Self-healing WebSphere released

By Alun Williams

Posted on 26 Nov 2002 at 13:40

IBM updates its e-business software environment, WebSphere.

Version 5 of WebSphere Application Server provides new auto-configuration features to help lower administrative costs.

A 'self-healing' feature involves WebSphere analysing problematic patterns that could indicate future glitches. This is while applications are running. As well as providing real-time diagnostics, repairs to components (or the restarting of applications) can occur without human intervention. Similarly, applications or server clusters can be updated without having to stop the system.

'Companies can now access any application, processes, data or device across and beyond their business, all within a self-managing, self-calibrating environment that cuts down administrative costs and headaches,' said Jocelyne Attal, Vice President of Marketing for IBM WebSphere software. 'IBM is the only company that can deliver software that supports this open, unlimited access to computing resources on-demand.'

In terms of working with Web standards, WebSphere is J2EE (Java 2 Enterprise Edition) 1.3-certified. It is also described as being 'J2EE 1.4-ready' since - IBM claims - it supports more than half of the technologies that will be part of future releases of J2EE. WebSphere also enables applications ranging from Macromedia ColdFusion to legacy COBOL programs to be generated as Web services, ready for further use in new applications.

Available for download from today (as a technology preview), WebSphere Application Server Version 5 costs from $8,000 (in a single server configuration) or $12,000 (to support networked features such as clustering and failover).

Version 5 runs on Windows, Linux, IBM eServer zSeries and iSeries, AIX, Solaris and HP-UX. You can find more info on the IBM Web site.