Associating shared libraries with applications or modules

You can associate a shared library with an application or module. Classes represented by the shared library are then loaded in the application's class loader, making the classes available to the application.

Before you begin

This topic assumes that you have created a shared library. The shared library represents a library file used by multiple deployed applications.

You can define a shared library at the cell, node, server, or cluster level.

On a multiple-server product, you also can define a shared library at the cluster level. To see the cluster scope, you first must create a cluster on the Server clusters page (Servers > Clusters > WebSphere application server clusters).

This topic also assumes that you want to use the administrative console, and not an installed optional package, to associate a shared library with an application.

About this task

To associate a shared library with an application or module, create and configure a library reference using the administrative console. A library reference specifies the name of the shared library file.

If you associate a shared library with an application, do not associate the same shared library with a server class loader.

Procedure

  1. If you have not done so already, map your application to a target server that is within the scope of the shared library.

    For example, if the shared library scope is the my_cluster cluster, map your application to the target my_cluster cluster.

  2. Click Applications > Application Types > WebSphere enterprise applications > application_name > Shared library references in the console navigation tree to access the Shared library references page.
  3. On the Shared library references page, select an application or module to which you want to associate a shared library.
  4. Click Reference shared libraries.
  5. On the Shared library mapping page, select one or more shared libraries that the application or modules use in the Available list, click >> to add them to the Selected list, and click OK.
  6. Repeat steps 2 through 4 until you define a library reference instance for each shared library that your application or module requires.
  7. On the Shared library references page, click OK.
  8. Save the changes to the configuration.

Results

When you run the application, classes represented by the shared library are loaded in the application class loader.

The classes are now available to the application or module.

What to do next

To verify an association between an application and a shared library, examine the application class loader in the Class loader viewer. Click Troubleshooting > Class loader viewer > module_name > Table View. The classpath of the application module class loader lists the classes used by the shared library.