[jboss-as7-dev] Overriding Deployment Descriptors

[Brian Stansberry]

On 3/27/12 12:34 AM, Stuart Douglas wrote:
> We have had a few requests for the ability to override deployment descriptors without having to open up a deployment archive and manually change the descriptor. I think there are two different approach that we can use to accomplish this, and I am was wondering what other people thought.
>
> 1) Allow the user to specify alternate deployment descriptors as part of the deployment process
>
> At deployment time the user would be able to select specific deployment descriptors to override. I don't really like this approach, as it means that this information must also be provided on every re-deployment. It is also not really compatible with the deployment scanner, and would require changes to every client that does deployment to properly support it.
>
> 2) Allow the user to specify deployment descriptor overrides before a deployment takes places. These descriptors would be stored in the content repository, and the corresponding information in the model. When a deployment is performed that matches the deployment name in the model the deployment descriptors from the content repository are merged into the deployment.
>
> e.g.   to add the descriptor you would do something like:
>
> /dd-override:my-deployment-descriptor:add(deployment="test.ear", file="test.jar/META-INF/ejb-jar.xml", content=…)
>
> or for domain mode
>
> /server-group=foo/dd-override:my-deployment-descriptor:add(deployment="test.ear", file="test.jar/META-INF/ejb-jar.xml", content=…)
>

For domain mode, this should be basically a parallel to the existing 
deployment=* handling:

a) The override is a top level resource, adding an item to the 
"pallette" that is usable in any server-group:

/dd-override=my-deployment-descriptor:add(deployment="test.ear", 
file="test.jar/META-INF/ejb-jar.xml", content=…)

b) The server-group part is just a mapping that says "use this from the 
pallette:

/server-group=foo/dd-override=my-deployment-descriptor:add

Actually, this last bit is probably unnecessary, since the HC can figure 
out what dd-overrides are required from the deployment="test.ear" 
attribute on the dd-override=my-deployment-descriptor resource.

> Then when test.ear is deployed the contents if the overridden deployment descriptor will be override test.jar/META-INF/ejb-jar.xml.
>
> 2) is the approach that I prefer, as I think it gives the most flexibility.
>
> What does everyone think?
>
> Stuart
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-- 
Brian Stansberry
Principal Software Engineer
JBoss by Red Hat