Configuration Overview

The vendor specific configuration required by both JBoss and JOnAS is very similar. However, each application server uses a different schema for specifying its configuration.

The JBoss specific deployment descriptor in jboss.xml has a root element named <jboss>. Underneath this the JBoss configuration schema closely mimics that of the J2EE EJB deployment descriptor starting with the <enterprise-beans> element. This element may contain multiple <session>, <entity>, and <message-driven> elements. Each one of these elements must have exactly one <ejb-name> element that refers to a corresponding declaration in the standard J2EE EJB deployment descriptor located in ejb-jar.xml.

<jboss>
  <enterprise-beans>
    ...
    <entity>
      <ejb-name>EntityEJB</ejb-name>
      ...
    </entity>
    ...
    <session>
      <ejb-name>SessionEJB</ejb-name>
      ...
    </session>
    ...
    <message-driven>
      <ejb-name>MessageDrivenEJB</ejb-name>
      ...
    </message-driven>
    ...
  </enterprise-beans>
</jboss>

The corresponding JOnAS deployment descriptor has a <jonas-ejb-jar> tag instead of <jboss>, omits the <enterprise-beans> tag, and prefixes the bean type elements with "jonas". Despite these cosmetic differences, the file works in much the same way. Each <jonas-entity>, <jonas-session>, and <jonas-message-driven> element must contain an <ejb-name> element that references a corresponding entry in the J2EE deployment descriptor (ejb-jar.xml)

<jonas-ejb-jar>
  ...
  <jonas-entity>
    <ejb-name>EntityEJB</ejb-name>
    ...
  </jonas-entity>
  ...
  <jonas-session>
    <ejb-name>SessionEJB</ejb-name>
    ...
  </jonas-session>
  ...
  <jonas-message-driven>
    <ejb-name>MessageDrivenEJB</ejb-name>
    ...
  </jonas-message-driven>
  ...
</jonas-ejb-jar>

This is the J2EE deployment descriptor common to both application servers. Any entry in either of the vendor specific deployment descriptors must refer to an entry appearing in this file.

<ejb-jar>
  <enterprise-beans>
    ...
    <entity>
      <ejb-name>EntityEJB</ejb-name>
      ...
    </entity>
    ...
    <session>
      <ejb-name>SessionEJB</ejb-name>
      ...
    </session>
    ...
    <message-driven>
      <ejb-name>MessageDrivenEJB</ejb-name>
      ...
    </message-driven>
    ...
  </enterprise-beans>
  ...
</ejb-jar>