2003 Java Deployathon

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Introduction

The Java Deployathon is a demonstration of end-to-end portability. It illustrates the flexibility of applications running on wireless clients that comply with the Java 2 Platform, Micro Edition (J2ME) specifications, connected to servers that comply with the Java 2 Platform, Enterprise Edition (J2EE) specifications. Together, the J2ME and J2EE platforms define standards for developing multitier, mobile client-to-enterprise server applications.

If you're new to enterprise applications, a good way to learn about them is through the Java Blueprints. The Java Blueprints provide an integrated set of documentation and examples that describe and illustrate the best practices for developing and deploying enterprise applications. There are a number of Java Blueprints currently available, these include the Enterprise Blueprints and the Wireless Blueprints. The Enterprise Blueprints cover best practices for building enterprise applications and Web services using the J2EE platform. The Wireless Blueprints cover best practices for building J2ME-based wireless applications that connect to J2EE servers.

Accompanying the Wireless Blueprints is a sample application called Java Smart Ticket. It demonstrates a wireless client-to-enterprise server application for ordering movie tickets. A new version of the application, Java Smart Ticket 1.2, is the application that drives the Java Deployathon. You'll be able to run the Java Smart Ticket application on various J2ME-compliant clients and various J2EE-compliant servers when you run the Java Deployathon. There you'll see that the application runs with different clients and servers unchanged, and you'll validate that J2ME's and J2EE's promise of portability extends to end-to-end solutions. If you're attending the 2003 JavaOne Conference in San Francisco, you'll also have the chance to run Java Smart Ticket at vendor booths on the JavaOne Pavilion floor. On your way to the Pavilion, visit the "Device Playground". There you'll see a variety of mobile devices loaded with a number of different applications, including Java Smart Ticket 1.2. Try out the devices displayed there. See how the Java Smart Ticket 1.2 application runs unchanged on different devices.

Why is End-to-End Portability Important?

Portability is an extremely attractive aspect of the Java programming language. Applications coded in the Java language can run unchanged in many different types of stand-alone or client-server operating environments. J2EE extends the portability benefits of the Java language to the enterprise. It allows you to run applications across different types of J2EE-compliant servers. Given the large investment most businesses have in client-server applications, J2EE can save companies a lot of development time and money. With J2EE's portability features, there's little or no need to rewrite code for different servers. And with the Java Application Verification Kit (AVK) for the Enterprise, it's easier than ever to test an application for correct use of J2EE APIs, and in doing so, ensure that the application is portable across different J2EE servers.

J2ME extends that portability to mobile devices, and so multiplies the benefit. Not only do programmers avoid the need to rewrite code for different servers, but they're also freed from rewriting code for different devices that comply with J2ME.

Java Smart Ticket

Java Smart Ticket is a sample application that allows users to buy movie tickets through a mobile device such as a cell phone. Users can select a movie, chose a theater and showtime, select seats and purchase tickets.

The application illustrates how a J2ME client can communicate with a J2EE server to implement an end-to-end, wireless-to-enterprise server solution. The client side of the Java Smart Ticket application presents a user interface that is built using classes in the J2ME Mobile Information Device Profile (MIDP). The server side of the application illustrates J2EE features such Java Servlet technology and EJB technology. Java Smart Ticket is a good example of J2ME client-to-J2EE server application design, one that follows the best practices described in the Wireless Blueprints.

As mentioned earlier, a new version of the application, Java Smart Ticket 1.2, drives the Java Deployathon. You run the Java Smart Ticket 1.2 application to run the Java Deployathon.

Run the Java Deployathon

You can run the Java Deployathon on a variety of J2EE conforming servers. When you run the Java Deployathon, you can use a client that emulates a J2ME mobile device. Additionally, if you come to the JavaOne Conference, you'll have the opportunity to run the Java Deployathon using an actual J2ME device, such as a cell phone. To run the Java Deployathon with a J2ME emulator client, follow the steps in this section. For more information about running the Java Deployathon using an actual J2ME device, see Using J2ME Devices.

1. Select a J2EE server product from the Java Deployathon server list. You can select a server product that conforms to the J2EE 1.3 Platform. Or you can select Java 2 Platform, Enterprise Edition, Version 1.4, the J2EE 1.4 Reference Implementation (note that this is a beta version that is available for demonstration purposes at the JavaOne conference). Some of the listed J2EE server products link to instructions for setting up and running the Java Smart Ticket application in the server and platform you select. The instructions cover steps such as downloading, installing, and configuring the server. The instructions also describe how to start the client part of the application -- the client uses the J2ME Wireless Toolkit 2.0 to emulate a J2ME device.

   Also listed are URLs for J2ME clients. To connect the Java Smart Ticket client to a J2EE server of your choice, the server's URL needs to be specified in the smarticket.jad file for the client.

   All of the listed J2EE server products running Java Smart Ticket will be demonstrated at the JavaOne Conference in San Francisco. If you come to the Java One Conference, visit the server vendor's booth on the JavaOne Pavilion floor, and run Java Smart Ticket there.

   
   
2. After you successfully run Java Smart Ticket in the server of your choice, try running the application in another J2EE server. Select another J2EE server product from the J2EE server list. If provided, follow the instructions for setting up and running Java Smart Ticket in this new server, then start the application. Or run the application at different participating vendor booths at the Java One Conference. Notice that the code runs unchanged.

Java Deployathon Server List

Select a server product from either the list of J2EE 1.3 server products or select the J2EE 1.4 server product. The server products in both lists are enabled for the Java Smart Ticket 1.2 application, unless noted by an asterisk (*).

J2EE 1.3 Server Products

All of the server products in the following list have passed the J2EE 1.3 Compatibility Test Suite (CTS) to certify their compliance with J2EE 1.3 specifications.

J2EE 1.4 Server Products

The one product in the list below is the Beta 2 Release of the J2EE 1.4 Reference Implementation. It is available for demonstration purposes at the JavaOne conference.

Using J2ME Devices

The Java Smart Ticket 1.2 application can run on any J2ME device that is enabled for MIDP. The Java Deployathon demonstrates the Java Smart Ticket 1.2 application running on some of these J2ME devices. If you come to the JavaOne Conference, visit the Device Playground. This is the place to see the latest devices from leading hand-set manufacturers. These devices are enabled for J2ME and J2ME platform-based applications. You'll be able to see and use a range of J2ME technology-based content, including standalone and multi-player games, information services, financial services, and enterprise-related applications, including Java Smart Ticket 1.2 -- you can run Java Smart Ticket there on the following devices.

A Note About J2EE-Compatible Products

Only products that have been tested successfully against the CTS can be called J2EE-compatible products. For a list of J2EE-compatible products see the Java 2 Platform, Enterprise Edition Compatibility page.

About the Authors

The Sun Deployathon team comprises several groups in Sun that work in conjunction with key software vendors and Java Licensees to demonstrate the portability of the Java platform

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