Creating connector modules

A resource adapter archive (RAR file) is a Java archive (JAR file) used to package a resource adapter for the J2EE Connector Architecture (JCA) for WebSphere Application Server.

This article assumes that you have created and unit tested a resource adapter RAR file that you want to assemble in an enterprise application and deploy onto an application server.

In the Application Server Toolkit (AST) and Rational Web Developer assembly tools, RAR files are called connectors and assembled resource adapters are called connector modules.

A connector is a J2EE component that provides access to Enterprise Information Systems (EIS), and must comply with the J2EE Connector architecture (JCA). An Enterprise Information System (EIS) is a set of related classes that lets an application access a resource such as data, or an application on a remote server, often called a resource adapter.

This article describes how to create a connector module using an assembly tool.

Start an assembly tool.
If you have not done so already, configure the assembly tool for work on J2EE modules. Ensure that the J2EE capability is enabled.
Click File > New > Project > J2EE > Connector Project > Next . Or, if you have created a J2EE project before, click File > New > Connector Project .
In the New Connector Project dialog:
1. Name the connector project and specify its location. To change the default project location, click Browse and specify a new location.
2. Click Show Advanced to display hidden settings.
3. Select the JCA specification version to which you want your project to adhere.
4. Select a target server. Select the WebSphere Application Server v6.0 target server to use Version 6 WebSphere Application Server capabilities.
5. If you want to add resource adapter components to an enterprise application (EAR file), select Add module to an EAR project .
6. Specify a new or existing enterprise application (EAR) project to be associated with your new resource adapter project for purposes of deployment. Select an existing project from the drop-down list or type a new project name. Or, click New and create a new enterprise application. Note that if you type a new EAR project name, the EAR project will be created in the default location with the lowest compatible J2EE version based on the version of the project being created. If you want to specify a different version or a different location for the resource adapter, click New and create a new adapter.
7. Optional: If you are creating a new project or if you have no module dependencies to specify, skip this step. Otherwise, click Next to specify module and JAR file dependencies. On the Module Dependencies page, select dependent JAR files or modules within the associated project.
8. Click Finish to create the connector project.

ResultA new connector project is created. Files for the connector project are shown in the Project Explorer view under Enterprise Applications and Connector Projects .

What to do next

After creating a connector project, you can edit the connector deployment descriptor if default properties are not sufficient. In the Connector Deployment Descriptor editor, you can view and edit source code.

For more information, see the online help for the assembly tool. Similar information is in the Application Server Toolkit information center available with this information center. Click Application Server Toolkit > J2EE applications > Working with projects > Connector projects .