Deploying CFML on J2EE: Opportunities

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Deploying CFML on J2EEOpportunities Challenges

• Charlie Arehart, CTONew Atlanta Communications
  charlie_at_newatlanta.com

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Overview

• Protecting your CFML investments in 2004
• Why deploying CFML on J2EE is useful to us,
  enterprise mgt, and more
• How to install and configure J2EE deployments
• On BlueDragon and ColdFusion MX 6.1
• Alternative beneficial deployment scenarios
• Resources for learning more

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About Your Speaker

• CTO of New Atlanta Communications since April 03
• 7 yrs CF experience (20 yrs Enterprise IT)
• Co-author of ColdFusion MX Bible
• Frequent contributor to ColdFusion Dev Journal
• Past accomplishments of note
• Tech Editor, CFDJ
• Team Macromedia Member
• Allaire/Macromedia Certified Instructor
• Allaire/Macromedia Certified Adv CF Developer (4,
  5, MX)
• Macromedia Customer Advisory Board Member
• Contributor to Macromedia Devnet , Dev Exchange
• Frequent speaker to user groups, conferences
  worldwide

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CFML in 2004

• The technology platform highway has split, and
  most organizations today are faced with choosing
  directions between Sun's J2EE and Microsoft's
  .NET
• Are you hearing Thou shalt move to J2EE? Or
  .NET?
• Management being persuaded by standard
  architectures
• Architectural committees often prefer J2EE or
  .NET, see CF as proprietary
• Vendors focus on JSP/servlets as only tools in
  J2EE toolkit
• And ASP.NET as only tools in .NET web toolkit

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Moving to J2EE/.NET

• All parties in J2EE world think JSPs/servlets are
  the only way to go (or ASP.NET in .NET world)
• You and mgt may feel that converting CFML apps to
  JSP (or ASP.NET) is the only alternative
• Conversion is no trivial undertaking
• For all but simplest applications, not a simple
  matter
• Can be very expensive
• One company was quoted 10 million and 2 years to
  convert an enterprise-class CFML application to
  JSP/servlets
• Retraining folks in Java, JSP, J2EE, EJB, (or
  .NET) is not trivial
• Studies show 9-12 months, and even then 60 will
  fail
• From JavaPro Oct 03, Power of Patterns

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Protecting Your CFML Investment

• Are you facing sunsetting of CFML applications?
• Dont need to throw away your CFML investment!
• Can instead move the CFML to J2EE server and keep
  it running
• Can start integrating with Java, if youd like
• Or start converting CFML to JSP/servlets at your
  own pace
• Can even gain benefit deploying CFML on J2EE
• As well see later
• Both CFMX and BlueDragon can deploy CFML on J2EE
• BlueDragon can also deploy CFML on .NET

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How Easy It Can Be

• Lets walk through deploying CFML as a J2EE web
  app
• Show CFML code running normally on CF Server
• Copy that code into a J2EE web app
• Deploy that web app on a J2EE server
• Show the CFML code running on the J2EE server
• Edit the CFML code, show that it detects changes
• Its still just CFMLdeployed on a J2EE Server
• Can also create a WAR file from the deployed
  application
• Can redeploy that WAR file
• Concept is that you might develop on one machine,
  deploy WAR on another
• Some J2EE servers or administrators will only
  accept a WAR file
• And will not allow editing or configuring the app
  once deployed

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Installation for BlueDragon

• Steps for J2EE deployment using BlueDragon
• Download BlueDragon/J2EE edition (available as
  trial)
• www.newatlanta.com/bluedragon/
• Extract the zip, tar, or self-extracting exe file
• Creates directory with a standard J2EE web app
• Duplicate that web app (using original as a
  template)
• Copy your CFML into that new web app directory
• Deploy it on any J2EE server, any number of
  times, on any OS
• J2EE servers vary on options for deployment
• May offer auto deployment by dropping webapp
  into special dir
• Most offer a web-based admin console to deploy as
  well
• Often there are benefits granted to
  admin-deployed apps
• Optionally, configure web server integration in
  app server to point to code elsewhere

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Installation for CFMX

• Steps for J2EE deployment using ColdFusion MX
• Download CFMX 6.1 Enterprise
• Run the installer, choosing 3rd option to creates
  either WAR or EAR file
• Unpack that EAR or WAR file and deploy that
• May involve additional steps
• See www.macromedia.com/go/cfmxj2ee-cert for more
  on details for each J2EE server
• As needed, configure for Verity, COM, C, Corba,
  Charting, Security, etc.
• Deploy result onto J2EE server
• Run CF Administrator, first time after deploying,
  to execute configuration and settings wizard
• Move your code into the deployed web application
• Or configure web server integration in app server
  to point to code elsewhere
• Unfortunately, many J2EE admins dont want (or
  wont allow) post-deployment modifications

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Installation Resources

• Where to learn more about installation for J2EE?
• BlueDragon J2EE resources
• New Atlanta manual, Deploying CFML on J2EE
  Servers with BlueDragon
• www.newatlanta.com/products/bluedragon/self_help/d
  ocs/index.cfm
• My June 2004 CFDJ Article, CFML on J2EE Easy as
  1-2-3
• Available on New Atlanta web site, under
  editorials
• CFMX for J2EE Resources
• Macromedia manual, Installing and Using
  ColdFusion MX
• Chapter 4, Installing the J2EE Configuration
• www.macromedia.com/go/cfmxj2ee-cert
• Several technotes

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Other CF/BD Differences

• Cost
• CFMX Enterprise 5999 for 2 CPUs (includes
  JRun)
• BlueDragon/J2EE 2499 per CPU
• For those new to BlueDragon
• BlueDragon 6.1 now supports CFMX 6.1 features,
  such as CFCs, XML, web services
• Lacks only CFAPPLET, CFGRID, CFLOGIN, CFCHART,
  CFREPORT, CFTRACE
• BlueDragon has many other advantages to consider
• See http//bluedragon.blog-city.com/read/601768.ht
  m
• WebSphere users Note that while CFMX does NOT
  supports Network Deployment, BlueDragon does

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Resource Differences

• Resource utilization
• Be aware that each web app deployed has some
  overhead for the CFML runtime support
• Important when deploying multiple instances
  (next)
• Can measure size of web app as installed, before
  deployment

Cfusion.war 77 mb
Bluedragon.war 9 mb

Cfusion open web app 111 mb
BlueDragon open web app 9 mb
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Deployment Alternatives

• Deploying multiple instances of a J2EE
  server
• Applies to both BlueDragon and CFMX
• Benefits (may depend on server)
• Isolation one app can go nuts and not affect
  others
• Independent control of apps can stop one for
  maintenance
• Separate Admin per application settings as
  suitable per instance
• Security segregation of custom tags,
  datasources, CFCs, etc.

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Deployment Alternatives

• More Benefits
• Performance - increased throughput, mult. JVMs,
  etc.
• Possibly clustering, load balancing, failover
• Either over multiple boxes
• Or even on a single box
• Including persistence, clustering of session
  variables
• Cost
• Single license of CFMX/BlueDragon can be used to
  create multiple instances on single machine
• Also, no longer need multiple boxes to create
  isolated instances
• All great for both enterprises and hosting
  providers

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Deployment Alternatives

• Resources on Multiple Instances
• When One ColdFusion is Not Enough July 03
  CFDJ
• http//www.sys-con.com/coldfusion/article.cfm?id6
  26
• Introducing Multiple Server Instances in
  ColdFusion MX Enterprise 6.1
• http//www.macromedia.com/devnet/mx/coldfusion/art
  icles/multiple_61.html
• Advantages of Using Multiple Instances of
  ColdFusion MX for J2EE
• http//www.macromedia.com/devnet/mx/coldfusion/j2e
  e/articles/multiple.html
• Macromedia manual Configuring and Administering
  ColdFusion MX
• Chapter 7, Using Multiple Server Instances

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Other CFML/J2EE Benefits

• CFML on J2EE is super-charged!
• CFML can act as a standard J2EE component
• Can integrate with other components JSP,
  servlets, EJB, JMS
• Can benefit from servlet filters, listeners, etc.
• Can participate in frameworks such as Struts,
  Portlets
• Enables CFML to run virtually anywhere
• Any OS, platform for which a J2EE server exists
• Mainframe or zSeries, AS/400 or iSeries, Netware,
  and more
• In addition to Windows, Linux, Unix, OS X, etc.
• See my April 2004 CFDJ article, Making the Case
  for CFML on J2EE
• http//sys-con.com/story/?storyid44481DE1

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BlueDragon/.NET

• Run CFML on .NET
• All the same benefits as J2EE edition
• Run CFML on the .NET framework
• No ColdFusion Server, No BD Server
• BlueDragon is a native .NET component, runs in
  GAC
• Your CFML remains CFML
• Can share session/application/request vars with
  ASP.NET
• Can include/forward between CFML and ASP.NET
• Can use CFOBJECT to call .NET components and more

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Conclusion

• Deploying CFML on J2EE can be easy
• It can bring many benefits, solve many problems
• BlueDragon/.NET will bring same benefits to .NET
• Management, developers, vendors all need to be
  educated
• CFML can be deployed as a native J2EE/.NET web
  app
• Opens many doors for improvement
• Integration
• Performance
• Better Management
• More
• Allows CFML to live on as a valuable component in
  enterprise web application development

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Contact Information

• Charlie Arehart
• CTO, New Atlanta Communications
• charlie_at_newatlanta.com
• newatlanta.com/bluedragon/
• [phone]