I can deploy a VFS file , but I have lot of ejbs, so I want to deploy using the deployResourceBase call.
I am using maven, and the classes are stored in the standard "target/classes" directory.

Using deployResourceBase("abcd.xml")

I get

INFO [org.jboss.deployment.AnnotationMetaDataDeployer] Annotated classes: {FileHandler@27076478[path=com/somecompany/ejbtest/ejb/EchoService.class context=file:/C:/somecompany/Code/ejbTest/target/classes/ real=file:/C:/somecompany/Code/ejbTest/target/classes/com/somecompany/ejbtest/ejb/EchoService.class]=class com.somecompany.ejbtest.ejb.EchoService, FileHandler@9171253[path=com/somecompany/ejbtest/api/EchoServiceRemote.class context=file:/C:/somecompany/Code/ejbTest/target/classes/ real=file:/C:/somecompany/Code/ejbTest/target/classes/com/somecompany/ejbtest/api/EchoServiceRemote.class]=interface com.somecompany.ejbtest.api.EchoServiceRemote, FileHandler@25758823[path=com/somecompany/ejbtest/bean/EchoServiceBean.class context=file:/C:/somecompany/Code/ejbTest/target/classes/ real=file:/C:/somecompany/Code/ejbTest/target/classes/com/somecompany/ejbtest/bean/EchoServiceBean.class]=class com.somecompany.ejbtest.bean.EchoServiceBean, FileHandler@9262213[path=com/somecompany/ejbtest/ejb/EchoServiceLocal.class context=file:/C:/somecompany/Code/ejbTest/target/classes/ real=file:/C:/somecompany/Code/ejbTest/target/classes/com/somecompany/ejbtest/ejb/EchoServiceLocal.class]=interface com.somecompany.ejbtest.ejb.EchoServiceLocal}
ERROR [org.jboss.kernel.plugins.dependency.AbstractKernelController] Error installing to Real: name=vfsfile:/C:/somecompany/Code/ejbTest/target/classes/ state=PostClassLoader mode=Manual requiredState=Real
org.jboss.deployers.spi.DeploymentException: Error deploying classes: null
 at org.jboss.ejb3.deployers.Ejb3Deployer.deploy(Ejb3Deployer.java:158)
 at org.jboss.ejb3.deployers.Ejb3Deployer.deploy(Ejb3Deployer.java:88)
 at org.jboss.deployers.vfs.spi.deployer.AbstractVFSRealDeployer.internalDeploy(AbstractVFSRealDeployer.java:45)
 at org.jboss.deployers.spi.deployer.helpers.AbstractRealDeployer.deploy(AbstractRealDeployer.java:50)
 at org.jboss.deployers.plugins.deployers.DeployerWrapper.deploy(DeployerWrapper.java:169)
 at org.jboss.deployers.plugins.deployers.DeployersImpl.doInstallParentFirst(DeployersImpl.java:853)
 at org.jboss.deployers.plugins.deployers.DeployersImpl.install(DeployersImpl.java:794)
 at org.jboss.dependency.plugins.AbstractControllerContext.install(AbstractControllerContext.java:327)
 at org.jboss.dependency.plugins.AbstractController.install(AbstractController.java:1309)
 at org.jboss.dependency.plugins.AbstractController.incrementState(AbstractController.java:734)
 at org.jboss.dependency.plugins.AbstractController.resolveContexts(AbstractController.java:862)
 at org.jboss.dependency.plugins.AbstractController.resolveContexts(AbstractController.java:784)
 at org.jboss.dependency.plugins.AbstractController.change(AbstractController.java:622)
 at org.jboss.dependency.plugins.AbstractController.change(AbstractController.java:411)
 at org.jboss.deployers.plugins.deployers.DeployersImpl.process(DeployersImpl.java:498)
 at org.jboss.deployers.plugins.main.MainDeployerImpl.process(MainDeployerImpl.java:506)
 at org.jboss.embedded.DeploymentGroup.process(DeploymentGroup.java:127)
 at org.jboss.embedded.Bootstrap.deployResourceBase(Bootstrap.java:276)
 at com.somecompany.ejbtest.ejb.EchoServiceLocalTest.deploy(EchoServiceLocalTest.java:52)
 at sun.reflect.NativeMethodAccessorImpl.invoke0(Native Method)
 at sun.reflect.NativeMethodAccessorImpl.invoke(NativeMethodAccessorImpl.java:39)
 at sun.reflect.DelegatingMethodAccessorImpl.invoke(DelegatingMethodAccessorImpl.java:25)
 at java.lang.reflect.Method.invoke(Method.java:597)
 at org.jboss.embedded.junit.BaseTestCase$1.setUp(BaseTestCase.java:130)
 at junit.extensions.TestSetup$1.protect(TestSetup.java:18)
 at junit.framework.TestResult.runProtected(TestResult.java:124)
 at junit.extensions.TestSetup.run(TestSetup.java:23)
 at sun.reflect.NativeMethodAccessorImpl.invoke0(Native Method)
 at sun.reflect.NativeMethodAccessorImpl.invoke(NativeMethodAccessorImpl.java:39)
 at sun.reflect.DelegatingMethodAccessorImpl.invoke(DelegatingMethodAccessorImpl.java:25)
 at java.lang.reflect.Method.invoke(Method.java:597)
 at org.apache.maven.surefire.junit.JUnitTestSet.execute(JUnitTestSet.java:213)
 at org.apache.maven.surefire.suite.AbstractDirectoryTestSuite.executeTestSet(AbstractDirectoryTestSuite.java:140)
 at org.apache.maven.surefire.suite.AbstractDirectoryTestSuite.execute(AbstractDirectoryTestSuite.java:127)
 at org.apache.maven.surefire.Surefire.run(Surefire.java:177)
 at sun.reflect.NativeMethodAccessorImpl.invoke0(Native Method)
 at sun.reflect.NativeMethodAccessorImpl.invoke(NativeMethodAccessorImpl.java:39)
 at sun.reflect.DelegatingMethodAccessorImpl.invoke(DelegatingMethodAccessorImpl.java:25)
 at java.lang.reflect.Method.invoke(Method.java:597)
 at org.apache.maven.surefire.booter.SurefireBooter.runSuitesInProcess(SurefireBooter.java:338)
 at org.apache.maven.surefire.booter.SurefireBooter.main(SurefireBooter.java:997)
Caused by: java.lang.NullPointerException
 at org.jboss.ejb3.interceptor.InterceptorInfoRepository.initialiseDefaultInterceptors(InterceptorInfoRepository.java:422)
 at org.jboss.ejb3.interceptor.InterceptorInfoRepository.initialise(InterceptorInfoRepository.java:114)
 at org.jboss.ejb3.Ejb3HandlerFactory$DDFactory.<init>(Ejb3HandlerFactory.java:48)
 at org.jboss.ejb3.Ejb3HandlerFactory.getInstance(Ejb3HandlerFactory.java:83)
 at org.jboss.ejb3.Ejb3Deployment.deploy(Ejb3Deployment.java:432)
 at org.jboss.ejb3.Ejb3Deployment.create(Ejb3Deployment.java:376)
 at org.jboss.ejb3.deployers.Ejb3Deployer.deploy(Ejb3Deployer.java:145)
 ... 40 more

Another error stack , in the actual test shows

Caused by: org.jboss.deployers.client.spi.IncompleteDeploymentException: Summary of incomplete deployments (SEE PREVIOUS ERRORS FOR DETAILS):
*** CONTEXTS IN ERROR: Name -> Error
vfsfile:/C:/VerizonBusiness/Code/ejbTest/target/classes/ -> java.lang.NullPointerException

 at org.jboss.deployers.plugins.deployers.DeployersImpl.checkComplete(DeployersImpl.java:576)
 at org.jboss.deployers.plugins.main.MainDeployerImpl.checkComplete(MainDeployerImpl.java:559)
 at org.jboss.embedded.DeploymentGroup.process(DeploymentGroup.java:128)
 at org.jboss.embedded.Bootstrap.deployResourceBase(Bootstrap.java:276)
 at com.somecompany.ejbtest.ejb.EchoServiceLocalTest.deploy(EchoServiceLocalTest.java:52)
 ... 22 more

I have abcd.xml in my classes directory, and looks like the deployer is able to find the annotated EJB , but can't deploy it.