Aonix Enhances PC-To-Mainframe Middleware Support; Latest Version of RP/Server Connects IBM VM or MVS Systems To PC Via TCP/IP.SAN FRANCISCO--(BUSINESS WIRE)--April 27, 1998--Aonix, a leading provider of software development tools and consulting services, announced today the latest release of its Remote Processing Server (RP/Server) version 2.0, upgrading and expanding its line of PC-to-mainframe middleware solutions. RP/Server provides direct access to mainframe data from the desktop Windows environment (1) (upper case "W") Refers to computers running under a Microsoft Windows operating system. (2) (lower case "w") Also called a "windowing environment," it refers to any software that provides multiple windows on screen such as Windows, Mac, Motif and X Window. , converting the mainframe into a powerful server for data delivery while providing application partitioning Separating an application into components that run on multiple servers. Programming languages and development systems that support this architecture, known as "three-tier client/server," may allow the program to be developed as a whole and then separated into pieces later. for optimized performance on the server and on the desktop. RP/Server can be used with Windows products to run mainframe procedures created with NOMAD, Aonix's fourth generation language (language) fourth generation language - (4GL, or "report generator language") An "application specific" language, one with built-in knowledge of an application domain, in the way that SQL has built-in knowledge of the relational database domain. , for updating data, reporting, or delivering data to applications. It can also be used with Aonix's new release of Front & Center 2.0 (report painter), to provide interactive reporting and the downloading of data. "The new release of RP/Server and Front & Center upgrade our PC-to-mainframe middleware tools by leveraging native TCP/IP TCP/IP in full Transmission Control Protocol/Internet Protocol Standard Internet communications protocols that allow digital computers to communicate over long distances. connections," said Scot Stoney ston·ey adj. Variant of stony. , director of Product Marketing for Aonix's Information Access & Management Solutions. "Our new tools work on IBM mainframes Following are the mainframe architectures used in IBM mainframes since the original System/360 introduced in 1964. Year Architecture Model numbers System/360 1964 System/360 2xxx (2020 to 2195) System/370 running VM or MVS (Multiple Virtual Storage) Introduced in 1974, the primary operating system used with IBM mainframes (the others are VM and DOS/VSE). MVS is a batch processing-oriented operating system that manages large amounts of memory and disk space. NOMAD, and greatly simplify the process of communicating through existing 3270 connections. With the new DLL (1) See data link layer. (2) (Dynamic Link Library) An executable program module in Windows that performs one or more functions at runtime. DLLs are not launched by the user; they are called for by an executable program or by other DLLs. interface we've added, our customers can give their users the ability to obtain mainframe data under program control using Windows applications such as Excel or Visual Basic." The new release of RP/Server 2.0 features several major enhancements including: support for native TCP/IP communications, improved 3270 communications, and a DLL interface. By enabling desktop-to-mainframe connections using direct TCP/IP links, RP/Server provides PC users with a number of key benefits: -- TCP/IP eliminates the need for terminal emulators on the PC -- TCP/IP stack (standard with Windows 95) is the only communication software required -- TCP/IP eliminates the need for login scripts -- TCP/IP provides greater stability than 3270 connections -- TCP/IP improves communication efficiency by allowing binary data transmission Improved 3270 communications means that RP/Server supports both traditional 3270 sessions as well as a new logon through the NOMAD Communications Server. The new logon connects directly to RP/Server, eliminating the need for logon scripts and providing improved reliability. Now RP/Server clients can utilize the most efficient link to their mainframe data. RP/Server also includes a new DLL interface that allows it to execute host processes under the control of Windows applications clients such as PowerBuilder, 1-2-3, Visual Basic, Access, and Excel. The addition of this interface, allows RP/Server to run directly from the report painter and via procedure calls from Aonix's Front & Center applications, and now from Windows applications. Front and Center 2.0 acts as a front-end for RP/Server and provides support for TCP/IP communications from both IBM (International Business Machines Corporation, Armonk, NY, www.ibm.com) The world's largest computer company. IBM's product lines include the S/390 mainframes (zSeries), AS/400 midrange business systems (iSeries), RS/6000 workstations and servers (pSeries), Intel-based servers (xSeries) TCP/IP and Interlink INTERLINK - A commercial product comprising hardware and software for file transfer between IBM and VAX computers. . Additionally Front & Center has several new behavioral updates in its report painter. Furthermore, the Front & Center 4GL has been enhanced for application development. Pricing and Availability: RP/Server is available now. Pricing starts at $30,000. ABOUT AONIX Aonix, with headquarters in San Francisco, is a major player in the software-development tools market and one of the largest software companies in the world. It currently has more than 20,000 installations with half a million users worldwide. The company was formed in November 1996 as a result of the merger of two successful development-tools companies: Interactive Development Environments, Inc. (IDE), a veteran player in the modeling, analysis and design tools market, and Thomson Software Products Thomson Software Products (TSP) was a software development corporation based in Norwalk, Connecticut with engineering and support facilities in Norwalk and San Diego, California. Established in July 1995, the corporation became half of Aonix in 1996. , a diversified tools company. Aonix's products and array of consulting services provide complete life cycle solutions for analyzing requirements, designing, implementing, testing, and deploying software for even the most challenging commercial or technical projects. Its comprehensive set of offerings address the most popular object-oriented and structured-development languages including C, C++, Ada, Java, IDL (1) (Interface Definition Language) A language used to describe the interface to a routine or function. For example, objects in the CORBA distributed object environment are defined by an IDL, which describes the services performed by the object and how the data , and others on a variety of development platforms. Aonix can be reached at 800/97-AONIX (2-6649) 415/543-0900 or found on the Web at http://www.aonix.com. CONTACT: Aonix Tony Simpson, 415/543-0900 x201 tsimpson@aonix.com or Nadel Phelan Inc. Tom Harvey, 408/439-5570 x244 tom@nadelphelan.com |
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