WebSphere Application Server

The WebSphere Application Server is IBM's key Java application deployment tool for Web developers. Using WebSphere, developers can deploy Java servlets; JavaServer Pages; XML/XSL based applications; Web services utilizing SOAP, UDDI, and WSDL; Enterprise JavaBeans (EJB) components; and CORBA components to end users through the Web. WebSphere Application Server comes with IBM's Apache based HTTP Web server, but can also be used in conjunction with Apache, Netscape Enterprise Server, iPlanet Enterprise Server, and IIS, among others.

WebSphere is available in 3 versions: Advanced, Standard, and Enterprise (based on Advanced); the Advanced version is offered in a 6-month free trial edition for developers.

WebSphere 4 sports J2EE certification and supports the deployment of Java Servlets (2.2) and Java Server Pages (1.1) and also includes XML tools (server parser, data transformation, and XSL support) and support for pooled database access to DB2 or Oracle databases through JDBC. Additional specs include EJB (Enterprise JavaBeans) 1.1 support including SessionBeans and EntityBeans, application-level partitioning and load balancing features, management controls for users and policies, a DB2 server and an optional LDAP directory.

The upcoming Enterprise 4.1 version of WebSphere includes the Advanced Version of the product in addition to a collection of plug-ins dubbed "Enterprise Services." These services include Business rule beans; Message beans/JMS listener; Internationalization; Bidirectional CORBA connectivity and a C++ CORBA SDK; and an ActiveX to EJB bridge allowing access to Java components from both clients and servers in ActiveX environments.

The new Enterprise v4.1 version of WebSphere is priced at $35,000/CPU. Contact IBM for further information.