Server Configuration

The Runtime Image

The Fabric3 Server runtime image is organized in the following way:

/bin				Startup modules
/lib				Modules required to start the runtime host
/boot				Modules required for the runtime bootstrap and primordial system services
/host				Libraries shared between the runtime and application (e.g. web services annotations)
/extensions				Extension modules that are able to be loaded by all runtime instances
/runtimes				Specific runtime instance configuration is hosted by default under this directory
	<runtime-name>			top level directory for a runtime configuration
		/config		Contains systemConfig.xml for configuring the runtime and extensions
		/deploy		File system deploy directory for the controller and single-VM runtimes
		/repository
			/runtime	Extensions only loaded for the runtime image
			/user	User contributions (only populated on the controller and single-VM runtimes)
		/data		Persistent data directory for a runtime instance (e.g. transaction log)
		/tmp		Temporary data and artifact cache for a runtime instance

Runtime Startup

If the default runtime startup command is used:

java -jar server

a single-VM instance will be created using the configuration specified in runtimes/vm. Alternative configurations can be used by specifying the runtime name as shown below. The runtime name will map to a configuration contained under the {{runtimes} directory:

java -jar server.jar controller  -- launches a runtime using the configuration under {{runtimes/controller}} 
java -jar server.jar participant -- launches a runtime using the configuration under {{runtimes/participant}}  
java -jar server.jar foo -- launches a custom runtime using the configuration under {{runtimes/foo image}}

Note it is possible to run multiple runtime instances from a single disk image. In this case, the image will contain multiple configurations under the runtimes directory. Each instance can then be started by specifying the runtime name, for example:

java -jar server.jar foo
java - jar server.jar foo2

Runtime Cloning

For high-density clustered topologies such as cloud environments, Fabric3 provides the ability to clone runtimes. This allows new instances to be spawned from a configuration template using a single command without the need for manual setup. The following command clones a runtime image and launches the cloned instance:

java -jar server.jar clone:template runtime2

Configuring the Domain Name

If more than one domain is run on the same physical network, it is necessary to create unique domain names. The domain name is configured using the domain attribute of the <runtime> element:

<config>
   <runtime domain="mydomain"/>
</config>

The domain name must be a valid URI host and not contain characters such as ":" or "/". The default domain name is domain.

Configuring the Runtime Mode

The runtime mode is configured using the mode attribute of the <runtime> element:

<config>
   <runtime mode="controller"/>
</config>

Valid values are: vm; participant; and controller. For more information on the runtime mode setting, see The Domain.

Enabling Pass-By-Value Semantics

By default, Fabric3 is configured to use pass-by-reference semantics when invoking remotable services collocated with their clients. This avoids the overhead of parameter copying. In some cases, this may not be desirable, for example, if a service directly modifies parameter data that should not be visible to clients. To avoid this, the runtime can be configured to follow SCA by-value semantics by setting the @enableByValue attribute to true on the SCA setting in serviceConfig.xml:

<sca enableByValue="true"/>