Linoma Unveils Browser-Based Data Transfer Tool

April 8, 2008 Alex Woodie

Linoma Software recently launched a new data transfer tool called GoAnywhere that allows users to move data among all major server platforms, including i (formerly i5/OS and OS/400), Windows, Linux, and Unix, from the comfort of a Web browser. The new product replaces Linoma’s Transfer Anywhere tool, and supports the transformation, translation, distribution, synchronization, encryption, and compression of data, among other features.

GoAnywhere offers an impressive roster of data movement and manipulation capabilities. These include support for multiple data transfer mechanisms (FTP, FTPS, SFTP, HTTP, HTTPS, SMTP, POP3, IMAP, and JDBC), support for multiple encryption methods (Open PGP, SSL, AES), support for multiple compression methods (ZIP and GZIP), and support for databases (DB2, Oracle, SQL Server, MySQL, and Informix).

Linoma previously offered a tool, called Transfer Anywhere, that offered many of the same capabilities. However, the new GoAnywhere tool brings several advantages over Transfer Anywhere, which was written in Java and debuted in 2002. For starters, the GoAnywhere engine can be installed on all supported platforms, instead of just i5/OS and Windows, as Transfer Anywhere supported. It also features a Web browser interface built with AJAX-style techniques, instead of a thick-client Windows and 5250 green-screen interfaces. Better reporting, support for XML importing, and a new job scheduler are also improvements GoAnywhere features over its older sibling.

GoAnywhere users are greeted with this dashboard when they log in to the product.

On the job-scheduling front, GoAnywhere contains a feature called “projects” that automates the execution of data distribution and manipulation tasks performed by the tool. For example, a project could be created to first retrieve data from a database server, then convert the data into an Excel document, then encrypt the document, and finally distribute the encrypted document to an FTP server. These projects definitions are designed in a graphical wizard and stored in a database server, where they can be called and put into motion by authorized users and applications.

Linoma is a strong supporter of the IBM i-based Power System (formerly System i, i5, iSeries, and AS/400), so it’s no wonder that the company delivered special hooks into this special platform. GoAnywhere can call i (formerly i5/OS and OS/400) programs and commands, and pass constant values or project variables into the parameters, the company says. Support for calling commands and programs is also supported on Windows, Unix, and Linux operating systems.

Linoma initially launched GoAnywhere with version 1.0 in mid February, but held off with an official announcement until last week, when it shipped GoAnywhere version 1.5. Pricing starts at $3,495 for a P05 box. For more information, visit www.goanywheretoday.com.