Websphere Integrating Jakarta Commons Logging with IBM WebSphere Application Server V5

WebSphere J2EE application developers have indicated a need to utilize Jakarta Commons-Logging (JCL)

support beyond that supplied by WebSphere Application Server. Typical scenarios include utilizing the

Log4J or JDK1.4 logging implementations provided by JCL, utilizing proprietary JCL logger

implementations, and incorporating different versions of JCL. This article discusses developing

applications and configuring the WebSphere runtime environment towards utilizing application-specific

JCL artifacts. We assume the reader is familiar with or has access to references concerning WebSphere

Application Server [1,2], J2EE application development [3], and the aforementioned logging facilities

[4,5,6,7].

Visit section “Building application-specific JCL solutions” to learn procedures for integrating JCL support

into WebSphere J2EE applications.

WebSphere v5 and Jakarta Commons-Logging ..............................................................................................2

JCL LogFactory specification options and discovery.............................................................................2

The WebSphere classloader environment...............................................................................................3

Building application-specific JCL solutions....................................................................................................4

Solution - JCL option 3 + EAR ..............................................................................................................6

Solution - JCL option 3 + WAR.............................................................................................................8

Solution - JCL option 2 + application-associated shared library ..........................................................10

Solution - JCL option 3 + server-associated shared library ..................................................................13

Using WebSphere JCL artifacts ....................................................................................................................16

Solution - JCL option 2.........................................................................................................................16

Why this works....................................................................................................................................16

Adding JCL artifacts to the JVM classpath ...................................................................................................17

References ....................................................................................................................................................17

Appendices...................................................................................................................................................18

Appendix A1 - WebSphere commons-logging artifacts .......................................................................18

Appendix A2 - JCL LogFactory.getFactory() implementation.............................................................18

Appendix A3 - The JCL implementation package, commons-logging.jar............................................20

1. Tom Musta, IBM Corporation

2. Don Bourne, IBM Corporation

3. Richard Sitze, IBM Corporation