ICEsoft promotes Ajax application to enterprise-level server deployment

In just one year, the Ajax market has developed very well. Developers are now releasing enterprise-level Ajax development tools for servers.

The leading ICEsoft technology company in this wave has recently released the ICEfaces enterprise v1.0 version, which provides the technology to develop scalable enterprise-level Ajax applications for servers, stephen Maryka, Technical Director of ICEsoft technology, said.

For Java servers, ICEsoft is opening a path, with almost no other emerging Ajax companies in addition to ClearNova. Although the target users of the previous solution were user interface developers and even graphic designers who knew the technology, Maryka said that ICESoft provided tools to target enterprise-level Java developers, these developers are not used to using JavaScript, let alone Ruby or PHP.

The server-side solution eliminates the need for enterprise-level developers to become scripting language experts and transfers the focus of Ajax applications from Web clients to servers, as explained by the technical director. ICEfaces extends JavaServer Faces (JSF) and uses dynamic HTML (DHTML). This technology comes prior to Ajax standards and is suitable for rich user interfaces at the end of 1990s. Because the ICEfaces solution does not require the client to install any plug-ins, ICEsoft calls it "thin client Ajax ".

ICEsoft developed the Ajax link. Maryka calls it "a smooth interaction between the server and the client, and provides end users with a rich client (RUI) experience ." ICEsoft also developed the "Ajax Push" technology. When server data is exchanged, this technology promptly updates the display in the browser, even when the end user has not sent an update request, said the technical director.

In enterprise applications, once the server data changes, Ajax Push can update the directory levels of all Web clients, says Maryka. In another case, in applications used by the system administrator, Ajax Push dynamically displays the performance data of hardware and software to the Web Client, he adds.

Server-based Ajax Push technology has two potential advantages: Ajax Push can delete lengthy pages created on the client, and Ajax Push does not need to poll updates. Therefore, improves application performance, says Maryka.

As early as April, ICEsoft released a free ICEfaces Community version, which was displayed on the basis of the JavaOne platform in San Francisco in May of the same year. This version-free for developers and free deployment-attracted 5,000 users, said Robert Lepack, vice president of ICEsoft marketing.

The Enterprise version is priced at $1,500 per CPU and trial version is available from now on (click the link for trial version ). The release of the Enterprise Edition marks that ICEsoft has begun to involve more traditional enterprise software models, and has added many features to the Enterprise Edition, especially those designed for B2B Ajax applications. The added functions include:

• Advanced connection management: Connection Monitoring ensures continuous network connections, restores disconnected connections again, and reminds users to pay attention to connection problems.
• Asynchronous HTTP server: Maryka describes the poor scalability of Java Servlets, which is a compensation for this feature. This feature uses Ajax Push technology and asynchronous model configuration to provide enterprise-level scalability.
• Cluster configuration support: applications can be configured in the cluster environment. This feature uses Ajax Push to connect multiple nodes in the cluster and uses the broadcast rendering manager of ICEsoft to provide synchronous updates.

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