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J2EE Standard Making Strides

Two new application servers have been released this week based on the recently announced Java 2 Platform, Enterprise Edition (J2EE) standard finalized by Sun Microsystems Inc. (www.sun.com). Both Sybase and the Sun-Netscape Alliance have announced the release of server software that runs on the J2EE standard.

Sybase Inc. (www.sybase.com) has released its Enterprise Application Server (EAServer) 3.5 which provides support for core J2EE technologies, including Enterprise JavaBeans (EJB), Java servlets, Java Naming and Directory Interface (JNDI), Java Transaction Service (JTS) and Java Transaction API (JTA), and Java Database Connectivity 2.0 technology (JBDC). EAServer 3.5 also provides support for many client platforms, including CORBA, XML, HTML, DHTML, ActiveX, C and C++, and PowerBuilder.

EAServer 3.5 includes several new features for handling e-business. Built-in load balancing, failover, and high availability allow users to support heavily trafficked Web sites. New in version 3.5 is automatic failover for both stateful and stateless components as well as new load balancing options including round robin, manual weighted, and load weighted. Other new features of EAServer 3.5 include two-phase commit for transaction coordination across multiple database engines; access to SAP objects through Visual Edge's Madrid R/3, without having to write Java code for each SAP object; key J2EE standards including EJB, JDBC 2.0, and JTS/JTA; and tighter integration with PowerJ 3.5, Sybase's Java development tool.

In addition to Sybase's release, the Sun-Netscape Alliance (www.iplanet.com/alliance) announced the iPlanet Application Server 6.0 software, which will provide an application development platform based on the J2EE standard.

iPlanet 6.0 Application Server 6.0 software provides results caching and sophisticated load balancing to enhance the scalability and performance of Java Server Pages (JSP) technology, Java servlets, and EJB component architecture. Sun reports its iPlanet Application Server implementation of JSP technology offers a 30 percent performance improvement over a standard implementation of JSP technology due to special caching techniques. Failover capabilities have also been extended to EJB components and Java technology clients using RMI/IIOP.

iPlanet Application Server 6.0 includes a broad range of application server tools, including Forte for Java, Community Edition software. iPlanet is also capable of integration with Symantec VisualCafe and Inprise JBuilder and leverages capabilities from HTML editors such as Macromedia DreamWeaver. The platform also provides direct access to the APIs without the need of a tool intermediary. -- Isaac Slepner

About the Author

Scott Bekker is editor in chief of Redmond Channel Partner magazine.

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