Sun dropping Netscape Application Server Linux Port
Posted by
ryuzaki0
on from the gone-with-the-wind dept.
Matt Fotter was one of the first to write with the news that Sun has decided to re-nege on their original
promise to port Netscape Application Server to Linux, and will be re-leasing the new version next month, sans a Linux port.
What is an Application Server?
by
CodeShark
·
· Score: 4
Simply put, an application server is a translator between HTML requests and (a back end business application (usually a database). My guess is that this definition doesn't really answer your question, so, let me offer a progression which may help you understand where the "web server" ends, and the "application server" begins.
No frills Web Server: can serve static HTML pages, images and links.
Web Server + basic CGI: adds basic forms processing
Web Server + Advanced CGI, or Extensions and database on the same machine (such as Apache's mod-perl to mySql): complex applications including database access, etc.) In this example, mod-perl is actually functioning as an "application server" with Apache being the web server.
Web Server with extensions such as mod perl (or the NSAPI, ISAPI, etc.) with the database on a separate machine: complex applications, etc. This would be a true "application server", like NAS.
Finally, there are extremely high end systems such as Bluestone's SapphireWeb or IBM's Web Sphere where multiple numbers of machines are linked together; there can be multiple HTTP servers, multiple application servers, and even multiple RDBMS layers.
Hope this helps.
-- ...Open Source isn't the only answer -- but it's almost always a better value than the alternatives...
Btw NAS costs $35,000 PER CPU! They cite "lack of demand" as a reason for not doing the Linux port (yet). Btw they only sold 75 copies in the last 3 months. (and that was their best yet). Given the cost, it's not surprising Linux demand is low - it's an app for really high end stuff.
Here's a press release about the next version, to ship next month.
Slashdot Mirror
- No frills Web Server: can serve static HTML pages, images and links.
- Web Server + basic CGI: adds basic forms processing
- Web Server + Advanced CGI, or Extensions and database on the same machine (such as Apache's mod-perl to mySql): complex applications including database access, etc.) In this example, mod-perl is actually functioning as an "application server" with Apache being the web server.
- Web Server with extensions such as mod perl (or the NSAPI, ISAPI, etc.) with the database on a separate machine: complex applications, etc. This would be a true "application server", like NAS.
- Finally, there are extremely high end systems such as Bluestone's SapphireWeb or IBM's Web Sphere where multiple numbers of machines are linked together; there can be multiple HTTP servers, multiple application servers, and even multiple RDBMS layers.
Hope this helps....Open Source isn't the only answer -- but it's almost always a better value than the alternatives...
Btw NAS costs $35,000 PER CPU! They cite "lack of demand" as a reason for not doing the Linux port (yet). Btw they only sold 75 copies in the last 3 months. (and that was their best yet). Given the cost, it's not surprising Linux demand is low - it's an app for really high end stuff.
Here's a press release about the next version, to ship next month.