Connectivity

On the connectivity side of things, the JCA specification is the best hope for Java fans. JCA provides application integration technology with the standardized method for integrating EIS with J2EE components, using a common API and a common set of services that developers can employ. JCA is implanted in J2EE containers, and the resource adapters are implemented and provided by EIS (see Figure 8.5).

Figure 8.5. A typical JCA environment.

JCA is so important to application integration that we're going to devote Chapter 10 to discussing its current state, as well as its potential.