Hot skills: IBM's Websphere scores highly for range of
functionality
What is it?
IBM describes Websphere as its integration software platform,
but this hardly does justice to the huge range of new, existing and
re-named IBM technologies that have been stuffed into the Websphere
portfolio.
It includes IBM's entire middleware infrastructure: servers,
services and tools. IBM's service oriented architecture strategy
(SOA) is built around Websphere, in the form of the Websphere
Business Integration Server Foundation and the newer Enterprise
Service Bus idea also depends on it.
The original Websphere Application Server is the foundation for
everything else, but this too has undergone multiple
transformations since its release eight years ago. Websphere
competes with applications servers from BEA and Oracle, but so all
encompassing is Websphere that it also goes head to head with
Microsoft's .net, and with Jboss. Suppliers like Oracle and BEA who
compete with the application server portion have also found
themselves having to support Websphere technologies.
Websphere is modular, and like all IBM's mainstream products,
uses open standards like J2EE, Enterprise Java Beans, Java Message
Server and Web Services. There is an open source "community
edition" which uses Apache Geronimo. There is also a lightweight
Express edition for smaller businesses.
Where did it originate?
Version 1 appeared in 1998. Websphere was steadily extended with
Corba, Java Beans and Linux support. In 2001 IBM began describing
Websphere as its strategic integration platform. Version 5 was a
major rewrite, and the codebase was unified across all platforms.
The J2EE 1.4-compliant Version 6 was released in December 2004.
What is it for?
Websphere is used both to build and monitor the "on-demand" IT
infrastructure, and to build and deploy the applications that run
on the infrastructure.
There are components for business process modelling and
monitoring, information integration and application integration,
application development, portals, messaging and mobile working.
What makes it special?
Websphere scores highly for sheer breadth of functionality,
though analysts criticise its complexity. In attempting not to
exclude any of its previous technologies, there has been a certain
amount of duplication: with Websphere Platform Messaging and
Websphere MQ, for example.
How difficult is it to master?
WebSphere requires a huge range of skilled specialists, but IBM
has worked to provide common installation, administration,
security, and programming models. You could approach it as an
application developer, a messaging middleware specialist or an
application integration expert.
For developers, there is a choice of Rational Application
Developer or Websphere Studio Application Developer. There is also
Websphere Studio Device Developer for mobile applications. A
grounding in J2EE or Enterprise Java Beans provides an obvious
advantage. XML is another key skill to have.
What systems does it run on?
Intel platforms, Linux and z/OS mainframes among others,
including AIX, HP-UX, Solaris and Windows. Websphere for z/OS is
optimised to use features like Workload Manager. The Websphere
Application Server works with a wide range of web servers,
including Apache, Netscape and Microsoft's IIS.
What's coming up?
The WebSphere Enterprise Service Bus.
Rates of pay
From £20,000 to £30,000 for junior developers, to £60,000-plus
for consultants and implementation specialists.
Training
IBM's developerWorks is a good place to start. IBM's structured
training path to any certified Websphere role using IBM's own
classroom training is a very expensive undertaking. Evaluation
modules and some open source Websphere technology can be downloaded
free.