Managing connections
This technique applies to the Web presentation server, the Web application server, and the database. The goal is to minimize the number of connections needed for an end-to-end system, as well as to eliminate the overhead of setting up connections during normal operations. To reduce the overhead associated with establishing connections between each layer, a pool of pre-established connections is maintained and shared among multiple requests flowing between the layers.
For instance, WAS provides database connection managers to allow connection reuse. It is important to note that a session may use multiple connections to accomplish its tasks, or many sessions may share the same connection. This is called connection pooling in the WebSphere connection manager.
The key issue is with maintaining a session's identity when several sessions share a connection. Reusing existing database connections conserves resources and reduces latency for application requests, thereby helping to increase the number of concurrent requests that can be processed. Managing connections properly can improve scalability and response time. Administrators must monitor and manage resources proactively to optimize component allocation and use.
WebSphere is a trademark of the IBM Corporation in the United States, other countries, or both.
IBM is a trademark of the IBM Corporation in the United States, other countries, or both.