IBM plans to reveal Friday the availability of new software for its WebSphere and DB2 products that should allow them to better handle unexpected surges in computing demand.

The products are the result of IBM's focus on autonomic computing, which it describes as technology that manages and improves its own operation with minimal human intervention. IBM says the software, called adaptive forecasting, rapid reconfiguration, and online capacity planning, can predict sudden increases in workload and bring on additional server capacity to handle the volume, then cut back capacity as demand dissipates.

The software works with the latest versions of WebSphere Application Server Version 5 and DB2 8.1, and IBM says it potentially can be used with third-party software. Because of its newness, it'll only be sold through IBM Global Services. However, an IBM spokesman says, the company is looking at building autonomic capabilities into its middleware.