Summary

As you learned in this chapter, there's a great deal of design and decision making required when choosing your system platform. The approach you take is important because your platform choice will have a lasting effect on your J2EE application design.

The reason for this is that different platforms have differing limitations and capabilities. If, for example, you choose an x86-based processor from Intel that has a 4GB memory limit, then your application design needs to follow a horizontal system architecture model ”that is, you need many smaller servers to get over memory limitations.

Also, consider the costs associated with going for smaller model servers in your chosen platform; with the saved costs, you can obtain further benefits from high-availability features previously out of your budget's reach.

It's better to have a redundant system than a system that has too much headroom and scalability capability that may never be required.