J2EE Connector Architecture 
Purpose
The J2EE Connector Architecture enables connectivity to back-end systems such as Enterprise Information Systems (EIS), using resource adapters. The adapters are modules that are deployed on a J2EE compatible application server and provide unified access to the resource system for any application components that are also installed on the server.
Implementation
You can use the Connector Architecture implementation in the J2EE Engine to access any back-end system from your application. For example, you can easily connect your entity enterprise bean to a relational database using a DataSource created with the JDBC Connector Service, or your message-driven bean to an external JMS provider using the JMS Connector Service.
Integration
The Connector Architecture involves integration of three underlying mechanisms:
· Connection pooling
· Transaction management
· Security management
These system-level contracts enable the communication between the deployed resource adapter and the J2EE Engine. They also define a close relation between the connector services and the J2EE Engine Transaction Service and Security Provider Service.
Features
The implementation of the J2EE Connector Architecture in J2EE Engine comprises three services:
· Connector Container Service
· JDBC Connector Service
· JMS Connector Service
The connector architecture in the J2EE Engine enables easy and uniform connectivity to external resources using resource adapters or the interfaces that the connector services provide.
The Connector Container Service enables the deployment of resource archives (RAR files) on the J2EE Engine. It also provides overall connection management by registering all client requests for connections. The Connector Container Service offers support for connection pooling. You can use the functions this service provides to develop and deploy a resource adapter following the requirements of the J2EE Connector Architecture 1.0 standard.
The process of resource adapter development goes through the following phases:
...
As a result, you can use the resource adapter to:
· Get a connection to an underlying EIS (Enterprise Information System).
· Drive an interaction with the EIS, if the resource adapter supports interactions.