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Guide to Network Computing with Domino and OS/2 Available.
"Your Guide to Network Computing with Lotus Domino and OS/2 Warp Server" describes how companies can transform a more traditional infrastructure to a network computing model -- at their own pace with the combination of Domino and OS/2 Warp Server. This dynamic digital duo creates a reliable and content-rich web site that can leverage existing data stored and created in enterprise host systems.
The Guide serves as an effective and efficient tool for developers, system administrators, and system analysts for both new installations and upgrades from previous versions of Domino and OS/2 Warp Server. It covers installation, configuration, and tuning in a step-by-step fashion with examples and illustrations.
This helpful documentation is now available in English at:
http://www.software.ibm.com/os/warp/domino.
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Team OS/2 to Come Back On-line.
After a long road, the TEAMOS2.ORG domain has once again got an online presence. Sometime earlier today the InterNIC completed a new registration for the domain, and assigned it to Innovative Logic Corp, and specifically to myself (Michael McLagan). I have set up preliminary web service and email forwarding on a system here.
One of the first things I would like to do is find a mirror of the old content from the previous site. In the past 6 1/2 hours since the DNS records propogated, there have been over 400 hits looking for URLs in the old site, despite it being offline for close to 6 months. I think it's important to find a mirror of that old content, and put it in place immediately.
Over the course of the next week, we will be creating a new web site on the other domain we acquired, TEAMOS2.COM. This web site will contain important information defining where we plan to take the two domains, and offer everyone an oppertunity to participate in the process! Please come look the site over, around July 1st.
We are also looking for new content that could be added to the TeamOS2 tree from the previous incarnation. If you have an idea, a web page, or would like to participate in the resurrection of the Team, please send your suggestions, thoughts and comments as well as your web page ideas or pointers to mirrors of old content to a special email address we have set up just for this purpose:
and
We look forward to serving the OS/2 community and providing a reliable and productive presence to everyone's benefits.
Michael McLagan
General Manager
Innovative Logic Corp.
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There is a new OS/2 Database mailing list.
To subscribe, send EMail to os2db-request@gdma.com with a message of subscribe.
A digest version is also available. To subscribe, send EMail to os2db-digest-request@gdma.com with a message of subscribe.
Or visit http://www.gdma.com/cgi-bin/lwgate and follow the links from there.
There is also the OS/2 Word Processing mailing list
To subscribe, send EMail to os2wp-request@gdma.com with a message of subscribe.
A digest version is also available. To subscribe, send EMail to
os2wp-digest-request@gdma.com with a message of subscribe.
Or visit http://www.gdma.com/cgi-bin/lwgate and follow the links from there.
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Mark your calendars for July 19, 1997, from 9:00 AM (PDT) to approximately 4:00 PM for the Southern California OS/2 User Group (SCOUG) Open House! It will be held at the IBM offices located in Plaza Tower, 600 Anton Blvd., Costa Mesa, CA, on the 2nd floor.
We will depart from our usual meeting format that day. Instead we will have the first-ever SCOUG Open House! This should be one of the more interesting meetings ever. Obviously, because it is an open house, we hope you, your friends, and family members that might be interested in SCOUG or OS/2 will come.
This event will serve many purposes:
a) Promoting SCOUG
b) Celebrating OS/2's 10-year birthday
c) Providing exciting and interesting presentations to our members and guests
In the main meeting room we'll have many tables featuring SCOUG functions such as our SIGs (General Interest, Networking, Programming, and Internet) and Q&A, and as many local OS/2 vendors as we can stuff in the room. We're also putting together an OS/2 "museum" so you can see for yourself how far OS/2 has progressed.
Throughout the day, guest speakers and SCOUG members will be giving presentations on various topics of interest. You'll be able to attend presentations on Optimizing OS/2, Introduction to Java, Building Your First Network, Making the Workplace Shell Work for You, and many more. Materials from each presentation will be available for you to take home.
This is an exciting opportunity for SCOUG and its' members. Please sign-up on the SCOUG web page for the Open House at: http://www.scoug.com/openhouse.html. That way, we will be able to adequately plan for the food and drinks.
At the web site, you'll also find an agenda, schedule of the presentations, and other details (such as driving directions). Be sure to read the Volunteers Needed section to see if you can lend us a hand.
E-mail rollin@scoug.com if you have any questions or if you can volunteer. We hope to see you there!
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Solution Technology Conducts Online Imaging Survey.
Boca Raton, Florida-- Solution Technology developer of TWAIN for OS/2, BarCode Anywhere, Genie Forms Processing, and Image Edition for OS/2 now has an online imaging survey at it's web site http://www.gate.net/~stidev. STi wants to gauge the marketplace to see what the various user requirements are for the coming year. Please participate in this survey and have a chance to qualify for our monthly software product drawing. We want to keep you abreast of the latest OS/2 and NT imaging solutions from Solution Technology.
STi is a major manufacturer of production level OS/2 and NT based image,
barcode, forms processing, and scanning products. In addition, it is a
principal supplier of accessory imaging support subsystems for IBM's ImagePlus
and VisualInfo product line.
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IBM Delivers Enhancements for OS/2.
Java 1.1 and Enhanced Remote Access Server Offer Customers New Java Tools and Broader Connectivity
AUSTIN, June 24, 1997 . . . IBM today announced an open beta for the Java* Development Kit (JDK) 1.1 for OS/2** Warp 4 and OS/2 Warp Server, with improved flexibility, access, security and performance. IBM also made its Enhanced Remote Access Server for OS/2 Warp Server generally available, giving OS/2 Warp Server users the market's widest variety of remote client access support.
Java 1.1 for OS/2 Warp
The Java Developers Kit 1.1 for OS/2 Warp beta is a fully compliant implementation of Sun Microsystems'* JDK 1.1, which includes support for JavaBeans*, Java Database Connectivity (JDBC*), and improved security features, as well as many other improvements.
The Java Developers Kit 1.1 for OS/2 Warp, which includes key security fixes from Sun Microsystems, is a substantial improvement over the currently available Java 1.02 for OS/2 Warp with many new capabilities and features. Some of the more significant improvements include:
-JavaBeans platform-independent component architecture lets developers write re-usable components once and run them anywhere. Customers can be assured that components developed with the Java Developers Kit 1.1 for OS/2 Warp will be interoperable with other JavaBeans components, regardless of the operating system platform, reducing development and deployment costs.
-JDBC provides an open interface specification to SQL databases allowing customers using a Java-based application to transparently access information from legacy databases.
-Signed Java-based applets -- such as bank loan applications -- can be downloaded from an intranet or Internet site and saved to the user's hard disk for added security.
-UniCODE 2.0 and classes provide the ability to run global applications in many languages and include the correct character set, time, date and currency for that locale.
-Many Java-based applications will perform close to 30 percent faster, as measured by the CaffeineMark 2.5 performance benchmark, over the currently available Java 1.02 for OS/2 Warp. The Enhanced Remote Access Server for OS/2 Warp Server
The Enhanced Remote Access Server for OS/2 Warp Server allows point-to- point protocol (PPP) clients, including Windows NT, Windows 95, IBM 8235 and Shiva users, to remotely access an OS/2 Warp Server as if they were locally attached to the server. As a result, customers or employees traveling on the road or working in branch offices with multiple operating systems will have the same access to network resources and files as those working on-site.
The Enhanced Remote Access Server delivers new levels of performance and security and reduces the cost of ownership by leveraging customers' current client/server investments. Combined with recent Windows 95 and NT client enhancements, it makes OS/2 Warp Server the premier server operating system for customers running OS/2 Warp, as well as Windows 95 and NT clients. Availability
The beta for the Java Developers Kit 1.1 (Version 1.1.1 plus key security fixes from 1.1.2) for OS/2 Warp 4, OS/2 Warp Server and OS/2 Warp Server Advanced SMP is immediately available from Software Choice, IBM's new Internet software delivery program at http://www.software.ibm.com/os2warp. The JDK 1.1 for OS/2 Warp is planned for general availability in the third quarter of 1997.
The Enhanced Remote Access Server for OS/2 Warp Server is also available
through IBM's Software Choice Web site to customers participating in the
Software Advantage program offered through their IBM Business Partner or IBM
Representative.
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Support Advisory: Communications Manager/2.
IBM Communications Manager for OS/2 (CM/2) is one of the standards for host and midrange communications, selling millions of copies in its several versions. Many companies and individuals still rely on Communications Manager for mission critical applications, programming, dial-up (and other) gateways to large systems, and terminal emulation.
Unless extended by IBM, CM/2 reaches its end of service life later this year. "End of service life" means that IBM will no longer provide telephone and on-site technical support contracts for the product without significantly greater expense.
If you or your company relies on CM/2, now's the time to plan for this end of service. IBM is providing two upgrade options to make upgrading more flexible and less expensive.
IBM Personal Communications for OS/2 Warp provides significantly enhanced 5250 and 3270 terminal emulation, the Communications Manager Access Feature (providing support for all CM/2 applications, plus additional programming interfaces), automated REXX scripting, easier configuration and setup, TCP/IP support, and much more. In fact, all these new features in Personal Communications require less disk space and less memory than CM/2. Upgrade licenses for Personal Communications are available. Also, IBM OS/2 Warp Version 4 includes a two-session version of Personal Communications (which can also be upgraded to the full version).
IBM Communications Server for OS/2 Warp is the industry's highest performing SNA gateway, supporting thousands of connections per PC server. It provides comprehensive protocol support (including encapsulation and the newest SNA standards, such as HPR), gateway services (including ISDN), easier management, and much more. Unlike other products and other platforms, there is NO connection fee for clients accessing Communications Server for OS/2 Warp. IBM Communications Server can take advantage of the performance enhancements built into OS/2 Warp Server Advanced SMP.
For more information on IBM Personal Communications for OS/2 Warp, please visit http://www.networking.ibm.com/pcf/pcfprod.html. on the Internet. For more information on IBM Communications Server for OS/2 Warp, please visit http://www.networking.ibm.com/cms/cs2abt.html.
In any event, please contact your favorite IBM software reseller or certified
IBM BESTeam partner for additional information on CM/2 upgrades. Or you may
contact an IBM Networking Software specialist. Or, in the U.S., you may phone
IBM at (800) IBM-CALL.
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IBM Committed to Java Security for OS/2 Warp.
IBM has recently announced availability of a new beta release of the Java Development Kit (JDK) Version 1.1 (at the 1.1.1 service level) for OS/2 Warp. This beta version can be downloaded on the Internet at http://service.boulder.ibm.com/jdk/s-feat.htm.
Please note that Sun has released an initial 1.1.2 version of the JDK which incorporates two security fixes. The beta version of the JDK for OS/2 Warp that IBM has made available for download ALREADY INCLUDES THESE SECURITY FIXES.
IBM is totally committed to maintaining the high level of security in Java for
OS/2 Warp.
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Bank of Montreal Counts on Network Computing with OS/2 Warp.
Many individuals and companies around the world count on OS/2 Warp to handle the most critical computing tasks at the lowest possible cost. This story describes how the Bank of Montreal delivers reliable banking to thousands of employees in Canada.
For more information, please visit http://www.software.ibm.com/os/warp/warpfm on the Internet.
Bank of Montreal: Ahead of the Trend with an OS/2 Solution
Cost of ownership is a growing topic of concern for any business with a significant investment in personal computers. With the trend towards network computing, new buzz words such as zero administration, thin clients, or no-cost computing abound. And terms like centralized management are suddenly back in style.
For the Bank of Montreal, managing systems centrally never went out of style. From its initial design, with no software resident on the workstations, the branch information technology (IT) solution embodied network computing concepts. The hard drive contains no user data, no applications, not even the operating system -- only a few files necessary to maintain good performance, e.g. the swap file.
"It's important to have no data or only transient data on the workstation so management never has to worry about critical data getting lost or being destroyed inadvertently," says Bank of Montreal's senior technical specialist, Bill Peel. "You also don't have to manage that data. Managing code and data consumes a major portion of PC support resource. IT organizations can considerably lower costs by reducing the amount of data at its end points."
That was the overall objective for the Bank of Montreal, which is working to install 14000 workstations in 1200 branches across Canada. By keeping data off the workstation and on only the servers, the bank can effectively reduce its management costs by a factor of five.
The Bank of Montreal configuration also simplifies software distribution. IBM's NetView Distribution Manager only needs to distribute new or upgraded software to the OS/2 LAN Servers located in the branches rather than to all 14000 workstations.
OS/2 Warp offers features to completely control the end user environment. A restricted Workplace Shell function prevents end users from changing the look of the desktop by rearranging, adding or deleting icons. This also prohibits users from getting to the DOS or OS/2 prompt while still having access to word processing and mission critical banking applications.
Gartner Group cost of ownership studies indicate situations where users maintain applications and control the data on their workstations can require one support person for every 40 to 50 users. In the branch environments, Bank of Montreal is seeing a 250 to one user/support ratio.
Reduced costs would be meaningless if the system was not available when it was needed. Bank of Montreal's centrally managed system provides service levels exceeding 99.5% end point availability.
Bank of Montreal has chosen an OS/2 solution for its mission critical applications. "The branch is the bread and butter of the bank," said Bill Peel. "We need extremely high availability there."
The reduced importance of the workstation allows the bank to concentrate its high availability efforts at the server. "We provided high availability on our servers by adding RAID 5 controllers to create fault tolerance." Mr. Peel noted, "Each Bank of Montreal branch has three one gigabyte drives, any one of which can fail without disrupting service."
Automating its mission critical functions has proved to be a key competitive advantage. The OS/2 infrastructure and FootPrint applications enables the Bank of Montreal to process a customer loan in only one visit. Banks that depend on a paper based system may have customers returning to a branch several times before obtaining a loan.
The automation also allows Bank of Montreal to cross sell many of its services; thereby building customer relationships by satisfying a number of needs in a short time.
The Bank of Montreal continues to look at ways to reduce costs. By moving servers up the "food chain" the bank can further lower support expenses. This however, would require a lot of bandwidth throughout a metropolitan area. Mr. Peel thinks, "The technology is quickly moving to make this more feasible."
He also feels, "The bank has moved as far as the technology allows." IBM's latest technology code-named Bluebird may be the next step for the Bank of Montreal. Bluebird is an x86-based operating system that resides on a server and uses Remote IPL technology to distribute applications and data to a variety of client systems including standard PCs, "managed" PCs and thin clients.
Also in pursuit of the network computing benefits that help expand
opportunities, the bank is investigating Java applications to complement its
telephone banking environment with Internet access.
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Copyright © 1997 - Falcon Networking