What's new in Version 5.0

This page describes how WebSphere Application Server Version 5.0 differs from previous versions of the product.

Product packaging

Previous versions of WebSphere Application Server for iSeries included two editions of the product: Advanced Edition and Standard Edition (in version 3) or Advanced Edition and Advanced Edition, Single Server (in version 4). The Advanced Edition products contained functions that were not available in the Standard Edition or Advanced Edition, Single Server products.

Instead of separate editions of the product, WebSphere Application Server Version 5.0 consists of a single code base, with an optional component (the Network Deployment option) that extends the functionality of the base product.

WebSphere Application Server

The base product provides an application server, which includes the runtime, administration interfaces, and application programming interfaces (APIs) for a single server installation (or single split-server installation). WebSphere Application Server Version 5.0 includes these features:

• A browser-based administrative console. The Java-based console that was used in previous versions of WebSphere Application Server is no longer available.
• All configuration data is stored in XML files.
• An integrated Java Message Service (JMS) server. JMS is part of the J2EE 1.3 specification, and enables asynchronous messaging between application components.
• Dynamic network caching.
• Java Management Extensions (JMX) systems management support (technology preview)
• An ANT-based administrative tool called ws_ant (technology preview)
• HTTP session state failover support.
• A session manager is integrated into each application server.
• Web services support, including Web Services Invocation Framework (WSIF), WS-Security, and a technology preview of JSR109.
• New security features, including support for JAAS, CSIv2 interoperability, Java 2 security, and third-party security providers.
• The Performance Monitoring Infrastructure (PMI) is integrated with JMX.
• Resource Analyzer has been rebranded as Tivoli Performance Viewer and includes extended functionality.
• Troubleshooting includes First Failure Data Capture (FFDC), which allows the collection of data based on the first failure in the system. The data is collected automatically by the WebSphere Application Server runtime, and stored in log files for the WebSphere Application Server instance.
• New collector tool gathers system information and packages it in a JAR file that you can send to IBM Service for analysis.

WebSphere Application Server Network Deployment

Additional function is available through the Network Deployment option. The Network Deployment option extends the base product with support for distributed systems administration, clustering and workload management, and advanced Web services.

• Clustering allows you to create a group of servers that work together to process client requests. Clustering supports these functions:
  • Workload management
  • Failover
  • Distributed security
  • Distributed naming

• With distributed systems administration, you can use a single administrative interface to manage multiple application servers in a clustered environment. The single administrative interface supports these functions:
  • Presentation of a single-system image
  • Distribution of configuration information
  • Distribution of applications throughout a Network Deployment cell
  • Monitor for distributed systems

• WebSphere Application Server Network Deployment supports these advanced Web services features:
  • A private Universal Description, Discovery, and Integration (UDDI) registry
  • Web Services Gateway (WSGW) support

Application development

WebSphere Application Server Version 5.0 supports these application development specifications:

• JDK 1.3.1
• J2EE 1.3
  • Servlet 2.3
  • JSP 1.2
  • EJB 2.0