WebSphere integration and application software

What is WebSphere?

WebSphere is an integrated software platform for IBM. It includes on-demand web applications that write, run, and monitor around the clock industrial intensity and the entire middleware infrastructure required for cross-platform and cross-product solutions, such as servers, services, and tools. WebSphere provides reliable, flexible, and robust integrated software. WebSphere Application Server is the basis of this infrastructure, and all other products are running on it. Based on WebSphere Application Server and WebSphere Enterprise Service Bus, WebSphere process server provides the foundation for service-oriented modular SOA applications and supports application business rules, to drive applications that support business processes. The high-performance environment also uses WebSphere extended deployment as part of its basic infrastructure. Other WebSphere products provide a wide range of other services, as described below. WebSphere is a modular platform based on open standards supported by the industry. You can use trusted and persistent interfaces to insert existing assets into WebSphere and continue to expand your environment as needed. WebSphere can run on many platforms, including Intel, Linux, and z/OS.

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What can WebSphere do for me and my company?

Business on demandBusiness processes across enterprises and end-to-end integration with key partners, suppliers and customers, to quickly respond to any customer needs, market opportunities or external threats. You can use Websphere to build and monitor infrastructure to support your on-demand business and build and scale applications running on the infrastructure. Figure 1 shows the functions provided by Websphere to help you connect, integrate, automate, and optimize applications. Figure 1. WebSphere functions Personnel integration (interaction) The personnel integration function allows customers, employees, and business partners to interact with your business information, applications, and business processes anytime and anywhere. For example, with these features, you can automate call center functions and authorize selected employees, customers, and business partners to access these features from their personal computers, mobile phones, and PDAs. The following WebSphere products provide personnel integration (or interaction) functions: WebSphere Portal WebSphere Everyplace WebSphere voice   Process Integration Enterprises can use the process integration function to model, orchestrate, monitor, and optimize business processes so that they are consistent with strategic business goals. For example, you can model a key business process, simulate it, and refine it so that people can easily interact with it, put it into production applications, monitor it, and optimize it, then adjust it quickly and intelligently when business needs change. The following WebSphere products provide process integration functions: Websphere Business Modeler Websphere Business Monitor WebSphere process server WebSphere integration developer   Information Integration The information integration feature allows you to create consistent and unified views of structured and unstructured information from different sources, and manage and synchronize product reference information. For example, you can create a free-format search across all information assets, including web sites, relational databases, file systems, news groups, portals, collaboration systems, and content management systems. The following WebSphere products provide information integration functions: WebSphere Product Center WebSphere Information Integration WebSphere Commerce   Application Integration The application integration feature provides a wide range of services to support reliable and flexible information flows across applications that may run in different enterprises. For example, you can simply exchange messages between applications, or create a flexible and service-oriented architecture if your business needs to be more complex, to support systematic information exchange across a wide range of applications that run on different corporate servers and platforms and use different languages. Some WebSphere products that provide application integration functions include: WebSphere MQ WebSphere Message Broker WebSphere partner Gateway WebSphere Application Server   Application infrastructure The websphere application infrastructure enables you to build, deploy, integrate, and enhance new and existing applications. For example, you can enable legacy systems to support the web and expand them, and enable them to run in the Java environment. The following WebSphere products provide application infrastructure functions: CICs Transaction Server WebSphere Application Server WebSphere Host access transformation services WebSphere developer for zseries   Accelerator To start developing an application immediately, you can use an accelerator. These pre-built solutions can compensate for some experience or technical deficiencies and ensure a solid foundation for future expansion. For more information about accelerators, see Websphere Business integration accelerators.

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How to Use WebSphere?

How to Use WebSphere depends on your role in the business. IBM provides a wide range of tools and functions to help you build, run, manage, and optimize WebSphere applications. The WebSphere tool kit is based on open standards in industries such as J2EE and eclipse, and uses public installation, management, security, and programming models. For example, programmers usually use rational application developer or WebSphere developer for zseries. If you develop a mobile application, use WebSphere Studio device developer. If you design a business flow, use Websphere Business Modeler. Administrators use administrative tools to manage infrastructure, such as management tools provided with the core product WebSphere Application Server. Figure 2 shows the WebSphere integration reference architecture and a specific WebSphere product series. These products collaborate to provide services that, in turn, provide the above features. Figure 2. WebSphere integration reference architecture The following are just a few examples: WebSphere Portal includes runtime servers, services, tools, and many other features. It integrates your enterprise into a single customizable user interface called a portal. The WebSphere Everyplace product helps you build and run applications (including portals). You can use the mobile devices they select to access the portal. WebSphere information integrator provides data functions, such as Federation, conversion, caching, replication, event publishing, and enterprise search. Websphere Business Monitor helps you track performance metrics and monitor business processes using a role-based dashboard.   See IBM software development platform for other tools that span the software development lifecycle.

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How do I know more about WebSphere?

Whether you are a new user or expert of Websphere products, add the developerworks WebSphere site to the bookmarks and visit this site for more information about the WebSphere platform and tool suite. This site is updated on a weekly basis with the latest WebSphere related events and product announcements, and contains new content for a wide set of technical materials. Please try the following link on the left of developerworks WebSphere: The product helps you understand the latest information about current events and products, and provides convenient access to recently published and previously recorded technical articles. Download trial copies of many WebSphere products. The technical database contains a growing collection of technical articles, examples, tutorials, and other materials developed by WebSphere experts. The training includes WebSphere classroom courses, online education content, and self-learning materials. Provides answers to technical questions and related technical questions. The service directs you to experts who can help you design, implement, and monitor software applications. Forums and communities help you find and interact with other WebSphere product users. Some other key resources that can be accessed from developerworks WebSphere include: The WebSphere technology journal publishes 10 issues each year, including in-depth technical information from some of Websphere's most respected and authoritative people. Expert interviews allow you to submit questions and obtain answers related to various WebSphere topics. Where, oh where, can I learn about WebSphere? This is an article by WebSphere expert Bobby Wolfe, which distinguishes many WebSphere resources.   For information about how to buy products such as websphere, or view business case studies, see WebSphere software. Business partners can also refer to the rich resources provided on WebSphere innovation connection.

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This article from: http://www.ibm.com/developerworks/cn/websphere/newto/index.html