Design Decision help needed

[Laxmi Raghu]

I've implemented a sample MRP (material resource planning) system using just JSPs and HTML. I'm using apache + TOMCAT as the web server.

Eventhough it works, i'm not happy with it. I want to redesign and implement it in a better way.

I need inputs on the following:
1. Currently i use buttons. Want to replace with menus. Any best freely available menus available? If so, pls inform.

2. I'm currently using ms-access. Like to replace it with postgreSQL. Hope it's better than ms-access and can handle more data. Any comments, pls inform.

3. Like to replace JSP and HTML with good design components like MVC architecture. If so, will apache + tomcat can handle servlets and EJBs? If not, which free application server available? Will this be a good design choice? If not, what other components i can include and how?

[Pradeep bhatt]

3. Like to replace JSP and HTML with good design components like MVC architecture. If so, will apache + tomcat can handle servlets and EJBs? If not, which free application server available? Will this be a good design choice? If not, what other components i can include and how?

Tomcat cannot host EJBs. JBoss is a free application server which can host EJB and it also is bundled with Tomcat web container. For your persistence layer you could consider Hibernate ORM framework which is light weight ,easier to develop and test than Entity beans.

[Laxmi Raghu]

I'm planning to use DAOs rather than entity beans. Just have session beans and DAO for doing data access/saving tasks. Will it be ok? I don't want to use any frameworks.

What will be your opinion on this?

[kri shan]

Whether it's stateless or statefull session Bean ?

[Laxmi Raghu]

Its a combination of stateless and stateful session beans.

[Pradeep bhatt]

Originally posted by Laxmi Raghu:
I'm planning to use DAOs rather than entity beans. Just have session beans and DAO for doing data access/saving tasks. Will it be ok? I don't want to use any frameworks.

What will be your opinion on this?

DAO will be fine for reading data but for updates how are going to handle concurrency issues. So I suggest that you some OR mapping framework like Hibernate.

[Laxmi Raghu]

Thanks Pradip for the inputs. I will use some OR mapping framework like hibernate.

How about other points like using postgreSql, servlet as controller and JSP as view? Hope should be fine.

I want to develop this application as a product so that i can bundle it and give it to third party for their use. I want to use all open source technology for developing this project.

Any inputs or suggestions are higly appreciated.

[Pradeep bhatt]

How about other points like using postgreSql, servlet as controller and JSP as view? Hope should be fine.

Yes it would be perfect. Also try reading about JSF.

[Laxmi Raghu]

Thanks for the inputs Pradip.