Overview

This section provides information about the following:

Introducing CES Java Server

CES Java Server provides a convenient and effective way to use your Web browser to access an CES database.

CES Java Server enables geographically dispersed administrators, product design groups, and procurement specialists, to access CES databases that are rich in component and supplier information from reference databases, company preferred parts and suppliers, and critical business information such as cost, lead-time, and supplier status and reliability.

CES Java Server is easy to learn. The architecture provides remote access to CES databases using a variety of operating systems. With only a Web browser, you can make changes or upgrades to the base product without changing code on user machines. CES Java features include the following:

  • Browse the class (category) hierarchy

  • Full parametric search capabilities

  • Item editing

  • Search by selecting from only valid values

  • View and select alternate items

  • Customize Search and Results forms

  • View data.sheets and other attachments

Architecture

This version of CES Java Server is implemented using the Java 2 platform, Enterprise Edition (J2EE). J2EE architecture consists of a set of related specifications that define a single standard for implementing and deploying enterprise applications. The typical J2EE Server has a container for Web applications and a container for EJBs. The Web container is the runtime environment for Java Server Page (JSP) files and servlets. The EJB container is the runtime environment that controls the EJBs. The J2EE Server also provides  services for the Java Naming and Directory Interface (JNDI), Security, and Messaging.

The CES Java Server currently runs on a WebSphere application server and enables you to use your Web browser, or standalone system, to access a client solution. CES Java Server is deployed once for each application server. The Web server is specified in the xdapi.cfg file. This file is referenced by the XDAPI CES Java server clients which use the XDAPI interface.

The CES Java Server includes the following:

  • Java Messaging Service (JMS)

  • Core Client Enterprise Java Beans (EJBs)

  • Java Transaction Service (JTS)

Java Database Connectivity (JDBC) Server Whether you access a client solution using a Web browser or a standalone system, the
EJBs handle all administrative tasks, configuration settings, and all business logic processing.

When you access a client solution through a Web browser, the client solution communicates with the EJBs using XDAPI. JSPs use XDAPI to send information to the EJBs and handle presentation of the output to the client.

When you access the client solution through a standalone system, the client solution communicates directly with the EJBs using XDAPI. The XDAPI set of Java classes and interfaces are used for both client application programming and CES custom function programming. XDAPI enables the CES Java Server client program to communicate with various CES Java servers to access and update data stored in an CES database.

Business objects are passed to and from the application server and the CES database using Java Database Connectivity (JDBC), a Java API that enables Java programs to execute SQL statements, thereby enabling Java programs to interact with any SQL-compliant database. Since nearly all relational database management systems support SQL and because Java itself runs on most platforms, JDBC makes it possible to write a single database application that can run on different platforms and interact with different database management systems.

 

A major addition to the architecture in this version is support for the call-back mechanism. This is required especially in the case of custom functions where there is a need to get a response from the client while the transaction is still underway. Synchronous point-to-point Java Messaging Service (JMS) technology is used to implement response callbacks. This works only if a client registers for response callbacks using XDAPI. The point-to-point JMS application is built around the concept of message queues, senders, and receivers. Each message is addressed to a specific queue, and receiving clients extract messages from the queue established to
hold their messages. The queue retains all of the messages until the messages are consumed or until the messages expire. In point-to-point messaging each message has only one subscriber. There are no timing dependencies between the sender and the receiver of the message.

Localization has been shifted totally to the client side in this version, which means that the client maintains the localization properties files to view the messages in its locale.