Connecting state and local government leaders
Federal agencies, under mandate from Congress and the Office of Management and Budget to reduce paperwork, need to collect information electronically and publish on the Web.
By John McCormick
Special to GCN
Federal agencies, under mandate from Congress and the Office of Management and Budget to reduce paperwork, need to collect information electronically and publish on the Web.
Officials took a step toward meeting the mandate during the last few years as they prepared systems for year 2000. The work they did on date code forced them to do away with many redundant systems and to move reams of data off of antiquated systems that seemed destined for disaster.
Despite these efforts, agencies still have vast amounts of data stowed on myriad mainframes and disparate network servers'and it is often inaccessible to users via the Internet or intranets.
The Web browser is today's interface of choice, and TCP/IP is by far the simplest, most widely accepted and least costly WAN protocol. The Internet or an intranet is the only practical way to provide wide access to the government's mountain of data.
Middleware, acting as a translator, integrator or converter'or all three simultaneously'is the glue that can connect legacy data or applications for use on the Web.
Just what is middleware? It's a broad category of software covering products ranging in cost from a few hundred dollars to a tens of thousands of dollars. Although the software can be complex, the concept is easy to understand.
Applications such as databases or spreadsheets are used by individuals to create, store and manage raw data. But people who need to see this data may be using different operating systems and applications. Middleware, in the form of relational database management systems, bridges this gap for users.
There are other kinds of middleware. The products that get the most attention are message-oriented middleware and software that lets users run apps remotely. MOM manages the exchange of data, and distributed object middleware manages the real-time execution of processes on remote systems.
Middleware products can also be divided into two meta classes, management and development. Broadly speaking, management middleware connects existing apps, and development middleware provides management tools and a development platform.
As is evident in the low prices of some relational database management software, merely publishing a single legacy data set on one system to the Web isn't very difficult.
The trouble starts when you need to connect that database to the variety of systems found in a typical enterprise, publish the data to the Web and build new applications.
Plus, most agencies do a lot more than just manage a single database; many need to integrate dozens of servers running a mix of database programs from Oracle and DB2 to Informix and Adabas.
Traditionally, middleware has been the software that connects clients and servers in an enterprise environment. Web middleware, meanwhile, connects data and apps on mainframes and local servers to the Internet. The creation of software that can make data available in a form accessible via a standard Web browser is a relatively recent development.
When trying to select the right middleware product for your organization, consider two approaches: tactical and strategic.
Publishing data to the Web from a single mainframe or network can be treated as a tactical situation. Just select the middleware that will bridge the different protocols most easily.
If you have bigger concerns than merely publishing a single set of data, choosing middleware is a strategic decision. Your program choice will affect every aspect of your network.
And though implementing any middleware across an enterprise is expensive, if you make a mistake, changing your middleware will be massively more expensive.
The software you choose must support not only what you are asking of it today but also what you will ask of it in five years. A manufacturer's promise that the features in a future release will solve your problems could prove worthless if that release never comes through.
Get just enough
On the flip side, because of the up-front investment and heavy management requirements, you must also be certain you aren't buying more middleware than you need.
There are 10 basic requirements you should rank when selecting middleware:
' Security
' Access to legacy data
' Around-the-clock reliability
' Scalability
' Fault tolerance
' Remote management
' Load balancing
' Protocol support
' Programming ease
' Standard scripting support.
You might think the requirements listed have more to do with business than government apps, but you would be wrong. Many agencies use advanced middleware and have the same requirements as any business. Allaire Corp.'s ColdFusion is an example of business middleware widely used in the government.
The IRS' Compliance Research Division uses ColdFusion to give 33 field offices access to a database of more than 2,000 reports. The Texas Public Safety Department uses the middleware to manage a criminal records database through a Web interface.
For more background information on middleware, take a look at the International Middleware Association's Web site, at www.moma-inc.org.
In the world of middleware, objects reign supreme. Put in the simplest terms, objects are program modules, and distributed object controls are the tools used to manage users' requests to run the modules on remote systems. They are essential components to providing remote access to services over high-speed networks.
There are a number of competing object architectures, the most prominent being the Distributed Component Object Model (DCOM) and the Common Object Request Broker Architecture (CORBA).
DCOM is an extension of Microsoft's Component Object Model for distributed architectures. It places requests on top of Distributed Computing Environment remote procedure calls.
COM is a binary level specification that allows components to be created in C++, Java, Visual Basic and other languages. COM began as Microsoft's Object Linking and Embedding technology, which integrates Windows desktop applications.
The Object Management Group developed CORBA. OMG, whose original members in 1989 included Data General Corp., Hewlett-Packard Co. and Sun Microsystems Inc., formed in part to compete against Microsoft in the development of standards. There are now more than 700 OMG members. For more information, visit www.omg.org.
Both CORBA and DCOM work at the top layer, managing client-server interactions and providing essentially the same services. There is debate about which is better, but it is important to note is that one is backed by Microsoft and the other by Sun. Most of the arguments are not based on absolute merits.
Microsoft creates and manages COM and DCOM, so there is only one basic, compatible implementation.
CORBA is a specification rather than a set of programs, so initially, different vendors' CORBA products had incompatibilities that prevented them from working with one other. But through OMG's efforts, most incompatibilities have been resolved.
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Similar situation
Bridging the gap
John McCormick, a free-lance writer and computer consultant, has been working with computers since the early 1960s.
Vendor | Product | Platforms | Web server interface | DBMS support |
Advanced Software Development Corp. Houma, La. 504-851-6007 www.advancedsoftware.com | Total e-Biz | Windows | JavaScript | SQL Server |
Allaire Corp. Cambridge, Mass. 617-761-2000 www.allaire.com | ColdFusion | Windows, Linux, HP-UX | CGI, ISAPI, GWAPI, NSAPI | DB2, Informix, LDAP, Sybase, Oracle, SQL Server, OLE DB, ODBC |
Bluestone Software Inc. Philadelphia 610-915-5000 www.bluestone.com | Total-e-Business | Windows, Unix, Solaris, Linux | NSAPI, ISAPI, CGI, Servlet, JavaServer Page | Oracle, Sybase, SQL Server, Informix, DB2 |
Computer Associates International Inc. Islandia, N.Y. 631-342-6000 www.ca.com | Jasmine ii | Windows, Unix | JavaScript, JavaServer Page, ASP, XML | SQL Server, Sybase, Informix, Oracle, DB2, IMS, VSAM, CA-Datacom, CA-IDMS, Lotus Notes |
Ingres II | Windows, Unix | CGI | SQL Server, Sybase, Informix, Oracle, DB2, IMS, VSAM, CA-Datacom, CA-IDMS | |
EDBC (Enterprise Database Connectivity) | Client: Windows; server: OS/390 | CGI | DB2, IMS, CA-Datacom, CA-IDMS | |
Data Access Worldwide Miami 305-238-0012 www.webappdeveloper.com | WebApp Server | Windows NT | GWAPI, ISAPI, WSAPI, JavaScript, CGI, NSAPI | DB2, SQL Server, ODBC |
eBusiness Technologies Providence, R.I. 401-752-4400 www.ebt.com | DynaBase | Windows, Mac OS Solaris | ISAPI, NSAPI, Java Servlets | ODBC |
Expertelligence Inc. Santa Barbara, Calif. 805-962-2558 www.expertelligence.com | WebBase | Windows | Has integrated Web server | ODBC |
Inline Internet Systems Inc. Mississauga, Ontario 905-813-8800 www.inline.net | iHTML Merchant | Windows, Linux, HP-UX, Solaris | ISAPI, NSAPI | Sybase, Lotus Notes, Oracle, SQL Server |
Metagon Technologies LLC Matthews, N.C. 704-847-2390 www.metagon.com | DQbroker | Windows NT, Unix, AIX, DG/UX, HP-UX, Linux, Solaris | C, C++, Java, COM/ActiveX | DB2, Informix, Oracle, Progress, SQL Server, Sybase, ADABAS, CA-IDMS, DMS, DMSII, IMS-DL/I, =KEYEDIO, NEON, VSAM, Sequential, ODBC |
Pervasive Software Inc. Austin, Texas 512-231-6000 www.pervasive.com | Tango 2000 | Windows, Linux, Solaris, Mac OS | CGI, NSAPI, ISAPI, Apache Plug-in | Oracle, P.SQL, ODBC |
SiteSoft LLC New York 212-533-9210 www.sitesoft.com | Database2Net | Windows | CGI | Proprietary |
WRQ Inc. McLean, Va. 703-749-0555 www.wrq.com | Apptrieve/Super Nova | Unix, NT | Java, COM | Complimentary through app server |
Vendor | Standard scripting supported | Remote administration? | Server/application load balancing | Distributed component technology support | Price |
Advanced Software Development Corp. Houma, La. 504-851-6007 www.advancedsoftware.com | VBScript | Yes | No | COM+ | $2,495 |
Allaire Corp. Cambridge, Mass. 617-761-2000 www.allaire.com | Java, JavaScript, VBScript | Yes | Server-level and application-level | XML, CORBA, Enterprise JavaBeans, COM, DCOM | $4,495 |
Bluestone Software Inc. Philadelphia 610-915-5000 www.bluestone.com | Any | Yes | Yes | XML, CORBA, COM, COM +, DCOM, MTS, JavaBeans, Enterprise JavaBeans | $95,000 up |
Computer Associates Islandia, N.Y. 631-342-6000 www.ca.com | JavaScript, VBScript | Yes | Server-level and application-level | CORBA, COM, DCOM, COM+, Enterprise JavaBeans | $2,000 up |
None | Yes | Server-level | Via ODBC: MTS, ActiveX, ADO, COM, DCOM | $995 up | |
VBScript | Yes | No | COM, COM+ , DCOM | $10,000 per server; free for client | |
Data Access Worldwide Miami 305-238-0012 www.webappdeveloper.com | JavaScript, VBScript | No | No | COM | $2,495 |
eBusiness Technologies Providence, R.I. 401-752-4400 www.ebt.com | VBScript | Yes | Server-level and application-level | XML | $60,000 up |
Expertelligence Inc. Santa Barbara, Calif. 805-962-2558 www.expertelligence.com | JavaScript, VBScript | Yes | Yes | None | $695 up |
Inline Internet Systems Inc. Mississauga, Ontario 905-813-8800 www.inline.net | No | Yes | Server-level | XML | $739 up |
Metagon Technologies LLC Matthews, N.C. 704-847-2390 www.metagon.com | Pearl | Yes | No | XML | $40,000 per server |
Pervasive Software Inc. Austin, Texas 512-231-6000 www.pervasive.com | JavaScript | Yes | Server-level | XML, COM, DCOM, COM+, JavaBeans | $3,500 per CPU |
SiteSoft LLC New York 212-533-9210 www.sitesoft.com | No | No | No | XML | $150 up |
WRQ Inc. McLean, Va. 703-749-0555 www.wrq.com | Java, Visual Basic, C++ | Yes | Yes | Through client architecture | $20,995 up |
ActiveX: A Microsoft Corp. architecture that lets components interact in a networked environment, regardless of the language used to create them. ADO: Microsoft Active Data Objects. > API: Application Programming Interface. > Application server middleware:' > Software that lets users access legacy programs either locally or remotely via a browser. > CGI: Common gateway interface. > COM: Component Object Model. > COM+: An extension to COM that makes it easier to use C++ and avoid the complexities of the Interface Definition Language. > CORBA: Microsoft's Common Object Request Broker Architecture. | > Database middleware: Software used to integrate database contents across an enterprise. > DCE: Distributed Computing Environment. > DCOM: Distributed COM. > Development middleware: Software that adds routines to make applications network-cognizant. > Distributed object middleware: > Software that makes apps on one part of a system available everywhere on the network. > EJB: Enterprise JavaBeans. > ISAPI: Internet Server API. > Java: Sun Microsystems Inc.'s universal platform language, which is replacing > C++ for many apps on the Web. > ' | > JavaBeans: Modules written in Java. > JavaScript: A Web scripting language derived from Java. > JSP: JavaServer Page. > JDBC: Java Database Connectivity. > J2EE: Sun's Java 2 platform, Enterprise Edition. > Load balancing: Distributing work to avoid overloading a system. > Management middleware: Complex software that manages data moving between disparate elements. > MTS: Microsoft Transaction Server. > Middleware: Software that connects disparate computers, operating systems and protocols. > MOM: Message-oriented middleware. > NSAPI: Netscape API. > ' | > ODBC: Open Database Connectivity. > OLE: Object Linking and Embedding. > ONC: Open network computing. > ORB: Object Request Broker. > Perl: Practical Extraction Report Language. > RPC: Remote procedure call. > SGML: Standard Generalized Markup Language. > TP monitor: Transaction processing monitor. > VBScript: An extension of Visual Basic used to create scripts. > Web-to-RDBMS middleware: Software that can be used to publish data on the Web. > XML: Extensible Markup Language. |