package EJB module as EAR or JAR? - jar

Question

Should this hello world EJB be packages as an EAR or JAR for deployment?
thufir#dur:~/NetBeansProjects/EJBModule1$
thufir#dur:~/NetBeansProjects/EJBModule1$ cat src/java/net/bounceme/dur/ejb/NewSessionBean.java
package net.bounceme.dur.ejb;
import java.util.logging.Logger;
import javax.ejb.Stateless;
#Stateless(name = "FooBean", mappedName = "ejb/FooBean")
public class NewSessionBean implements NewSessionBeanRemote {
private final static Logger log = Logger.getLogger(NewSessionBean.class.getName());
#Override
public void sayHello() {
log.info("hi");
}
}
thufir#dur:~/NetBeansProjects/EJBModule1$
deploy:
thufir#dur:~/NetBeansProjects/EJBModule1$
thufir#dur:~/NetBeansProjects/EJBModule1$ asadmin list-applications
Nothing to list.
No applications are deployed to this target server.
Command list-applications executed successfully.
thufir#dur:~/NetBeansProjects/EJBModule1$
thufir#dur:~/NetBeansProjects/EJBModule1$ ant -p
Buildfile: /home/thufir/NetBeansProjects/EJBModule1/build.xml
Builds, tests, and runs the project EJBModule1.
Main targets:
-profile-pre72 Profile a J2EE project in the IDE.
clean Clean build products.
compile Compile project.
debug Debug project in IDE.
default Build whole project.
dist Build distribution (JAR).
dist-directory-deploy Build distribution (JAR) - if directory deployment is not supported.
dist-ear Build distribution (JAR) to be packaged into an EAR.
javadoc Build Javadoc.
profile Profile a J2EE project in the IDE.
run Deploy to server.
test Run unit tests.
test-single Run single unit test.
test-single-method Run single unit test.
Default target: default
thufir#dur:~/NetBeansProjects/EJBModule1$
thufir#dur:~/NetBeansProjects/EJBModule1$ ant run
Buildfile: /home/thufir/NetBeansProjects/EJBModule1/build.xml
-pre-init:
-init-private:
-init-userdir:
-init-user:
-init-project:
-init-macrodef-property:
-do-init:
-post-init:
-init-check:
-init-ap-cmdline-properties:
-init-macrodef-javac-with-processors:
-init-macrodef-javac-without-processors:
-init-macrodef-javac:
-init-macrodef-test-impl:
-init-macrodef-junit-init:
-init-macrodef-junit-single:
-init-test-properties:
-init-macrodef-junit-batch:
-init-macrodef-junit:
-init-macrodef-junit-impl:
-init-macrodef-testng:
-init-macrodef-testng-impl:
-init-macrodef-test:
-init-macrodef-junit-debug:
-init-macrodef-junit-debug-batch:
-init-macrodef-junit-debug-impl:
-init-macrodef-test-debug-junit:
-init-macrodef-testng-debug:
-init-macrodef-testng-debug-impl:
-init-macrodef-test-debug-testng:
-init-macrodef-test-debug:
-init-macrodef-java:
-init-debug-args:
-init-macrodef-nbjpda:
-init-macrodef-debug:
-init-taskdefs:
-init-ap-cmdline-supported:
-init-ap-cmdline:
init:
-init-cos:
-init-deploy:
-deps-module-jar:
-deps-ear-jar:
deps-jar:
-pre-pre-compile:
-pre-compile:
-copy-meta-inf:
-do-compile:
-post-compile:
compile:
-library-inclusion-in-archive-weblogic:
-library-inclusion-in-archive-by-user:
library-inclusion-in-archive:
-pre-dist:
-do-tmp-dist-without-manifest:
-do-tmp-dist-with-manifest:
-do-dist-directory-deploy:
-post-dist:
dist-directory-deploy:
pre-run-deploy:
-pre-nbmodule-run-deploy:
-run-deploy-nb:
-init-deploy-ant:
-init-cl-deployment-env:
-parse-glassfish-web:
-parse-sun-web:
-no-parse-sun-web:
-add-resources:
-deploy-ant:
-deploy-without-pw:
[echo] Deploying dist/EJBModule1.jar
[get] Getting: http://localhost:4848/__asadmin/deploy?path=/home/thufir/NetBeansProjects/EJBModule1/dist/EJBModule1.jar&force=true&name=EJBModule1
[get] To: /tmp/gfv3945180939
[delete] Deleting: /tmp/gfv3945180939
-deploy-with-pw:
-run-deploy-am:
-post-nbmodule-run-deploy:
post-run-deploy:
-do-update-breakpoints:
run-deploy:
run:
BUILD SUCCESSFUL
Total time: 1 second
thufir#dur:~/NetBeansProjects/EJBModule1$
thufir#dur:~/NetBeansProjects/EJBModule1$ asadmin list-applications
EJBModule1 <ejb>
Command list-applications executed successfully.
thufir#dur:~/NetBeansProjects/EJBModule1$
thufir#dur:~/NetBeansProjects/EJBModule1$ cat src/java/net/bounceme/dur/ejb/NewSessionBean.java
package net.bounceme.dur.ejb;
import java.util.logging.Logger;
import javax.ejb.Stateless;
#Stateless(name = "FooBean", mappedName = "ejb/FooBean")
public class NewSessionBean implements NewSessionBeanRemote {
private final static Logger log = Logger.getLogger(NewSessionBean.class.getName());
#Override
public void sayHello() {
log.info("hi");
}
}
thufir#dur:~/NetBeansProjects/EJBModule1$
It's just a "module"; to my understanding this means that there's no web component (WAR file). But it could still be an EAR...or not?
(The build file/etc are all defaults from Netbeans.)

Answer 1

Ear is used to bundle both Jar modules and war modules togeather.
Hence Ear module makes sense when your enterprise application has:
multiple Jar modules
multiple war modules
multiple Jar and war modules.
Also, there is classpath implications in the above setup.
If my application has just a single jar module or war module, I would deploy it directly.