AppVision 5.0 will use "symbionts" to monitor memory, threads, CPU of Java and .Net applications nVision Software Technologies will upgrade its AppVision application availability management software on Tuesday, adding components to gauge issues related to threads, memory, and CPUs.AppVision Version 5.0 is intended to minimize business risks associated with unplanned application outages and disruptions. Built for use with Java and.Net applications, AppVision gauges the behavior of applications through the use of lightweight components called “symbionts,” which extend an application’s runtime. The product can respond to system activities by, for example, forcing garbage collection in a Java application should memory exceed a predetermined benchmark, said Johnny Anderson, nVision CEO. Or, the system could prompt a restarting of an application. Rules-based algorithms are used to help a system recover from an event.“In this version, we’ve added some additional symbionts to be able to look at other resources and capacity and performance information,” Anderson said. Previously, the product offered just an error event management symbiont, which examined issues such as database lookup failures, SOAP failures, and application security. New symbionts are featured to monitor JMX (Java Management Extensions) performance, memory usage, CPU utilization, thread usage, and thread-locking.With the thread usage agent, AppVision makes sure an application is not using up too many threads. The thread-locking component ensures threads aren’t being blocked.In addition to the runtime information provided by symbionts, AppVision also features diagnostics to assess activities outside the application, such as whether a Web server or database is functioning. Symbiont-based information and diagnostics are correlated to get a view of an application anomaly. “We’re the only people that get both the internal view and the external view of the application,” Anderson said. Diagnostics can be performed on non-Java and non-.Net systems such as PHP (Hypertext Preprocessor) or Apache applications.AppVision typically competes with either homegrown applications or with application performance monitors from vendors such as Wily Technology and Mercury Interactive, Anderson said.Wily, however, recently was acquired by CA. “[AppVision is] definitely a good product in that space and it’s one of the rare remaining independent products because the leader in this space, Wily Technology, has been snatched by [CA],” said Jean-Pierre Garbani, vice president of Forrester Research.Shipping now, AppVision Version 5.0 starts at $2,495 per server. AppVision previously was known as AppVision-CA (Continuous Availability). Software Development