Java Computing

The JavaStation is part of a new thin-client paradigm that is enabling organizations with outdated networks to upgrade their system architectures without discarding existing investments in software and hardware. This paradigm is called Java computing.

Java Computing Model

Early in business computing, users accessed business applications running on mainframe computers through 3270-type terminals and other similar devices. Applications running on the mainframe communicated with these stateless terminals by way of a specialized byte-stream. This approach offered a centralized control mechanism for data and applications on the mainframe, but because all application processing was done on the host, it was not particularly scalable.

The introduction of the personal computer (PC) into corporate computing solved some of the issues with the mainframe model but introduced new problems, in particular:

• Decentralized administration. Because of their modular nature, each PC tended to be configured differently depending on its hardware composition and its user's needs. The resulting large support matrix has helped drive PC cost-per-seat to $11,900 (Gartner group estimate).

• Corporate data migration. Since most PCs have local data storage, important corporate data can migrate onto PC desktops, making the local data inconsistent with central coporate data and inaccessible to the data center. Since users are often responsible for backing up their own systems, the data itself is often at risk.

• Lack of built-in networking. Though more and more corporate PCs are now being attached to networks, networking is not a fundamental assumption of the PC architecture. Without built-in networking being part of the basic model, most PC applications use networks only for file sharing, printing, or licensing.

• Lack of security. PC operating systems are fundamentally insecure with no way to tell one user from another or one system from another. This inherent insecurity leaves avenues open for viruses to proliferate.

Today the Java programming language, along with the wide adoption of Internet technology and standards such as TCP/IP and HTTP, is enabling a move to the powerful but simple Java computing model. This new way of deploying applications causes a significant change in the way distributed client/server network-based applications are designed and developed.

The Java computing model includes some or all of the following components:

• JavaStation. The JavaStation thin client provides local application processing and highly interactive, graphical applications. JavaStation clients enable the Java Virtual Machine (Java VM) and allow Java applications to be downloaded and run from anywhere on the network.

• Application server. The graphical portion of an application running on the JavaStation uses standard networking protocols to communicate with applications running on mid-tier application servers.

• Data warehouse. Data warehouse systems centralize the management and control of data and applications. Data and applications remain in the centralized domain of the data warehouse, while desktop users receive the benefits of local application processing and dynamic user interfaces.

Customers who require an immediate solution for supporting JavaStation clients are encouraged to use the Netra j administration interface. The Netra j administration interface performs a seamless JavaStation installation and features sophisticated tools that simplify the setup of the network services required by the JavaStation.