IBM WebSphere Application Server Reviews

We use IBM WAS Developer Edition in our development machines for free.

There is an Eclipse Plugin provided by IBM, so no need to buy IBM Rational Application Developer or Rational Software Architect tools.

Starting with version 8, WAS provides a special folder called monitor deployment. Once you put the .war or .ear file in there, it is deployed automatically without human intervention. This greatly helps us in our continuous integration server. Once the deployment binary is ready, we write a script to copy it to that folder and then, voila! The application is up and running and accessible from its context root.

• Stability: Once you deploy your application, it will be very stable with no issues at all.
• Ease of administration: It has an Integrated Solutions Console, what we call the administrative console, with very detailed configurations and Help pages for each configurable item.
• Up to date: Once a security vulnerability has been discovered, IBM patches it quickly, and later includes it in a bigger fix or update.
• Security: It is compatible with the latest Java 8 security features, supports FIPS 140-2 and NIST SP 800-53 with strong ciphers and cryptography keys, and supports TLS 1.2 completely. Also, configuring client and server certificates is relatively easy.

IBM needs to pay attention to market changes more quickly. We now have Java 9 and very soon Java EE8. We do not want to wait for two or three years after their release until they are supported by the new version, say WAS 10 in our case.

Installing or configuring a WAS server instance as a Windows Service causes a lot of problems, especially when the server needs credentials to stop.

No stability issues at all.

No scalability issues at all.

Very good.

I used Oracle GlassFish and Apache Tomcat but found them good only for small applications. Also, they need a lot of XML configuration and are not really production-ready.

The initial setup is straightforward and, thanks to Java and its platform independency, it requires almost the same steps in all operating systems.

You just have to install IBM Installation Manager, define your repositories, and click Install or Update.

If your application is just a web app that does not need to scale big, you can obtain a single core license of WAS Express edition, which has almost the same features with limited processing cores.

If you manage a very big application farm (i.e. need to run 10 or more WAS servers) it is better to get IBM WAS Hypervisor Edition.

I evaluated Red Hat JBoss EAP, but since we need to integrate with IBM MQ and the IBM Integration Bus, all in a mixed Windows/AIX environment, we found that IBM WAS was the winner.

IBM products, in general, need a lot of experience. They are very similar, have much in common, but to avoid getting into trouble and strange issues, it's important to read within the IBM Knowledge Center before starting. Also, do not skip any step in the installation/migration/configuration section, as it may stop you later, even without your knowing it.

IBM WAS is the backbone for our enterprise content management suite which delivers the primary processes for our customers. Without a good application server, it would be hard to provide a secure layer of midddleware upon which the other applications run. IBM WAS improves the stability of the entire solution and provides a high quality platform for running web-based solutions.

The Admin Console is most valuable to us since we have to use it to configure the application server for using it as middleware for our IBM FileNet, IBM Content Navigator and IBM Case Manager software stack. Without the Admin Console it would be very hard to configure JVM settings, JDBC datasources, mail session settings, and security providers.

IBM WAS is a stable product. No issues encountered.

IBM WAS is extremely scalable. It is easy to add additional servers and to divide the load over servers in all kinds of ways. If you want true scalability with persistence of EJB sessions then you have to purchase IBM WAS ND which can be more expensive than most companies are willing to pay for.

I have never had a need to file a PMR (Problem Management Record) for IBM WAS, so I have no experience with technical support for this product.

We used BEA WebLogic before using IBM WAS. The reason we switched was because of the licensing. BEA WebLogic has to be purchased separately, while IBM WAS base is part of the deal when you purchase IBM FileNet P8 Content Engine. Both products work fine by the way.

Initial setup is very simple. Just use the IBM Installation Manager and add the packages. The install wizard takes care of the rest. The only thing that can be difficult is to find the right packages on the IBM website, because of all the changes that IBM does on its website(s).

Room for improvement would only be in the licensing. As with all IBM products the licensing can be complex and expensive. Bargain well and try to get as much discount as possible. Discounts of 85% are possible. Without the discount, I think the product is overrated.

We have evaluated other products, like BEA WebLogic and JBoss. 

Get a good feeling for how many users your system has and work out a system architecture before starting to implement IBM WAS. It is a product that can be implemented in many ways. Making a wrong choice in implementation can cause a lot of headaches later on.

We use IBM WebSphere Application Server in the financial industry for applications.

The solution has good performance.

The solution could improve the integration.

I have been using BM WebSphere Application Server for a few years.

The solution is stable.

I have found the solution to be scalable.

We have approximately 1,000 users using this solution in my organization.

The technical support from IBM is very good and responsive.

The installation is not straightforward and it can take three days.

We use approximately four technicians for the implementation and maintenance of the solution.

The price of IBM WebSphere Application Server could be less expensive and there is an annual license required for this solution.

I recommend this solution to others.

I rate BM WebSphere Application Server an eight out of ten.

I am a specialist in content management solutions, especially IBM and other open-source products. I am the director of my team, and we specialize in this solution.

We use this in many areas including banking, insurance, and public administration.

The most valuable feature of this solution is Portal Virtualization.

In the next release of this solution, I would like to see support for the Arabic language.

Better and easier integration with other solutions, such as DB2, would be an improvement. 

This solution is very good in terms of stability. It is one of the stablest solutions that exist.

The IBM technical support for this solution is good. I have had experience with them going back to 2003-2004, and they are reactive.

The initial setup of this solution is easy.

I would rate this solution an eight out of ten.