Quick Start

This page walks you through the fastest route for downloading, installing, and running Mule ESB.

To see the complete installation instructions, see Installing Mule.

Prerequisites

1. See Compatible Platforms to ensure you have a supported operating system and version of Java before you begin.
2. If you have not already installed a compression tool, or if you plan to use the Mule IDE, click the arrow and follow these instructions.
   Click here to expand...

   Java

   Install Java Developer Kit (JDK) 1.5. Note that JDK 1.4.x will work if you are not using the Mule IDE, CXF, or building Mule from the source code, but JDK 1.5.x is highly recommended. Run the installer, following the instructions that appear on the screen.

   If you are using the Mule IDE, you must also endorse the JDK with a proper JAXP (Java API for XML Processing) implementation. To do this, download Apache Xerces and Xalan and drop the JARs into your JVM's jre/lib/endorsed directory. If that directory does not yet exist, create it.

   Compression Tool

   If you will be downloading one of the compressed Mule distributions, make sure you have a compression tool installed such as WinZip (Windows) or GZip (Linux/UNIX) to decompress the ZIP or TAR file.

Download and Install Mule

1. Go to the Mule download page.
2. Click the link next to the latest release. Use the .zip links for installing on Windows and the .tar.gz links for installing on Linux/UNIX.
3. Extract the files from it into the directory you want to use as your Mule home directory.
   For example, on Linux/UNIX, you would switch to your Mule home directory, and then enter a command like this to extract the files:

   tar -xvzf mule-full-2.0.1-SNAPSHOT.tar.gz
   

Install Eclipse and Mule IDE

1. Download the latest version of Eclipse from http://www.eclipse.org/downloads/ and install it. The Eclipse Java EE Developers package is recommended, but you may instead install the Java Developers package if that meets your needs.
2. Start Eclipse, and set up a workspace for your installation of Mule. (Important: Make sure your workspace does not have a space in the directory path.)

If you are using Eclipse version 3.5 (Galileo) follow these steps to install Mule IDE:

1. In the workbench view, click Help > Install New Software.
2. Click the Add button next to the Work with text box, enter http://dist.muleforge.org/mule-ide/updates/3.4/ for the location, and press Enter. The Mule IDE now appears in your list of available software.
3. Select the Mule IDE check box and click Next. Eclipse processes for a moment, then click Next again.
4. Review the Mule IDE license, select the option to accept the license, and then click Finish.
5. Click Yes to restart Eclipse.

If you are using Eclipse version 3.4 (Ganymede) follow these steps to install Mule IDE:

1. In the workbench view, choose Help > Software Updates.
2. On the Available Software tab, click Add Site.
3. Specify http://dist.muleforge.org/mule-ide/updates/3.4/ for the location and click OK. It now appears in your list of available software.
4. Expand it in the list until you see Mule IDE. Click Mule IDE and click Install.
5. Click Next, read and accept the license agreement terms, and click Finish.
6. Choose to run the installation in the background.
7. When prompted, restart Eclipse.

Configure the Mule Distribution

1. In the Eclipse workbench, choose Window > Preferences. (On a Mac platform, choose Eclipse > Preferences.)
2. Click Mule, and then click Add.
3. Specify your Mule home directory, and then click OK.
4. Click the Mule distribution's check box, click Apply, and then click OK.

Create a Mule Application

1. Choose File > New > Project, expand the Mule folder and select Mule Project, and then click Next.
2. Enter a name for the project, ensuring that there is no space in the project name. If you want to put the project in a location other than the default workspace, clear the Use default location check box and specify a new file location.
3. Click Add sample project content and select the Hello example.
4. Click Next, and then click the Libraries tab and verify that the Java 5 or later library is installed and available on the build path.
5. Click Finish to have the Mule IDE generate your project.

The project is added to the Package Explorer pane. The Mule libraries from the distribution you selected, as well as the source and configuration file from the Hello World example, are contained in the project.

Run the Application

1. In the Package Explorer, expand the conf directory, and right-click the hello-config.xml configuration file.
2. Choose Run As > Mule Server.

A new run configuration is created automatically and the server is started. The Hello World application runs, prompting you to enter your name in the console tab.

Next Steps

• You can now modify the configuration file, or create a new configuration file as described in the Mule IDE User Guide.
• If you want to use Maven or Ant, such as if you want to use the Maven archetypes for creating transports and modules, see Installing Mule for complete instructions.
• To explore other examples to use as a starting point for your application, see Examples.
• For a list of additional resources for learning more about using Mule, see Where Should I Go Next?.