Glossary

API (Application Programming Interface). Software that an application utilizes to carry out and request lower-level services by the operating system. In addition, a set of standard software data formats that application programs use to initiate contacts with other programs, computers, and systems.

Applet. A Java program that can be distributed as an attachment in a World Wide Web document and executed in a Java-enabled web browser.

Applications Programmer. Responsible for writing servlets or EJBs that call the UIF API. Uses the Repository Browser to determine the available data types and access methods.

Array Object. Contains data objects or primitive values as elements in the object. Array elements must be homogeneous. Each element within the array object is referred to by an integer that specifies its position in the array object.

Attribute Field. Attributes that describe allowable attributes for the field where the input and output are located.

CICS (Customer Information Control System). An IBM communications program designed to allow transactions entered at a remote site to be processed concurrently by a mainframe host.

Daemon. A program that is not explicitly invoked, and remains idle until summoned (called on).

Data Block. Describes the input and output of operations. The data block can only contain two structures: input and output. All input and output structures contain fields that can be only one of the following types: primitive, structure, or array.

Data Object. Used by the UIF to represent data or metadata in a generic fashion. Data objects are used to exchange data between a servlet and the UIF, and between the UIF and the connector.

Data Source. Contains all the information needed to connect to the PeopleSoft system, and stores all the function objects. In addition, the Data Source determines which system to mine, and where to place the function objects.

Deployment. Deploying an application includes installing all of the application's files, and registering all of its components on the destination server. You deploy an application using the Deployment Tool, a separate tool accessible from the iPlanet Application Server. An application must be deployed before it can be used.

EJB (Enterprise Java Beans). A server-side component architecture for writing reusable business logic and portable enterprise applications. They are written entirely in Java and run on any EJB compliant server. They are operating system, platform, and middleware independent, thereby preventing vendor lock-in.

EIS (Enterprise Information System). Referred to as a backend system.

Enterprise Connector. The component in iPlanet Application Server Enterprise Connector for R/3, PeopleSoft, Tuxedo, or CICS that enables you to access the appropriate backend system.

ERP (Enterprise Resource Planning). A multi-module software system that supports enterprise resource planning. An ERP system typically includes a relational database and applications for managing purchasing, inventory, personnel, customer service, shipping, financial planning, and other important aspects of the business.

Function Object. A group of business methods available for execution on the specific enterprise server. These objects are derived from metadata mined from the enterprise server that share a common state.

iPlanet Application Server. The iPlanet Application Server provides the most robust e-commerce platform for delivering innovative and leading-edge application services to a broad range of servers, clients, and devices.

iWS (iPlanet Web Server). A web server that is ideally suited to the Java development community for use as the development and test platform for web applications.

Java. An object-oriented programming language developed by Sun Microsystems, Inc. to create executable content (i.e, self-running applications) that can be easily distributed through networks like the Internet.

Load Balancing. Load Balancing is the configuration of a computer system, network, or disk subsystem to more evenly distribute the data and/or processing across available resources in order to increase the speed and reliability of transmissions.

Operations Directory. A directory with operations that contain data blocks and property sets.

Primitive Object. A data type that contains a single value of an integer, float, double, fixed-length string, or variable-length string.

Repository. A specialized structure where all the module's functions are stored for the use of the iPlanet Application Server Enterprise Connector.

Repository Browser. The component that enables you to browse data (content) in the repository, and to view the available functions (input and output parameters) for the backend system.

Runtime Object. The entry point into the UIF.

Service Provider Object. The logical representation of a connection to a back-end system, which must be enabled before it can be used. Typically, the service provider object is not bound to a physical connection until absolutely necessary.

Server Tier. The server tier is represented by an application server and optionally a web server such as the iPlanet Web Server Enterprise Edition. The server tier houses the business logic (Enterprise Java Beans of your application servlets), and provides scalability, high availability load balancing, and integration with a variety of data sources.

Servlet. An applet that runs on a server, usually meaning a Java applet that runs on a Web server.

Structure Object. Contains other data objects or primitive values whose fields are heterogeneous such as as fields, and whose fields are heterogeneous. Each object within the structure object is referred to by a string that represents the field name. Field names have a maximum length of 32 characters.

System Name. The system name used. For load-balancing connection only.

Three-tier Application Model. A model of an application system that is composed of the following three tiers: Client, Server, and Backend (EIS).

Type Information Objects. Structured objects that contain the type information of a data object; i.e. definition of the fields in a structure and the fields corresponding data types. Instances of data objects can be created of type information objects. Each of these instances contain a reference to a type of information object. Numerous data types can share the same type information object.

UIF (Unified Integration Framework). An application programming framework that provides a single Application Programming Interface (API) to access different backend systems.

URL (Universal Resource Locator) . An address for a resource or site (usually a directory or file) on the World Wide Web, and the convention that web browsers use for locating files and other remote services.

XML (eXtensible Markup Language) . A common cross-platform format document used to populate a repository.

Worker. A worker is an out-of-process unthreaded procedure. The conversation to the backend system is done by the worker process. The worker returns the results to the connector using the proprietary protocol.