Computer System and a Method of Deploying an Application in a Computer System

A method of deploying an application program into a runtime environment of a computer system, the method comprising the computer-implemented steps of:

• receiving the application program divided into a plurality of bundles each comprising one or more classes and metadata including export statements defining at least one of the classes as an exported package;
• extracting each of the export statements from the metadata;
• converting each of the export statements into a corresponding import statement defining the respective exported package as an imported package;
• creating a synthetic bundle comprising metadata and a class loader;
• inserting the import statements into the metadata of the synthetic bundle;
• adding the synthetic bundle to the application program;
• and
• setting a thread context class loader of the runtime environment associated with a thread of the application program to delegate class loading to the class loader of the synthetic bundle.

A computer-readable storage medium having recorded thereon instructions to form a deployment unit which when implemented by a computer system deploys an application program into a runtime environment of the computer system, the medium comprising:

• code configured to receive the application program divided into a plurality of bundles each comprising one or more classes and metadata including export statements defining at least one of the classes as an exported package;
• code configured to extract each of the export statements from the metadata;
• code configured to convert each of the export statements into a corresponding import statement defining the respective exported package as an imported package;
• code configured to create a synthetic bundle comprising metadata and a class loader, insert the import statements into the metadata of the synthetic bundle, and add the synthetic bundle to the application program;
• and
• code configured to set a thread context class loader of the runtime environment associated with a thread of the application program to delegate class loading to the class loader of the synthetic bundle.

A computer-implemented method of forming an application program executable in a runtime environment of a computer system, the method comprising:

• providing a plurality of bundles comprising metadata including export statements defining exported packages;
• providing an additional bundle comprising metadata and a class loader, wherein the metadata of the additional bundle comprises import statements corresponding to each of the export statements in the metadata of the plurality of bundles;
• and
• providing code to set a thread context class loader of the runtime environment associated with a thread of the application program to delegate class loading to the class loader of the additional bundle.

A computer-readable storage medium having recorded thereon instructions to form an application program executable in a runtime environment of a computer system, the medium comprising:

• code configured to provide a plurality of bundles comprising metadata including export statements defining exported packages;
• code configured to provide a synthetic bundle comprising metadata and a class loader, wherein the metadata of the synthetic bundle comprises import statements corresponding to each of the export statements in the metadata of the plurality of bundles;
• and
• code configured to set a thread context class loader of the runtime environment associated with a thread of the application program to delegate class loading to the class loader of the synthetic bundle.