Modernisering Fenics ERP

Assignment

The assignment focused on supporting the modernisation of Fenics by extending the temporary transition architecture between the existing Swing/RMI environment and the new REST-based Quarkus services.

Results

• Reusable migration pattern for forwarding RMI calls from WildFly management beans to Quarkus REST services.
• Applied migration work within the Masterdata and RawMaterials modules.
• Solutions and guidelines for Java 8 / Java 17 compatibility, request objects, JSON serialisation and error handling.
• Supporting Podman setup for more consistent local Quarkus development and validation.

Approach

• Started from the already migrated HR module to understand the reusable migration pattern.
• Mapped existing Swing/RMI functionality to matching Quarkus services or required REST adjustments.
• Kept existing client-facing methods available while changing the internal backend handling.
• Validated the full flow from Swing client to RMI, WildFly, REST, Quarkus and response handling.

Technical Context

• Fenics is a long-standing Java EE ERP application with a Swing client, WildFly backend and RMI-based communication.
• The organisation is moving towards REST-based Quarkus services and a more cloud-oriented architecture.
• A phased transition was required because the existing Swing client still had to remain operational.

My Contribution

• Analysed existing RMI methods, management beans, object structures and backend flows.
• Adapted WildFly management beans so selected calls could be forwarded to Quarkus REST services.
• Applied the migration approach within Masterdata and RawMaterials based on the existing HR reference.
• Documented recurring migration patterns, technical issues and practical guidelines for future developers.

Reflection & Learning

• I gained deeper experience in application development within a large, historically grown Java enterprise system.
• I learned to analyse technical flows across multiple layers instead of focusing only on isolated errors.
• I improved my understanding of phased modernisation, where legacy systems and new services temporarily coexist.
• The Podman-related work allowed me to combine my DevOps background with the needs of application developers.