The sdd.xml files
The sdd.xml files...
- Use ConfigEngine extension points to control how an application is installed.
- Inform the ConfigEngine of the type of installation to be processed.
- Determines where the deployable files are stored after registration with ConfigEngine.
There are three different levels of installation:
Offering level Made up of one or more assemblies. Large applications such as WebSphere Portal are offering level deployments. Assembly level Made up of one or more components. Group of applications that can be stand-alone or form the basis of a much larger application. For example ap or base directories under WebSphere Portal. Each PAA file is treated as a separate assembly. Component level Finest level of granularity. A component can be an application or can be one of many small applications that make up a much larger application. The directory structure is processed automatically by ConfigEngine.sh using instructions in sdd.xml. The number of components depends on how the developer structures the application to be installed. Every artifact can potentially be included in a single component, although it might not be the most practical approach. We can separate larger applications into multiple components containing related artifacts to facilitate reuse. If a component is required by multiple PAA distributions, this approach allows it to be reused with little extra work for the developer.
If you have two multiple custon applications, each with multiple *.ear files, create multiple PAA files. For example custom01.paa and custom02.paa.
A PAA file containing an update has the same assembly name in its sdd.xml file. The Solution Installer checks that the assembly exists before it adds each new component or update to the current assembly.