Chapter 1: Introduction to WebSphere

Overview

We are in the early part of the 21st century, where our software challenges have grown and continue to grow faster than our means of dealing with them. Web application servers and the capabilities that they possess represent the component servers being used to solve today's complex business problems. Web application servers combine the best of object technology for clients and presentation (servlets, JavaServer Pages) with the latest technology for representing and implementing the business model in software (web services, Enterprise JavaBeans).

Application servers are also utilizing the latest integration software using connectors and asynchronous communication (Java Message Service) to tie together old and new systems into robust clusters of computing power that meet the ever changing demands of modern e-business and business in general. Many of these application servers rely on Java for implementation technology and basic services.

We are in the application server generation. This phase of the evolution of computing technology is as significant as the introduction of computing models such as the relational database and the transaction monitor. Each of these generations of software has leveraged the newest in hardware technology and in fact has driven hardware and the base operating systems in particular directions. The same applies to the application server, which in many ways is driving our industry forward. Middleware, as a class of software has been traditionally dominated by products based on technologies such as DCE (Distributed Computing Environment) and OMG's CORBA. Middleware now includes the application server as a full member.