JBoss for Java Developers

This class is an in-depth introduction to J2EE and JBoss Application Server. It focuses on a hands-on approach to development with emphasis on the labs. The format is 50% theory, 50% labs. No prior knowledge of J2EE is required. Basic Java programming knowledge is required. This training is only available onsite. It is a 4 day course and based on JBoss 4.x series.

Course Modules

1. Introduction to J2EE
   This module gives you an overview of the J2EE platform architecture, what is J2EE and what is the motivation behind the design of the platform, the components that comprise the J2EE platform, overview to the packaging and description of roles in the J2EE development and management.
2. Naming Services and JNDI
   Describes the J2EE Naming Services, its role and how it is used. Explains the basics of the Java Naming and Directory Interface (JNDI) and its configuration. Also covers some details of JBossNS, the naming service implementation used by the JBoss application server.
3. Servlets
   Background and motivation of the Java Servlet specification and an overview to the servlet architecture. Covers basic HTTP request and parameter handling, HTTP Sessions, filters and web application lifecycle events. Also covers the Web Archive (WAR) packaging, how to use JBoss specific deployment descriptors for servlet configuration, and how to configure Tomcat connectors. We will also show how to collect web-tier statistics from the JBoss web-console, including min and max request times, number of active sessions, etc...
4. JSP
   Background and motivation of the Java Server Pages specification and an overview to the JSP implementation. Covers JSP tags and directives, introduces MVC architecture with JSP and how to do live modifications on your JSP pages with JBoss expanded directory deployments.
5. Introduction to EJB
   Basic introduction to Enterprise JavaBeans. This module explains the case for server-side components, the declarative programming approach of EJB components, shows how EJB insulates "business code" from system code. Introduces the different kinds of EJB components: session, entity and message beans. Students will also be familiarized with the different proxy types; local, remote and home, and how their use affects their application performance and how JBoss uses smart proxy technology to add ease-of-use to standard EJB development. We will also have a quick overview into JBoss interceptor-based container architecture.
6. Stateless Session Beans
   This module covers the stateless session bean in detail. Home and Remote interfaces, bean implementation and packaging and deployment. Also bean lifecycle, pooling and concurrency issues are covered, how to configure session bean pool sizes and custom interceptor stacks in JBoss, and how to monitor invocation statistics from the JBoss web-console.
7. Stateful Session Beans
   This module covers the stateful sesion bean in detail. It goes through the basics of creating Home and Remote interfaces, packaging and deployment and compares the differences between stateless and stateful session beans. Also we will learn how to create custom container configurations in JBoss, how to do basic JNDI mappings, how to configure Stateful Session Bean cache, and how to configure your Stateful Session Bean for clustering in JBoss.
8. Entity Beans
   Covers entity beans in detail including all required interfaces, lifecycle, primary key classes and finder methods. Issues of concurrency, pooling and packaging and deployment are covered. You will learn how to construct composite primary keys, how to configure different commit options, and how to manage basic datasource configuration.
9. Transaction Assembly
   In this module we focus on the intuitive visual assembly of flows and how the transactional declarative tags of EJB allows developers to control atomic units of work in JBoss. We will have a quick overview into the two phase commit protocol and how to handle exceptions and rollbacks with EJB API.
10. EJB 2.0 Container Managed Persistence
    This module covers the new features of container managed persistence introduced in the 2.0 version of the EJB spec. Also includes the EJB Query language and CMR (Container Managed Relationships). You will also learn how to map your primary and foreign keys in your database schema with JBossCMP, how to create auto-incremented columns, indices and extend EJB-QL queries with JBossQL extensions.
11. J2EE Security and JBoss
    Overview of the J2EE security topics: how to add access control to web applications, how to authenticate users, how to control access to EJB components. This module also shows you how to setup and configure the security for your JBoss installation.
12. Java Message Service
    Introduction to the Java Messaging, and the JMS API: point-to-point and publish-subscribe messaging models, JMS Transactions and how to integrate JMS with EJB. Also an in-depth look in to Message Driven Beans (MDB) that allows asynchronous communication with the EJB layer. Shows you how to create message beans, transactions and deployment.
13. Web Services for J2EE (WS4EE)
    Overview into architecture and implementation of J2EE 1.4 web services specification. Learn how to expose your EJB components via Web Services Definition Language (WSDL) and enable them for remote XML RPC invocations. You will learn the basic approach of integrating your JBoss application server with legacy enterprise middleware and .NET.
14. JMX and JBoss Microkernel
    General overview to the Java Management extensions (JMX) specification and JBoss Microkernel architecture. You will learn how to create your own system level components with JBoss and how to extend the application server for your customization needs. How to package and deploy JBoss Service Archives (SAR).
15. J2EE Tools
    We will kick start you into basic J2EE development using the popular Open Source tools Ant and XDoclet. After mastering the basics of J2EE and JBoss development, learn how to take advantage of these powerful tools to ease your build and development of JBoss applications. Automate your build processes with Ant, and integrate it with XDoclet to automate your EJB deployment descriptor, interface and value object generation.