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What platform are you currently running?
A: Websvr is running on Windows 2003 server + IBM WebShpere 6.0 upon oracle 10g on hp/ux.
Are you willing to transition platforms?
A: Yes. In fact. There's no significant effect for us. But if has extra cost, we will consider choose cheaper one.
What is your current in-house (or contracted) expertise?
A: There's no CNC admin and may hire ocs on call.
What is your current licensing?
A: per users
In fact, in my region, there're no any training courses of webshpere and less people know to tune and mgt webshpere since my cnc admin quit from yr ago. It seems that Weblogic becomes oracle's primary star app svr and oas+webshpere may be going to phaseout.
I'm afraid choose wrong one may lead to dissupport or lousy performance especially in a all-in-one OVM environment.
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The fact is, with 100 users it is hard to go wrong with a web server choice as all will handle the load as long as the system is well architected. Choose the right person to architect and build the solution and then sit back and let it run. Once a web system is built, assuming it is properly sized, it is rare to have to touch it unless it is heavily (many with more users than you have) utilized.
As for "clunky", that depends on what you are used to. If you have been using WebSphere 6 then it won't be clunky, and heck you only use the console for the initial configuration and, depending on your tools release, to stop/start a cluster. Once everything is up and running one rarely goes into the interface except to do performance monitoring if you desire.
If you want to save money on licensing and you are on Red Stack licensing, put OAS on Linux. If you are on Blue Stack, which I suspect you are based on your "per user" answer to the licensing question, put WebSphere 7 on Windows 2008 or Linux depending on what expertise you have.
I am guessing that you are on the old "per seat" licensing that old time JDE customers love and Oracle hates. I think you will find that this licensing is financially advantageous and you should keep it no matter how hard Oracle tries to convince you otherwise and that it locks you in to Blue Stack, in effect making your web server decision for you.
In regards to desupport - WAS, OAS and WLS (WebLogic Server) are going to be supported for a long, long time. OAS is not going to be further developed so, while it will be supported, it will no longer advance technologically. Oracle has a long-term partnership agreement with IBM and IBM continues to develop WebSphere so it will be supported and will continue to advance. WSL is Oracle's product of choice but costs extra and isn't , I believe, the web server to choose quite yet.
Again, I think that you will check your licensing and find that you are Blue Stack (IBM Foundation) and will have to choose WebSphere to keep your current licensing agreement.