NetWeave Architecture

ur architecture is based on the NetWeave Agent, which generally resides on every computer system within a NetWeave application network. The NetWeave Server is highly configurable via the NetWeave Configurator to do the specific task or tasks required by an application. It comprises three main layers:

The NetWeave Kernel provides all control, routing, data conversion, and service invocations required by the NetWeave Agent. It uses the NetWeave replicated dictionary containing object names and locations as well as the structure, or metadata, of network messages.

The communication layer can have bound into it any number of protocol stacks (but at least one) for the various protocols it must handle.

Into the services layer is bound the particular NetWeave services required by the NetWeave Agent. These include transaction services (Tx), guaranteed messaging services (Msg), remote database services (DB), and database replication services (Repl).

Any number of NetWeave Agents of any combination may be resident on a given system. In this way, NetWeave services may be partitioned across NetWeave Server classes, each class containing dynamically allocatable multiple-like servers, for load sharing and balancing. As with the multiple NetWeave Agents, there may be many NetWeave applications on a platform. A NetWeave application is a 3GL program with NetWeave's API bound into it.

For more information on NetWeave's architecture and application programming interfaces (APIs), please contact us to request a copy of our brochure "NetWeave - The Application NetWork."

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NetWeave Applications

NetWeave finds its applications in any area that can benefit from cooperative processing among different operating systems. Such applications include:

Power At The Desktop - The impressive and economical power of the workstation coupled with the convenience of graphical user interfaces is encouraging many companies to move applications processing to the desktop. However, the data still resides in its highly protective and powerful legacy environment. NetWeave provides the client/server functions necessary to support the partial migration of application functions to the desktop. See PPG

Peer-To-Peer Application - For a variety of historical reasons, many corporations find themselves with diverse computing platforms throughout their enterprise. Digital may own the manufacturing floor, while Tandem provides scheduling and MRP functions, and IBM supports the corporate financial functions. New unified applications such as order entry must span all these systems, resulting in the need for large, heterogeneous applications. NetWeave services support peer-to-peer cooperative applications such as these. See Apple Computer

Migration - In today's competitive environment, the decision to change platforms is a technically excruciating one. It is disastrous to consider rewriting all applications for a new platform with a sudden cutover on one fateful day. Rather, one would prefer to move applications casually. During this extended migration, applications on the one platform must communicate with applications on the other platform as well as be able to access and update data resident on the other platform. NetWeave seamlessly provides this migration capability. See COMSTAT

Data Replication - New applications often need reasonably up-to-date data (but not with absolute synchronization) created by another platform. One example might be a worldwide inquiry operation on data contained in a central data base, perhaps with remote updates. NetWeave provides a full range of replicated data services. See Amtrak

Legacy System Investment Protection - Corporate America has invested billions of dollars in its legacy applications, which still manage the bulk of business data today. This investment can be threatened by the movement to open systems if open systems and legacy systems cannot coexist. Whether it be through client/server computing, heterogeneous distributed applications, casual migration, or data replication, NetWeave provides the environment for these systems to interact peacefully, efficiently, and economically. See ATM Security Trading

"Open System" application - Even "open systems" are not so open. How does a UNIX application access PC files? How does a Macintosh client access a VAX Oracle data base? NetWeave offers this level of cooperative processing across open systems as well as legacy systems. And all with the same application programming interface. See Dell Computer

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