Midrange Stuff, OS/400 Edition

OS/400 Edition
Volume 2, Number 39 -- October 15, 2002

News Briefs and Product Shorts

FedEx Ground is using DataMirror's data replication software to keep data flowing between its OS/400-based package tracking application and an Oracle database application, DataMirror announced last week. FedEx Ground, a business unit of Memphis, Tennessee, based FedEx Corp., is the second-largest provider of B2B small-package-ground-delivery services in North America, with more than 500 distribution hubs in the United States and Canada. "A tool was needed that could talk to all platforms natively and would need little programming to implement," Kenneth Pickering, FedEx Ground's IT manager, stated in a press release. "DataMirror Transformation Server was selected as the most appropriate solution." The press release also said that FedEx Ground is using DataMirror's High Availability Suite, which provides failover capabilities for OS/400 applications. High Availability Suite and Transformation Server are both components of DataMirror's LiveBusiness suite.

GT Software last week announced the immediate availability of vcEmulator, a new Java-based terminal-emulation solution for accessing 5250 and 3270 applications over IP networks. vcEmulator is composed of a small Java application that downloads to any Java-compatible computer, including Windows, Macintosh, Unix, and Linux-based PCs. The software is built on a two-tiered architecture that eliminates the need to deploy host software on a stand-alone server, but still allows the Java code to be remotely installed and administered, the company said. Users gain access to the same green screens they used from the dedicated dumb terminals, and enjoy the same types of features, including cut and paste capability; user-definable keyboard mapping; macro support; definable color mapping; and secure FTP support. vcEmulator also supports the Secure Sockets Layer (SSL) protocol, for encrypting host sessions, and is compatible with European and Asian character sets. Pricing was not immediately available. For more information go to www.gtsoftware.com.
SEAGULL has developed a new Java connector for its application integration solution, Transidiom, the Atlanta, Georgia, company announced last week. SEAGULL says its new Java Connector allows Transidiom to access Java applications in the same way it was designed to tap the business logic housed in legacy AS/400 and S/390 applications written in RPG or COBOL. Java Connector accesses Java applications and databases in various ways, including JDBC, Enterprise JavaBeans, Java 2 Enterprise Edition services, and Java APIs. Transidiom previously supported Java as an interface and was capable of encapsulating legacy business logic and converting it into Java formats, in addition to Microsoft COM-compliant and XML-based code. This new Java feature extends Transidiom's integration capabilities to applications that are already running in Java. The Java Connector requires Transidiom 2.2.
iSeries security software provider SafeStone Technologies last week continued its rollout of application provisioning and access management software with the launch of AxcessIT Resource Manager. AxcessIT Resource Manager is designed to streamline user access to applications and protect systems against unauthorized use by allowing administrators to add, delete, and modify the access privileges of users according to their job function or role. The software also manages user passwords and will reduce the number of password resets in organizations that use it, SafeStone said. AxcessIT Resource Manager is the second core module in the Princeton, New Jersey, company's AxcessIT lineup, and works with the other core module, the AxcessIT Web portal, to give users Web-based access to applications running on a range of different platforms. For more info and white papers, go to www.safestone.com.
BindView announced last week what it said are the first software products specifically designed to secure and manage Microsoft Windows-based Web services. Web services security has been a hot-button issue of late, and many people are wary about Microsoft's ability to effectively deal with the issue on its own. BindView says its new bv-Control for Web Services protects Microsoft's IIS Server from the inside by helping organizations to assess, audit, and secure their networks against known vulnerabilities, configuration errors, and rogue servers. The company's second new offering, bv-Admin for Microsoft .NET Web Services, works with bv-Control for Web Services and provides a more granular approach to identifying and eradicating worms, viruses, and other nasty critters developed specifically to take advantage of vulnerabilities in Microsoft's .NET platform. The Houston, Texas, company, which also writes OS/400 security software and employs one of the industry's most respected white-hat hacking corps, said the two products will begin shipping later this quarter.
Infinium Software has started shipping new releases of its OS/400-based human resources and payroll application, which is used by organizations in the gaming and hospitality industries. One of the new features in Human Resources and Payroll 10.0 is support for the streamlined calculating and reporting of tips based on the Tip Rate Determination Agreement (TRDA) requirements set by the IRS. Infinium said this solution allows employers to easily identify and track employees who have signed Tipped Employee Participation Agreements. Another new feature includes the capability to track employees who hold multiple positions within an organization, and thereby incur different pay rates and tax requirements on their paychecks. A new Unified Employee View feature gives employers in all industries a more complete view of employees by allowing them to easily configure a single location to manage each employee's information. Lastly, a redesigned Benefits Administration solution provides enhanced tracking and display of historical information of dependents and beneficiaries.