WebSphere is a set of Java-based tools from IBM that allows customers to create and manage sophisticated business Web sites. The central WebSphere tool is the WebSphere Application Server (WAS), an application server that a customer can use to connect Web site users with Java applications or servlets. Servlets are Java programs that run on the server rather than on the user’s computer as Java applets do. Servlets can be developed to replace traditional common gateway interface (CGI) scripts, usually written in C or Practical Extraction and Reporting Language, and run much faster because all user requests run in the same process space.

In addition to Java, WebSphere supports open standard interfaces such as the Common Object Request Broker Architecture (CORBA) and Java Database Connectivity (JDBC) and is designed for use across different operating system platforms. One edition of WebSphere is offered for small-to-medium size businesses and another edition for larger businesses with a higher number of transactions. WebSphere also includes Studio, a developer’s environment with additional components that allow a Web site’s pages to be created and managed. Both editions support Solaris, Windows NT, OS/2, OS/390, and AIX operating systems.

WebSphere Studio includes a copy of the Apache Web server so that developers can test Web pages and Java applications immediately.

Websphere Good Read

Understanding HTTP plug-in failover in a clustered environmentIBM HTTP Server V6.1: Which are 32-bit and 64-bit?Make a quicker and easier recovery from an unplanned deployment manager failover IBM WebSphere Application Server problem determination guide Version: V6.1 GSK_ERROR_BAD_CERT error configuring SSL between Plug-in and Application Server V6.1 How often does the deployment manager communicate with node agent? – Websphere WebSphere Application Server V6: Web Server Plug-in Problem Determination WebSphere Application Server V6 Scalability and Performance Handbook WebSphere Application Server synchronization process explained Encoding passwords in files Synchronization fails with SSLHandshakeException “No trusted certificate found”

How Websphere startup process works?Using custom installation packages to install and update WebSphere Application Server in large development environments

HTTP serving multiple WAS profiles on the same machine.

Logging & TracingEnabling Java Message Service (JMS) trace for WebSphere Application ServerTroubleshooting Database and Connection Pooling Problems How to trace if code is calling System.exit()

Build & Configuration Management Websphere Online License pvu Calculator(Processor Value Unit pricing)Websphere 6.1 migration and coexistanceIBM Rational Build Forge: Build and release process management Gathering information with the collector tool Verify Java SDK version shipped with IBM WebSphere Application Server Fix Packs WebSphere Extended Deployment 5.1 Technical Overview Migrating WebLogic Applications to WebSphere Advanced Edition V4 Tuning WebSphere tuning for the impatient: How to get 80% of the performance improvement with 20% of the effort WebSphere Performance Monitoring & Tuning IBM WebSphere® Application Server V7 ITCAM for RTT and WAS Integration with ITM6.1 Tools CA Wily-Architecture & Monitoring details Websphere MQ WebSphere MQ V6 Fundamentals

WebSphere compatibility matrix

WebSphere version	WebSphere 3.5	WebSphere 4.0	WebSphere 5.0	WebSphere 5.1	WebSphere 6.0	WebSphere 6.1	WebSphere 7.0
Release date	31 Aug 2000	15 Aug 2001	03 Jan 2003	16 Jan 2004	31 Dec 2004	30 Jun 2006	17 Oct 2008
End of support	30 Nov 2003	30 April 2005	30 Sept 2006	30 Sept 2008	30 Sept 2010
JDK	1.2	1.3	1.3	1.4	1.4	1.5	1.6
JavaEE	?	1.2	1.3	1.3	1.4	1.4	1.5
Servlet	2.1/2.2	2.2	2.3	2.3	2.4	2.4	2.5
JSP	0.91/1.0/1.1	1.1	1.2	1.2	2.0	2.0	2.1
EJB	1.0	1.1	2.0	2.0	2.1	2.1	3.0