This document describes the features of the BPEL Designer, which is part of
the SOA pack of NetBeans IDE 6.0. It explains basic editing, compilation, deployment
and test running of BPEL processes.
Note on Reading This Document
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Structure of This Document
This document consists of several sections, each related to a particular task that
can be performed in the BPEL Designer included in the NetBeans IDE. A
list of sections is given in the Contents.
Overview
One of the primary means of orchestrating web services is the use
of Business Process Execution Language (BPEL). This guide explores ways in which the IDE
enables you to edit, compile, and deploy BPEL processes compliant with the WS-BPEL
2.0 specification. Using the BPEL Designer feature of the IDE, you can easily
create and edit BPEL processes, deploy them to the BPEL Service Engine, and
run these processes in test or debug modes.
To better understand the BPEL Designer features provided by the NetBeans IDE 6.0
release, see the following tutorials:
The Java Business Integration (JBI) runtime environment provides the runtime capability for SOA
tools in the IDE. The JBI runtime environment includes several components that interact
using a services model. This model is based on Web Services Description Language
(WSDL) 2.0. Components that supply or consume services within the JBI environment are
referred to as Service Engines. One of these components is the The BPEL Service Engine that
provides services for executing business processes. Components that provide access to services that
are external to the JBI environment are called Binding Components.
The JBI components are installed as part of the GlassFish application server, which
is packaged with the NetBeans IDE.
To view the installed or deployed JBI components:
In the IDE, open the Services window, expand the GlassFish V2 node, and expand the JBI node.
If you do not see the JBI node, you need to start the Application Server by choosing Start from the pop-up menu of the GlassFish V2 node.
For a detailed overview of the Java Business Integration concept and a description
of JBI nodes, see the JBI Component Technical Overview.
The BPEL Service Engine
The BPEL Service Engine is a JSR 208-compliant JBI runtime component that provides
services for executing WS-BPEL 2.0 compliant business processes. The BPEL Service Engine provides
runtime services for deploying BPEL processes. To deploy a BPEL process, you need
to add it as a JBI module to a Composite Application project.
The BPEL Service Engine starts together with the Application Server. Thus, before deploying
and performing test runs of a Composite Application project, make sure that the
Application Server is started.
To check the status of the GlassFish V2 Application Server:
If the Services window is not visible, choose Window > Services.
The Composite Application project is used to create a Service Assembly that can
be deployed to the Java Business Integration (JBI) runtime environment. Within the Composite
Application project, you can:
Assemble an application that uses multiple project types (for example, BPEL Module or XSLT Module projects).
Configure external/edge access protocols (SOAP, JMS, SMTP, and others).
Build JBI deployment packages.
Deploy the application image to the target JBI component.
Monitor the status of JBI components and applications.
Before deploying a Composite Application to the BPEL Service Engine, you have to add BPEL Module project files to the Composite Application as a JBI module. Then, as soon as the Composite Application
Project is deployed to the server, you can create test
cases and run them against the deployed BPEL processes. More detailed information can be found in Deploying a Composite Application Project section.
