IBM Integration Bus, Version 9.0.0.8 Operating Systems: AIX, HP-Itanium, Linux, Solaris, Windows, z/OS

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Example: Wizard-assisted conversion of Version 7.0 resources to applications and libraries

You can convert individual WebSphere® Message Broker Version 7.0 resources to applications and libraries manually, or you can run the Convert Projects to Applications and Libraries wizard. This example shows how resources that were created in WebSphere Message Broker Version 7.0 can be converted to applications and libraries by running the wizard.

The Version 7.0 resources

Resources were created in Version 7.0 to implement two solutions, "MyFirstSolution" and "MyOtherSolution".

MyFirstSolution consists of the following resources:

A message flow project called MyFirstSolution
A message set project called MyFirstSolutionMessageSet
A message flow project that is called CommonSubFlows, which might also be used by other solutions
A message set project that is called SharedMessageSet, which is also used by MyOtherSolution

MyOtherSolution consists of the following resources:

A message flow project called MyOtherSolution
A message set project called MyOtherSolutionMessageSet
A message set project that is called SharedMessageSet, which is also used by MyFirstSolution

The following images show how the resources for the two solutions are represented in the Version 7.0 WebSphere Message Broker Toolkit.

The graphic illustrates how solution A consists of the message flow project called "MyFirstSolution", which depends on message flow project "CommonSubFlows", and message set projects "MyFirstSolutionMessageSet" and "SharedMessageSet". Solution B consists of the message flow project called "MyOtherSolution", which depends on message set projects "MyOtherSolutionMessageSet" and "SharedMessageSet".

The graphic shows the Broker Development view of the Version 7.0 WebSphere Message Broker Toolkit and is described in the surrounding text.

The problems and the solution

The organization of the resources in the Version 7.0 WebSphere Message Broker Toolkit does not make it clear which projects apply to which solution.

Similarly, deployed resources are shown as a flat list in the Brokers view of the WebSphere Message Broker Toolkit, and in WebSphere Message Broker Explorer. When it is time to deploy a solution, you need to know exactly which resources to add to your broker archive (BAR) file.

A lack of isolation is also an issue in this example. Both solutions use the message set project, SharedMessageSet. If you deploy a new SharedMessageSet message set project, the change affects both solutions. To use different versions of the SharedMessageSet project with each solution, you could deploy each solution to its own integration server, which might not be appropriate in your environment.

To resolve these issues, you can use one application to encapsulate all the resources that are required for MyFirstSolution, and another application to contain all the resources for MyOtherSolution. You can use libraries to contain the resources that are used by other solutions (the CommonSubFlows message flow project, and the SharedMessageSet message set project).

Conversion to applications and libraries by using the conversion wizard

Even though the conversion wizard automates conversion of one or more projects, you can still control how the wizard converts them. The two examples that follow illustrate different methods of using the wizard to convert the Version 7.0 resources to applications and libraries.

First, the resources are exported from the Version 7.0 WebSphere Message Broker Toolkit and imported into the Version 9.0 IBM® Integration Toolkit. The imported resources are initially listed under the Independent Resources category in the Version 9.0 IBM Integration Toolkit. Message flow projects do not exist in Version 9.0. Therefore, the Version 7.0 message flow projects are converted automatically to integration projects when they are imported.

This graphic shows the imported resources under the Independent Resources folder in the Version 9.0 IBM Integration Toolkit.

At this stage, you could choose to convert the resources individually, without using the wizard (see Example: Manual conversion of Version 7.0 resources to applications and libraries). For the purposes of this example, the resources are converted by using the conversion wizard. The Convert Projects to Applications and Libraries wizard analyzes all the projects in the Independent Resources category and decides how to convert them. The wizard describes how it will convert the resources so that you can decide if the conversion is appropriate. The following examples show how the wizard converts the projects that you select.

Method 1: Selecting and converting all imported projects

In this method, all the imported projects are selected for conversion.

All projects are selected and the Analyse and Convert Multiple Projects option is selected from the menu.
The conversion wizard opens and shows that all projects are selected for conversion.
The conversion preview pane shows what action will be taken to convert the selected project.
- The two integration projects, MyFirstSolution and MyOtherSolution, both refer to the message set project, SharedMessageSet. Therefore, the wizard implements the following conversion rule:
  A project that is not an integration project, and that is referenced by multiple projects, is converted to a wrapper library. A wrapper library is a library that refers to the original project, such as a message set project. Project references from other projects are updated to refer to the wrapper library.
- The integration project MyFirstSolution also refers to the integration project CommonSubFlows. In this case, the wizard implements the following conversion rule:
  An integration project that is referenced by another integration project is converted to a library.
- The message set project MyFirstSolutionMessageSet is also selected for conversion. This message set is referenced by only one project, therefore the wizard implements the following conversion rule:
  If you choose to convert a referenced project that is not an integration project, it is converted to a library.
  The same rule is implemented for the message set project MyOtherSolutionMessageSet.
- The projects MyFirstSolution and MyOtherSolution are not referenced by any other projects. Therefore, the wizard implements the following conversion rule:
  A top-level integration project, or an integration project that is not referenced by another integration project, is converted to an application.
When the proposed changes are confirmed, the wizard implements the rules to convert the projects to applications or libraries, as appropriate. The following diagram shows what the resources look like after conversion.
If you cannot see the Flows and References folders, you might need to click Show Categories on the Application Development view toolbar.
All referenced projects are converted to libraries, which provides the flexibility for other projects to share those resources in the future. The following method illustrates an alternative way to convert resources when you know that some resources will never be shared by other projects.

Method 2: Selecting and converting only the integration projects

In this method, the two integration projects are selected for conversion.

This graphic shows that three of the projects under the Independent Resources folder are selected and right-clicked. The three selected projects are CommonSubFlows, MyFirstSolution, and MyOtherSolution. The menu shows that Convert To Application or Library is expanded and Analyse and Convert Multiple Projects is selected.

The CommonSubFlows project is referenced only by the integration project MyFirstSolution, but other projects might need to refer to this project in the future. MyFirstSolutionMessageSet is referenced only by MyFirstSolution, and MyOtherSolutionMessageSet is referenced only by MyOtherSolution. These messages sets will not be referenced by any other projects in the future, therefore they will not be selected for conversion. By not selecting MyFirstSolutionMessageSet and MyOtherSolutionMessageSet for conversion, they will not be converted to libraries, according to the following conversion rule:

If you choose not to convert the referenced project, it remains unchanged, and the referencing project refers to the original project.

This graphic shows the Project Conversion Preview pane of the conversion wizard. In the list of converted workspace changes, the application that is called MyFirstSolution is selected. The conversion actions state that the integration project MyFirstSolution will be converted to an application called MyFirstSolution. The reference to the message set project called SharedMessageSet will be removed. But a reference will be added to a library called SharedMessageSetLIB, which will reference the SharedMessageSet message set.

The following illustration shows what the resources look like after conversion.

The graphic shows the converted projects in the Application Development view of the Version 9.0 Toolkit. MyFirstSolution is an application. That application is expanded, and under it are folders that are called Flows, Message Sets, and References. The Message Sets folder contains the message set called MyFirstSolutionMessageSet. The References folder contains references to the libraries CommonSubFlows and SharedMessageSetLIB. The application that is called MyOtherSolution also contains three folders that are called Flows, Message Sets, and References. The libraries (CommonSubFlows and SharedMessageSetLIB) are also shown separately in the Application Development view.

The project CommonSubFlows becomes a library, therefore it can be referenced by other applications, libraries, or integration projects. The message sets MyFirstSolutionMessageSet and MyOtherSolutionMessageSet each remain part of their owning applications and cannot be referenced by other applications, libraries, or integration projects.

The Version 9.0 resources

After conversion, you can see more clearly which resources are used by each solution. At deployment time, you do not need to know exactly which resources are required by your solution. The following images show how, on the Prepare tab of the BAR File editor, you select the application, and all required resources are deployed.

Method 1 - all projects are converted

Method 2 - only integration projects are converted

Similarly, the organization of resources is obvious when you are administering brokers in IBM Integration Explorer.

Method 1 - all projects are converted	Method 2 - only integration projects are converted

The following topics contain detailed instructions about how to complete these conversion steps:

Importing resources from previous versions: This topic describes how to export a Project Interchange file from one version of the WebSphere Message Broker Toolkit and import it to another version.
Converting a project to an application or library: This topic describes how to convert projects individually and how to use the Convert Projects to Applications and Libraries wizard. It also lists the restrictions that apply when you convert certain types of project.

For a demonstration of how to convert resources to applications and libraries, see

IBM Education Assistant module: Applications and Libraries conversion.

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Last updated Friday, 21 July 2017