Sun Certification Plan Lets ISVs Test J2EE Apps For Portability

Sun Microsystems last week launched a certification program to help ISVs and solution providers ensure that an application will port across various J2EE application servers before deploying it for a customer.

The Java Verification Program verifies that applications are compatible with various J2EE-compliant app servers, said Glen Martin, senior marketing manager at Sun. It also tests the portability of applications from app server to app server, he said.

The program, available at http://java.sun.com/j2ee/verified/, leverages the Application Verification Kit (AVK) Sun launched in March at the JavaOne show, Martin said. The kit enables developers to test J2EE apps to ensure portability between various J2EE platforms.

The license for the AVK costs $2,000 per tester seat, while the Java Verification Program costs $15,000 to verify one application per year, Martin said.

Through the Java Verification Program, ISVs with products that meet the criteria for cross-platform deployment can receive a "Java Verified" brand logo so customers will recognize the portability of their products, Martin said. Participants are also eligible for periodic co-marketing opportunities with Sun, he said.

Solution providers can use the "Java Verified" brand to take a solution they've already built for one customer and market it to others, Martin said.

He noted, however, that the certification program is aimed mainly at ISVs.

Gil Anderson, president and CEO of Minneapolis-based solution provider Caribou Lake, said the new certification should be helpful for ISVs because they must build applications to support more than one vendor's J2EE app server.

"It would be very positive for ISVs because they do need to follow the J2EE standards," Anderson said. "If you're selling software in, for instance, the retail industry, you're going to see BEA [WebLogic], [IBM] WebSphere and [Oracle] 9iAS."

He added that solution providers don't have to be as concerned about J2EE portability as ISVs.

"Once a company selects a particular [J2EE] vendor, it's rare that they're going to change," Anderson said.

Currently, more than 20 J2EE licensees support the Java AVK, so developers can test applications on their app servers, Sun's Martin said.

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