Getting Started with JBoss Application Server 7

JBoss Application Server 7 is the latest release in a series of JBoss application server offerings. JBoss Application Server 7, is a fast, powerful, implementation of the Java Enterprise Edition 6 specification. The state-of-the-art architecture built on the Modular Service Container enables services on-demand when your application requires them.   JBoss Application Server 7.0.0.Final release is a certified implementation of the Java Enterprise Edition 6 Web Profile specification. 

Installation

Simply extract your chosen download to the directory of your choice. You can install JBoss Application Server 7 on any operating system that supports the zip or tar formats. Refer to the Release Notes for additional information related to the release.

AS 7 - A Quick Tour

Now that you’ve downloaded JBoss Application Server 7, the next thing to discuss is the layout of the distribution and explore the server directory structure, key configuration files, log files, user deployments and so on. It’s worth familiarizing yourself with the layout so that you’ll be able to find your way around when it comes to deploying your own applications.

AS 7 Directory Structure

DIRECTORY	DESCRIPTION
bin	Start up scripts, start up configuration files and various command line utilities like Vault, add-user and Java diagnostic report   available for Unix and Windows environments
bin/client	Contains a client jar for use by non-maven based clients.
bundles	Location of OSGi bundles
docs/schema	XML schema definition files
domain	Configuration files, deployment content, and writable areas used by the domain mode processes run from this installation.
modules	AS 7 is based on a modular classloading architecture. The various modules used in the server are stored here.
standalone	Configuration files, deployment content, and writable areas used by the single standalone server run from this installation.
appclient	Configuration files, deployment content, and writable areas used by the application client container run from this installation.
welcome-content	Default Welcome Page content

Standalone Directory Structure

In "standalone" mode each JBoss Application Server 7 instance is an independent process (similar to previous JBoss AS versions; e.g.,  3, 4, 5, or 6). The configuration files, deployment content and writable areas used by the single standalone server run from a JBoss Application Server installation are found in the following subdirectories under the top level "standalone" directory:

DIRECTORY	DESCRIPTION
configuration	Configuration files for the standalone server that runs off of this installation. All configuration information for the running server is located here and is the single place for configuration modifications for the standalone server.
data	Persistent information written by the server to survive a restart of the server
deployments	End user deployment content can be placed in this directory for automatic detection and deployment of that content into the server's runtime.   NOTE: The server's management API is recommended for installing deployment content. File system based deployment scanning capabilities remain for developer convenience.
lib/ext	Location for installed library jars referenced by applications using the Extension-List mechanism
log	standalone server log files
tmp	location for temporary files written by the server
tmp/auth	Special location used to exchange authentication tokens with local clients so they can confirm that they are local to the running AS process.

Domain Directory Structure

A key feature of AS 7 is the managing multiple servers from a single control point.    A collection of multiple servers are referred to as a "domain". Domains can span multiple physical (or virtual) machines with all JBoss Application Server 7 instances on a given host under the control of a Host Controller process. The Host Controllers interact with the Domain Controller to control the lifecycle of the JBoss Application Server 7 instances running on that host and to assist the Domain Controller in managing them. The configuration files, deployment content and writeable areas used by domain mode processes run from a JBoss Application Server 7 installation are found in the following subdirectories under the top level "domain" directory:

DIRECTORY	DESCRIPTION
configuration	Configuration files for the domain and for the Host Controller and any servers running off of this installation. All configuration information for the servers managed wtihin the domain is located here and is the single place for configuration information.
content	an internal working area for the Host Controller that controls this installation. This is where it internally stores deployment content. This directory is not meant to be manipulated by end users.  Note that "domain" mode does not support deploying content based on scanning a file system.
lib/ext	Location for installed library jars referenced by applications using the Extension-List mechanism
log	Location where the Host Controller process writes its logs. The Process Controller, a small lightweight process that actually spawns the other Host Controller process and any Application Server processes also writes a log here.
servers	Writable area used by each Application Server instance that runs from this installation. Each Application Server instance will have its own subdirectory, created when the server is first started. In each server's subdirectory there will be the following subdirectories:  data -- information written by the server that needs to survive a restart of the server  log -- the server's log files  tmp -- location for temporary files written by the server
tmp	location for temporary files written by the server
tmp/auth	Special location used to exchange authentication tokens with local clients so they can confirm that they are local to the running AS process.

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