New WebSphere products take center stage

Seems like there is always something cooking with IBM. Fall 2010 has been no different. I just attended a webinar regarding what’s new with their WebSphere Application Infrastructure products. Here’s what they discussed…
WebSphere Application Migration Toolkit Version 2.0
The new Toolkit Version 2.0 was released at the end of September. It was developed to help migrate from previous versions of WebSphere to WebSphere Version 7.
That means anyone with WAS V5.1, V6.0 and V6.1 can easily upgrade to V7 because the program automatically scans applications and identifies the changes required. It removes the barrier that prevents migration to new versions in one simple scan.
The best part? The product is risk-free. It’s a totally free program that you can download from the web and the support on the program is free.
Download it for free now. Try it out and see if it works for you.
WebSphere Application Server V7 Feature Pack for Modern Batch
WebSphere Batch is a technology modified for Java. This version was built for common batch architecture across enterprises. It allows you the ability to have consistent models across multiple platforms.
WebSphere Batch Value Proposition

  • SOA alignment  complements and leverages online application assets
  • Application agility assists the development speed and power of Java
  • Cost advantage lowers execution costs so you can focus on application and not time spent on middleware logics.

WebSphere Batch Technical Advantages

  • Structured programming model
  • Container managed checkpoint
  • Time compression
  • Multi-platform

WebSphere Batch provides Feature set options which allow you to begin with the Feature Pack and grow into the WebSphere Compute Grid. The Feature Pack includes the batch container, job scheduler and batch toolkit, while the WebSphere Compute Grid Product includes those three plus parallel job manager, enterprise connectors and advanced operations pack.
To find out more about the WebSphere Application Server V7 Feature Pack for Modern Batch click here.
WebSphere Application Server V8 Open Beta
Because the product is a Beta, IBM  is looking for feedback on what’s delivered in the end, so they initiated this portion of the webinar with the following disclaimer:
“Product plans referenced in this document may change at any time at IBM’s sole discretion, and are not intended to be a commitment to future product or feature availability….”
Version 8 Beta is a follow-up from the Alpha 1H10 that was released in the summer of 2010. The Beta is a refresh of this product and was released in early October, 2010.
This version really addresses the market and enhanced productivity for developers and administrators. The goal of this version was to reduce the cots of ownership and increase business agility.
This was done in several ways:
1.     Reducing Barriers to Adoption – allows administrators to configure the deployment environment so IT can use it faster.
2.     Fit for Purpose Programming Models to Jumpstart Development – allows customers to choose program models that best suit their application needs.
3.     Fit for Purpose Application Foundations & Tooling – focused on high performance, strength, scalability, security and more.
The advanced Beta themes included the broadest programming models and standards possible. It is meant to be fast, flexible and simplified with extensive deployment environments and utilize integrated joint solutions.
Download the WAS next open Beta here.
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