It was a busy year for operating systems, with the release of Windows Server 2003, the long awaited upgrade to Red Hat Linux,
and the threatened survival of Sun Solaris for Intel x86 systems (Solaris x86 lived), not to mention Novell’s purchase of
Linux distributor SuSE. There’s a lot to like about Windows Server 2003, particularly when it comes to performance and manageability;
and while the 64-bit version for Itanium systems, which arrived later in the year, matched the 32-bit version in most respects,
we were disappointed to find the .Net Framework missing. We also tested enterprise-class Linux server OSes from MandrakeSoft,
Red Hat, Turbolinux, and SuSE this year, and liked Red Hat Advanced Server 3.0 the best.
In the Java corner, leading J2EE server vendors continued to weave Web services capabilities into their platforms. In a June
roundup, we tested the Web services creation and deployment capabilities of BEA WebLogic, IBM WebSphere, and Sybase EAServer,
as well as open source alternative combo of JBoss and Apache Tomcat. In every case, we were impressed with the depth of features
geared to enterprise deployments, but IBM WebSphere’s tools handled Web services more smoothly than the rest. Those on a tight
budget should note that JBoss/Apache did the job equally well, although they required more expertise and effort.
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App Servers
BEA WebLogic Server 8.1
BEA Systems, bea.com
Very Good (8.0)
Cost: Starts at $10,000 per CPU, including WebLogic Workshop
Bottom Line: BEA scores high marks with good integration between tools and server, easy setup, solid Web services standards
support, and a well-rounded feature set, especially in regard to enterprise deployments. WebLogic Workshop has the makings
of an excellent IDE (integrated development environment) but is still somewhat raw in Version 8.1. Importing and manipulating
existing Web services would be easier without some of the additional steps and conventions WebLogic forces on developers.
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IBM WebSphere Application Server 5.0
IBM, ibm.com
Very Good (8.5)
Cost: From $8,000 (single server) to $25,000 (enterprise) per CPU
Bottom Line: We very much liked WebSphere's huge bundled toolkit and endless resource CDs. The depth of the feature set is
also impressive, especially in regard to enterprise-level deployments. WebSphere allows very granular control of the app server
and the Web services running on it and does so with almost equal skill from its GUI and CLI (command line interface). The
only downside is a lengthy and sometimes confusing installation process that can add to more than 1GB for even a basic installation.
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JBoss 3.2.1/Apache Tomcat 5.0
JBoss, jboss.org; Apache, apache.org
Very Good (7.3)
Cost: Free
Bottom Line: A surprisingly powerful feature set and a free price tag are bolstered by excellent support for importing and
exporting existing Web services, as well as good Web services standards support in general. On the downside, the JBoss and
Apache tools require more expertise and initial configuration than their commercial counterparts. They also lack many of the
simpler, enterprise-class configuration and management tools found in BEA WebLogic Server and IBM WebSphere Application Server.
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Novell exteNd Application Server 5.0 and Workbench
Novell, novell.com
Very Good (7.0)
Cost: Developer Edition with Workbench, $495 per user; Professional Edition, $5,000 per CPU; Enterprise Edition, $10,000 per
CPU
Bottom Line: Novell's exteNd is a serviceable but plain application server, as is the accompanying Workbench IDE. But the
forthcoming Director and Composer tools, which will be associated with the exteNd app server, should make the whole greater
than the sum of the parts.
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