WebSphere Application Server uses the classes and other
code that comprise a Resource Adapter Archive (RAR) file to support
the resource adapters that you configure.
Before you begin
A RAR file, which is often called a J2EE Connector Architecture
(JCA) connector, must comply with the JCA Specification. Meet these
requirements by using a supported assembly tool (as described in the
Assembly tools article) to assemble a collection
of Java archive (JAR) files, other runnable components, utility classes,
and so on, into a deployable RAR file. Then you are ready to install
your RAR file in Application Server.
About this task
A RAR file provides the classes and other code to support
a resource adapter for access to a specific enterprise information
system (EIS), such as the Customer Information Control System (CICS).
Hence you configure resource adapters for an EIS only after you install
the appropriate RAR file.
Important: When you use the Install
RAR dialog to installing a RAR file, the scope you define on the
Resource Adapters page has no effect on where the RAR file is installed.
You can install RAR files only at the node level, which you specify
on the Install RAR page. To set the scope of an RAR file to a specific
cluster, or server, after you install the RAR file at each
node level, create a new copy of the RAR file with the appropriate
cluster or server scope.
Procedure
- Click Resources.
- Click Resource Adapters.
- Click Install RAR. The Install RAR button
opens a dialog for both installing a RAR file and configuring an associated
resource adapter. Only click New if you want to configure a
new resource adapter for a previously installed RAR file.
- Browse to find the appropriate RAR file.
- If your RAR file is located on your local workstation, select Local
path and browse to find the file.
- If your RAR file is located on your server, select Server
path and specify the fully qualified path to the file.
- Click Next.
- Enter the resource adapter name and any other properties
needed under General Properties. If you install a JCA resource
adapter that includes Native path elements, consider the following:
If you have more than one native path element, and one of the native
libraries (native library A) is dependent on another library (native
library B), then you must copy native library B to a system directory.
On some Windows systems and supported UNIX systems, an attempt to
load a native library does not look in the current directory.
- Click OK.
- Optional: Create a copy of the RAR file with
a different scope level. After you install the RAR file
at each node level you can create another copy of the file that has
a specific server or cluster as the scope for that file.
Note:
- If you do not create a copy of your RAR at the cluster scope,
then you will have to create identical factories (connection factories,
admin object, and activation specifications) at the node level for
each of your nodes in the cluster. By creating the copy of your RAR,
you provide a placeholder for your factories and circumvent the need
to create identical factories at the node level for each of your nodes
in the cluster.
- You must still install the RAR binaries (files, such as jars and
xml deployment files) on each node for the RAR to operate successfully.
- Click Resources.
- Click Resource Adapters.
- Select the scope level and then click NEW.
- Choose the RAR file from the installed aRChive path.
- Click OK.