IBM's WAS CE open source app server gathers steam

IBM's open source application server is garnering more momentum with this week's introduction of a new OEM partner, Avada Software, plus a new customer, international money transfer and transaction processing specialist Nexxar Group, Inc.

IBM has already picked up about 600 ISV partners for its Apache Geronimo-based open source application server, a free download known as WebSphere Application Server (WAS) Community Edition (CE), said Brenda Haynes, IBM's director of open source development and strategy, in an inteview with BetaNews.

But IBM's new pact with Avada represents only the second OEM agreement for WAS CE, according to the IBM exec. Last fall, IBM named large Linux player Novell as an OEM partner for WAS CE.

Aside from Apache Geronimo, WAS CE also integrates Apache Tomcat and several other open source components in areas such as Web services, security, and Web tier clustering.

IBM sells subscription-based customer support services for WAS CE, as well; and as Haynes told BetaNews, Avada will join Novell in be reselling IBM's support services along with WAS CE.

But unlike Novell, Avada also plans to embed WAS CE directly into its own software.

In contrast, although many IBM ISV partners are developing applications designed to work with WAS CE, the ISVs have not chosen to embed WAS CE into their own products.

Avada produces SOA and messaging software aimed at helping SMBs and other companies to economically reuse and expand access to their existing instrastructures, software services, and applications.

Meanwhile, IBM's latest customer for WAS CE, Nexxar, has adopted IBM's open source application server to help support development, systems integration and expansion needs spurred by six new acquisitions, said Haynes.

Nexxar operates worldwide service hubs for money transfer, check cashing, and similar consumer-oriented services, in addition to international transaction processing services for banks.

Through the WAS CE deployment, Nexxar is reusing its money transfer application as both a branch server and a standalone application with built-in host connection monitoring and store-and-forward messaging functionality.