“The Tomcat you know, the Enterprise capabilities you need” is how SpringSource advertise tc Server, but how true is that bold statement. Built around the robust Apache Tomcat (6+), tc Server’s power resides in the value added to the Tomcat distribution: its enterprise services. The main service provided is the “ASM” – Application & Server Management system which allows access through a web interface to control most of tc Server’s features – in addition a CLI offers administrators the desired raw power.
The popular application server is neatly wrapped by the enterprise capabilities and offered as an alternative to heavy enterprise application servers making the transition from an incumbent application server as in-obtrusive as possible to new clients. The current and forthcoming version of tc Server includes load balancing, server issue troubleshooting, diagnosis, statistics & you name.
- Does “tc Server” have clustering capabilities? Yes it does.
- Does “tc Server” handle distributed operations? Yes it does.
- Does “tc Server” have reliable and friendly interface? Yes it does.
- Does “tc Server” have capabilities to diagnose and react to problems based on defined set of scenarios ? Yes it does.
A recent demonstration by SpringSource ran through the main features of the product, showing tc Server to be as powerful as stated, but also showed it to be on the early adopters phase of its evolution. However the product appears to be on the right path and will reach the required maturity in the very near quickly.
In addition to the software services provided, “tc Server” comes with one more important service: the support you get when buying a “tc Server” subscription (annual subscription).
SpringSource offers support, which they promise to be legendary effective and reactive, for tc Server. In terms of pricing the figures don’t look that legendary as we are used to when it comes to SpringSource support, subscriptions being offered for prices between £300 and £500 per year, depending on response time and assistance availability.
There are strategies set in place for migrating from other application servers to “tc Server”, consultancy and support regarding the migration process being provided, so it looks like SpringSource have most support angles covered.
All things considered, “tc Server” appears to be a very attractive option for an application server to be used on future live deployments of clustered applications. Migration of existing environments doesn’t seem to be the smartest move though, since “tc Server” hasn’t reached the desired maturity level in order to substitute existing already paid for expensive alternatives.