News Briefs and Product Shorts

• OS/400 software testing specialists Original Software last week launched TestWEB Monitor, a new program for making sure that a Web site is still online. TestWEB Monitor is a PC-based program that can observe up to five different URLs simultaneously, at intervals of up to every 30 seconds. TestWEB Monitor logs all errors, failures, and changes in status of the Web sites it keeps an eye on, and will send out an e-mail notification to an unlimited number of recipients in the event of an outage. In addition to the monitoring mode, TestWEB Monitor can check on response times, works on secure sites, and can identifiy changed pages, a feature that Original says lets a company monitor the Web sites of their competitors. Original Software says the cost of TestWEB Monitor, $1,595, is equivalent to what a company would normally pay a service provider to have it check a single Web site every 30 to 60 minutes. TestWEB Monitor supports Web sites served from iSeries, Oracle, and Microsoft SQL Server Access databases, and is available now. Free trial downloads are available at www.testweb.com.

• J.D. Edwards last week launched the first of its new preconfigured bundle of ERP software and services specifically designed for iSeries servers. The Denver-based ERP giant says its new Wholesale Distribution and Industrial Manufacturing for iSeries is a follow-through on a promise it made to deliver solutions that install on OS/400 servers up to 50 percent faster. J.D. Edwards is offering three bundles in this initial rollout of J.D. Edwards 5 software (J.D. Edwards 5 is the follow on to OneWorld), including bundles for companies in the manufacturing, distribution, and financial marketplaces. "We are excited to see J.D. Edwards' commitment to our joint customers," says Al Zollar, IBM's new general manager of the iSeries. "This represents yet another step in our shared vision of providing open, scalable solutions to the midmarket."
  
  
• DMS Systems, a Rocky Mount, North Carolina, developer of OS/400-based supply chain software for automotive suppliers, reports five new installs of its Distribution/Express package. The installations were made at five Ark Venture engine parts warehouse distributors in Texas and Oklahoma. DMS Systems says the company was looking for an Internet-enabled system that was based on modern relational database technology, and chose DMS Systems after an extensive search. The company chose several add-on components to the inventory, sales, and financial functionality in the core Distribution/Express package, including Qwik-Order, which provides Web-based ordering, and Qwik-Scan, an application that uses wireless barcoding to accelerate warehouse activities. Other Distribution/Express components include Qwik-Cat, an electronic parts catalog system, and Qwik-Look, a browser-based business intelligence system.
  
  
• Zephyr last week launched a new toolkit for migrating users of Attachmate's emulation software to its own line of PC- and Web-based connectivity software. The PASSPORT Object Toolkit supports the migration of Attachmate EXTRA! Personal Client 5250, 3270, and VT220 emulation sessions to Zephyr's own PASSPORT PC to HOST or PASSPORT WEB to HOST software. Zephyr says the PASSPORT object interface provides compatibility with customized Attachmate EXTRA! OLE applications. Zephyr says EXTRA Personal Client users who want to upgrade their PCs to Windows 2000 or Windows XP will likely have to install a new version of Attachmate's emulation software, called MyEXTRA!, which provides an ideal time to migrate to its own line of connectivity software, Zephyr says.
  
  
• NLynx Technologies recently announced the OmniTerm/900w Thin Client, a new Windows-based Ethernet terminal that connects to OS/400 and Unix servers and mainframes. The OmniTerm/900w Thin Client features no moving parts, embedded Windows CE operating system, and a full complement of connectivity software, such as 5250 emulation and Citrix ICA, as well as productivity tools, including a word processor, Web browser, e-mail client, and optional Acrobat Reader and Microsoft viewer. The terminal also ships with a slew of 5250-specific capabilities, including 122-key twinax keyboard support, keyboard mapping, recordable macros, 80/132 column support, customizable toolbars, and support for parallel, serial, and network printers. The OmniTerm/900w Thin Client supports two USB ports, two PS/2 ports, and an audio-out connection, and can be used in wireless LAN environments with the optional 802.11b modem. The OmniTerm/900w Thin Client costs $669 and is available from NLynx and its reseller network.
  
  
• Aviva last week launched Aviva for Desktops 9.1, the latest release of the Montreal, Canada, based company's 5250, 3270, and VT220 emulation software. The highlight of Version 9.1 is support for Secure Sockets Layer (SSL) security as a standard feature. Aviva for Desktops 9.1 provides two levels of SSL encryption: 56 bit and 128 bit. Other new features in this release include new migration tools to help companies upgrade to Aviva's Java-based thin-client emulation solution. Aviva for Desktops 9.1 also provides fixes for Windows 2000/XP support. Free trial downloads are available from the company's Web site at www.avivasolutions.com.
  

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