IBM's Lotusphere Showcases Mega Server

A new "mega server," featuring its J2EE-based application server, portal server, and content management and collaboration capabilities is one of the star attractions at this week's IBM Lotusphere event.

Dubbed with the catchy name of IBM Software Solution For On-Demand Workplace, the server can be dropped into existing accounts alongside Lotus Domino to allow users to start doing portal work, said sources familiar with the plans.

The new server bundle creates a two-track future for the customer: one with Domino and one without, said a source close to the company. It will be priced at about $400 per user. A spokesman for IBM's Lotus Software group declined to comment.

Executives at the show are expected to reaffirm their commitment to Notes Domino and the "rich client" strategy they previewed last fall, as well as talk up a multiclient Notes future that comprises both an open-source Eclipse-based client and a legacy Notes-based client. Eclipse is an open-source application development framework espoused by IBM and backed by Borland Software and others.

A new Workplace client will encompass a client-side relational database using Cloudscape technology that IBM purchased with Informix two years ago. That would put a lightweight Java-based RDBMS on the front end and a full-function DB2 database at the server, and standard SyncML technologies would enable synchronization between the two.