Difference between WebSphere and WebLogic
WebSphere versions 3.0, 4.0, and 5.1, and WebLogic 8.1 are J2EE compliant application servers. These application servers differ in their architecture, platform support, database connectivity, legacy system support, development options, J2EE technologies supported, and the manner in which Web components are deployed.
This article explains the differences between WebSphere 3.0 or later and WebLogic 8.1.
Comparing WebSphere 3.0 or later with WebLogic 8.1
WebSphere 3.0 and 4.0 are not fully compliant with J2EE 1.3. WebSphere 5.1 and WebLogic 8.1 are fully compliant with J2EE 1.3. There are some differences between WebSphere 3.0 or later and WebLogic 8.1 in terms of architecture, platform support, database connectivity, legacy system support, development tools provided, J2EE technologies supported, and development and deployment of Web components.
Difference in Architecture
WebSphere 3.0 or later enterprise platform consists of Foundation and Foundation Extensions. Foundation consists of application servers and products that allow integration of applications with processes. Foundation Extensions include development, presentation, and deployment tools that are used for building and managing e-business applications. The development tools provide an integrated environment for development of applications. The presentation tools include graphical or voice-based tools that are used to develop applications to personalize Web pages. The deployment tools include those that are used for development and deployment of applications.
WebLogic 8.1 enterprise platform consists of a WebLogic Server, WebLogic Workshop, WebLogic Integration, WebLogic Portal, Liquid Date for WebLogic, WebLogic Tuxedo, and WebLogic JRockit. In addition, WebLogic 8.1 provides a security framework that supports various security processes and mechanisms, such as auditing, authentication, authorization, Secure Socket Layer (SSL), and firewalls.
Difference in Platform Support
WebSphere 3.0 or later and WebLogic 8.1 differ in the support they provide for various platforms.
lists the platforms supported by WebSphere 3.0 or later and WebLogic 8.1:
Platforms Supported by WebSphere 3.0 or Later and WebLogic 8.1
WebSphere 3.0
WebSphere 4.0
WebSphere 5.1
WebLogic 8.1
Windows NT Server
IBM AIX
Sun Solaris
IBM AIX
Sun Solaris
Microsoft Windows NT, Microsoft Windows 2000, Microsoft Windows 2000 Advance Server
Linux
OS/400
Novell Netware
Hewlett-Packard HP-UX
Windows NT/Windows 2000
HP-UX
Linux
OS/400
z/OS
Sun Solaris
Windows NT/Windows 2000
Sun Solaris
Caldera OpenUNIX, Tru64 UNIX
Linux
z/OS
OpenVMS
Difference in Database Connectivity
lists the databases supported by WebSphere 3.0 or later and WebLogic 8.1:
Databases Supported by WebSphere 3.0 or Later and WebLogic 8.1
WebSphere 3.0
WebSphere 4.0
WebSphere 5.1
WebLogic 8.1
IBM DB2 Universal Database 5.2
Oracle 8.0.5
IBM DB2 Universal Database
Oracle
Microsoft SQL Server 7.0
Sybase
Informix
IBM DB2 UDB 7.2W Enterprise Edition/Workgroup Edition
Oracle 8i Release 3(8.1.7)
Sybase Adaptive Server 12.0
Informix Dynamic Server 9.2.1/9.3
MS SQL Server 7.0 SP2
MS SQL Server 2000
Oracle 8.1.6/8.1.7
MS SQL Server 6.0 or 6.5 SP3
Informix OnLine 7.2x/7.3/9.x
Any DBMS that supports standard JDBC driver
Difference in Legacy System Support
WebSphere 3.0 or later converts legacy data into eXtensible Markup Language (XML) documents to communicate with the client. WebLogic 8.1 uses Java Adapter for Mainframe (JAM) to communicate with the mainframe system. The JAM gateway inside the WebLogic application server communicates with a Communication Resource Manager (CRM), which is present in the legacy systems.
Difference in Development Tools
WebSphere 3.0 or later and WebLogic 8.1 provide different tools for the development and deployment of J2EE applications.
The development tools for WebSphere 3.0 or later are:
WebSphere Studio Homepage Builder
WebSphere Studio Application Developer
WebSphere Studio Site Developer
WebSphere Studio Enterprise Developer
Rational Web Developer for WebSphere Software
Rational Application Developer for WebSphere Software
The development tools for WebLogic 8.1 are:
WebLogic Workshop
WebLogic Builder
DDinit
EJBGen
WebLogic Administration Console
Client Deployer
WebLogic Deployer
WebLogic Tuxedo Connector
XML Editor
Difference in the J2EE Technologies Supported
lists the versions of J2EE technologies supported by WebSphere and WebLogic:
J2EE Technologies Supported by WebSphere 3.0 or Later and WebLogic 8.1
Technology
WebSphere 3.0
WebSphere 4.0
WebSphere 5.1
WebLogic 8.1
JSP
0.91 and 1.0
1.1
1.2
1.2
Servlet
2.1
2.2
2.3
2.3
EJB
1.0
1.1
2.0
2.0
JDBC
JDBC 2.0
JDBC 2.0
JDBC 2.0
JDBC 2.0
JDK
J2SDK 1.2
J2SDK 1.3
J2SDK 1.4
J2SDK 1.4
JNDI
1.1
1.1
1.2
1.2
Difference in Development and Deployment of Web Components
Web components, such as JSPs and servlets, are developed and deployed differently in WebSphere 3.0, 4.0 or 5.1 as compared to WebLogic 8.1. The migration of servlets requires change of methods from WebSphere 3.0 and 4.0 to WebLogic 8.1. To migrate the JSPs, you need to perform the following tasks:
Modify the JSP 0.91 version pages running on WebSphere 3.0 to run on WebLogic 8.1 due to the change of the bean invocation method used in version 1.2.
Modify the JSP 1.0 version pages running on WebSphere 4.0 to run on WebLogic 8.1 due to the change of the bean invocation method used in version 1.2.
JSP 1.1 version pages running on WebSphere 4.0 need no modification to run on WebLogic 8.1 but they will not support the JSP 1.1 version enhancements.
Modify the database access tags provided by JSP 0.91 running on WebSphere 3.0 to make them compatible to run on WebLogic 8.1.
Difference in JSPs and Servlets
WebSphere 3.0 supports JSP 0.91 and 1.0, and servlets 2.1. WebLogic 8.1supports JSP 1.1 or later, and servlets 2.3. In servlets, the definition of methods in the HTTPSession class is different for WebSphere 3.0 and 4.0 as compared to WebLogic 8.1.
lists the different methods of the HTTPSession class supported by WebSphere 3.0 or later and WebLogic 8.1:
HTTPSession Methods Supported by WebSphere 3.0 or Later and WebLogic 8.1
WebSphere 3.0/ 4.0
WebSphere 5.1/ WebLogic 8.1
getValue()
getValueNames()
removeValue()
setValue()
getAttribute()
getAttributeNames()
removeAttribute()
setAttribute()
Difference in EJBs
WebSphere 3.0 and 4.0 and WebLogic 8.1 differ in the way they support the development and deployment of EJBs. WebSphere 3.0 and 4.0 support EJB 1.0 and 1.1. WebLogic 8.1 supports EJB 2.0. When migrating from WebSphere 3.0 or 4.0 to WebLogic 8.1, you need to modify the source code and the deployment descriptors. The formats of deployment descriptors used in WebSphere 3.0 or later and WebLogic 8.1 are binary and XML.
