Project Pxxx - Eurescom - European Institute for Research and

Volume 3: Annex 2 - Data manipulation and management issues Deliverable 1

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Runs on OS/2, MS-DOS, Windows 3, Windows 95, Windows NT, Apple

Macintosh, AS/400 and a wide range of UNIX flavours from the major system providers. Supports Bull GCOS8, ICL VME, MVS IMS, Unisys A series, and

MVS/CICS via third party or own gateways. [ Note: I am not aware of GCOS8 or

VME functionality in the latest versions of the product, although I may not know of all the 3rd party versions.]

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Directly supports TCP/IP, via sockets or TLI. Indirectly supports SNA LU6.2.

Strengths

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Excellent directory services, with a labor-saving architecture and good administrative support tools, all suited to large-scale deployment

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Vast array of platforms (Hardware, Netware, Middleware) supported, with links to some environments which have no other strategic middleware support, such as

GCOS and VME

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All technology is now available from one supplier, with a correspondingly clear strategy for development, support and evolution

Weaknesses

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BEA still has some way to go to integrate all the technology and people it has acquired - especially after buying TOP END from NCR.

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Guaranteed delivery services on the communication services side are not well developed

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Load balancing services should be more automated

4.1.2

History

AT&T started the development of Tuxedo in 1979 as part of an application called

LMOS (Line Maintenance and Operation System). The product evolved internally within Bell Labs until 1989, when AT&T decided to license the technology to OEMs

(value-added resellers).

At 1992 AT&T had spun off the development of Unix, languages and Tuxedo into a new group named Unix Systems Laboratories (USL). In 1993, Novell bought USL and started to develop plans which involved the integration of Tuxedo with Novell’s

Directory System and AppWare application development tools. These plans never worked out.

In September 1994, Novell released version 5 of Tuxedo. Enhancements to the product included support for DCE, extra platform support, a runtime trace feature, dynamic data-dependent routing and the ’domain’ feature - used by systems administrators to configure Tuxedo servers into autonomous groups.

However, in February 1996, BEA Systems assumed all development, sales and support responsibilities for Tuxedo’. BEA was a start-up company specifically set up to acquire and develop middleware technology in the transaction processing area.

Novell retained the right to develop the technology on NetWare platforms. BEA acquired the rights to develop the technology on all other platforms.

Despite the somewhat confusing language of the announcement, BEA has effective control of Tuxedo, the technology and its future development. It has obtained an exclusive ’licence’ to the technology in perpetuity. The entire Tuxedo development, page 14 (120)

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1999 EURESCOM Participants in Project P817-PF