Advanced Macromedia ColdFusion MX 7 Application Development

Chapter 4. Scaling with J2EE

IN THIS CHAPTER

Benefits of Deploying ColdFusion on J2EE Application Server 78

Development Values of ColdFusion on J2EE 81

How ColdFusion Lives on Top of Java Server 86

Scaling with ColdFusion and JRun 90

Scaling with Other Java Application Servers 94

Tuning the Java Virtual Machine 95

ColdFusion MX 7 is a highly scalable Web application platform built on Java 2 Enterprise Edition (J2EE). J2EE is a set of standards that build on the Java 2 Standard Edition adding support for multitier enterprise application through support of technologies like Enterprise Java Beans (EJB), Java Server Pages (JSP), Servlets, XML and Web Services, Java Messaging Service, and much more. J2EE gives developers more capability to reuse components, create Web Services, extend legacy applications, work with mobile devices, and expand enterprise interoperability. J2EE has become the defacto standard for developing large scale enterprise class internet applications in part because its multiplatform support.

Because ColdFusion MX 7 is built in Java on J2EE standards it offers exceptional capability to integrate with Java. You can easily work with Java classes, servlets, EJBs, or just about any other type of Java/J2EE service and resource from your ColdFusion applications.

ColdFusion is now more flexible than ever. It can be installed as a stand-alone solution or on supported J2EE application platforms. ColdFusion MX 7 comes in three flavors: ColdFusion MX 7 Server Edition, ColdFusion MX 7 Multi-Server Edition, and ColdFusion MX 7 for J2EE Application Server, including versions for Macromedia JRun, Sun ONE Application Server, IBM WebSphere Server, and BEA WebLogic. ColdFusion no longer depends on the Web server for its support. Now ColdFusion can be installed as a tiered application server in a multi-tiered environment, providing more scalability and stability.

This chapter discusses the benefits of these new capabilities, how ColdFusion interacts with J2EE, interoperability between ColdFusion and Java application servers, ColdFusion on a supported J2EE platform, and scaling ColdFusion using J2EE architecture.