The tutorial reflects J2EE version 1.3, with additional Web services components provided by the Sun ONE platform.

The J2EE Tutorial for the Sun ONE Platform is a programmer's guide for the J2EE platform. It relies on Sun ONE software (Studio 4 update 1, Enterprise Edition for Java and Sun ONE Application Server 7, Platform or Standard Edition) to develop and deploy J2EE applications.

Note: If you download the tutorial, feel free to make it available locally at your site. Please do not publicly mirror it to the Web!. See the next question and answer to find out why. Anyone is permitted have a copy of the online tutorial as long as it's visible only within their own institution (university, business, or whatever) and no one is profiting from the tutorial's distribution.

Complete Web services support. The J2EE platform provides a framework for developing and deploying web services on the Java platform. The Java API for XML-based RPC (JAX-RPC) enables Java technology developers to develop SOAP based interoperable and portable web services. Developers use the standard JAX-RPC programming model to develop SOAP based web service clients and endpoints. A web service endpoint is described using a Web Services Description Language (WSDL) document.

The primary technologies in the J2EE platform are: Java API for XML-Based RPC (JAX-RPC), JavaServer Pages, Java Servlets, Enterprise JavaBeans components, J2EE Connector Architecture, J2EE Management Model, J2EE Deployment API, Java Management Extensions (JMX), J2EE Authorization Contract for Containers, Java API for XML Registries (JAXR), Java Message Service (JMS), Java Naming and Directory Interface (JNDI), Java Transaction API (JTA), CORBA, and JDBC data access API. What's new in the J2EE 1.

For more information about the J2EE platform and how to get the specification, see http://java.sun.com/j2ee/. The most effective way to learn about the J2EE platform and what's new in the J2EE 1.4 platform is to get hands on experience with the APIs by using the J2EE 1.4 SDK. The J2EE 1.4 SDK provides a J2EE 1.4 compatible application server as the foundation to develop and deploy Web services enabled, multi-tier enterprise applications. You can download the J2EE 1.4 SDK from http://java.sun.

ISVs need the J2EE platform because it gives them a blueprint for providing a complete enterprise computing solution on the Java platform.

Yes. The J2EE Compatibility Test Suite (CTS) is available for the J2EE platform. The J2EE CTS contains over 5,000 tests for J2EE 1.4 and will contain more for later versions. This test suite tests compatibility by performing specific application functions and checking results. For example, to test the JDBC call to insert a row in a database, an EJB component makes a call to insert a row and then a call is made to check that the row was inserted.

J2EE applications that are written to the J2EE 1.3 specification will run in a J2EE 1.4 implementation. Backwards compatibility is a requirement of the specification.

The Java 2 Platform, Enterprise Edition (J2EE) is a set of coordinated specifications and practices that together enable solutions for developing, deploying, and managing multi-tier server-centric applications. Building on the Java 2 Platform, Standard Edition (J2SE), the J2EE platform adds the capabilities necessary to provide a complete, stable, secure, and fast Java platform to the enterprise level.

The best places to start are the Java Tutorial for learning about Java programming, and the J2EE Tutorial for getting acquainted with the different J2EE technologies. The Java Enterprise BluePrints and the Java Pet Store demo application assume that developers are already familiar with the concepts of the J2EE Tutorial. Once you have completed the J2EE Tutorial, you should read our guidelines, and then download our free source code to start building J2EE applications.

JavaServer Pages and Java Servlets are the web presentation layer in the Java 2 Platform, Enterprise Edition Platform. Sun adapts and integrates the Tomcat code base into the J2EE SDK, which is available under separate licensing.

The tutorial requires Sun ONE Studio 4 update 1, Enterprise Edition for Java and Sun ONE Application Server 7, Platform Edition or Sun ONE Application Server 7, Standard Edition.

No. Although the tutorial used to rely on the J2EE SDK, we converted it to work on the Sun ONE platform. You'll find it much easier to develop J2EE applications and Web services with the Sun ONE software.

The J2EE 1.4 specification is final and you can use the J2EE 1.4 SDK to deploy applications today. However, for improved reliability,scability, and performance, it is recommended that you deploy your applications on J2EE 1.4 commercial implementations that will be available early in 2004. If you want to deploy your application before 2004, and reliability,scability, and performance are critical, you should consider using a high performance application server that supports J2EE v1.

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