Feb 02, 2005 03:02 PM
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(Updated Feb 02, 2005 03:02 PM)
BEA WebLogic Server 8.1 is a top contender for any organization running Java-based software. Its impressive potential for scalability, JVM performance, and new emphasis on making J2EE and Web services easier for developers are noteworthy. This is a very deep application server that's easy to run and easy to manage, especially on multiple clusters.
WebLogic runs on Windows, Linux, and many versions of Unix. BEA is unique in that its Java Virtual Machine (JVM), JRockit 1.3, is optimized for server-side Java running on Intel Xeon and Itanium processors.
WebLogic's configuration wizard let us set up several default domains effortlessly. WebLogic's Web-based console offers robust tools for managing J2EE applications. It makes deploying J2EE EAR (Enterprise Application Archive) and WAR (Web application archive) files a cinch through a browser and lets you safely update them on a running server.
Clustering support?clearly not an afterthought?is available at every level of your deployment. A standout feature: WebLogic's clustering can use a two-phase commit when you make changes to clustered servers. Before a change takes effect, every server casts a vote to indicate whether there are any errors. You can cancel an update if a problem occurs. WebLogic's capabilities for monitoring the performance of EJBs and other J2EE resources are excellent, with statistics and log messages available for most resources and services.
BEA has succeeded in making the building of Web services and EJBs easy. The new WebLogic Workshop 8.1, a visual developer tool, gives you a set of framework classes to speed up the creation of EJBs and Web services tailored to easy deployment on Version 8.1 of the app server. For example, these classes let developers build asynchronous Web services and those Web Services that use JMS (Java Message Service) for guaranteed delivery. These messaging smarts equal those that IBM's WebSphere offers. BEA also brands a WebLogic version of Borland JBuilder for developers who want to do traditional low-level Java coding.
Its Java Management Extensions (JMX) enable it to work with management tools like those from HP and Tivoli Systems. And its security APIs, which provide integrated authentication and encryption, work with numerous network hardware and security software products.
In the end I would say that, any organization that chooses WebLogic will get an application server that has been battle-tested at very large installations. WebLogic doesn't skimp on either ease-of-use or the scalability that comes from advanced clustering technology. And its enhancements for Java developers make an already solid platform even better.
Moreover like Oracle and Sun, BEA offers low-cost and no-cost versions of WebLogic, including a subscription-based service for developers (at $495 per seat for quarterly CDs that include all BEA software). A 20-user version of the Workgroup Edition ($3,000 per CPU) makes WebLogic affordable on the production side.
