Where the J2EE Application Server Stands in the Scheme of Things

Where the J2EE Application Server Stands in the Scheme of Things

As the Java web servers of old housed servlets or JSPs, so J2EE application servers are the containers for Enterprise JavaBean (EJBs) framework components. That is, every J2EE application server provides a range of services to EJBs and manages their lifecycle. Understanding this architectural framework is core to working with the distributed-processing, multi-tier and Web-ready potential of the platform.

The learning curve is steep but taking advantage of J2EE application servers (and other J2EE technologies) enables one to reap great benefits like having to do less custom coding and considerably quicker turnaround of more robust applications. It pays to master the J2EE SDK for the necessary packaging and development utilities. One also needs to pay more attention to the underlying processes, like the way a J2EE application server completely takes over the management of Entity EJBs, lest over-reliance on remote interfaces and multiple JVM’s result in a messaging overload that slows the system to a crawl. The result? Unhappy end-users.

For the many companies out there wanting to move up from legacy client-server Oracle, Notes or Access set-up’s, it a huge comfort to know that J2EE developers like the end-to-end developers up north in Nashua’s (NH) HyTech Professionals (www.hytechpro.com) are past masters at configuring J2EE application servers. At least, they had an abundance of success stories and completed projects, many about migrating and porting older architectures to the J2EE application server framework.