Rebuilt software from NetManage lets enterprise users work with mainframe and other server-based data through various clients, including a Web browser.
OnWeb 5.0 lets enterprise IT groups pluck data from, say, legacy Cobol applications, run some calculations or analysis on it using new application logic, and then make the results available via standard interfaces to an array of client devices, including handhelds.
OnWeb consists of three main parts. One is a visual development tool set, called OnWeb Designer, for building applications that include and process data from various sources. The Designer can work with sources such as mainframe TN3270 and TN5250 applications, Open Database Connectivity-based databases, and Microsoft Component Object Model (COM)/Distributed COM applications.
Second is the OnWeb Server, a Windows NT program that actually runs the applications, which can be delivered to HTML, XML, Wireless Markup Language, Enterprise Java Beans, or COM clients. Finally, OnWeb Administrator is a graphical tool for managing OnWeb.
Version 5.0 is based on software called Salvo, which NetManage obtained when it bought a company called Simware. Salvo was originally a high-end server program and development tool set designed for incorporating legacy data in new Web applications.
NetManage engineers reworked Simware extensively. One result is OnWeb Designer, which includes, among other things, wizard programs to simplify creating and running new applications. Another change is an installation program called Instant OnWeb, which will, with a few drag-and-drop selections, translate a TN3270 or TN5270 data stream into an HTML screen. Finally, OnWeb Server was beefed up to support large numbers of users and mainframe connections. NetManage has tested the software with up to 1,700 sessions for 1,000 users.
OnWeb 5.0 is available now, priced at $2,500 for the first 100 users.
