Embedding Kuali Rice

Overview

This document is intended to supplement the Kuali Rice 2.1.2 Installation Guide and aid the creation of an embedded rice client application. The information on this page is targeted for the Rice 2.1.2 release.

Running a Rice client application in Embedded Mode means:

  • one or more Rice modules - in particular, KEW and KIM - are executing from within the client application
  • the client application has direct access to the Rice Standalone Server database

Access to the Rice Database

A Rice client application requires three schemas:

  1. A schema that backs the Rice Standalone Server - generally referred to as the Rice database. The client application uses this schema to store all KEW transactions and expose services on the KSB registry.
  2. A Rice-provisioned schema for accessing the Rice database through a role with appropriate permissions (e.g. CRUD on KEW tables, but read-only on KNS tables). Because Rice is "schema-unaware", private synonyms pointing to the objects in the Rice database are created in this schema.
  3. A schema that backs the Rice client tables. This is generally hosted in the client application's database. It is used primarily for managing local Rice related Quartz jobs and thus, does not require access to any other schema.

Prerequisites

  1. A database account with access to the Rice database
  2. Procure the UC Davis-specific JARs for the modules you will be embedding along with any of their associated dependencies using either of the following methods:
    • Download ucd-rice-standalone-server-impl WAR from Artifactory , selecting the most recent version. This WAR contains all dependencies.
    • Download JARs for the specific module from this location in the Artifactory , selecting the most recent version.
  3. A certificate for the machines hosting the client application that will be connecting to the Rice Standalone Server.

Rice Libraries

In Rice 1.0.x, there were only two main jars, rice-api and rice-impl. With the modularity work there are more api jars corresponding to service apis and framework components. Additionally, the implementation module has been split (though there is still a shared implementation module as not all components of the Rice implementation have been fully modularized as of the Rice 2.x.x release). This work was done according to the design outlined at the following page: Modularity Design

The libraries and their dependencies required for the modules which your application will be using must be included in your client application. Ideally you only include the modules of rice you are using. In practice, you may need to include them all until rice's modularity work is complete. The only modules rice recommends compiling against are api & framework modules.

Below is a list of the old 1.0.3.3 libraries and their 2.x.x counterparts:

Old Library

New Library

rice-api-1.0.3.3.jar

rice-core-api-2.x.x.jar

 

rice-core-framework-2.x.x.jar

 

rice-core-service-api-2.x.x.jar

 

rice-core-service-framework-2.x.x.jar

 

rice-edl-framework-2.x.x.jar

 

rice-ken-api-2.x.x.jar

 

rice-kew-api-2.x.x.jar

 

rice-kew-framework-2.x.x.jar

 

rice-kim-api-2.x.x.jar

 

rice-kim-framework-2.x.x.jar

 

rice-kns-2.x.x.jar

 

rice-krad-app-framework-2.x.x.jar

 

rice-krad-web-framework-2.x.x.jar

 

rice-krms-api-2.x.x.jar

 

rice-krms-framework-2.x.x.jar

 

rice-ksb-api-2.x.x.jar

 

rice-location-api-2.x.x.jar

 

rice-location-framework-2.x.x.jar

rice-impl-1.0.3.3.jar

rice-impl-2.x.x.jar

 

rice-core-impl-2.x.x.jar

 

rice-core-service-impl-2.x.x.jar

 

rice-edl-impl-2.x.x.jar

 

rice-kew-impl-2.x.x.jar

 

rice-kim-impl-2.x.x.jar

 

rice-krms-impl-2.x.x.jar

 

rice-ksb-client-impl-2.x.x.jar

 

rice-ksb-server-impl-2.x.x.jar

 

rice-location-impl-2.x.x.jar

rice-sampleapp-1.0.3.3.jar

rice-core-service-web-2.x.x.jar

 

rice-core-web-2.x.x.jar

 

rice-ksb-web-2.x.x.jar

 

rice-location-web-2.x.x.jar

Properties Configuration

We use a simple XML configuration to declare properties as key-value pairs. For example:

/usr/local/rice/rice-config.xml
<config>
    <param name="datasource.ojb.platform">Oracle9i</param>
    <param name="datasource.platform">org.kuali.rice.core.framework.persistence.platform.OraclePlatform</param>
    <param name="datasource.url">jdbc:oracle:thin:@ldap://oraldap1.ucdavis.edu:389/rice_test,cn=OracleContext,dc=ucdavis,dc=edu</param>
    <param name="datasource.driver.name">oracle.jdbc.driver.OracleDriver</param>
    <param name="datasource.pool.validationQuery">select 1 from duak</param>
    <param name="datasource.pool.maxWait">30000</param>
    <param name="datasource.pool.size">30</param>
    <param name="datasource.pool.maxActive">50</param>
    <param name="datasource.minIdle">7</param>
    <param name="datasource.initialSize">7</param>
    <param name="datasource.accessToUnderlyingConnectionAllowed">true</param>
    <param name="datasource.username">my_db_user</param>
    <param name="datasource.password">my_db_password</param>
<config>

Configuration File Options

  • Default Rice Configuration
    • By default Rice looks for rice-config.xml in /usr/local/rice/ at launch time. Externalizing the configuration out to the file system allows us to substitute different values for different properties in different environments. We don't need to create a configuration file for say, the TEST vs. the PROD environment, and then build the application (i.e. the same WAR can be deployed in any instance).
    • See a set of sample properties .
  • Other Kuali Application Configurations
    • Kuali COEUS is a fully enabled rice application. The Kuali COEUS config file, kc-config.xml , is included here for reference.

Core Data Source Configuration

Kuali Rice uses Java Open Transaction Manager, so we declare the appropriate beans.

classpath:edu/ucdavis/myapp/config/application-data.xml
<bean id="jotm" class="org.springframework.transaction.jta.JotmFactoryBean">
    <property name="defaultTimeout" value="${transaction.timeout}"/>
</bean>
	

We must declare three data sources:

  1. A transactional data source where the local client application's Rice tables are located. This is required by JOTM.
    classpath:edu/ucdavis/myapp/config/application-data.xml
    <bean id="dataSource" class="org.kuali.rice.core.framework.persistence.jdbc.datasource.XAPoolDataSource">
        <property name="transactionManager" ref="jotm" />
        <property name="driverClassName" value="${datasource.driver.name}" />
        <property name="url" value="${datasource.url}" />
        <property name="maxSize" value="${datasource.pool.size}" />
        <property name="minSize" value="${datasource.initialSize}" />
        <property name="maxWait" value="${datasource.pool.maxWait}" />
        <property name="validationQuery" value="${datasource.pool.validationQuery}" />
        <property name="username" value="${datasource.username}" />
        <property name="password" value="${datasource.password}" />
    </bean>
    
  2. A non-transactional data source pointing to those same Rice tables. This is required by Quartz.
    classpath:edu/ucdavis/myapp/config/application-data.xml
    <bean id="nonTransactionalDataSource" class="org.apache.commons.dbcp.BasicDataSource" destroy-method="close">
        <property name="url" value="${datasource.url}"/>
        <property name="username" value="${datasource.username}"/>
        <property name="password" value="${datasource.password}"/>
        <property name="driverClassName" value="${datasource.driver.name}" />
        <property name="initialSize" value="${datasource.initialSize}" />
        <property name="minIdle" value="${datasource.minIdle}" />
        <property name="maxActive" value="${datasource.maxActive}" />
        <property name="maxWait" value="${datasource.maxWait}" />
        <property name="validationQuery" value="${datasource.validationQuery}" />
        <property name="testOnBorrow" value="${datasource.testOnBorrow}" />
        <property name="testOnReturn" value="${datasource.testOnReturn}" />
        <property name="testWhileIdle" value="${datasource.testWhileIdle}" />
        <property name="accessToUnderlyingConnectionAllowed" value="${datasource.accessToUnderlyingConnectionAllowed}" />
    </bean>
    

    To take advantage of pooling capabilities, testOnBorrow should be set to true.

  3. A transactional data source pointing to the database of the Rice Standalone Server.
    classpath:edu/ucdavis/myapp/config/application-data.xml
    <bean id="standaloneDataSource" class="org.kuali.rice.core.framework.persistence.jdbc.datasource.XAPoolDataSource">
        <property name="transactionManager" ref="jotm" />
        <property name="driverClassName" value="${standalone.datasource.driver.name}" />
        <property name="url" value="${standalone.datasource.url}" />
        <property name="maxSize" value="${standalone.datasource.pool.size}" />
        <property name="minSize" value="${standalone.datasource.initialSize}" />
        <property name="maxWait" value="${standalone.datasource.pool.maxWait}" />
        <property name="validationQuery" value="${standalone.datasource.pool.validationQuery}" />
        <property name="username" value="${standalone.datasource.username}" />
        <property name="password" value="${standalone.datasource.password}" />
    </bean>
    

KEW Service Configuration

As of 1.0.1.1-UCD-SR1d, Rice applications will no longer encrypt workflow document content. This is accomplished by disabling encryption using the out-of-the-box non-encryption implementation (org.kuali.rice.core.impl.encryption.NoEncryptionEncryptionServiceImpl). It is instantiated by declaring classpath:edu/ucdavis/kuali/rice/kew/config/ucd-kew-service.xml in the Spring context.

Consequently, the encryption.key property is no longer required.

KRAD Service Configuration

  1. Maintenance Document Encryption
    • As of 1.0.1.1-UCD-SR1d, Rice applications will no longer encrypt maintenance document content.
    • This is accomplished by disabling encryption using the out-of-the-box non-encryption implementation (org.kuali.rice.core.impl.encryption.NoEncryptionEncryptionServiceImpl).
    • Disable encryption by declaring the classpath:edu/ucdavis/kuali/rice/krad/config/ucd-krad-service.xml Spring file (see UCD Spring Bean Configuration).
    • Remove (or comment out) references to the encryption.key property (e.g. in rice-config.xml, kc-config.xml, embedded-client-config.xml, etc.).

UCD Spring Bean Configuration

Declare the UCD-implemented Rice services:

/usr/local/rice/rice-config.xml
    <param name="rice.kr.additionalSpringFiles">classpath:edu/ucdavis/kuali/rice/krad/config/ucd-krad-service.xml</param>
    <param name="rice.kew.additionalSpringFiles">classpath:edu/ucdavis/kuali/rice/kew/config/ucd-kew-service.xml</param>
  1. If you're using Spring's ContextLoaderListener, declare them in web.xml
    src/main/webapp/WEB-INF/web.xml
    <listener>
        <listener-class>org.springframework.web.context.ContextLoaderListener</listener-class>
    </listener>
    
    <context-param>
        <param-name>contextConfigLocation</param-name>
        <param-value>
            ...
            classpath:edu/ucdavis/kuali/rice/kim/config/ucd-krad-service.xml
            classpath:edu/ucdavis/kuali/rice/kew/config/ucd-kew-service.xml
            ...
        </param-value>
    </context-param>
    

CoreConfigurer Bean Configuration

Finally, we declare the coreConfigurer bean and inject all of the core data source beans.

classpath:edu/ucdavis/myapp/config/rice-common.xml

   <bean id="coreConfigurer" class="org.kuali.rice.core.impl.config.module.CoreConfigurer">
    <property name="dataSource" ref="dataSource" />
    <property name="nonTransactionalDataSource"  ref="nonTransactionalDataSource" />
    <property name="serverDataSource" ref="standaloneDataSource"/>
    <property name="transactionManager" ref="jotm" />
    <property name="userTransaction" ref="jotm" />
  </bean>
  <bean id="ksbConfigurer" class="org.kuali.rice.ksb.messaging.config.KSBConfigurer" />
  <bean id="kradConfigurer" class="org.kuali.rice.krad.config.KRADConfigurer" />
  <bean id="coreServiceConfigurer" class="org.kuali.rice.coreservice.impl.config.CoreServiceConfigurer" />
  <bean id="kimConfigurer" class="org.kuali.rice.kim.config.KIMConfigurer" />
  <bean id="kewConfigurer" class="org.kuali.rice.kew.config.KEWConfigurer" />
  <bean id="kenConfigurer" class="org.kuali.rice.ken.impl.config.KENConfigurer" />
  <bean id="edlConfigurer" class="org.kuali.rice.edl.impl.config.EDLConfigurer" />
  <bean id="krmsConfigurer" class="org.kuali.rice.krms.config.KRMSConfigurer" />
  <bean id="locationConfigurer" class="org.kuali.rice.location.impl.config.LocationConfigurer" />
 

Additional Rice Resources

  • The Kuali Rice 2.1.2 Installation Guide
    The installation guide contains useful information on all aspects of the Rice application from configuration of the standalone server to creation of a template rice client application and is a recommended additional resource for setting up your client application. If you use the maven command for creating a client application, be sure to update the -Darchetypeversion=2.1.2
     mvn archetype:generate -DarchetypeGroupId=org.kuali.rice -DarchetypeArtifactId=rice-archetype-quickstart -DarchetypeVersion=2.1.2