iWay Report: Using the Application Explorer

By Cliff Candiotti

One of the big changes in iWay 5.5 IBSE, compared to 5.2.104, is the new Application Explorer tool. Application Explorer allows a user to browse metadata in target systems and create XSD schemas or Web services that execute the selected object at runtime.

In iWay 5.2.104 this tool was deployed as a Java™ GUI (SWING) application, and required you to use an additional iWay tool, called the Business Services Builder, to publish and manage iWay Web services. In iWay 5.5, the Application Explorer does the work of both tools and more. It also gives you three deployment options:

1.	As a standalone Java GUI application
2.	As an ASP.NET Web application
3.	As a servlet running under a J2EE Application Server

This article focuses on setting up and configuring the ASP.NET flavor of the Application Explorer, though many concepts can be used for the other deployments. Since this deployment of the Application Explorer is mostly used with a standalone deployment of IBSE (not running under an Application Server), that will be the deployment of the IBSE we will discuss as well.

Installation

After installing iWay 5.5, you must run a configuration step. During the configuration, there is an option for Exploration, which deals with the deployment options of the Application Explorer. When you select the option to deploy the Application Explorer as an ASP.NET application, you are provided a link for the installation of this deployment (install_directory\etc\setup\iwaeasp.exe).

However, before running this installation, you must meet the prerequisite requirements, which entail installing the .NET Framework on the computer that will host the Application Explorer ASP.NET page. As documented, if you do not have Visual Studio .NET or any other Microsoft product that requires .NET Framework, you will have to run the .NET Framework installation, called dotnetfix.exe. There is a link on the Configuration Web page back to an iWay Website where the dotnetfix.exe installation program is located. After installing the .NET fix (if required) and the iwaeasp.exe, you are ready to run and configure the Application Explorer ASP.NET application.

Note: Even after installing the .NET Framework by running the dotnetfix, the ASP.NET runtime environment is not yet installed. You must install the ASP.NET runtime, by typing in the following command in a command prompt:

c:\WINNT\Microsoft.NET\Framework\v1.1.4**.
  aspnet_regiis.exe ­i

Web Site Configuration

After installing the IWAEASP.NET, some minor IIS configuration steps must follow. The first is to set the application name of the virtual directory created during the installation. Open your Computer Management console, and expand the Services and Applications node, and then the Internet Information Services node. Depending on the Operating System you are running, you'll see a number of objects. Find the Web Sites folder and expand it. You will see under the Default Web Site a virtual directory called iwae. Right-click on the iwae virtual directory (see Screen 1).

Screen 1

Click the Create button under Application settings, and iwae will appear as the application name.

Then click on the Documents tab. If you do not see iae.aspx inside the document list box, click Add. Type in iae.aspx, as shown in Screen 2 on the preceding page. Click OK. Then restart IIS (see Screen 3):

Screen 2

Screen 3

http://localhost/iwae/

After restarting IIS you should be able to access the Application Explorer by typing in the URL in a browser or from the Windows Start Menu / Programs / iWay 55 / Application Explorer ASP.NET. Make sure your iWay55 Integration Manager (IBSE) service is up.

You should see at least three adapters, and will see more if you've added the required .jar files for certain adapters. From here you begin defining target systems, exploring their metadata, and building schemas and Web services. You may also create events and test your Web Services with this tool. Those topics will be discussed in a future article but if you see the iWay Application Explorer welcome screen and gotten to this point, your ASP.NET environment and IIS are good to go.

Gotchas

If you don't see the \iwae Web page displayed properly, the reason may be:

a.	Web service extensions. On Windows 2003, IIS has the ability to restrict usage of certain Web applications, based on their extensions. Based on your level of security, ASP.NET Web applications may be prohibited. Check the Web Service Extensions object under IIS in Computer Management.
b.	Directory path. Some installations end with the path to the directories for the Web site not set correctly. You may need to manually set the Local path property of the application Explorer's Web site. Typically they will be installed into c:\Inetpub\wwwroot\iwae. Check the Local path under the Directory tab properties for iwae Web site, under IIS in Computer Management.

The Application Explorer Tool also runs as a servlet under an Application Server, and looks exactly the same. It is a good tool to demo to a customer, and is a must for iWay integration application development.