Visigenic outlines plans for future of VisiBroker object request broker technology; company announces Distributed Application Platform for the enterprise; unique integrated transaction service is key component of Visigenic/DAP Architecture.

SAN MATEO, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--July 1, 1997--Today, Visigenic Software, Inc. (NASDAQ:VSGN), the leading supplier of object request broker (ORB) technology to the software industry, announced its plans for the future of its VisiBroker ORB technology as it unveiled the Visigenic Distributed Application Platform Architecture, code-named Visigenic/DAP.

Visigenic/DAP is a complete, open application platform architecture designed to enable robust, object-based distributed applications that seamlessly integrate with an organization's existing application architectures.

"The vast majority of organizations moving to CORBA, IIOP, and the distributed application model, are developing additive Web-based, multi-tier applications that use existing application architectures in the enterprise as their backend," said Roger Sippl, chairman and CEO of Visigenic Software.

"We have designed Visigenic/DAP in response to customer demand for a middle-tier application platform that seamlessly integrates the power of an ORB with scaleable transaction management and the ability to access existing applications and databases."

Visigenic/DAP is an ORB-centric approach to supporting the next generation of distributed application computing and is based on Visigenic's work with innovative companies that are using ORBs, Java, and the Web to create their new applications. These companies want to spend their time developing applications and not the platform on which those applications will run.

To create the right application platform, Visigenic/DAP augments the capabilities of the ORB with powerful transaction management capabilities, links to a wide range of existing application and database environments, additional ORB services that can be leveraged by the application developer, and a set of management and monitoring tools. The Visigenic/DAP strategy leverages Visigenic's development expertise in both database technology and object request broker technology.

"In our work of developing distributed applications for a wide range of end-user organizations, it's become very clear that a well thought out foundation for our work could have a dramatic impact on our productivity," said Jeff Held, director of the Ernst & Young Center for Technology Enablement.

"What we really like about Visigenic's plans for its Distributed Application Platform, is that they have designed an architecture for real world use that will increase the productivity of those of us who are creating next generation distributed applications."

Visigenic's Distributed Application Platform Architecture

At Visigenic/DAP's core is the VisiBroker ORB technology for Java and C++ that has been licensed for use in products and/or product architectures by technology companies including Oracle, Hitachi, Netscape, Novell, Sybase, Borland, Gemstone, Cincom, and Business Objects.

The new DAP architecture, as well as the products that are a part of it, all rely on the power and capabilities of the ORB to provide a robust solution. Visigenic's leadership in Java ORB technology is a particularly important component of Visigenic/DAP with so many customers using Web technologies and Java to create new distributed applications.

The other major component of Visigenic/DAP is the VisiBroker Integrated Transaction Service (ITS), a unique product designed to provide complete distributed transaction management functionality when coupled with VisiBroker ORB products.

In order to provide a solution that will meet the needs of customers, ITS combines functionality that has been defined across a number of separate specifications of CORBA Services into a single, integrated product architecture. ITS includes the full functionality of the CORBA Services Object Transaction Service (OTS), as well as logging & recovery, persistence, concurrency, relationship, collection, and query functionality.

In addition, ITS incorporates powerful integration capabilities to transaction processing environments like CICS and Tuxedo, messaging products like MQ Series, and databases including IMS/DB, DB2, Oracle, Informix, and Sybase. ITS is being developed by a team of professionals with extensive experience not only in CORBA technology, but database technology and transaction monitor technology as well.

"The VisiBroker Integrated Transaction Service will simplify our work by providing the powerful functionality we need in a single integrated product that hides the complexity of the transaction management taking place," said Tim Milovich, director, Client Relations for Perot Systems. "VisiBroker ITS is the first middle-tier product we've seen that will provide complete transaction management in the same transparent way that databases have been providing on database servers."

"We have been conducting customer briefings on the Visigenic/DAP strategy this past quarter, and it's clear from the positive reaction, that we are focusing on the right things with our architecture," said Jens Christensen, chief technology officer at Visigenic. "Our job is to provide a robust, productive foundation for distributed applications, and we're delivering that with the combination of our ORB technology, the power of ITS, and the other products that make up our Distributed Application Platform."

Visigenic/DAP Component Products and Their Availability

As one would expect from Visigenic, the DAP architecture is built on industry standards and will operate as a flexible part of a distributed IT infrastructure. In designing Visigenic/DAP, the company focused on delivering an efficient and powerful platform that is highly interoperable.

Visigenic's leadership in CORBA and IIOP, as well as database access technology, is reflected in the products that are the components of Visigenic/DAP. Visigenic will release the details for each new product when it is formally introduced. As outlined in today's announcement, these products are all part of the Visigenic Distributed Application Platform:

VisiBroker Object Request Brokers for Java and C++

The upcoming VisiBroker 3.0 release creates the framework for the other components of Visigenic/DAP. VisiBroker 3.0, now in Beta, will be released later this quarter (Q3 97).

VisiBroker Integrated Transaction Service

Alpha code of the VisiBroker ITS 1.0 will be released to selected customers later this summer. Beta is scheduled for Q4 97, and the product is targeted for release in Q1 98.

VisiBroker Security Service

The VisiBroker Security Service is a full implementation of the CORBA Security Service which provides authentication, authorization, encryption, secure invocation, audit, and administration functionality. This work is in addition to the support for IIOP over SSL (Security Sockets Layer) that has been put directly into the upcoming VisiBroker 3.0. Visigenic will release its Security Service in two phases, with the first phase scheduled for release at the end of 97.

VisiBroker Manager

VisiBroker Manager is a set of graphical management and monitoring tools designed to make the development and management of VisiBroker-based applications easier and more productive. The first release of VisiBroker Manager is targeted for this quarter (Q3 97). The tools under development include:

-- Location Service Browser - Displays information about all objects known by the VisiBroker Smart Agent, also known as the Location Service.

-- Interface Repository Browser - Graphical, hierarchical view of objects and data structures defined by your IDL and registered in your Interface Repository.

-- Implementation Repository Manager - Displays server activation policies for registered objects, as managed by the Object Activation Daemon (OAD).

-- Naming Service Manager - Graphical tool for browsing, creating, modifying, and re-associating namespaces and naming contexts.

-- Performance Monitor - graphically depicts the performance of your distributed object environment including statistics for object connect times, call buffer sizes, etc. Statistics can be summarized by server, class, object instance, or method call.

-- Partitioning Manager - allows users to dynamically create an application server by browsing available objects, combining them into a collection of objects that, when taken together, perform a desired function, and then easily deploy the server on the target machine or machines by using a simple drag and drop operation.

VisiBroker Events and Naming Services

Visigenic released the VisiBroker Events and VisiBroker Naming services in Q1 97. These products implement their respective CORBA Services specifications. Visigenic was the first company to deliver Java versions of these services in addition to C++ versions. Both products will be upgraded to work with VisiBroker 3.0 this quarter (Q3 97).

VisiBroker Messaging Service

The VisiBroker Messaging Service is a Visigenic-developed service to support asynchronous communication, and will provide for a rich and flexible quality of service capability. The Messaging Service is scheduled for 1H 98.

VisiBroker Trader Service

The VisiBroker Trader Service is a flexible way to advertise the capabilities of services offered in a distributed environment and for clients to discover and match their needs with available services. The first release of the VisiBroker Trader Service, which complies with the CORBA Services Trader Service specification, is targeted for Q4 97.

VisiBroker Integration Service

The VisiBroker Integration Service is a standalone version of the integration capabilities that are included in the VisiBroker Integrated Transaction Service. These capabilities will include integration to transaction processing environments like CICS and Tuxedo, messaging products like MQ Series, and databases including IMS/DB, DB2, Oracle, Informix, and Sybase. The Integration Service is planned for 1H 98.

VisiBroker Data Access Service

Using its VisiChannel Data Access Technology as a starting point, Visigenic is creating a standalone VisiBroker Data Access Service to provide ODBC and JDBC database connectivity. The Data Access Service is scheduled for 1H 98.

About Visigenic Software

Visigenic is playing a key role in creating the foundation on which mission-critical applications of tomorrow will be written -- the open, distributed, object-based architecture for the new global enterprise. Building on its experience and expertise in standards-based distributed object and data access technologies, Visigenic has become a leader in managing distributed business logic and its access to data.

Visigenic distributed object products include VisiBroker for Java and VisiBroker for C++, both of which are based on the Common Object Request Broker Architecture (CORBA), and utilize the Internet Inter-ORB Protocol (IIOP). Visigenic data access products include VisiChannel for JDBC (Java Database Connectivity), VisiChannel for ODBC (Open Database Connectivity), VisiODBC Drivers, and the VisiODBC Software Development Kit. Additional information about Visigenic may be obtained via the Web at www.visigenic.com .

CONTACT: Visigenic Software, Inc.

Bob Macdonald, 415/312-5122

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The Horn Group, Inc.

Bill Cox, 415/579-6447

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