Can JSF 2.0 be used with Websphere application server version 7.x

Question

Can JSF 2.0 be used with WebSphere Application Server version 7.x?

If so, how?

Answer 1

The WebSphere Infocenter indicates that the right way to change to an alternative JSF implementation is to create a WebSphere Shared Library with the isolated classloader option enabled.

Any modules that need JSF 2 would be associated with the new shared library, and then the application would start with JSF 2 instead of JSF 1.2.

It is also necessary to have fix pack 7.0.0.19 or later installed.

Answer 2

Websphere ships with JSF 1.2.something and it loads that by default. To use a different JSF library (or any other library that WS provides such as commons-logging) you need to change the way the classloader prioritizes locations. They call it 'parent last" meaning load your libs then the WS versions.

Answer 3

I've been struggling to solve this for days. Here's how I solved it.

Use the following library: javax.faces-2.1.7.jar

If you are on PrimeFaces 3.1: primefaces-3.1.1.jar

Application Server instance: Class Loading - Parent Last

Enterprise Application instance (war Module): Class Loading - Parent Last

Make sure to remove all Servlet Container libraries such as those needed by Tomcat.

Answer 4

Step by step setting MyFaces 2.0 on WebSphere Application Server v7 as shared library as IBM recommends: http://wasbehindtheglass.blogspot.co.uk/

I have applied similar steps for Majorra/JSF 2.0.4 and created a shared library using only jsf-api.jar and jsf-impl.jar. As @Ian McLaird has told WAS 7.0.0.19 and JSF 2.0.4 are required. JSF 2.1.x requires Servlet 3 and is not supported by WAS7

Answer 5

My Experience:

-> WAS 7.0.0.11 on Windows

-> javax.faces-2.0.11.jar in WEB-INF/lib of my War application

-> WAS Shared librairies with javax.faces-2.0.11.jar with Isolated Class Loader

-> WAS Shared librairies associated with my War App

-> No change on Class Loader for instance and application (PARENT_FIRST)

With this conf (above) the application works fine with JSF 2.0 on WAS 7. if i delete the javax.faces-2.0.11.jar from my War app, it doesn't works.

Answer 6

Following worked for me

• Create a shared library and put your JSF 2.0 jars in it.
• Also add EL 2.2 API and EL-Impl 2.2 jars as well since JSF 2.0 implicitly needs this.
• Add this library to your application and make classloader preference as PARENT_LAST.

Change web.xml as following

 <context-param>
                <param-name>com.sun.faces.expressionFactory</param-name>
                <param-value>com.sun.el.ExpressionFactoryImpl</param-value>
    </context-param>
    <listener>
        <listener-class>com.sun.faces.config.ConfigureListener</listener-class>
    </listener>

Thats it .

Answer 7

Hi I could run my website using this libraries

Configuring in web.xml of my project

 <context-param>
    <param-name>com.sun.faces.expressionFactory</param-name>
    <param-value>com.sun.el.ExpressionFactoryImpl</param-value>
</context-param>

Configuring in websphere to load my libraries (Parent Last)

Regards

Answer 8

Thank you guys!

It worked with a newer version of javax.faces. See the maven dependencies:

    <dependency>
        <groupId>org.glassfish</groupId>
        <artifactId>javax.faces</artifactId>
        <version>2.1.29-08</version>
    </dependency>
    <dependency>
        <groupId>javax.el</groupId>
        <artifactId>el-api</artifactId>
        <version>2.2</version>
    </dependency>
    <dependency>
        <groupId>com.sun.el</groupId>
        <artifactId>el-impl</artifactId>
        <version>2.2</version>
    </dependency>

Don't forget to add the following in your web.xml:

<context-param>
   <param-name>com.sun.faces.expressionFactory</param-name>
   <param-value>com.sun.el.ExpressionFactoryImpl</param-value>
</context-param>

And finally change the WebSphere class loader order of the application and the module to the (parent last) settings: https://www.ibm.com/support/knowledgecenter/SSAW57_7.0.0/com.ibm.websphere.nd.doc/info/ae/ae/urun_rclassloader_inst.html

Regards