IBM WebSphere Application Server Performance Cookbook

Asynchronous Beans

Legacy WAS work asynchronous beans implement com.ibm.websphere.asynchbeans.Work and are run asynchronously by a WAS WorkManager (which manages a set of threads) through the startWork method call.
CommonJ work asynchronous beans implement commonj.work.Work and are run asynchronously by a CommonJ WorkManager (which manages a set of threads) through the schedule method call.
Timer listener asynchronous beans implement commonj.timers.TimerListener and are run asynchronously by a WAS timer manager that implements commonj.timers.TimerManager. These timers are used to schedule future work and are appropriate for managed JEE environments, unlike instances of java.util.Timer.
Alarm listener asynchronous beans implement com.ibm.websphere.asynchbeans.AlarmListener and are run asynchronously by a WAS alarm manager (which manages a set of threads). These alarms are used to schedule future work.
http://www-01.ibm.com/support/knowledgecenter/SSAW57_8.5.5/com.ibm.websphere.nd.multiplatform.doc/asyncbns/concepts/casb_asbover.html?cp=SSAW57_8.5.5&lang=en

If a non-zero "work timeout" is specified and if the time the work bean has been queued for execution plus the execution time exceeds the work timeout, then the WorkManager will call release() on the work bean. (http://www-01.ibm.com/support/knowledgecenter/SSAW57_8.5.5/com.ibm.websphere.nd.multiplatform.doc/asyncbns/tasks/tasb_workmanager.html?lang=en)