How download and installation of admin console works for V3 TP2.

Introduction

For better usability, we are taking the approach of providing the admin/developer of V3 TP2 to download the Admin GUI with the web bundle. It's critical that we promote the use of update center based approach, because that makes use of updates and patches etc., but for this preview release, it is also important that we serve the users who want administration UI at http://host:admin-port.

Steps

• User connects to http://host:port (generally 4848). The request is intercepted by a Grizzly ProtocolFilter (or Adapter?).
• If the GUI application is already available, it passes onto the protocol chain.
• If the GUI application is not available, an HTML page is sent back to the browser. The page has something like the following:
  • A form that contains the fields for location for downloaded and exploded archive (.war file), whether the application has already been downloaded elsewhere on the server (to serve the multiple domain case), proxy server information etc.
  • A submit button for which the "action" comes back to the same protocol filter, with required parameters in the HTTP request
• Once the necessary information is available, the download starts, the browser is sent a page that tells the user to wait.
• The GUI download locations are available in domain.xml so that people can try various locations.
• If the download is indeed required, the download and explosion of archive is done at a given location and then deployed to the admin virtual server (__asadmin). Deployment support is needed for this to happen.
• If the download is not required because the application is already available (as part of some other domain's download action and user wants to share the bits), the application is just deployed to admin virtual server.
• http://host:admin-port now shows the admin GUI login page.