Platforms

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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