WebSphere
WebSphere is a line of products from IBM that includes various software for application integration , infrastructure (such as transactions and queues ), and an integrated development environment .
Well-known WebSphere products include:
- WebSphere Application Server
- WebSphere Portal Server (see also → Portlet )
- Web Experience Factory (formerly WebSphere Portlet Factory)
- WebSphere MQ (formerly MQSeries )
- WebSphere Studio Application Developer
- WebSphere Process Server
- WebSphere Integration Developer
- WebSphere Service Registry and Repository
WebSphere Application Server
Very often the WebSphere Application Server (WAS) is also referred to simply as WebSphere. This application server is a runtime environment for JavaEE applications ( Java Enterprise Edition ). Usually these are packed as EAR ( Enterprise Application Archive ) or WAR ( Web Application Archive ). EAR and WAR files are files packed with the jar ( Java Archive ) tool and contain, for example, the following.
- Java classes translated into bytecode (recognizable by the file extension "* .class"),
- JSP ( Java Server Pages ), these are HTML -like files that generate servlets ,
- Metadata (for example configuration files) and
- so-called deployment descriptors , these are configuration files written in XML .
These components are packed into one another several times in a defined directory structure. The EAR file in the application server "unfolds" ( deployed ), a type of application installation.
Websphere supports the lightweight third-party authentication protocol developed by IBM for single sign-on .
The command line interface for automated configuration and deployment processes (wsadmin) can be operated using the Jython or JACL languages .
Versions
In addition to the differences in the version number, which mainly characterize the implementations of higher J2EE or JDK, additional differences in the scope of functions are also identified by the name. In version 4 there was a Standard, an Advanced and an Enterprise Edition. In version 5, a distinction was made between WAS Express, WAS (without name affix), WAS ND and WAS Enterprise. Apart from the Express edition, which has not implemented an EJB container , most of the other differences relate to the scalability. From November 2005 to 2013, IBM also offered a Community Edition based on the Apache Geronimo server. WebSphere Liberty has been the commercial version of the free Open Liberty since 2017 .
- WebSphere Application Server 3.0
- WebSphere Application Server 3.5 (since August 2000)
- Up to and including 3.5, WebSphere was still a long way from the J2EE standard. For example, it was necessary to edit the EAR file with a tool called “jetace” before the actual deployment . In addition, the WebSphere deployment descriptors were largely ignored. WAS 3.5 implements a productive load distribution for the first time . The server processes are called “ clones ” and are grouped together in the “server model”.
- WebSphere Application Server 4.0 (since August 2001)
- The first WebSphere to meet the J2EE specification . Administration was still carried out via a Swing application that communicates with the server component via CORBA . The "server model" has been renamed to "server group". Session persistence is only offered when a database is connected .
- WebSphere Application Server 5.0 (since January 2003)
- Based on J2EE 1.3 and JDK 1.3. The architecture of WAS 5.0 is now very complex. A distinction is made, for example, between the administrative processes called “Deployment Manager” and “Nodeagent” and the actual server processes in which the applications run. The “server group” is now called “server cluster” . Session persistence is now also made possible via TCP / IP communication. Administration now takes place via a web application.
- WebSphere Application Server 5.1 (since January 2004)
- Based on J2EE 1.3 and JDK 1.4.
- WebSphere Application Server 6.0 (since February 2005)
- Based on J2EE 1.4 and JDK 1.4.
- WebSphere Application Server 6.1 (since June 2006)
- Based on J2EE 1.4 and JDK 5.
- WebSphere Application Server 7 (since September 2008)
- Based on Java EE 5 and JDK 6.
- WebSphere Application Server 8 (since June 2011)
- Based on Java EE 6 and supports OSGi .
- WebSphere Application Server 9 (since June 2016)
- Based on Java EE 7 and Java SE 8
WebSphere Portal Server
The WebSphere Portal Server (WPS for short; or WP, if you want to avoid the ambiguity with the WebSphere Process Server ) is IBM's portal solution. This is a web-based user interface that can be flexibly adapted and personalized. It is intended to quickly create a uniform front end with flexible connection of various backend systems ( service-oriented architecture , SOA for short). IBM has largely initiated the two standards relevant to the portal environment, the Java Portlet Standard, JSR 168 , and WebServices for remote portlets, WSRP . In 2008, new versions of both standards were completed, JSR 286 and WSRP 2.0.
The WebSphere Portal, version 6.0, is available in different versions
- as Portal Express for small to medium-sized companies, department servers and the like,
- as a portal server, the scalable basic version,
- as a portal enable with some extensions such as WebContent Management, RAD etc. (limited licenses)
- and Portal Extend, which allows the entire range of functions by bundling various other products, such as Sametime, Domino, Forms and others.
Version 6.1 was completed in mid-2008. There have been several improvements and changes, a key point being the expanded Web 2.0 capabilities for easily creating user interfaces for them. There is also the WebSphere Portlet Factory , which can be used to create integrated applications on the portal server from portlets . For the administration of web content, the content management , there is a WebContent Manager .
The software packages available around the site around have changed, and industry-specific accelerators (there are now Accelerators ) available that are pre-configured for a particular purpose and abilities.
The IBM WebSphere Portal Server belongs to the IBM-Lotus division ( Lotus Software ), which focuses on the end user area within IBM. However, it remains part of the Websphere product family, which stands for integration and middleware, because the portal falls into both categories.
WebSphere MQ
WebSphere MQ is the successor product to MQSeries . It is a message-oriented middleware that implements the usual middleware functionalities, for example transactions . In practice, MQ is used to communicate asynchronously across system boundaries. It serves to distribute the load and allows systems to be addressed that cannot be called directly via RPC / SOAP etc. MQ offers the possibility of transactional and secure communication (“push and forget”). The MQ client is available for almost all common operating systems ( Solaris , AIX , z / OS , Windows , Linux , ...).
WebSphere Process Server
The WebSphere Process Server (WPS for short) is a transactional workflow management system offered by IBM for the implementation of service-oriented architectures (SOA).
WebSphere Studio Application Developer (WSAD)
WSAD is the successor product of IBM Visual Age for Java . WSAD is based on Eclipse and above all offers special extensions for the WebSphere Application Server . Mention should be made of the local test environment for the developer. This allows the usual debugging within the implemented server processes. WSAD is also supplied with a small profiler and there are wizards, for example, for packaging the finished EAR files, for editing JavaServer Pages , for creating Enterprise JavaBeans (EJB) and much more. Many Eclipse plugins can also be run in WSAD. As of version 6.0, IBM continues to develop the WSAD under the name Rational Application Developer (RAD).
