THEORY AND PRACTICE

Thin Servers Bulk Up With Java

by Lowell Rapaport

Thin servers - simplified servers that attach to networks via Ethernet ports - are gaining functionality at a brisk pace. Already they drive printers and scanners and function as online storage. Thin servers are also frequently used as Web servers for the Internet.

With the introduction of products such as eCabinet from Cupertino, CA-based Ricoh Silicon Valley, thin servers have also penetrated the application space. In the case of eCabinet, thin servers run document management software, which used to be the sole domain of full servers running Windows NT or Solaris.

Java provides some of the power behind today's thin servers. When Java virtual machines are incorporated, thin servers can upload Java applets to clients and execute Java applications internally. For example, Java 2 virtual machines are included in high-end network-attached storage devices from Snap Appliances, San Jose, CA. The Java 2 virtual machine is a run-time environment that can be deployed on any hardware configuration. Thus, a J2EE application could be developed on Intel hardware under Windows 98, tested on a Macintosh running OS X and deployed on a Sun Sparc Server running Solaris. Differences between the underlying hardware and operating system software are trivial to Java applications because the virtual machine runs on any platform.

You don't need to be a rocket scientist to realize that if storage applications can run on a Java virtual machine, then content management systems or Web portals written in Java 2 Enterprise Edition (J2EE) can do the same thing. Java-enabled thin servers can get applications up and running in a hurry, giving organizations as much flexibility in deploying applications as they already enjoy for network-attached storage.

Can current Java-enabled thin servers handle complicated applications such as portals or Web content management systems? "The biggest stumbling block to putting Java applications on a thin server will be the relative lack of available processing power [in typical thin servers]," says Rodney Damen, senior program manager for storage and systems at American Megatrands, a server appliance maker based in Norcross, GA.

Most thin servers use simplified underlying operating systems and don't require state-of-the-art processors or electronics. However, a Java virtual machine is a demanding application that needs a fast processor to sustain acceptable performance. Therefore, Java-enabled thin servers are currently limited to simple applications, such as storage.

Damen predicts that thin servers capable of running J2EE applications will materialize by the end of this year or in early 2002. This prediction is confirmed by SunCobalt, Mountain View, CA, which has announced that it will make Java 2 Standard Edition available on its server appliances. In just a few months, it may be possible to run enterprise-class Web content management on easy-to-install-and-operate server appliances.