Web application servers power e-commerce

Roundup looks at eight leading products.

By Paul Ferrill
Network World, 09/25/00

With the explosion of activity in the Internet e-commerce arena, a bevy of new products aimed at helping businesses stake out their claim has been released.

Many start-ups have the luxury of creating new systems using an n-tier architecture approach and the latest Java standards. Other companies are faced with integrating legacy systems that still keep the bulk of their business running. Internet application servers provide a common ground for both groups.

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Sun and its JavaSoft subsidiary have established a number of standards that have been adopted by the Internet e-business community. Enterprise JavaBeans (EJB) represents the culmination of much work to deliver an object-oriented framework for creating server-side applications. These applications run inside a container, or separate execution space, in the application server. The EJB 2.0 specification was released in draft form at the JavaOne 2000 conference in May. The products in this review support the EJB 1.1 final specification.

The Java 2 Enterprise Edition (J2EE) specification encompasses a number of functional areas that define the components needed to implement robust e-commerce solutions. Version 1.3, released in draft form in August, is the most recent release of the J2EE specification. Most of the products in this review comply with J2EE 1.2.

For this roundup, we looked at products from eight vendors. We installed each product to get a feel for the process and to look for any potential problems. We also tried the sample applications for each product and evaluated the management capabilities. In all cases, we loaded the Windows NT version of each product on a Compaq Proliant 5500R server with dual 550-MHz Xeon processors and 512M bytes of memory. The server was running Windows NT 4.0 with Service Pack 6a.

Allaire JRUN 3.0

Allaire focuses on department-level applications. Key features that stress ease of use include prebuilt tag libraries of common Java Server Pages (JSP) functions and a browser-based JRun Management Console (JMC). An integrated development environment named JRun Studio, targeted at the JSP and servlet developer, is in beta testing and will eventually ship as a separate product.

J2EE certification is in progress for JRun Server 3.0. JRun Server comes in three editions: Enterprise, Professional and Developer. The Developer Edition is a limited version (three concurrent connections, no clustering support) of the Enterprise Edition, available free for download from its Web site. The Professional Edition, targeted at developers, supports JSP and Java servlet development. The Enterprise Edition includes support for all EJB functionality, including Java Message Service (JMS), Java Transaction API (JTA) and clustering.

Installing JRun Server was simple, straightforward and didn't require a reboot. You must have Version 1.1 of the Java Runtime Environment as a minimum and JRE Version 2.2 installed if you want EJB, JTA and JMS work. The JMC application controls all aspects of the JRun Server environment. JMC uses a browser interface to provide a view of properties associated with each active server.

JRun comes with a wealth of examples demonstrating the various capabilities of the product. Several documents in electronic form, including Developing Applications with JRun, a Setup Guide, JRun JavaDocs, Java Servlet API 2.2 JavaDocs, a Samples Guide and the Example Tag Library are provided. The JRun Quick Start Product Tour takes you through each aspect of the product.

On the surface, JRun does not appear to be the type of product around which you'd want to build a large e-commerce application. Its developers didn't intend for it to be used for that purpose. JRun looks to fill the niche of small to midsize organizations looking to get started with EJB applications. In that role it performs well.

BEA WebLogic 5.1

BEA continues to provide an application server that consistently complies with the latest standards while delivering the performance and reliability needed to run the most demanding Web sites. BEA has an impressive customer list that includes Amazon.com, ESPN. om, Priceline.com and WebMD.com.

Installing WebLogic is almost trivial. It provides JRE in case you don't have one installed. You will have to install Version 1.2.2 of the Java Development Kit if you want to do any EJB development work.

The WebLogic EJB Deployer Tool provides the controls for managing multiple EJB .jar files and for configuring WebLogic Server deployment properties and resources. DeployerTool supports two levels of EJB deployment validation by automatically checking properties and references to make sure they contain the appropriate values and by verifying that key EJB required classes are compliant with the EJB 1.1 specification.

A graphical utility called the WebLogic Zero Administration Client (ZAC) Publish Wizard lets you create, publish and manage packages containing an application, applet or library of Java code. ZAC lets you build client-side Java applications and package them for distribution.

BEA consistently delivers updates to WebLogic that keeps it ahead of the pack in terms of standards compliance. Its performance is demonstrated by the high profile, high-volume Web sites that use it. WebLogic also beats the competition with a cost that comes in lower than most.

Bluestone Universal Business Server 7.1

Bluestone's latest offering of its Universal Business Server (UBS) attempts to establish the company as a front-line player in the high-end application server market. The product, previously known as Sapphire/Web, combines the functionality from earlier versions and adds support for the J2EE standards.

Bluestone provides a J2EE Developer program that acts as the primary development and deployment environment for all applications. The Developer is a Java-based program with tools for editing Java, Document Type Definitions (DTD), XML and SQL. Several additional tools, such as the Container Managed Persistence wizard and the EJB 11 assembler and configurator, simplify the task of building and deploying EJB applications. A well-organized and integrated help system, complete with examples, assists you along the way.

Installing the product was straightforward and uneventful. The downloadable trial version includes a trail map that walks you through the features of the product. It's nice when a product this complex provides real-world examples that show how to get things done while at the same time teaching along the way.

Visual-XML is an XML development environment included with UBS that makes it possible to browse databases and �bind� data elements to XML, DTD and Document Object Model trees. Visual-XML is written in pure Java, meaning it will run stand-alone on essentially any platform with the JRE installed. The latest version of Visual-XML (1.3) includes a number of wizards to walk you through the process of creating JavaBeans, specifying XML output characteristics and defining filters based on bean methods.

Bluestone has gone to great lengths to position its product as a direct competitor to market leaders BEA, IBM and iPlanet. With features such as Visual-XML and the J2EE Developer, Bluestone has taken great strides on the usability front, with added functionality that its competitors charge extra for.

IBM WebSphere 3.5

IBM is trying to regain the position of favor it once held in the corporate boardrooms. The company is doing it by providing solid products.

IBM's WebSphere is consistently mentioned among the top tier of vendors in market share and performance. IBM talks about product integration across its offerings in application development (WebSphere Studio and VisualAge for Java), database (DB2) and messaging services (MQSeries). These products form the foundation of its overall e-commerce product strategy.

Installation was straightforward, although it requires a system reboot on NT. WebSphere installs its own Web server (a version of Apache, running on Native NT), so you must disable any other Web server that may be running and set it to not run automatically on start-up. A separate admin server must be manually started to use the management console.

Control of the WebSphere server and the applications it has running is performed from within the WebSphere Advanced Administrative Console. Because WebSphere can run multiple servers, you must start each server process individually from the console. If you have to reboot the system, WebSphere remembers the current state of each individual server and restarts the running servers automatically.

IBM does not ship any development tools with WebSphere. However, it offers other products such as WebSphere Studio and VisualAge for Java -- designed for developing Java-based applications. The Advanced and Enterprise editions of WebSphere ship with copies of IBM's DB2 database product and SecureWay Lightweight Directory Access Protocol server. The Enterprise edition includes a Component Broker Application Adapter for linking to external databases, CICS, IMS or MQSeries applications.

WebSphere provides a solid platform to build e-commerce applications around, with a range of supported platforms and compliance with the latest Java standards. IBM has demonstrated a commitment to e-commerce, and plans to expand its list of products to restore the company's reputation of excellence.

IONA iPortal Application Server 1.1.1

IONA Technologies has established a reputation as a market leader in CORBA products and tools. Orbix 2000 is an advanced middleware product that forms the core of its iPortal suite. IPortal Application Server (iAS) is another piece of the iPortal suite for deploying EJB and J2EE applications. Other pieces of the suite include the iPortal Server, iPortal Integration Server and the iPortal OS/390 Server.

IAS is built around a patented micro-kernel called Adaptive Runtime Technology (ART). ART is based on more than four years of research and development focused on its messaging technologies and how to make them work better. The close ties between the application server and messaging layers make it possible to build real-world applications that efficiently process the communications with outside applications.

Installing iAS was straightforward and uneventful. After the installation was completed, you had to manually configure the services using the Control Panel Services tool. Before you can run any of the iAS programs, you must execute a batch file that sets the appropriate environment variables to point to your installation. IAS requires Version 1.2.2 of the JRE. On Windows NT 4.0, it needs Service Pack 6a installed.

Once installed, the program offers a number of ways to help you get started building and deploying enterprise applications. The Graphical Application Builder is an assembly tool that lets you link EJB components to create an application. IAS does not come with any tools for developing applications. Writing and debugging of Java code required a third-party development tool.

Documentation includes a number of examples complete with Java code. If you don't have a Java development tool, you'll need to download the JDK from Sun's Web site or use another Java development tool.

IONA offers a 30-day trial version of iAS, which can be download from its Web site. The current version of iAS lacks the functionality found in most of the other products we evaluated. From a purely ease-of-use perspective, you're better off going elsewhere.

iPlanet Application Server

IPlanet Application Server (iAS) Version 6.0 from iPlanet, an alliance between Sun and Netscape, is the culmination of efforts to remake Netscape's Application Server, combined with NetDynamics technology, to take its place as a foundational piece of the iPlanet Internet Service Deployment Platform. With that role in mind, it's easy to understand how such a product could be quite complex to administer. IPlanet expects to provide an extra level of support with each copy of the product it sells.

IAS 6.0, released in May, meets the requirements of the latest J2EE specification and has passed the full J2EE Certification Test Suite. Basic core services of iAS include a transaction monitor, multiple load-balancing options, full clustering and failover support, an integrated XML parser and Extensible Stylesheet Language Transformations engine, and full internationalization support. There's tight integration between other iPlanet products including Directory Server, Web Server and other add-ons for Enterprise Application Integration.

Installing the product on an NT 4.0 server is straightforward as long as your server meets basic hardware and software requirements. The install program also loads a copy of iPlanet's Directory Server if you don't have one installed.

The iPlanet Application Deployment tool is a Java-based program that leads you through the process of deploying an application. Several well-documented sample applications provide an overview of creating and deploying real-world applications.

IAS does not ship with any application development tool, although it offers a separate product, iPlanet Application Builder, that integrates with such third-party tools as WebGain Studio, Inspire JBuilder, IBM Visual Age and Sun Forte for Java Enterprise Edition. IPlanet has established itself as a solid e-commerce platform provider with the applications,and the performance required for companies to successfully deploy today's leading-edge Internet applications.

Oracle Internet Application Server 8i

Oracle has a unique position with respect to installed customer base. Oracle's database product is unquestionably the market leader on multiple platforms. Oracle's Internet Application Server (iAS) has a unique advantage in that it is intertwined with the rest of Oracle's offerings -- for example, Oracle Forms Services, which allows you to deploy any Oracle Forms-based application to the Web using Oracle iAS.

Installing the downloadable version of Oracle iAS was a challenge. The NT version of Oracle iAS is almost 1,700M bytes and would not start the first time we tried. After searching through Oracle's Technet support site, we found the information required to get the installer to work. Once fixed, the install was done without problems.

Oracle uses Apache Web Server along with a number of extensions as the entry-point into Oracle iAS. Oracle has developed add-in modules for Apache to process Java servlets, Perl programs, PL/SQL code and secure pages over Secure Sockets Layer. The Enterprise Edition of Oracle iAS comes with Oracle Portal, formerly known as WebDB. Oracle Portal provides the tools needed to deploy an Enterprise Information Portal.

Many options are available for developing and deploying applications. The Business Components for Java (BC4J) application component framework provides a method for creating applications based on SQL tables. Completed Java components built with BC4J can be deployed as servlets, JSPs, EJBs or CORBA objects. An XML developer's kit contains basic building blocks for reading, interpreting and viewing XML documents. None of the Oracle iAS distributions include Java development tools.

Deploying an EJB application requires that you run batch files from the Oracle iAS home directory. The Release Notes tell you to edit the batch files prior to running them for the first time to change some of the place-holder strings to values appropriate for your installation. It's not the most user-friendly way to get the job done, but it works.

Oracle's iAS represents a key component in the company's strategy for bringing applications to the Web. Oracle customers can put their Oracle Forms and Oracle Reports to work on the Web with little effort. This functionality comes with a hefty price tag. Oracle iAS was the most expensive product in this roundup.

SilverStream Application Server 3.0

To build an application server product that competes in a crowded market, you have to create a compelling environment for the developers who will use the product to create those applications. You make it compliant with the latest standards, and you tweak it to get the best performance possible. That's what SilverStream has done with Version 3.0 of its SilverStream Application Server.

Installing the SilverStream product is straightforward, although it requires at least one reboot on an NT system. The SilverStream Application Server includes an integrated HTTP Web server. Control of the SilverStream Application Server parameters takes place using the SilverStream Management Console.

SilverStream Designer is a full-function design environment for building complete Web applications, including those that generate HTML for viewing as Web pages. This feature sets this product apart -- even from the market leaders -- because it makes it possible to put together the parts of a Web application from within the same design environment. An abundance of wizards make simple work of building new pages with static information or forms for entering data.

The Designer makes it possible to build client-side Java applications using a similar wizard-based approach. A form wizard lets you select columns from the tables in a connected database as well as predefined queries. Once you have your base page laid out, the Designer lets you preview the result in a browser in much the same way as Microsoft's Frontpage. You can even add Java objects using a drag-and-drop interface. There's a programming editor for modifying the underlying Java code, complete with color-coded syntax, lists of available objects and methods and a special toolbox with buttons that add code to define specific functions.

A fully functional 45-day trial version of SilverStream's product includes a complete tutorial and extensive help and can be download from its Web site. With a price tag that's competitive with the other products in its class, SilverStream may give the other players in this market a run for their money.

Conclusion

Choosing an application server for building and deploying Web-based applications is not an easy task.

Many of the products we looked at will do the job and do it well. Making a list of requirements for the task should help in the decision process. The list should include specific information like expected traffic for the site, legacy application connectivity requirements, database requirements and deployment schedule. Once you have a solid requirements list, you can begin to evaluate each product against that list.

The top products for the most demanding sites requiring load balancing and clustering support are BEA WebLogic, iPlanet Application Server and IBM WebSphere. Oracle Internet Application Server would probably fit in this class,but is a little rough around the edges.

SilverStream Application Server was the easiest to use. Its integrated development environment and slick tools make it a great choice for companies looking to bring a project online in a short amount of time. Bluestone Universal Business Server fits in this category as well, although it wasn't quite as polished as the SilverStream product.

IONA iPortal Application Server and Allaire JRun both have good points but at the same time don't measure up to the other products in the group.

Related links

Ferrill is a principal engineer for Avionics Test and Analysis Corp. at Edwards Air Force Base, Calif. He can be reached at pferrill@fwb.gulf.net.

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