Application Server Brick

An application server is a modern form of platform middleware. It is system software that resides between the operating system on one side, and the external resources - such as DBMS, communications and Internet services - on another side, and the users' applications on a third side.

At runtime, the application server is to act as host (or container) for the user's business logic while facilitating access and performance of the business application. The application server must perform despite the variable and competing traffic of client requests, hardware and software failures, the distributed nature of the larger-scale applications, and potential heterogeneity of the data and processing resources required to fulfill the business requirements of the applications.

The following classifications apply to standalone applications servers, not application servers that are included with a multi-tier COTS product.

• The products designated for use are intended for applications running on server class machines. Smaller, locally used applications designed to support no more than 10 users are not covered by these specifications.
• Apache Tomcat, Macromedia Cold Fusion, Oracle 9i Application Server, Microsoft .NET Server, and JBoss Application Server are considered Tactical/Strategic only when running on any of the operating systems/platforms designated as Tactical or Strategic in the Server Platform Brick.
• BEA WebLogic Server has been designated emerging due to its industry popularity. BEA is characterized by dominating market share, massive installed bases and marketing momentum, and according to Gartner is widely supported by ISVs and system integrators, and is well-known and recognized.
• Evolving open source products are Emerging because open source developers have done a better job of modularizing their software, making it move feasible to combine components in order to produce a desired solution.
• Apache Tomcat is somewhat limited – serves Java servlet and jsp files, does not support J2EE/EJB objects.
• Neon Shadow is considered a leader in the Gartner Programmatic Integration Server Magic Quadrant, but has been designated containment due to its history of providing mainframe-class integration capabilities (mainframe technology is also considered containment).
• WiTango Application Server is considered Containment because it is not widely used at NIH and doesn’t offer advantages over the products selected as Tactical/Strategic.
• Caucho Resin is an example of an open development environment, and is a fast servlet and JSP engine supporting load balancing for increased reliability. Open development environments in middleware and infrastructure like Caucho Resin encourages the use of Linux as a freely available OS foundation for the application software stack. Consider Caucho Resin when looking for a low cost streamlined J2EE application server to be used by well-skilled technical engineering teams.  As a result, Caucho Resin is designated emerging.
• Tactical and strategic products were selected to leverage NIH's investment in products that are a proven fit for NIH's known future needs. Leveraging baseline products in the future will minimize the operations, maintenance, support and training costs of new products.
• Some baseline products have been designated retirement and containment. These products are either not as widely or successfully deployed at NIH, or they do not provide as much functionality, value, or Total Cost of Ownership as the selected tactical and strategic products.