This topic applies only to the IBM Business Automation Workflow Advanced configuration.

Considerations when using shared libraries

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Take these tips into consideration when you use shared libraries.

Avoid having duplicated assets within the classloader scope which generally is the application and all shared libraries deployed to a particular scope. When there are duplicates, it can be unpredictable which one will be used.

For XML schema and interface definitions, the solution presented here for sharing these artifacts by-reference requires proper use of the target namespace and object names to ensure predictable results at run time:
  • Constrain the use of target namespaces so that they do not exist in both the WebSphere shared library and the SCA modules that are scoped to the WebSphere® Application Server shared library.
  • Ensure SCA modules don't define, redefine, extend, or restrict artifacts of an existing namespace that is in a WebSphere shared library.
  • Ensure assets in a WebSphere shared library don't define, redefine, extend, or restrict artifacts that are in the SCA modules that are scoped to it.

For Java binaries, the server runtime environment relies on the inherent class-loading strategies in the Java virtual machine (JVM), and duplication of Java binaries can result in unpredictable behavior or a runtime exception. SCA modules exist in their own class loader and delegate to the class loader for the WebSphere shared library. Therefore, Java binaries that are included in the WebSphere shared library have preference in loading.

Mediation subflows are normally used over several mediations. Shared libraries do not support subflows that contain any business object map (BOMap). To share a BOMap across mediations, you must implement it by using an SCA library that is deployed with the mediation module or SCA module (shared by copying) or by sharing these artifacts by-reference. For information about sharing these artifacts by-reference, see Configuring a shared library to support a business object map. For information about sharing these artifacts by-reference, see Configuring a shared library to support a business object map.

Business object parsing mode considerations for shared Java Code

If you plan to share Java code across applications running with different business object parsing modes, you must be aware of incompatible differences between the two business object modes: Eager and Lazy.

In this case, the shared Java code should be business object mode-agnostic. That is, the code should be independent of behavior differences between the two business-object parsing modes. If this separation can't be achieved, the shared Java code can use a published BOMode API to inquire the actual mode. Depending on the response (Eager parsing or Lazy parsing), a dedicated code path can be taken, dealing with business object mode-specific behavior.