Enhanced security features include the Secure Transmitter Server, which uses SSL encryption to safeguard the communication between the Transmitter Server and the Tuner Client. A secure Transmitter Server can be authenticated by subscribers, enabling a subscriber to identify the Transmitter hostname. Also, a channel developer may digitally sign a channel, enabling a subscriber to identify the developer. If the subscriber "trusts" a signed channel, Castanet grants special privileges to that channel, such as the ability to connect to a network server or execute native code.
Using new access control features, an administrator can require a Tuner Client user to provide a user name and password (imported from an LDAP server) before a Transmitter Server listing is displayed. Castanet's Tuner Client Administrator lets an administrator customize a self-updating Tuner Client that updates from a prespecified location. An administrator can also specify the channel that starts upon Tuner Client launch.
Version 2.0 of Castanet is available for Windows NT 4.0, Windows 95, and Solaris 2.5 systems. It requires 16MB of memory and a minimum of 10MB of hard disk space, plus additional disk space for your channels. Pricing starts at $995.
Contact Marimba Inc., Palo Alto, CA; 650-328-5282; www.marimba.com.
Embarcadero Technologies Inc. announced DBArtisan 4.0, a new version of its database administration tool. DBArtisan 4.0 incorporates a visual tool suite that allows the point-and-click construction of database schema and alteration strategies. The enhanced use of Wizards assists with tasks such as schema management, complex table alterations, free-space monitoring, and security administration.
New database synchronization automates the synchronization and migration of databases. It sequences and reconstructs objects to ensure that correct dependencies are maintained between them. Visual schema, object, and database management provides complete control over heterogeneous databases. It offers schema extraction capabilities and the ability to create and alter database objects. DBArtisan 4.0 documents database objects through a visual interface, as well as creating SQL. It also lets the user add, modify, delete, and reorder table columns at will to facilitate updates. Space and storage management enhances database performance and guards against system failure or corruption, DBArtisan 4.0 utilities monitor free space in tables and databases. It can update index statistics to maintain optimizer performance and dump and load databases and transaction logs, as well as mirror hardware devices for disaster recovery. Security administration promotes database system security. DBArtisan has a complete suite of visual tools to grant and revoke the full compliment of end-user database access and privileges, as well as object privileges. Server configuration and optimization improves total system performance and manages growth. DBArtisan 4.0 offers a suite of tools that explain, configure, and tune Oracle, Sybase, and Microsoft SQL Server instance parameters.
DBArtisan runs on Windows NT and Windows 95. It requires 32MB of memory and 15MB of hard disk storage. The product supports Oracle7 and 8, Sybase System 10 and 11, and Microsoft SQL Server 6.0 and 6.5. The product costs $899 per user for each platform version.
Contact Embarcadero Technologies Inc., San Francisco; 415-831-3131; www.embarcadero.com.
HAHT Software Inc. announced that it is shipping a new release of HAHTsite, its development system for building and managing enterprise-class Web applications. HAHTsite Release 3.0 adds numerous major enhancements that build on the fully integrated development environment and scalable application server unveiled in earlier releases.
HAHTsite combines Microsoft Visual Basic and Java syntax for both client-side and server-side development. Java applications developed with any Java development tool can now run on the HAHTsite Application Server. Client-side events can use JavaScript, Java applets, VBScript, or ActiveX controls and server-side logic can utilize HAHT's Microsoft Visual Basic compatibility. HAHTsite 3.0 also includes a Java editor, support for JDBC, enables the use of any Java compiler, and provides JDK 1.0 or 1.1 support.
The HAHTsite Distributed Application Server introduces an advanced deployment architecture designed for unlimited scalability to meet the demands of large-scale enterprise Web applications. DAS is engineered to transparently handle user loads into the tens of thousands and larger. A new Web-based Application Server Administrator gives complete control over configuration, resource allocation, peak-use statistics, load balancing, and server management from anywhere on the network. Release 3.0 includes an embedded two-pass report writer, database form construction and master/detail report wizards, and the automatic generation of JavaScript field validation code for form objects. HAHT has drag-and-drop database widgets and wizards to support native database connectivity for Oracle7, Microsoft SQL Server, Sybase SQL Server, Informix Online, and SE databases. Release 3.0 has full integration with Oracle's Network Computing Architecture, enabling enterprise application developers to use Oracle's database, server, and infrastructure components.
The HAHTsite IDE requires an Intel-based PC with a 90MHZ or higher Pentium processor; Windows 95, Windows NT 3.51 or 4.0 operating system; 16MB RAM minimum; 35MB free hard disk space; any Web server that supports CGI 1.1 or greater, or Netscape's NSAPI, Microsoft's ISAPI, or Oracle's WRB API; any Web browser; and a working TCP/IP stack. The HAHTsite Application Server runs under Windows NT 3.51 or later, Solaris for SPARC 2.4 or later, IBM or AIX 4.1 or later, or HP-UX 10.x or later, with at least 32MB RAM and 10MB hard disk space.
The HAHTsite IDE is priced at $1,995 per developer. The HAHTsite Integrated Publisher is $695 per developer. The HAHTsite Application Server is priced at $4,995 per server CPU for Windows NT and $6,995 per server CPU for Unix. The HAHTsite Distributed Application Server is priced at $7,495 per server CPU for NT and $9,995 per server CPU for Unix.
Contact HAHT Software Inc., Raleigh, NC; 888-438-4248 or 919-786-5100; www.haht.com.
NetDynamics Inc. announced version 4.0 of NetDynamics, its enterprise network application platform. NetDynamics 4.0 is an integration, delivery, and management solution built on open industry standards -- Java, CORBA, and JavaBeans. Several components make up the NetDynamics enterprise network application platform: the NetDynamics Application Server, NetDynamics Platform Adapter Components (PACs), NetDynamics Command Center, NetDynamics Java Object Framework, and NetDynamics Developer Studio.
The NetDynamics Application Server is a CORBA-based Java application server. It delivers true distributed object processing, state and session management for both Java applications and HTML, data integration with RDBMS or any type of enterprise data, and a security framework that addresses the security issues of Net-based transactional computing. The NetDynamics Application Server features CORBA-based, multithreaded distributed architecture, full Java (JDK 1.1) support, multitier dynamic load balancing, caching of application objects and data source connections, plug-and-play add-on components, and firewall compatibility for HTML or Java pages.
NetDynamics PACs provide a framework and tools for visual integration of enterprise systems. Users can create their own PACs from legacy or packaged applications, or purchase PACs from NetDynamics or third parties, and integrate them into the server infrastructure. The NetDynamics Command Center enables real-time, local and remote management, and monitoring of enterprise applications. Through the Java-based Command Center, administrators can add and remove platform components, distribute components across machines, and view custom or prebuilt statistics and alerts, either locally or remotely.
The NetDynamics Java Object Framework consists of more than 400 classes and 4,000 methods. The framework can be leveraged by any industry-standard Java IDE to create applications that run on the NetDynamics enterprise network application platform. The NetDynamics Developer Studio is an IDE for developing Java enterprise applications. In addition to a complete set of wizards for creating both HTML and Java applications, the NetDynamics Studio includes full support for Team Development, through integration with leading packages such as PVCS, ClearCase, and Visual SourceSafe. It also includes an integrated debugger that can debug remote applications via IIOP.
A NetDynamics Developer Package -- which includes a single-user application server -- is priced at $895. NetDynamics Application Servers are priced at $7,500 and up. This pricing is applicable to both Windows and Unix operating systems.
Contact NetDynamics Inc., Menlo Park, CA; 650-462-7600; www.netdynamics.com.