This article provides a brief description of new versions and features released in the Nonstop middleware domain after the L23.08 RVU was made generally available in August 2023. It discusses NSJ 17, NSJSP 10.1, API Gateway 1.4, NSHTTP Server 2.4 Update 4, TS/MP 2.8 Update 6 and the NSDevEnv in Public Cloud.
HPE NSJ 17
Ported binaries on HPE NonStop servers — based on OpenJDK 17, referred in short using the acronym NSJ 17, is a certified implementation of OpenJDK 17.0.8. It implements the application programming interfaces (APIs) and tools that are defined for a headless configuration of OpenJDK 17. Features added after OpenJDK 11 up to OpenJDK 17 are listed at https://openjdk.java.net/projects/jdk/.
Multiple enhancements have been implemented to make writing Java code faster, more flexible, and easier to read. Examples are syntax improvements to Switch….Case, multiline strings, Lightweight Classes, Sealed Classes, enhanced pseudo-random number generator among others.
G1 garbage Collector has seen a few improvements for optimizing heap memory utilization and to limit the collection activity time (stop-the-world) to within the configured target value.
Java Flight Recorder (JFR) now allows to access the data being recorded in real time. This is called JFR event streaming.
A few features/functionalities have been removed in NSJ 17 (compared to NSJ 11), such as the Nashorn JavaScript Engine, weak 1024-bit RSA public keys, CMS Garbage Collector, and one or two more. You can see the full list in the Support Note S24003 – NSJ 17 Availability and Migration Considerations.
NSJ 17 is released as SPR – T3066 L17 ^AAG in February 2024. It can be downloaded from NonStop enterprise Portal (NeP) – Log in and navigate to Scout for NonStop Servers. It will be rolled in to the next L-series RVU. The NSJ 17 data sheet is located Ported binaries on HPE NonStop servers — based on OpenJDK 17. For more details of using NSJ 17, refer the NSJ 17 User Guide.
Figure 1 shows the products based on various Java and JEE standards that HPE offers on the NSJ 17 platform. They include JEE application server, JEE servlet container, ORM dialect for SQL/MX access, middleware tools that seamlessly connect applications written in Java to the NonStop fundamentals, message queue, the API gateway and so on.
HPE NSJSP 10.1
The next version of our famous servlet container, the NonStop Servlets for JavaServer Pages 10.1 (NSJSP 10.1) was released in September 2023 for HPE NonStop X, HPE Virtualized NonStop, and HPE Virtualized Converged NonStop systems.
NSJSP 10.1 brings new features and enhancements to existing functionalities as defined in the Servlet 6.0 specifications. Our previous NSJSP 8.5 was an implementation of Servlet 3.1 standards. Thus, this release is a multiple version upgrade to the Servlet standards that HPE NSJSP complies with. NSJSP 10.1 can be deployed on NSJ 11 or NSJ 17. It requires NSHTTP Server 2.4 or later versions to be deployed as its HTTP front end.
Servlet 6.0 brings new features like HTTP/2 server push mechanism, improvements to performance and hence offers better servlet scalability. It also provides better security by explicitly defining, as part of the API specifications, how to handle semicolons, dots, and slashes (part of a URI).
Jakarta Web Socket API 2.1, Jakarta Authentication 3.0 (formerly JASPIC), JSP 3.1, and EL 5.0 are supported in NSJSP 10.1. In addition this release brings a completely new CLI (command line interface) with functions such as Create a new deployment, Start, Stop, Restart, Update, Status check, Restore and Manage the SSL certificate for NSJSP Manager. NSJSP 10.1 also includes a tool for migrating business applications from NSJSP 8.5 to NSJSP 10.1.
NSJSP 10.1 is a separately purchasable Independent Product (IP) with a Product ID (PID) / Stock Keeping Unit (SKU) = BE314AC – HPE NonStop Servlets for JSP SW. It is licensed on a per-CPU basis. Customers who already possess a license can place an RVU / IP Request in NonStop Scout for BE314AC.
Refer the data sheet HPE NonStop Servlets for JavaServer Pages 10.1 software for detailed descriptions of all the features of NSJSP 10.1 and the hardware and software pre-requisites. For more details of using refer to NonStop Servlets for JavaServer Pages (NSJSP) 10.1 System Administrator’s Guide.
HPE NonStop API Gateway 1.4
This is the next version of our flagship middleware product for HPE NonStop X, Virtualized NonStop, and Virtualized Converged NonStop Systems. It was released in September 2023. API Gateway is a popular design pattern that provides a single point of entry by encapsulating the internal system and application architecture.
Ability to plug a custom routine in to the message flow is made available in both gateway and proxy modes. Plug-in feature is a great tool that can enable very many use cases. Manipulation of data flowing in and out, transformation of error codes, altering the business flow, custom AuthN & AuthZ functions are all easily achieved using the plug-ins in field, with zero requirement for HPE to change the product software itself.
Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA) on behalf of the backend applications is made possible by deploying NSHTTP Server as the front-end HTTP connector. This is in gateway mode. Backend server applications on NonStop do not need to be changed at all. Better still, they need not even be aware that MFA has been deployed before the requests are routed to them.
The gateway routing functionality is extensively enhanced in this release. The API Gateway can now route any type of data structure via using multiple network layer protocols to server applications deployed in NonStop as well as on other platforms outside of NonStop. The versatile routing mechanisms include routing to a TCP/IP socket, routing requests over HTTP to backend microservices, routing requests over HTTP(S) to applications outside the NonStop and so on.
The API Gateway is designed to be shipped in the NonStop RVU when the PID (aka SKU) BE089AC is ordered. However this version 1.4 is released as an SPR in NonStop Scout. Customers who already possess a license can download the SPR – T1199 L01 ^AAQ from NonStop Scout. It will be rolled into the NonStop SUT from the next L-series RVU.
HPE NonStop API Gateway Datasheet describes all the features of the API Gateway in detail. A detailed NonStop API Gateway 1.4 User Guide is available on Hewlett Packard Enterprise Support Center web page.
NSHTTP Server 2.4 Update 4
OAuth 2.0 Authorization Framework is offered from this release. OAuth 2.0 helps ease the practical difficulties involved in securely offering a service or a resource to a client by a server/resource owner. NSHTTP Server plays the role of the resource server in the OAuth 2.0 authorization flow.
This protocol helps implement Single Sign-On (SSO) across several different services offered by an organization. It defines the process of authentication/authorization of clients/consumers using a common/central identity provider (IdP). NSHTTP Server plays the role of the Relaying Party in the OIC protocol.
This release is available in the NonStop Scout as the SPR T1144 L24 ^AAI. All customers possessing a NonStop Operating System license and a valid software maintenance contract can log in to NonStop Scout and download this SPR. It will be rolled into the next L-series RVU SUT.
TS/MP 2.8 Update 6
In this release the NonStop Manageability Plug-ins for TS/MP (NSMPT) and the NonStop Middleware Elasticity Framework (NSMEF) have seen very useful enhancements.
The NSMPT subsystem automatically generates the DROOLS engine rules using the configurable parameters that govern the working of the NSMEF subsystem which controls the scalability of applications. Prior to this release users were able to specify the scaling out and scaling in of business application process instances in terms of fractional percentage of the overall deployed capacity. Now, number units can also be used for this purpose.
The NSMEF subsystem (including the DROOLS libraries) has been certified to work on the NSJ 17 (Ported Binaries on HPE NonStop Servers, based on OpenJDK 17) virtual machine and run time environment (JVM & JRE). Backward compatibility to NSJ 11 is also maintained.
TS/MP is added to the NonStop SUT when one of the following PIDs (SKUs) are added – BE352AC or BE359AC. Customers who already possess a license can download the SPR – SPR T0977 L01 ^AAR (HPE NonStop TS/MP Utilities) from NonStop Scout.
All features of the TS/MP product suite including the new features mentioned here are described in detail in the HPE NonStop Pathway with TS/MP software data sheet. Sections titled NonStop Manageability Plugins for TS/MP and NonStop Middleware Elasticity Framework in the TS/MP 2.8 Utilities User Guide can be referred to know how to use these features.
HPE NonStop Development Environment (NSDevEnv) in Public Cloud Marketplace
HPE NSDevEnv is available in pay-as-you-go mode on all the three popular public cloud platforms, viz. Amazon Web Services (AWS), Google Cloud Platform (GCP) and Microsoft Azure.
The HPE NSDevEnv is aimed at software developers who create business applications/solutions for the mission critical HPE NonStop. It is made with the intention of making the process of acquiring and using the development tools easier, faster and simpler. A valid Marketplace user account and a subscription profile in the cloud platform are all that are required to start using it.
HPE NonStop Development Environment Solution Brief – Lists the features, describes benefits and provides pointers to several reference materials for learning more.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) – Provides a set of questions that are likely to be asked along with answers.
HPE NonStop Development Environment – Usage and support information – Describes how to get support while using NSDevEnv in the Marketplace.
Thank you for reading this article. It only enumerates the new functionalities in the latest release of the respective products. The data sheets quoted in the article list and describe all the features/functionalities that were released right from their first versions. There is a lot of value in the Nonstop middleware and Java based products. HPE continuously updates them with new functionalities, performance and other enhancements. Please contact your account representative or the author of this article for more information or assistance to use these products.
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