The Santa Cruz Operation Inc is expecting a rash of companies looking to make existing applications available to the new breed of Java clients without re-writing, to sign up for its Tarantella Unix server software (CI No 3,086). Financial houses, which are particularly interested in the Network Computer model, for instance, could be among the first, it believes. Unlike Sun Microsystems Inc’s JavaStation, which currently requires end-to- end Sun hardware and software, Tarantella already supports UnixWare and Solaris servers and will be migrated to Windows NT and other operating systems if customers ask. Tarantella will use the Santa Cruz Operation’s Advanced Adaptive Protocol engine to deploy and manage Unix, Windows and legacy applications on Java- compatible browsers. Rather than re-connecting for each task, because application objects are kept in a server-based Tarantella datastore, users can suspend and resume sessions, even from different client systems. Initially, Tarantella uses X viewer and ANSI viewer Java applets to display X Window and character-based Unix applications from a browser. The first technology release is being extended to support a local X server and Wyse60 terminal emulation. A second release of the software will support full translation functionality and include a Tarantella desktop Web browser. A third release will provide application management and integration with other Web-based Java desktop environments such as Netscape Communications Corp’s Constellation, Oracle Corp’s Discoverer or TriTeal Inc’s SoftNC. Tarantella clients will also be included as the ‘Web-top’ in Santa Cruz’s forthcoming Gemini operating system, the merge of its current Open Desktop and UnixWare products. Tarantella relies on its own set of server- side emulators and plug-ins to make SQL database, IBM Corp 3270, 5250 and Windows applications available to Java clients, using the Santa Cruz Java DataBase Connectivity-enabled SQL-Retriever, emulators and Network Computing Devices Inc’s WinCenter implementation of the Citrix Systems Inc ICA Intelligent Console Architecture protocol respectively, but Santa Cruz says its great advantage is that applications are translated and accessed seamlessly. A daemon runs permanently on the Tarantella server acting as the central point of contact. A session manager connects the display engine to the relevant protocol engine and decides whether access is provided though direct intranet or external Internet connection information, as well as authentication via an access cookie. Where a firewall is present, Tarantella requires a gateway through it for external Internet connection. A server-based Tarantella Datastore manages Tarantella objects using X/Open Federated Naming standards, and can access external directories using the LDAP Lightweight Directory Access Protocol. The Web desktop is effectively a viewer for the user content of the datastore. The serverside protocol translation, connection and management mechanisms may be called SCO Gears. Santa Cruz says it will provide direct Java access to Windows applications by using the forthcoming version of Citrix Intelligent Console Architecture that it is supposedly re-writing in Java. First packaged products are due in the summer, following early access kits in March.
