Creating Installable PEAR Files
This page provides further detail on how to package your components for upload to the UIMA
Component Repository using the PEAR tools that are part of the UIMA SDK.
PEAR
PEAR (Processing Engine ARchive) is a UIMA standard for packaging and automatically
deploying components such as analysis engines, CAS consumers, resources, etc.
PEAR employs standard zip compression format and enables reusability,
modularity and component-based application development. Components that are
developed and packaged in local environments as PEARs can be deployed and
integrated into different OS environments. PEAR files that are submitted to the
repository can then be downloaded and deployed in local UIMA environment. Since
PEAR can be deployed automatically in customer
environments, it is a preferred method of delivery.
PEARs and OSGi BUNDLES
While currently PEAR packaging
standard is not compatible with OSGi bundle format,
IBM Research is working on a solution to enable creating UIMA components as OSGi bundles and converting existing PEARs into OSGi bundles. This way OSGi based
UIMA Application development will be possible.
PEAR PACKAGER
PEAR Eclipse Plugin
is available as a tool to create PEAR files for standard UIMA components.
Please refer to Chapter 10 PEAR Packager User's Guide of
Unstructured Information Management Architecture (UIMA) SDK User’s Guide and
Reference for more information about this tool. PEAR packager plug-in is available as part of
UIMA SDK distribution.

PEAR INSTALLER
PEAR Installer is a simple GUI based
Java application that helps installing UIMA compliant components (analysis
engines) from PEAR packages in a local file system. To install a desired UIMA component
the user needs to select the appropriate PEAR file in a local file system and
specify the installation directory (optional). During the component
installation the user can read messages printed by the installation program in
the message area of the application window. If the installation fails, appropriate
error message is printed to help identifying and fixing the problem. Please
refer to Chapter 11 PEAR Installer User's Guide of
Unstructured Information Management Architecture (UIMA) SDK User’s Guide and
Reference for more information about Pear Installer Application.

SCREEN VIDEO
UIMA Component Packaging and Installation
- How to package a UIMA component
- Eclipse packaging plug-in
- Simple and advanced packaging examples
- Installing and verifying PEARs
- and more...