Wrapup and Resources

Summary

In this tutorial, you have been introduced to the J2EE Connector Architecture. We started with a high-level view of JCA and its primary elements: system contracts, the client API, and the resource adapter module. From there, we moved on to a more detailed discussion, encompassing the interfaces, classes, and methods that work beneath JCA to create and manage connections to an EIS. As part of this discussion, we looked at the source code for an actual JCA implementation. Each of the most relevant components of the implementation was pulled out, and its various functions explained in detail. We closed with an actual resource adapter implementation, which you are free to continue exploring on your own.

This tutorial has provided you a hands-on, step-by-step introduction to the J2EE Connector Architecture, the most relevant components beneath that architecture, and the functionality of each of those components. You should now have a fairly good foundation for building your own JCA resource adapter and connecting to an EIS.
Resources

• Download the sample code for this tutorial.


• You can download the most recent version of J2EE (including JCA) from Sun Microsystems (http://java.sun.com/downloads/index.html).


• The J2EE Connector Architecture specification (http://java.sun.com/j2ee/download.html#connectorspec) is the definitive source for information about JCA.


• The Java Transaction API specification (http://java.sun.com/products/jta/) and the Java Transaction Service specification (http://java.sun.com/products/jts/) help you understand how to implement the JCA transaction management contract.


• Java theory and practice columnist Brian Goetz offers a three-part introduction to the Java Transaction Service, starting with "Understanding JTS -- An introduction to transactions " (developerWorks, March 2002, http://www-106.ibm.com/developerworks/java/library/j-jtp0305.html).


• Because exception-handling is an important part of any component you build, you may also want to check out Srikanth Shenoy's "Best practices in EJB exception handling" (developerWorks, May 2002, http://www-106.ibm.com/developerworks/java/library/j-ejbexcept.html).


• The Java Authentication and Authorization Specification (http://java.sun.com/products/jaas/index-10.html) will help you understand how to implement the JCA security contract.


• developerWorks two-part Java security tutorial serves as a more hands-on introduction to the JAAS. Start with "Part 1: Crypto basics" (July 2002, http://www-106.ibm.com/developerworks/education/r-jsec1.html), then see "Part 2: Authentication and authorization" (July 2002, http://www-106.ibm.com/developerworks/education/r-jsec2.html)


• If you haven't yet checked out the Go-ForIT Chronicles (developerWorks, June 2001, http://www-106.ibm.com/developerworks/java/library/i-extreme2/), you should. Every installment is written by a different member of the DragonSlayer team -- including your host Willy Farrell -- and features live-action coverage of such essential topics as extreme programming, Enterprise JavaBeans, JavaServer Pages technology, and more.


• You'll find hundreds of articles about every aspect of Java programming in the developerWorks Java technology zone (http://www-106.ibm.com/developerworks/java/).


• Also see the developerWorks Java technology tutorials page for a complete listing of free tutorials.

Feedback

Please let us know whether this tutorial was helpful to you and how we could make it better. We'd also like to hear about other tutorial topics you'd like to see covered. Thanks!

Colophon

This tutorial was written entirely in XML, using the developerWorks Toot-O-Matic tutorial generator. The open source Toot-O-Matic tool is an XSLT stylesheet and several XSLT extension functions that convert an XML file into a number of HTML pages, a zip file, JPEG heading graphics, and two PDF files. Our ability to generate multiple text and binary formats from a single source file illustrates the power and flexibility of XML. (It also saves our production team a great deal of time and effort.)

You can get the source code for the Toot-O-Matic at www6.software.ibm.com/dl/devworks/dw-tootomatic-p. The tutorial Building tutorials with the Toot-O-Matic demonstrates how to use the Toot-O-Matic to create your own tutorials. developerWorks also hosts a forum devoted to the Toot-O-Matic; it's available at www-105.ibm.com/developerworks/xml_df.nsf/AllViewTemplate?OpenForm&RestrictToCategory=11. We'd love to know what you think about the tool.

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