Launching a container

Each container runs on some host that is suitable for use as a server. In general, the container will persist and receive invocations on a public IP address, and it will store state in a local database. The host needs some standard tools installed (possibly but not necessarily including the Orca source distribution), and the container needs access to a database server. See the Orca Installation Guide .

There are multiple sets of tools for preparing container configurations and launching them. The location of the container configuration ($ROOT_DIR) depends on how the container is launched. If you launch a container with the command line tools then the $ROOT_DIR defaults to $ORCA_HOME/run. If you launch a container as a Web application (e.g., within a Tomcat) then the $ROOT_DIR defaults to $ORCA_HOME/portal/webapp (which is referred to as $ORCA_WEB).

You use various tools to create these configurations and/or copy them into the right $ROOT_DIR once they are created and/or modified. Container configuration is tricky and there may be multiple ways to get where you want to go. For Web portal launch, it is common to prepare a configuration using the command line tools, and then copy it to its proper place in a Web application tree, and modify it as needed. So look at the command line tools first.

After reading the general overview information below, go to one of the specific container guides to setup and launch your container.

Anatomy of a container configuration

Every container configuration ($ROOT_DIR) includes a runtime directory in $ROOT_DIR/runtime. It contains configuration files describing the identities and authentication data known to the container. It consists of a java keystore and axis2 configuration files. The Orca release provides tools to generate these files. See Security Configuration .

Every configuration includes a local directory in $ROOT_DIR/local. It contains configuration files describing the initial components within the container and their relationships, and some common properties. You create the local directory and the configuration files from standard templates using various configuration tools, depending on how the container is launched.

The local directory includes the following standard configuration files in the local directory:

• Container Properties File

  This file's name is container.properties . It is a properties list file that contains a set of properties needed to initialize the container. Please refer to the Container Properties File reference pages for a description of this configuration file.

• Container XML File

  This file does not have a fixed location. Its main purpose is to describe the configuration of a container: its database, its actors, and the interconnections among actors. When Orca starts, the system will look for an XML configuration file located at $ROOT_DIR/config.xml. If this file exists, the system will attempt to load it. If the file does not exist, the system will remain in a semi-initialized state until an XML configuration file is finally loaded. Please refer to the Container XML File reference pages for a description of this configuration file.

  If you are not using the default database settings you will have to edit the provided XML files. For each file you will have to update the database configuration. Note that the database configuration is described separately for each actor and the container. Please refer to the Container XML File reference pages for a instructions about how to perform this customization.

Extension modules for containers

In addition to the above files, extension plugin modules may have their own configuration files. The following table lists all modules, which require a separate configuration file: