Ubuntu server J2EE support options

Tomcat 5.5

Current package problems :

• dependency on JRE (java2-runtime), should be on JDK (java2-compiler) (LP: #179447, #112626)
• file permissions incompatible with admin interface (LP: #234127, #220871)
• incompatibility with openjdk (LP: #229404, #212521)
• 5.5.26 needed to fix CVE-2007-5333 (LP: #220540, #228665)

Additional packages needed in main to build :

• libcommons-daemon-java
• libcommons-digester-java
• libcommons-el-java
• libcommons-fileupload-java
• libcommons-httpclient-java
• libcommons-launcher-java
• libcommons-modeler-java
• libstruts1.2-java

Tomcat 6

• Tomcat is now downstream of Glassfish, lost contributors from Sun.
• Used by developers and as a servlet container inside other products, rarely in production by itself.

Random packaging notes :

• Fix commons-daemon.home=${base.path} in build.properties

• Needs libecj-java as additional build dep + force jdt.jar=/usr/share/java/ecj.jar

• Needs to pull native connectors source as well and edit tomcat-native.tar.gz=...

• No need to copy all jars to lib/ at packaging time, use the depends ones

Geronimo

Notes :

• "release often" (every 2-4 months)
• Right featureset/Ubuntu-style management options
• Modular design. Technologically on par with JBoss and Glassfish v+1.
• Good upstream maintenance relationship.

Running Geronimo :

• Running instructions recommend Sun JDK >=1.5

• tomcat6-j2EE version does not run with OpenJDK-6

  • Invalid keystore format issue : http://pastebin.ca/1032465

  • Known issue in OpenJDK : http://www.nabble.com/OpenJDK---Glassfish-Client-td17512837.html

• jetty6-j2EE version runs with OpenJDK-6
• Nice admin UI

Building Geronimo :

• Should be built as modular packages with a few metapackages (geronimo-miniG-tomcat, geronimo-J2EE-tomcat...)
• Building with gcj
  • Very (really) slow - aborted
• Building with OpenJDK-6
  • Need to override JDK version check in build.xml

  • Fails with org.apache.geronimo.axis2.pojo.POJOWebServiceContext is not abstract and does not override abstract method <T>getEndpointReference(java.lang.Class<T>,org.w3c.dom.Element...) in javax.xml.ws.WebServiceContext : JDK 1.6 incompatibility (new getEndpointReference abstract method in jax-ws)

  • Build instructions require Sun's JDK 1.5.

  • Geronimo team provided patch to build under 1.6 @ https://issues.apache.org/jira/browse/GERONIMO-4089

  • Very reactive help on FreeNode #geronimo, by Kevan Miller (kevan) and Jarek Gawor (jgawor)

  • Builds with MAVEN_OPTS="-Xmx768m -XX:MaxPermSize=256m" in ~/.mavenrc

  • Tests at the end of the build fail with loader constraint violation error : http://pastebin.ca/1032462

  • Runs OK, tests are OK when run separately

Packaging Geronimo :

• Geronimo uses all the features of Maven to pull as much external stuff as it can

• Must ensure we have source code for everything that is pulled, and that everything would be a main target

• Solution 1 : use maven to build
  • Might need to patch maven to support this mode
  • Package all required dependencies and maven plugins (462 jarfiles of which only 123 are already packaged)
  • Package all required dependencies of dependencies (if any)
  • Add all .pom files to the source
  • run "mvn -o" to force offline mode
  • might not work as maven wants multiple versions of the same jar
• Solution 2 : use ant to build, together with maven-ant-helper (current Debian way)
  • need to reinvent the build system and reimplement all required maven tasks (normally handled by plugins)
  • Package all required dependencies (393 jarfiles of which 123 are already packaged)
  • Package all required dependencies of dependencies (if any)
  • Figure out the best order in which to build
  • This should work, but lots of work to package initially and to maintain

GlassFish v2

Two sources in multiverse :

• glassfish (builds from source : glassfish-activation, glassfish-appserv, glassfish-jmac-api, glassfish-mail, glassfish-javaee, glassfish-toplink-essentials) : incomplete GlassFish with the build-from-source bits

• glassfishv2 (builds from binary blobs : glassfishv2-bin, glassfishv2, glassfishv2-doc) : complete GF by Sun

Running glassfishv2 :

• Install fails at configure glassfish-v2 : missing English.pm in @INC while running /usr/share/glassfishv2/config/install/install.pl (missing libtimedate-perl package in depends)
• Invalid keystore format running with OpenJDK-6 (same error as Glassfish), runs OK with Sun's JDK

• Good admin UI, but way too much Sun-branded

GlassFish v3

• Alpha code
• Only the framework and web container in V3TP2

JOnAS 4

• Twice a year, a new JOnAS release is delivered
• Can make use of pristine Tomcat 5.5 or Jetty 5.1

• Looks less finished than Geronimo, more a research testbed than an enterprise-ready solution

Building JonAS4 :

• "Source" package includes 134 pre-built jars, difficult to tell if they all build from source
• Sources build with gcj

• Does not build using OpenJDK-6 (org.objectweb.jonas.dbm.JManagedConnection is not abstract and does not override abstract method...)

JOnAS 5

• New architecture, OSGi based (like Glassfish v3)
• Can't make it start

  • NoClassDefFoundError: org/ow2/jonas/commands/admin/ClientAdmin

JBOSS AS 5

• Market leader for FOSS J2EE appservers
• Admin UI makes use of Java applets, seems less accessible than Geronimo's one

Building JBOSS AS :

• "Source" package includes 295 pre-built jars, difficult to tell if they all build from source
• JBOSS AS sources don't build with our current Ant (1.7)
• JBOSS AS sources build OK with Ant 1.6.5

Jetty 5.1

• More an integration component than a full-featured application server
• No admin UI

Jetty 6.1

• More an integration component than a full-featured application server
• No admin UI

Building 6.1 from source :

• Does not build with gcj
• Uses maven + a cvs task at one point to pull even more
• Compilation fails with OpenJDK-6, complaining about Sun proprietary API and [that] may be removed in a future release

Resin 3.1 Open Source version

• Enterprise-ready version is "Resin Professional", not open source
• Difficulty to find anything on their website
• Need partnership with Caucho if we choose that option