Using Java and PHP technology for development in Aix Version 5.3, part 1th

Part 1th: Setting up the Java environment

Introduction: Develop a java™ application on aix® and learn how to extend the application by using the PHP interface to view the underlying Java code. Applications that use Java and PHP technologies can be developed in Aix. While gaining the benefits of using PHP as a web-based interface platform, you can use Java code as the core logic (or redeploy existing java-based applications). This is the 1th installment of a series of articles that explores the basics of the Java programming language and the PHP integration approach in AIX, provides a brief overview of sample applications that use this structure, and then describes how to install the Java programming language and Apache Tomcat to develop applications Some of the core elements that need to be mastered.

Introduction

PHP is a very good web development language, and java™ programming languages are popular in business application development. Therefore, in order to fully utilize their advantages on the Aix®version 5.3 operating system, PHP Java Bridge is specially developed. The purpose of this series of articles is to enable AIX 5.3 developers to integrate PHP and Java technologies faster in the development of Web applications.

To illustrate this, you will build a simple survey application based on the typical development process, including:

Developing a major Java application

Exposing Java applications as Java-based Web applications through the servlet

Adding support for storing information in a database

Exposing the original application as a Web service and providing the PHP interface for the application

Re-developing the PHP interface with a dedicated PHP Java bridge

Using both PHP and Java technology

For an enterprise, one of the most common problems in developing a new interface for an application is how to design the solution. With the development of Web-enabled applications, it is often necessary to develop a web-based wrapper for existing applications that use existing languages and frameworks.

For some environments, this can cause problems because the deployment of Web applications may be based on completely different technologies, and in many cases the capabilities and benefits of a particular environment are never maximized.

Even when developing new applications, the same problem may arise when web development experts are accustomed to some kind of environment, such as PHP, and your business application logic experts have extensive experience with Java technology. Sometimes you may want to take full advantage of the flexibility offered by different environments. PHP allows for rapid application prototyping of Web applications and allows the blending of HTML and embedded PHP commands as needed, making web interface development very easy.

Although the Java environment can use Java Server Pages (JSP) and local solutions (such as struts for HTML object deployments) for WEB deployments, it is often better suited for core application logic in large applications. The Java environment is strongly typed and standardized, so it is better suited to developing solutions for complex business applications.

The key is to use a suitable solution that enables you to use both solutions for different parts of your application (back-end logic and front-end interfaces), and to exchange information between the two systems using the interfaces of Java and PHP technology.

There is no direct association between Java and PHP technologies, which are two different technologies that use completely different logic, binary code, and deployment environments. However, there is a way to communicate between the two systems by using service-oriented architecture (SOA) and Web services for information exchange. In this example scenario, you will expose a Java application through a series of Web services. The PHP application then acts as a Web service client to communicate with the Java Web service interface.

Another approach is to use PHP Java Bridge, which provides a direct object interface that allows you to use both Java and PHP code directly in the same application.

In this series of articles and tutorials, you will detail how to develop your Java application and extend it using the PHP interface of the underlying Java code.