Tandem Computers Inc has introduced a software tool kit that it claims extends transaction processing on its Guardian 90-based NonStop machines to leading desktop systems in a client-server environment. The products in the Client/Server OLTP Toolkit are claimed to simplify interoperability by minimising programming complexity between client and server systems in a transaction processing application. The Toolkit includes the Pathway Open Environment Toolkit and Tandem Dynamic Data Exchange Gateway, both of which are designed to accelerate transaction processing applications development with Microsoft Corp Windows-based clients. The Toolkit also includes Remote Server Call, which now supports clients running under the Hewlett-Packard HP-UX operating system, Sun Microsystems SunOS, the Santa Cruz Operation Inc Unix and the Apple Computer Inc Macintosh System. Remote Server Call, RSC, is an application programming interface designed to deliver messages between clients and the server reliably, and already supports clients running IBM Corp’s OS/2 with Presentation Manager, and MS-DOS and Windows.
Packages are bundled
The company is offering the Client/Server OLTP Toolkit bundled with competitively priced configurations of the NonStop transaction servers for a saving of up to 20% on the unbundled price. Tandem is offering a number of optimal configurations of the G1100 and G1200 series of CLX/R servers with a choice of service and support levels. The packages are bundled with Tandem SQL Server Gateway, Data Access Language, TandemTalk, Cobol 85 run-time library, Tandem LAN Access Method and the Guardian 90XL operating system as well as the Client/Server OLTP Toolkit. The CLX/R G1100 series server packages range in price from $70,000 to $130,000 for two to four processors; the G1200 series packages range from $123,000 to $233,000 for two to four processors. Tandem also offers service and support with these packages for an additional fee. The Tandem Client/Server Ready Programme offers customers three choices of preconfigured, specially discounted 80386- and 80486-based personal computers with Windows pre-installed, including a trade-in allowance for existing desktop systems. Following on from the Client/Server OLTP Toolkit, Tandem says that efforts are also under way to enable users of desktop clients to access databases easily and securely on Tandem and other servers using industry-standard, open technology, and is promising to deliver drivers and software in the fourth quarter that support the Microsoft Open Database Connectivity specification, which provides access to data on a variety of personal computers, minicomputer and mainframe systems in a consistent manner. Tandem will support ODBC Level 1 and the ODBC Core SQL. Users of ODBC client programs, such as Microsoft Access and Powersoft PowerBuilder, will be able to retrieve and manipulate data in NonStop SQL, the Tandem relational database, and other ODBC-compliant databases. The Tandem product will also support stored procedure execution, which will improve performance in client-server applications using the ODBC interface. Licensing fees for Client/Server OLTP Toolkit or its components vary according to the type of Tandem NonStop servers used.
