Oh, Hallelujah!
I'm 100% with you here. I completely agree with you. Having to tear JARs, WARs and EARs asunder to tweak things is REALLY awkward. Nothing like uploading an EAR to a remote server, and having to beat up the XML files through BASH and VI. (Don't forget to rejar it, oops...overwrote the master...doh!)
If I may make a suggestion as you explore this, add some ability for "templates". My virtual server is a specific example.
By templates I mean an ability to "save my tweaks" in the Admin console, so that when I deploy the application again, I don't have to "retweak" it, whether it's by the console or the command line. Rather, the deployer can apply the changes I've already made historically to the assorted descriptors.
So, in my case, I can set the virtual server once on my first deploy, and on later deploys I can pick my applications "template" and it will already "know" what virtual server I chose last time, and roll that in during the deployment.
The goal is to try and keep the site specific configuration on the site, vs using something advanced like a post-it note. The simple fact is that many applications get redeployed in their life time, and specifically during development this happens all the time. While the JEE spec splits the roles of developer and deployer, in fact they are almost always the same person. And while I agree with the concepts around the descriptors and the role of the deployer, I loathe the task and find it burdensome and error prone.
A tool the will simplify that task would be greatly appreciated.
Post the issue number and you can be assured that not just I, but all the dead relatives I can conjure up will vote for it.
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