Web modules assembly settings

Use this page to set the assembly properties for web modules. Web modules are composed of one or more web components.

Access this page by traversing the following path in the Application AssemblyTool:

 application_instance >  Web Modules

 

File name

Specifies the file name of the Web module, relative to the top level of the application package.

 

Alternative DD

Specifies the file name for an alternative deployment descriptor file to use instead of the original deployment descriptor file in the module's JAR file.

This file is the postassembly version of the deployment descriptor file. (The original deployment descriptor file can be edited to resolve dependencies and security information. Directing the use of the alternative deployment descriptor allows you to keep the original deployment descriptor file intact). The value of the Alternative DD property must be the full path name of the deployment descriptor file relative to the module's root directory. By convention, the file is in the ALT-INF directory. If this property is not specified, the deployment descriptor file is read directly from the module's JAR file.

 

Context root

Specifies the context root of the Webapp. The context root is combined with the defined servlet mapping (from the WAR file) to compose the full URL that users type to access the servlet.

For example, if the context root is /gettingstarted and the servlet mapping is MySession, then the URL is http://host:port/gettingstarted/MySession.

 

Classpath

Specifies the class path for resources used by the Webapp, relative to the ear file..

If your Webapp requires access to classes within an ear file, specify the relative path of the classes in this field.

 

Display name

Specifies a short name that is intended to be displayed by GUIs.

 

Description

Contains a description of the Web module.

 

Distributable

Specifies that this Webapp is programmed appropriately to deploy into a distributed servlet container.

 

Small icon

Specifies a JPEG or GIF file containing a small image (16x16 pixels). The image is used as an icon to represent the module in a GUI.

 

Large icon

Specifies a JPEG or GIF file containing a large image (32x32 pixels). The image is used as an icon to represent the module in a GUI.

 

Session configuration

Indicates that session configuration information is present. Checking this box makes the Session timeout property editable.

 

Session timeout

Specifies a time period, in seconds, after which a client is considered inactive. The default value is zero, indicating that the session timeout never expires.

 

Login configuration -- Authentication method

Specifies an authentication method to use. As a prerequisite to gaining access to any Web resources protected by an authorization constraint, a user must authenticate by using the configured mechanism.

A Webapp can authenticate a user to a Web server by using one of the following mechanisms: HTTP basic authentication, HTTP digest authentication, HTTPS client authentication, and form-based authentication.

  • HTTP basic authentication is not a secure protocol because the user password is transmitted with a simple Base64 encoding and the target server is not authenticated. In basic authentication, the Web server requests a Web client to authenticate the user and passes a string called the realm of the request in which the user is to be authenticated.

  • HTTP digest authentication transmits the password in encrypted form.

  • HTTPS client authentication uses HTTPS (HTTP over SSL) and requires the user to possess a public key certificate.

  • Form-based authentication allows the developer to control the appearance of login screens.

The Login configuration properties are used to configure the authentication method that should be used, the realm name that should be used for HTTP basic authentication, and the attributes that are needed by the form-based login mechanism. Valid values for this property are Unspecified, Basic, Digest, Form, and Client certification.

Note:

HTTP digest authentication is not supported as a login configuration in this product. Also, not all login configurations are supported in all of the product's global security authentication mechanisms (Local Operating system, LTPA, and custom pluggable user registry). HTTP basic authentication and form-based login authentication are the only authentication methods supported by the Local Operating system user registry. LTPA and the custom pluggable user registry are capable of supporting HTTP basic authentication, form-based login, and HTTPS client authentication.

 

Login configuration -- Realm name

Specifies the realm name to use in HTTP basic authorization. It is based on a user name and password, sent as a string (with a simple Base64 encoding).

An HTTP realm is a string that allows URIs to be grouped together. For example, if a user accesses a secured resource on a Web server within the "finance realm," subsequent access to the same or different resource within the same realm does not result in a repeat prompt for a user ID and password.

 

Login configuration -- Login page

Specifies the location of the login form. If form-based authentication is not used, this property is disabled.

 

Form Login Config -- Error page

Specifies the location of the error page. If form-based authentication is not used, this property is disabled.

 

Reload interval

Specifies a time interval, in seconds, in which the file system of the Webapp is scanned for updated files. The default is 3 seconds.

 

Reloading enabled

Specifies whether file reloading is enabled. The default is true.

 

Default error page

Specifies a file name for the default error page. If no other error page is specified in the application, this error page is used.

 

Additional classpath

Specifies the full class path that will be used to reference classes outside of those specified in the archive.

If your Webapp requires access to classes not contained in the archive file, specify the full path for those classes in this field.

 

File serving enabled

Specifies whether file serving is enabled. File serving allows the application to serve static file types, such as HTML and GIF. File serving can be disabled if the application contains only dynamic components. The default value is true.

 

Directory browsing enabled

Specifies whether directory browsing is enabled. Directory browsing allows the application to browse disk directories. Directory browsing can be disabled if, you want to protect data. The default value is true.

 

Serve servlets by classname

Specifies whether a servlet can be served by requesting its class name.

Usually, servlets are served only through a URI reference. The class name is the actual name of the servlet on disk. For example, a file named SnoopServlet.java compiles into SnoopServlet.class. (This is the class name.) SnoopServlet.class is normally invoked by specifying snoop in the URI. However, if Serve Servlets by Classname is enabled, the servlet is invoked by specifying SnoopServlet. The default value is true.

 

Virtual hostname

Specifies a virtual host name. A virtual host is a configuration enabling a single host machine to resemble multiple host machines. This property allows you to bind the application to a virtual host in order to enable execution on that virtual host.

 

Filter mappings

Specifies the filter mapping declarations in this application. The container uses the filter mapping declarations to decide on the type and order of filters to apply to a request.

After the container matches the request URI to a servlet, for each filter mapping element, it determines what filters to apply based on the servlet name or the URL pattern, depending on the style specified. Filters are invoked in the same order as the one specified in the list of filter mapping elements. The value that you specify for the filter name must be the same value as that specified in the <filter><filtername> sub-element declarations in the deployment descriptor.


Web modules
Tuning performance
Webapps: Links
Application assembly performance checklist

 

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