Architectural features

This document examines the major components within IBM WebSphere Application Server.

 

HTTP server

IBM WAS works with an HTTP server to handle requests for servlets and other dynamic content from Webapplications. (The terms HTTP server and Web server are used interchangeably throughout the documentation.)

The HTTP server and Application Server communicate using the WebSphere HTTP plug-in for the HTTP server. The HTTP plug-in uses an easy-to-read XML configuration file to determine whether a request is handled by the Web server or the Application Server. The HTTP plug-in uses the standard HTTP protocol to communicate with the Application Server though you can configure it to use secure HTTPS, if required. The HTTP plug-in is available for popular Web servers.

For more information, see Configuring Web server plug-ins.

 

Application Server

The WAS collaborates with the Web server by exchanging client requests and application responses. You can define multiple Application Servers, each running in its own JVM. The exception to this is WebSphere Application Server for z/OS, where the defined servers contain multiple processes, each process with its own JVM.

 

See Also

System Administration