
even the original getVersion service et al )
BUT
browsing these services urls and url?wsdl works.
Curious.
So I wrote a client for the web service which when I run returns a huge
amount of error data, sifting through which gets me :
<b>root cause</b> <pre>java.lan g.NoClassDefFoundError: javax/ejb/EJBObject
at java.lang.ClassLoader.defineClass0(Native Method) .
Which is at least progress.
So any ideas on what to do now, I've certainly RTFM and it hasn't helped.
The j2ee.jar is on the claspath, and in the Tomcat lib dir and in the
WEB-INF lib dir for Axis but still Tomcat cannot find the
javax/ejb/EJBObject class.
If anyone can even give me mild encouragement I will buy them booze!!!
Thanks in advance
Russell
Russell Brown
Application Developer
Freeserve.com Plc
The Malthouse, Chadwick Street, Leeds LS10 1LJ
Telephone: 0113 222 9110
