Last week, we released Fabric3 1.9.6. This was a maintenance release for 1.9.5 which resolves several bugs reported by users.
The focus of this and the 1.9.5 release is on runtime performance and stability, so we spent a lot of time refactoring component lifecycle management (i.e. the creation, management, and removal of component instances) as well as fixing outstanding bugs.
We also invested heavily in enhancing WebLogic support, in particular optimizing how Fabric3 uses WebLogic clustering. F3 is now the most compliant and feature-rich SCA container for WLS, including the one shipped by Oracle.
Support for Tomcat was upgraded to Tomcat 7. This means Fabric3 now provides complete application portability - no code changes - when moving between WebLogic and the latest Tomcat or Fabric3's own standalone server. This includes using the "high-end" features of reliability and availability - F3 supports XA transactions (including recovery) using the excellent Atomikos transaction manager and clustering via JGroups when running on Tomcat or standalone.
Portability from WebLogic to open source alternatives for integration and SOA applications offers a number of tangible benefits. If there are strict requirements to run production systems on WebLogic, development can be done in a more agile manner using a lightweight open source runtime. Having the option to port SOA applications to an open source container also provides an avenue for substantial cost savings. At the very least, it arms you with a valuable bargaining chip when your WebLogic license is up for renewal with Oracle.
With Fabric3 1.9.6 out the door, I plan to devote time to covering key F3 features and how they are implemented in the runtime. In the meantime, more details on Fabric3 1.9.6 can be found here.
