JBoss DNA is a new unified repository system that is JCR-compliant and capable of federating information from a variety of systems. To client applications, JBoss DNA looks and behaves like a regular JCR repository that they search, navigate, version, and listen for changes. But under the covers, JBoss DNA gets its content by federating multiple external systems (like databases, services, other repositories, etc). This way, the unified repository content stays up-to-date and in sync, even though the external systems still own the information and existing applications still work. Plus, JBoss DNA sequences the content in the repository, extracting patterns and structured content that makes the repository more useful and effective.

JBoss DNA repositories can be used in a variety of applications. One of the most obvious ones is in provisioning and management, where it's critical to understand and keep track of the metadata for models, database, services, components, applications, clusters, machines, and other systems used in an enterprise. Governance takes that a step farther, by also tracking the policies and expectations against which performance can be verified. In these cases, a repository is an excellent mechanism for managing this complex and highly-varied information. But a JBoss DNA repository doesn't have to be large and complex: it could just manage configuration information for an application, or it could just provide a JCR interface on top of a couple of non-JCR systems.

JBoss DNA 0.3 is now available!

As a first step, check out our Getting Started document for a high-level overview and sample applications. Then, look at our Reference Guide for a more detailed explanation of JBoss DNA and its capabilities, features, architecture, components, extension points, security, configuration, and testing.

We're always looking for great help, so join us if you're interested in using or building JBoss DNA!

Features

• Manage numerous types of software assets, artifacts, and components
• Automatically "sequence" content loaded into repository to extract even more useful information
• Federate information from multiple JBoss DNA and JCR repositories, databases, services and applications.
• Use the JCR API to access your repositories

What we're building

• More sequencers and connectors
• Tools to visualize and understand the relationships between components
• Reports to show dependencies and similarities, or create custom reports
• Synchronize with content in source control systems
• REST server for use by other services and client applications
• WebDAV support for access by operating systems and WebDAV clients
• Content and information accessible to WebDAV clients, including Microsoft and Apple operating systems
• Web application to easily access, edit, search and tag information

Why Choose DNA?

Federate and integrate	While you can use JBoss DNA like any JCR repository, and can configure it to store all the content in a single store. But there's so much other valuable content out there, and pulling that information together into a unified repository is a major focus of JBoss DNA. Integrate multiple JCR repositories. Use relational databases. Access applications and services. JBoss DNA can federate and integration information from multiple systems, external databases, applications and services - all in real time without having to make copies.
Better ingredients	JBoss DNA is being built with the best enterprise-class ingredients. Drools for a business rule engine. Distributed transactions with JBoss Transactions. Clustering with JBoss Cache and JGroups. JBoss Microcontainer for a POJO container. JAAS integration with JBoss Security and Identity Management. And the list goes on. Plus, JBoss DNA benefits from the expertise of MetaMatrix and other JBoss groups.
Throw stuff in, get much more out	Add, organize and manage virtually any kind of content, most easily by uploading files. JBoss DNA sequences those files and extracts the meaningful structured information, including relationships and interdependencies. Then take advantage of all this extra information that JBoss DNA discovered.
Speak your language	Information is most useful when it's presented in the terminology and structure that's meaningful and familiar to users. The challenge is that different users have different expectations. This is why JBoss DNA will tailor how it exchanges information with client applications and web applications, using templates to define the views for different kinds of information and users. We're planning EST services, Eclipse plugins, and web application components to help deliver this customized information to users. And all this process will be data-driven, so it'll be easy to change how the information is presented.
Open Source	The JBoss DNA is an open source project with a business friendly open source license (LGPL). Visit our JIRA pages to get a glimpse of the status or project tasks. Get involved. Visit the forums to see what's being discussed. Better yet, get involved. JBoss core developers are guided by a meritocracy, and we hire talent anywhere in the world it may be.

How to get started:

One of the best things to try first is to follow the Getting Started tutorial and use JBoss DNA for yourself. Or, find out more about the details of the JBoss DNA architecture by reading our Reference Guide. Feature requests and bugs are tracked in the JIRA issue tracking system (its quick to create your own account).