Chapter 1 Overview

Sun GlassFish Portfolio 2009.12 is a set of Sun open source Java^TM components that provides the foundation to develop and deploy Web and enterprise applications. The portfolio is a cost-effective way to acquire, manage, and maintain critical aspects of your web platform. The most complete application platform stack of components available from an open source community, the GlassFish Portfolio can support smaller, low-cost deployments as well as extensive, mission-critical deployments.

GlassFish Portfolio is based on the Sun Java™ Enterprise System 7 (Java ES 7) platform, which is a comprehensive set of subscription-based services that combines software, support, professional services, and educational services in a single package, for a single price. The software components within Java ES 7 are rigorously tested to ensure interoperability and reliability.

This remainder of this chapter provides overviews of GlassFish Portfolio 2009.12 concepts and technologies.

• Getting GlassFish Portfolio 2009.12 Software

• GlassFish Portfolio 2009.12 Components

• GlassFish Portfolio 2009.12 Licensing Formats

• Platform Support and Hardware Requirements

• Interoperability Notes and Backward Compatibility

Getting GlassFish Portfolio 2009.12 Software

The components that make up GlassFish Portfolio are offered separately and also at various support levels; you can pick the components you want as well as the type of licensing format that best suits your organization's needs.

See GlassFish Portfolio 2009.12 Components and GlassFish Portfolio 2009.12 Licensing Formats for more information about GlassFish Portfolio components and offerings. Refer to the Sun GlassFish Portfolio 2009.12 product page for complete purchasing and download information.

GlassFish Portfolio 2009.12 Components

The specific set of components in your GlassFish Portfolio distribution depend on the subscription licensing level your organization has purchased. Refer to Products in GlassFish Portfolio 2009.12 in Sun GlassFish Portfolio Release Notes for the most current list of products and product versions included in GlassFish Portfolio 2009.12.

You may also want to refer to Products in Java ES 7 Base in Sun Java Enterprise System 7 Release Notes for the most current list of products available in Java ES 7 Base.

GlassFish Portfolio 2009.12 Licensing Formats

GlassFish Portfolio 2009.12 software is offered in two licensing formats: per-server or unlimited.

• A per-server subscription is an annual subscription based on the number of physical or virtual servers on which the GlassFish Portfolio software components are deployed.

• An unlimited subscription is an annual subscription based on the number of company employees.

Refer to GlassFish Portfolio 2009.12 Licensing Formats in Sun GlassFish Portfolio Release Notes for detailed explanations of GlassFish Portfolio licensing formats and product offerings.

Platform Support and Hardware Requirements

The platform support and systems requirements for GlassFish Portfolio 2009.12 are the same as those for Java ES 7 Base. Refer to Platform Support and System Requirements in Sun Java Enterprise System 7 Release Notes for the most current list.

Also note that specific platform support may vary across individual component products. Be sure to refer to the platform requirements listed in the product documentation for each component product.

Interoperability Notes and Backward Compatibility

GlassFish Portfolio 2009.12 interoperability and backward compatibility characteristics for GlassFish Portfolio 2009.12 are related to those for the Java ES 7 Base components. Refer to Chapter 2, Product Interoperability in Java ES 7, in Sun Java Enterprise System 7 Release Notes for detailed interoperability and compatibility notes related to both GlassFish Portfolio and Java ES Base.