NIH’s New Open Environment for Client/Server Computing Coming Soon
Have you been thinking of developing a client/server application? DCRT is already highly proficient in this area. We have extensive experience in providing production-level service on large, scalable servers to 35 federal agencies—and will soon expand our production resources for enterprise applications to include a UNIX environment. A recently installed Digital AlphaServer will enable our new enterprise open system (EOS) to be ready for general use by this fall.
Benefits from an Established Central Computing System
Information technologies are constantly changing—overnight, it sometimes seems. Some organizations have begun to reengineer applications in order to upgrade their user-friendliness and underlying technology, while simultaneously reducing their costs. That goal is certainly one that DCRT strongly supports. However, numerous studies have shown that there are many hidden costs in operating a production facility, including a UNIX one—the hardware is only a small portion of the overall cost. You could find it very advantageous to use the NIH Computer Center and let our staff deal with all aspects—including hidden costs—of managing and operating a server environment suitable for enterprise applications. Some of these hidden costs are:
Three Key Components of an Enterprise Open System
Most of today’s top-end computing environments dedicated to client/server applications have three key technical components: 1) a powerful server, 2) a full-function relational database management system, and 3) complete World Wide Web capabilities. The NIH Computer Center has for several years been planning such a top-end, dedicated client/server computing environment based on a UNIX operating system, and will soon have the new enterprise open system (EOS) available for users. EOS has the following components: EOS processing requirements will be very well served by a recently installed Digital AlphaServer 8400 5/440. The NIH Computer Center’s initial configuration of this system will be four 440 MHz processors, 2 GB of memory, and full connectivity capabilities. This system will use the Digital UNIX operating system.
Recognized in the industry for providing extremely high performance with an outstanding price/performance ratio, this Digital AlphaServer is especially well known for its transaction processing capabilities—particularly in using its 64-bit architecture to complement Oracle database transactions. In fact, about a year ago industry-wide records were established for transaction speeds of open systems using Oracle7 running on a Digital AlphaServer 8400 5/440.
Oracle7 is the latest version of one of the computing industry’s best-known database management systems. With Oracle7 already in our MVS operating system production environment, the NIH Computer Center has considerable expertise with this set of products.
One of the strengths of Oracle is portability—its products run on over 90 different computing platforms and operating systems. To quote Oracle, "We pioneered portable software that today runs on practically all hardware, from PCs to mainframes. In recent years, we’ve championed parallel software as the breakthrough that will power very large database applications like data warehousing and information on demand." Secure Internet LinKed (SILK) Web technologies first became available on January 2, 1997, for the MVS-based enterprise server. Web interfaces, using SILK technology, have already been implemented for several large databases and are providing agencies with uncompli-cated, powerful access to critical enterprise applications.
One of the goals for SILK has been platform-transparency so that a production application can be implemented on (or moved to) the most suitable computing platform and still maintain a consistent, attractive Web interface. The new NIH EOS will add another significant component to the SILK architecture, providing new capabilities and values to those already available. Soon after becoming generally available, this EOS will be linked with the other SILK servers. This will satisfy all Web requirements for client/server applications in the new environment.
The Future Is Bright and Wide Open
Growth in popularity of the EOS will never outgrow capabilities—expansion is simply a matter of adding processors, memory, and disk storage. Accomplishing this expansion is quick and easy now that CERTAN’s benefits are available. DCRT staff will ensure that EOS has the ca-pacity needed to provide client/server (and other UNIX-based) computing in a very responsive and cost-effective manner.
The EOS adds an exciting facility to the computing capabilities already available at the NIH Computer Center. Open systems provide cost savings that will benefit new or reengineered ap-plications and, simultaneously, provide the advantages inherent in state-of-the-art interfaces. To discuss the potential of this facility for your organization’s applications, please call (301) 496-2949 and ask to speak to a member of the enterprise open system (EOS) team. We welcome the opportunity to help create solutions to your present and future computing needs.
Interface 201 (June 15, 1997)
- obtaining hardware/software via government procurement
- providing dependable around-the-clock operation, monitoring, and support
- providing security facilities (physical, system, and connectivity)
- maintaining liaison with system security auditors
- providing continuity of service with an uninterruptible power supply and disaster recovery planning
- ensuring non-disruptive change management for system maintenance and upgrades
- dealing with compatibility issues as new products and services are integrated into the EOS environment