Introduction

The focus of this Tutorial is to introduce you how you can create, design a simple SOA solution using Camel and OSGI. Most of the current and commercial SOA solutions rely on standards XML/WSDL/BPMN/BPEL and Business Processes (designed through WYSIWYG editor like Eclipse or propriatary product) which are deployed and orchestrated into a Business Process Expression Language engine.

Such a solution can be envisaged for big companies because the skills/time to market are important or when different development standards exist inside the company like (Java, .NET).

In the 90's, such developments have been made using CORBA or COM+/DCOM Microsoft technology. But both approaches had (and still have) significant problems and limitations. Complexity is a big issue. Any of the data that is passed requires very specific formatting, and many of the rules for programming are simply too difficult to follow without encountering errors. Even at the height of their popularity, CORBA was used primarily in large system development staffed by legions of programmers, while COM was used, often reluctantly, by teams of Microsoft developers.

Open Standards Gateway Initiative provides a Java-based platform for integrating both Java and non-Java application components. This technology provides the standardized functions for constructing applications from small, individual components and deploying them as a single application. The core component of OSGi is the OSGi Framework. The OSGi Framework is a very specific class-loading model. In addition to its normal Java execution environment, this framework incorporates an OSGi modules layer that adds private classes for modules and allows for controlled linking between modules. The OSGi Framework also includes life-cycle management for starting, stopping, adding and removing modules, as well as a service registry for sharing objects between modules.

Coupling the OSGI framework with a lightweight Enterprise Service Bus will allow you easily to design the routing between your different modules. A module can be a Plain Old Java Object (POJO), a Web Service designed with Apache CXF framework, a component like an ordering system. In fact, the module or bundle which is the term used by OSGI represent the level of granularity that you identify for your application.

In this first part of the OSGI tutorial, we will show you how to:

• Create a simple service (derived from the camel-osgi example) module (interface + implementation) and package it as a bundle,
• Create a Camel context with a small routing and package it as a separate bundle,
• The Camel routing will use an OSGI reference to call the simple service

The second part of this tutorial will be derived from the Reporting incident tutorial and will show you a more real application (which is web based) can be re-scoped into a OSGI application.

Prerequisites

This tutorial uses:

• Maven 2.0.9 to setup the Camel project and for dependencies for artifacts,
• Eclipse Ganymede 3.4.x,
• Spring Dynamic Modules for OSGI 1.2.0-m2
• Service Mix Kernel 1.0.0,
• Spring DM Server 1.0.1

Note: The sample project can be downloaded, see the resources section.

Step 1 : Initial Project Setup

First, we create two eclipse projects using the maven archetype 'spring-osgi-bundle-archetype'. This archetype is helpful because it generates a pom.xml file that we will use with maven goal(s) to create the:

• MANIFEST.MF file (file required and specifying the information about the bundle to deploy on the OSGI server, dependency with another bundle, version, ... )
• jar of the bundle to deploy on the server

To create the simple service project, execute the following command in your Unix/Dos console.

mvn archetype:create -DarchetypeGroupId=org.springframework.osgi -DarchetypeArtifactId=spring-osgi-bundle-archetype -DarchetypeVersion=1.2.0-m2 -DgroupId=demo -DartifactId=demo.service-bundle -Dversion=0.1

Remarks:

• The archetype version depends on the version of Spring Dynamic Module used and must be adapted in consequence,
• According to your project, you can change the artifactId to point to com.mycompany.application.service, and groupId com.mycompany.application

 To create the Camel project, execute the following command

mvn archetype:create -DarchetypeGroupId=org.springframework.osgi -DarchetypeArtifactId=spring-osgi-bundle-archetype -DarchetypeVersion=1.2.0-m2 -DgroupId=demo -DartifactId=demo.camel-bundle -Dversion=0.1

Two folders are created with the following name:

• demo.service-bundle
• demo.camel-bundle

Next, you import these projects into your favorite workspace of Eclipse.

Step 2 : Develop the interface

Developing an OSGI project could be 'potentially' time consuming regarding to:

• The learning curve of the new technology to acquire,
• Packaging of the components, registering of the components,
• How to call the OSGI server? How Can I have access to the bundle context?

You could figure out that developing OSGI is similar to develop EJB components using EJB 1.0 specification. Remember that time when the only way to design an enterprise solution was to use EJB with its proxy, stub-skeleton classes, the protocol RMI/IIOP (blocked by most of the firewall) for the communication between the client and the server, ... and so on and so on

Luckily, this is not the case because the specification has tried to avoid such pitfalls and because two interesting projects exist today to simplify our life:

• iPOJO (Apache Felix)
• Spring Dynamic Modules (Spring)

The goals of these frameworks are to:

• Design the business logic as POJO,
• Inject dependency(ies) though IoC,
• Handle lifecycle of the bundle and its relation with BundleContext

Although this tutorial is based on Spring Dynamic Modules, iPOJO can be used as an alternative.

So now, it is time to create the interface that we will use in this project. Open Eclipse environment if not already done and create a new folder "service" in{{src/main/java/demo}} tree. Add the interface TransformService.java and copy paste the code below:

package demo.service;

public interface TransformService {

    public Object transform(Object obj);

}

Step 3 : Create the class implementing the interface

Next, we will create the class TransformServiceImpl implmenting the interface TransformService.

Create the class TransformServiceImpl.java in the folder src/main/java/demo/service

package demo.service;

import java.util.Date;

import org.apache.commons.logging.Log;
import org.apache.commons.logging.LogFactory;

public class TransformServiceImpl implements TransformService {
    private static final transient Log LOG = LogFactory.getLog(TransformServiceImpl.class);
    private boolean verbose = true;
    private String prefix = "MyTransform";

    public Object transform(Object body) {
        String answer = prefix + " set body:  " + new Date();
        if (verbose) {
            System.out.println(">> call >> " + answer);
        }
        LOG.info(">> call >>" + answer);
        return answer;
    }

    public boolean isVerbose() {
        return verbose;
    }

    public void setVerbose(boolean verbose) {
        this.verbose = verbose;
    }

    public String getPrefix() {
        return prefix;
    }

    public void setPrefix(String prefix) {
        this.prefix = prefix;
    }
}

Step 4 : Create the spring configuration files

The next step concerns the creation of the configuration files who will allow the dependency injection and later the deployment of the bundle into the OSGI server and its registration as a 'service'.

a) Dependency Injection

Create the file demo-service-bundle-contxt.xml in the folder src/main/resources/META-INF/spring

<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>
<beans xmlns="http://www.springframework.org/schema/beans"
  xmlns:xsi="http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema-instance"
  xsi:schemaLocation="http://www.springframework.org/schema/beans http://www.springframework.org/schema/beans/spring-beans.xsd">

  <!-- regular spring configuration file defining the beans for this
       bundle. The configuration of OSGi definitions is kept in a separate
       configuration file so that this file can easily be used
       for integration testing outside of an OSGi environment -->
    <bean id="transformService" class="demo.service.TransformServiceImpl">
    </bean>
</beans>

b) OSGI 'Injection'

Create the file demo-service-bundle-contxt-osgi.xml in the folder src/main/resources/META-INF/spring

<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>
<beans xmlns="http://www.springframework.org/schema/beans"
	xmlns:xsi="http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema-instance"
	xmlns:osgi="http://www.springframework.org/schema/osgi"
	xsi:schemaLocation="http://www.springframework.org/schema/beans
	http://www.springframework.org/schema/beans/spring-beans.xsd
    http://www.springframework.org/schema/osgi
    http://www.springframework.org/schema/osgi/spring-osgi.xsd">

	<!--
		definitions using elements of the osgi namespace can be included in
		this file. There is no requirement to keep these definitions in a
		separate file if you do not want to. The rationale for keeping these
		definitions separate is to facilitate integration testing of the
		bundle outside of an OSGi container
	-->

	<osgi:service ref="transformService">
		<osgi:interfaces>
			<value>demo.service.TransformService</value>
		</osgi:interfaces>
	</osgi:service>

</beans>

Remark: for more information about Spring Dynamic Modules and configuration, I recommend to read its documentation

Step 5 : Generate the MANIFEST.MF file and jar of the bundle

Now, that the code and the configuration files are ready, we will use maven to generate the MANIFEST.MF file describing the information about our bundle, its version number, the package to export or import, etc.

This command can be launched from Eclipse (if you have integrated maven within Eclipse (eclipse maven plugin)) or a Unix/Dos prompt in the folder where your pom.xml file is located:

mvn package

If this command does not report any error, then a 'MANIFEST.MF' file containing the following information is created in the folder 'META-INF' and a demo.service-bundle-0.1.0.jar jar is created in the target folder:

Manifest-Version: 1.0
Export-Package: demo.service;uses:="org.apache.commons.logging"
Built-By: Charlesm
Build-Jdk: 1.6.0_07
Bundle-Version: 0.1.0
Tool: Bnd-0.0.238
Bundle-Name: Demo Service Bundle
Bnd-LastModified: 1228122578185
Created-By: Apache Maven Bundle Plugin
Bundle-ManifestVersion: 2
Bundle-SymbolicName: demo.demo.service-bundle
Import-Package: demo.service,org.apache.commons.logging

Step 6 : Create the Camel context file and OSGI dependency

The next step is quite simple for Camel users because we will create two configurations files, one containing the routing and the other with a reference to our TransformationService deployed in a OSGI bundle.

• For the routing, create the following file in the folder src/main/resources/META-INF/spring of the project demo.camel-bundle:

<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>
<beans xmlns="http://www.springframework.org/schema/beans"
       xmlns:xsi="http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema-instance"
       xsi:schemaLocation="
       http://www.springframework.org/schema/beans
       http://www.springframework.org/schema/beans/spring-beans-2.5.xsd
       http://activemq.apache.org/camel/schema/spring
       http://activemq.apache.org/camel/schema/spring/camel-spring.xsd">

  <camelContext xmlns="http://activemq.apache.org/camel/schema/spring">
    <route>
      <from uri="timer://myTimer?fixedRate=true&amp;period=10000"/>
      <bean ref="myTransform" method="transform"/>
      <to uri="log:ExampleRouter"/>
    </route>
  </camelContext>
</beans>

The routing defined here is a timer which will trigger every 10th second and call the POJO 'MyTransform' and send the result to the 'camel:log' component. As, you can see, this is a pure Camel configuration file without any reference to an OSGI bundle

• To inject the dependency, we will create a second file named bundle-context-osgi.xml in the same folder:

<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>
<beans xmlns="http://www.springframework.org/schema/beans"
  xmlns:xsi="http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema-instance"
  xmlns:osgi="http://www.springframework.org/schema/osgi"
  xsi:schemaLocation="
  http://www.springframework.org/schema/beans
  http://www.springframework.org/schema/beans/spring-beans.xsd
  http://www.springframework.org/schema/osgi
  http://www.springframework.org/schema/osgi/spring-osgi.xsd">

      <osgi:reference id="myTransform" interface="demo.service.TransformService"/>

</beans>

Remarks:

• The id of the bean referenced myTransform used by the Camel context has a reference to the OSGI interface demo.service.TransformService
• How could we imagine something more simplest? We don't have to call a JNDI server with a reference or something like that. Only a reference to the service interface.

Step 6 : Generate the manifest and jar file

Run the command mvn package (= Repeat step #5).

Unfortunately, the MANIFEST.MF file of the Camel bundle does not contain a link to the package demo.Service that the bean 'myTransform' required in order to instantiate the class. This link is not added by the bnd tool during the generation step. So we have to edit the file contained in the jar file demo.camel-bundle-0.1.jar adding the following line at the end of the MANIFEST.MF file.

Remark: if someone find how to avoid this, he/she is welcome

Import-Package: demo.service

Save the MANIFEST.MF file (and the jar containing it)

Deploy the bundles

We will show you now that we can easily deploy our bundles in two OSGI servers running a different OSGI kernel:

• Felix for ServiceMix Kernel
• Equinox for Spring Dynamic Module

ServiceMix Kernel

As mentioned in the documentation, Apache ServiceMix Kernel is a small OSGi based runtime which provides a lightweight container onto which various components and applications can be deployed. Moreover, the server provides administration, security, logging and provisioning features who will help you during the deployment and administration steps.

If this is not yet done, download ServiceMix Kernel 1.0.0 server and install it. Launch the server by executing the command in the bin folder:

c:\apache-servicemix-kernel-1.0.0\bin>servicemix

If this is the first time Servicemix is started, then you will see that a new data folder is created.

In order to allow our bundles to work with Camel, execute the following commands to download and install the 'Camel and Spring bundles':

servicemix> osgi install \-s mvn:org.springframework/spring-tx/2.5.5
servicemix> osgi install \-s mvn:org.apache.camel/camel-core/1.5.0
servicemix> osgi install \-s mvn:org.apache.camel/camel-spring/1.5.0
servicemix> osgi install \-s mvn:org.apache.camel/camel-osgi/1.5.0

Next, copy the two jar into the deploy folder, first the service and next the Camel bundle. After a few seconds, you should see on the Servicemix log console the following text:

>> call >> MyTransform set body:  Mon Dec 01 11:02:28 CET 2008

Remarks :

• In case of trouble, use the command: osgi list to see if all the deployed bundles are installed correctly and have their status equals to active
• To see the log of ServiceMix, use the command: log d

Spring DM server

Spring DM server compare to ServiceMix Kernel, Eclipse Equinox or Apache Felix is much more than a OSGI server. This is a completely module-based Java application server that is designed to run enterprise Java applications and Spring-powered applications with a new degree of flexibility and reliability. It offers a simple yet comprehensive platform to develop, deploy, and service enterprise Java applications.

We have decided to it inside this tutorial not only because we have designed spring-based applications but because we are convince that OSGI platform will become the next standard for the Web Application Server. Existing Commercial and open-source are gradually migrating their servers to support OSGI.

Like ServiceMix Kernel, start the Spring DM server by launching the following command in your Unix/Dos environement :

c:\springsource-dm-server-1.0.0.RELEASE\bin>startup

When the server is started, open your favorite browser and point to the following url http://localhost:8080/admin using 'admin' as login and 'springsource' as password. In the administration page, click on the button "browse" to upload the different jars to be deployed. Select the folder where you have copied the following jars and upload them one by one (by respecting the order)

• camel-core-1.5.0.jar
• camel-spring-1.5.0.jar
• demo.service-bundle-0.1.0.jar
• demo.camel-bundle-0.1.0.jar

When the bundles are uploaded, the screen is refreshed and shows a list of the deployed applications like this :

To verify that the Camel service bundle works perfectly, open the trace.log file located in the folder :

c:\springsource-dm-server-1.0.0.RELEASE\serviceability\trace\demo.demo.camel-bundle-0.1\trace.log

and you should see the following text

[2008-12-02 10:43:19.500] edRate=true&period=10000                                                       System.out I >> call >> MyTransform set body:  Tue Dec 02 10:43:19 CET 2008
[2008-12-02 10:43:19.500] edRate=true&period=10000                        demo.service.TransformServiceImpl.unknown I >> call >>MyTransform set body:  Tue Dec 02 10:43:19 CET 2008
[2008-12-02 10:43:19.500] edRate=true&period=10000                                            ExampleRouter.unknown I Exchange[BodyType:String, Body:MyTransform set body:  Tue Dec 02 10:43:19 CET 2008]

Conclusion

Well, we have finished the first part of the tutorial. Even if the example is simple, we have introduced very important concepts and show you how to design a small SOA solution, package it and deploy it under two different OSGI servers. I'm really sure that in a near future a maven plugin will be created to facilitate this task and will automate the deployment within your favorite OSGI servers.

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