Scaling J2EE™ Application Servers with the Multi-Tasking Virtual Machine

The Java 2 Platform, Enterprise Edition (J2EE) is established as the standard platform for hosting enterprise applications written in the Java programming language. Similar to an operating system, a J2EE server can host multiple applications, but this is rarely seen in practice due to limitations on scalability, weak inter-application isolation and inadequate resource management facilities in the underlying Java platform. This leads to a proliferation of server instances, each typically hosting a single application, with a consequent dramatic increase in the total memory footprint and more complex system administration. The Multi-tasking Virtual Machine (MVM) solves this problem by providing an efficient and scalable implementation of the isolate API for multiple, isolated tasks, enabling the co-location of multiple server instances in a single MVM process. Isolates also enable the restructuring of a J2EE server implementation as a collection of isolated components, offering increased flexibility and reliability. The resulting system is a step towards a complete and scalable operating environment for enterprise applications.