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Azul Systems, a provider of Java runtime solutions, has announced the release of its Zing runtime for Java release 16.01.
The new release of Zing is a scalable Java Virtual Machine (JVM) for enterprise applications and systems that require any combination of consistent low latency, high transaction rates, high scalability or large in-memory data structures.
Zing now supports two terabytes (TB) of pause-less heap memory per Java instance, greatly improving the capabilities and response time of in-memory computing and simplifying deployments, Azul said. Many types of applications benefit from very large Java heap, including in-memory computing-based big data, real-time analytics, electronic trading platforms and Web-based travel and ecommerce systems.
While legacy JVMs can suffer from garbage collection (GC) pauses, resulting in slow or unpredictable response times, lost revenues and missed service level agreements (SLAs), applications running on Zing can deliver consistent performance and improved reliability by avoiding GC pauses while making more in-memory data available without database or I/O overhead, the company said.
The new Zing release also includes optimizations for Cassandra 3.0, including a 50 percent more efficient cyclic redundancy check 32 (CRC32) implementation that delivers better performance in some workloads. There are also new functions designed to reduce operating costs, including MXBean notifications that eliminate the need to poll for key metrics and enable subscriptions to specific events and notifications based on user-defined thresholds. In addition, the new release supports Ubuntu Linux versions 14.04 LTS and 15.04, SUSE Linux Enterprise Server (SLES) 12, Linux 4.X kernels. It also features new Amazon Machine Images for Red Hat Enterprise Linux, Ubuntu, and Amazon Linux, ensuring that Zing 16.01 is ready for both on-premises and cloud deployment.
“The Zing platform has provided an answer for Java users requiring large memory resources, low latency, and predictable and fast transaction performance for the past five years,” said John Abbott, an analyst at 451 Research, in a statement. “Now that multi-TB servers are readily available, Azul is making it possible to capitalize on the latest generation of hardware without requiring Java-based applications to be chopped up into small four to 12 gigabyte instances.”
Also in a statement, Scott Sellers, president and CEO of Azul Systems said: “As more enterprises deploy in-memory architectures, a common struggle is the inconsistent response time and garbage collection spikes common when using legacy JVMs. With Zing 16.01, Java applications can now take advantage of massive two-terabyte heaps with pause-less operation, making in-memory computing that much more practical with Java and driving new capabilities that are inconceivable with traditional three-tier designs or DBMS-based approaches.”
The new Zing release comes just two weeks after Azul announced that Zulu Embedded, its open-source JVM based on OpenJDK developed for manufacturers in the embedded, mobile and Internet of Things (IoT) markets would be available to download on the Wind River Marketplace. The marketplace is an online app store where Wind River customers can find and evaluate add-on IoT solutions from the Wind River partner ecosystem.
The Wind River Marketplace offers software that ranges from safety, security, and storage to connectivity, graphics, and development tools. Customers benefit from simplified “try-before-buy” options, a modern app store experience, and easy installation and evaluation of complementary software. Working with Wind River, Azul has tested and validated Zulu Embedded for seamless interoperability with Wind River Linux, an operating system that combines embedded expertise with the flexibility and freedom of open source software.
“Zulu Embedded is unique to the Wind River ecosystem as it’s the only Java offering based on OpenJDK,” said Dinyar Dastoor, vice president and general manager of operating system platforms at Wind River, in a statement. “The marketplace provides partners with a unique opportunity to showcase their products to our vast customer base, and the open source nature of both Wind River Linux and Zulu Embedded make a great combination for Java developers in the embedded and IoT markets.”
Azul’s Zulu Embedded enables developers to use a Java SE standards compliant platform. Each Zulu Embedded build is verified by Azul using the Java Community Technology Compatibility Kit (TCK) and incorporates the latest OpenJDK bug fixes and security patches. Zulu Embedded for Java 7 and 8 is now certified and supported on Wind River Linux.
“Zulu Embedded has been deployed in millions of devices worldwide, as its open source nature and compliance with Java SE standards offers a compelling economic and technical proposition for a wide range of high volume embedded and IoT products,” Sellers said.