Apache Roller is a good candidate for GFv3 TP2: it is a portable WebApp that uses the Java standard tier plus JPA. Add a database and you are ready to go. Number 9 (aka Dick Davis) had previously shown how to do Roller 3 on GFv2 using PostgreSQL; this time he shows how to install Roller 4 on GFv3 with Derby.

Check out the details in Dick's Writeup, including How to Pass JVM Options. And please keep posting your experiences with GlassFish v3 TP2.

Memcached is the popular distributed cache system (often used with MySQL) that was developed for LiveJournal (Article, Wikipedia, Website). One of many sites using memcached is BSC and Dave has two recent writeups on the topic: The Roller Caching API, and Using Memcached with Roller. And, on this topic, there has been good progress in the Webstack optimizing memcached for Solaris. Check Trond's articles on Configuration, the Latest Release and more. Also don't miss Patrick's Latest release of the Memcached Functions for MySQL.

You know about Apache Roller (behind Blogs.Sun.Com) and you may remember Slynkr (used in SDN Share), but you may not know that Dave and Jamey are Sun employees and they have been working on an Open Stack for Social Software. The software was pushed to the GF Update Center in January and now Arun shows how to install it and get started. You can check Arun's Writeup or go directly to the screencast.

Enjoy - and stay tuned for more announcements!

The Update Center Repository includes Social Network Bundle with Apache Roller for blogging and Slynkr for content rating. You can download it very easily - check Manveen's reminder. And, over the holidays, Dave played around with jMaki and he can now show jMaki on Roller. Check it out and let us know how it works for you!

Dave Johnson had already reported previously that Roller was available from the GlassFish Update Center. This time there seems to be even more to it than just a blogging engine - see Dave's latest entry for some details about "Social Software for GlassFish". Curious? Download GlassFish v2 ur1 and run the Update Center client (INSTALL/updatecenter/bin/updatetool). You can also read the Documentation.

• Metro - Training, Metro on Sun WebServer, Security • Adoption - In a word: Wow!, new GeoMap • Performance and HA - Apache as Load Balancer, Tuning • Tools - Podcast, NB6 is OUT! • Web.Next - Roller 4, Q&A on jMaki, JRuby and Metro • Community - Awards Program, Update Center contest, Mojarra • GFv3 - Wishlist for Docs

Congratulations to Dave Johnson and the rest of the Apache Roller team for releasing this major version.of the blogging engine used by 4292 Sun Public bloggers (86691 entries and 87365 comments). BSC (blogs.sun.com) has been running Roller 4.0-dev since July and as heavy users we give it the thumbs up (as we do to the team running the infrastructure).

Roller now lets you handle themes much easier (get some here), supports plugins, has a much improved install process (including using the GlassFish Update Center), and implementation-wise uses Java 5, Struts 2 and JPA.

Who said Social Software was seldom written in Java?

Apache Roller is moving in very interesting directions and now Dave is describing the new PlugIn APIs in Roller 4, from the PageModel to the RepeatableTask Interfaces. A PlugIn interface is key for adoption, as proven in many areas, including Hudson, Metro, WordPress and Confluence. Check the full description at Dave's Writeup and recall that Roller on GlassFish v2; see related TA entries and Alexis' screencast.

Manveen has a new entry on how to write UpdateCenter modules, this time when they are Add-Ons. The series so far includes: • Creating a Module • Testing the Module • Roller as an UC Modue • Write your Own UC Module when they are Add-Ons. The UpdateCenter client is a convenient way to access repositories of Modules and AddOns for GlassFish. Here are several screenshots showing Roller: [1], [2] and [3].

By default, the UC checks for new content and will automatically prompt you but you can also launch it manually: just go to the installed GlassFish directory and invoke it as:

updatecenter/bin/updatetool.

Check it out!

Alexis is reporting on Several Additions to our Update Center Repository: • Apache Roller • Jersey • Phobos • jRoR Check out the slide showing how easy it is to Install Roller on GFv2.

Dave is reporting progress towards Roller 4.0 "final". Let's hope this time it happens; BSC has been running 4.0 for over a month now. The other good development is that Gene Strokine (see RollerThemes) is now a contributor to the Roller Support project at Java.Net which includes themes, plugins, editor plugins and other support artifacts for Roller. Now that Roller 4.0 has stabilized we should get some nice contributions.

Blogs.Sun.Com is rolling out a new front page that includes a tag cloud and gives additional visibility to new bloggers. The tag cloud is similar to the one we use at TheAquarium except that it covers all posts at Blogs.Sun.Com and the presentation is different; compare this to this.

Several people have posted instructions on how to install Roller on GlassFish - my favorite is probably still the entry from number 9 - but I'm very happy to read from Dave (Roller Strong #6) that he is incorporating specific instructions on GlassFish in the latest Roller Installation Guide. If you have a chance, check them out and give him feedback...

I discovered Number 9 when Dick first gave GlassFish a try on a Solaris Zone. It worked but his initial evaluation was a "bit guarded"... I still won’t be surprised to find it floating upside down tomorrow. And, 45 days after that initial post... the fish is still not dead!

Since his original post, Dick has written about how to use GlassFish with DTrace, Service Management Facility (SMF(5)). His latest post explains how to deploy Roller on it.

All Number 9 entries are very clear and easy to read. They are even nicely formatted, which is not always the case for many bloggers. Check them out!

Previously, Marina and Seema showed you how to run Roller on Web Server 6.1. They've teamed up again to tell you how to run Roller 3.0 on the recently released Web Server 7.0! You can read all about it here.