Parent topic: Quick start: deploying applications
Deploying with Genero Archive / Quick start: deploying applications

Quick start: Genero Archive

Follow these steps to quickly archive and deploy applications and services.

As a prerequisite, you must have your applications and/or services created and tested. You must have created an external configuration file for each application or service.
This initial procedure provides you with a quick overview of the main tasks of archiving and deploying an application followed by some examples of building archives and deploying applications: For a full understanding of what Genero archiving offers, please read all archiving topics.
  1. Consolidate all necessary files under a root directory. Within this directory, you must have a subdirectory for public images if you are deploying public images with your application. See Building an archive with public resources. You can also have sub-directories as needed to assist with the organization of your files.
    Note: When you create the archive, you will specify a root directory only. All files and directories within that directory will be included in the archive. If you wish to add a subset of the files in a directory, you can use another zip tool to create the file. See Create a Genero Archive.
  2. Update the application's configuration file (xcf) to set all resources relative to the resource $(res.deployment.path). See Create a Genero Archive.
  3. Create a MANIFEST file by hand (optional) or (recommended) use the deployment framework feature of fglgar to automatically generate the MANIFEST. See The MANIFEST file and The fglgar command.
  4. Create the archive file. See Create a Genero Archive.
  5. Deploy the archive file. If you are on the application server, you deploy with the gasadmin command. See Deploy an archive. If you are on a remote computer, you can deploy with the FGL tool, PublishGar, or you can use other tools such as curl. See Genero Archive deployment service.
  6. Enable the archive. See Activate (enable) a deployed archive.
The applications, services and resources included in the archive are available for your end users.

Building an archive with public resources

About this task:
This procedure guides you through steps for building an archive for an application that is deployed with public images. At this stage it is assumed you have :
  • Consolidated all the necessary files for your application archive under a root directory.
  • Updated the application's configuration file (e.g. xcf) to set its deployment <PATH> element to the resource $(res.deployment.path).
  1. Put your application's public images in a dedicated directory (you can name it, for example, "myAppPublicImages") in your archive.
  2. Create the MANIFEST file by hand (optional) or (recommended) use the deployment framework feature of fglgar to automatically generate the MANIFEST, as shown in the next step.

    The RESOURCES element specifies your public images directory. See Resource deployment overview and The MANIFEST file.

  3. Create the archive (gar) file to deploy your application by typing the following in a terminal window of the archive directory:

    fglgar --gar --resource myAppPublicImages --application myApp.xcf

    A Genero archive file (gar) is created in your current directory that has the same name as the directory. For more information about fglgar, see The fglgar command.

Related concepts
Resource deployment overview
Deploy application resources for GWC-JS

Building an archive with deployment triggers

About this task:
This procedure guides you through steps for building an archive for an application that is deployed with trigger commands or programs to execute when deploying and undeploying your application on the GAS. Before you begin make sure you have:
  • Consolidated all the necessary files for your application archive under a root directory.
  • Updated the application's configuration file (e.g. xcf) to set its deployment <PATH> element to the resource $(res.deployment.path).
  1. Create the MANIFEST file by hand (optional) (see The MANIFEST file) or (recommended) use the deployment framework feature of fglgar to automatically generate the MANIFEST while creating the archive file, as shown in the next step.
  2. Create an archive (gar) file to deploy your application.
    To have fglgar create the MANIFEST file and the archive (gar), type the following in a terminal window of the archive directory.
    Note: The --deploy-trigger and --undeploy-trigger (see TRIGGERS (for manifest)) switches contain your DEPLOY and UNDEPLOY commands, as shown in the example.

    fglgar --gar --application myApp.xcf --trigger-component cpn.wa.execution.local --deploy-trigger "fglrun mydeploy.42r" --undeploy-trigger "fglrun myundeploy.42r"

    A Genero archive file (gar) is created in your current directory that has the same name as the directory. For more information about fglgar, see The fglgar command.

Deploy your application on your machine

About this task:

Once you have created an archive for your application in the steps above, you can now deploy your application locally on your machine to test it by performing the following tasks:

  1. Start the standalone dispatcher from the command line by typing httpdispatch.
  2. Deploy your (gar) file locally on your machine.

    To deploy an archive named myApp_deploy.gar:

    fglrun $(FGLDIR)/web_utilities/services/deployment/bin/PublishGar http://localhost:6394 deploy myApp_deploy.gar
  3. Enable your deployed application locally on your GAS with the PublishGar tool. 
    fglrun $(FGLDIR)/web_utilities/services/deployment/bin/PublishGar http://localhost:6394 enable myApp_deploy.gar
    This enables the application by copying its configuration file (e.g. myApp.xcf) to your $(res.appdata.path) directory. It modifies the application's xcf file so that fglrun knows where to look first for the application-specific resources.
Related concepts
Resource deployment overview
Related reference
Common GAS predefined resources

Run the deployed application

About this task:

Once you have deployed your application on your machine in the steps above, you can now run your application. If the standalone dispatcher is not already started, start it from the command line using httpdispatch:

In a browser enter the address of your deployed application, e.g. http://localhost:6394/ua/r/myApp You should see your application displayed and be able to interact with it. You have successfully deployed an application.
Parent topic: Quick start: deploying applications