ch13.htm

this describes managing multivendor networks

Several UNIX vendors have shipped DCE code with their operating systems, including
IBM (AIX) and HP (HP-UX).</P>
<P>Although DCE was originally targeted strictly at interoperability between UNIX
systems, there has been a migration to accommodate many different operating systems.
Microsoft is planning to use the specification as a way to move into the enterprise.
<H2><A NAME="Heading8"></A><FONT COLOR="#000077">Data Warehouses and Repositories</FONT></H2>
<P>The combination of larger networks, multiple database products, and a greater
demand for business information on all levels demands new tools and technology. In
striving for an interconnected enterprise, made up of heterogeneous hardware and
software, the data warehouse can provide an excellent solution. Imagine an enterprise
with a legacy mainframe system, a transaction processing environment, and several
departmental LANs. Imagine again, an executive coming to you and saying, &quot;Give
me a report on the Big Picture.&quot; You sweat a little as you imagine trying to
gather all this information from these various systems and then integrate it all
into a single report. You know you will spend weeks on the report and then the executive
will look at it for ten seconds and file it, having no idea the amount of trouble
it took you to prepare it.</P>
<P>The data warehouse can be used to bring together a variety of information from
legacy systems, transaction processing environments, and other areas. Furthermore,
an <I>Executive Information System (EIS)</I> can be deployed on top of the data warehouse,
which will provide the executive or manager with direct access to this data. The
executive no longer has to wait for reports, and you no longer have to spend precious
time preparing endless management reports.</P>
<P>Systems within the enterprise are too often incompatible or just unconnected.
Take, for example, the poor fellow who has to generate a series of monthly reports
based on mainframe data. Every month, he has delivered to his desk a familiar wide
printout, that after unfolding eventually drops down to the floor and across the
hall. It is a major accomplishment when the mainframe guys even convert the dataset
into a delimited ASCII file! Of course, they have to deliver it by hand, on a floppy
disk, and then this unfortunate soul has to massage and rekey the data into a Lotus
spreadsheet.</P>
<P>However, if he had one of the many data mining applications that are currently
available, not only could he have directly accessed that data, but he could have
&quot;drilled down&quot; to any level of detail down to an individual transaction.</P>
<P>Is this a familiar scenario? It is likely that most large companies have situations
like this, where data has been entered once but must be entered again because of
a computer incompatibility. What makes it even more frustrating is that it is no
longer even necessary. Yet, the problem continues to increase as data gets more spread
out and departmental LANs are created as autonomous entities. A centralized management
of this wealth of information is absolutely essential.</P>
<P>This centralization can be achieved through the <I>repository</I>--a &quot;meta&quot;
data system that collects information about the various data that exists through
the enterprise. The repository provides information about data relationships, regardless
of format. It does not actually hold the databases, but rather provides a sort of
central, overall view.</P>
<P>Running on top of this repository is the <I>data warehouse,</I> which is able
to bring together and manipulate corporate data, and make it more accessible for
the end user. The warehouse puts data into a consistent format for simplified access.
The repository/warehouse model provides an effective platform for connectivity throughout
a heterogeneous enterprise. By having access to all corporate data, end users are
empowered and the company maintains a competitive edge.</P>
<P>The data warehouse does not necessarily take the form of a central physical data
store. Although this is one option, the distributed <I>data mart</I> approach to
data warehousing lets the end user select a subset of a larger scheme, which is organized
for a particular usage.</P>
<P>The data from the data warehouse appears to the end user as a single, logical
database. In reality, the information might come from multiple databases and heterogeneous
platforms. The differences between these DBMSs and platforms become transparent to
the end user.</P>
<P>End users are able to access this information without having to access the production
applications that were used to create the data in the first place. One of the most
effective approaches to data warehousing is a three-tiered architecture that uses
a middleware layer for data access and connectivity. The first tier is the <I>host,</I>
where the production applications operate; the second tier is the <I>departmental
server;</I> and the third tier is the <I>desktop.</I> Under this model, the host
CPU, or first layer, can be reserved for the operation of the production applications;
the departmental server handles queries and reporting; and the desktop manages personal
computations and graphical presentations of the data. The data access middleware
is the key element of this model. <I>Middleware</I> is what translates the user requests
for information into a format to which the server can respond. This three-tiered
architecture can then establish connections with many different types of data sources
on different platforms, including legacy data.</P>
<P>Tasks involved in building a data warehouse include extracting the production
data on a scheduled basis, removing redundancies, and cataloging the metadata. After
extracting and restructuring operational data, the data warehouse environment then
places it in a database that can be accessed by the end user. A traditional RDBMS
can be used, although multidimensional databases offer special advantages for the
warehouse environment.</P>
<P>With the increasing use of data warehouses, companies might need to extend the
capabilities of the network to provide access to the warehouse across the enterprise.
The number of end users needing access to the data warehouse is increasing, partly
due to the trend towards downsizing and elimination of middle management. One solution
is the establishment of the data mart, a smaller, departmental database that contains
a relevant subset of the larger data warehouse, and is synchronized with the central
data warehouse. The data mart might contain information that is most frequently requested,
or relevant to only specific departments. This can keep the load on the data warehouse
down, and make it easier to retrieve information.
<H2><A NAME="Heading9"></A><FONT COLOR="#000077">World Wide Web</FONT></H2>
<P>The <I>World Wide Web</I> is emerging as a tool for internal corporate networking
and communications. Some large companies are deploying Web servers strictly for internal
communications and applications (often referred to as intranets), and a way for employees,
regardless of location, to access databases and other information. Because data written
for posting on a Web site is created in a common format, using the HTML mark-up language,
the originating platform is irrelevant.</P>
<P>Through these types of internal <I>intranets,</I> users can access applications
through their Web browser, instead of having to log in through a remote access program.</P>
<P>The Internet and World Wide Web are also being widely used to offer publicly accessible
data such as customer contact systems, where customers can check bank balances, order
status, or other information.</P>
<P>Networking vendors are using the Web to deliver network management information.
Viewing this data over the Web presents many obvious advantages. Network managers
can access this critical information from any location, from any computer equipped
with a modem and a Web browser. With this capability, it is no longer necessary to
logon to the internal network or be physically in front of a specific management
console to view network management data.


<BLOCKQUOTE>
	<P>
<HR>
<FONT COLOR="#000077"><B>Web Plans--Cabletron, NeXT, and IBM</B></FONT><BR>
	Cabletron Systems Inc. (Rochester, New Hampshire) is planning a Web reporting utility
	in the next version of its enterprise network management software. Cabletron's Spectrum
	4.0 enterprise management software will include a reporting option that will send
	updated information to a Web server. <BR>
	NeXT Computer has a software object library that will permit developers to write
	Web applications that can link with a back-end, object-oriented, client/server system.
	The tool set will include a number of objects for building electronic commerce-enabled
	Web sites, including credit card authorization objects, catalog objects, and inventory
	objects.</P>
	<P>IBM is offering a solution for linking IBM PC Servers to the Internet that will
	enable customers to manage LANs through the Internet, from any PC, or from a workstation
	equipped with a Web browser. The solution will permit the management of remote locations
	around the world, while also permitting the administrator to perform management tasks
	from any desktop. This function is included in IBM's PC SystemView 4.0 systems management
	software. 
<HR>


</BLOCKQUOTE>

<P>The Web is emerging rapidly as a tool to make networks more powerful. This attractive
section of the Internet is an effective way to make information readily available,
both internally and externally. IBM has made a commitment to Web technology with
its <I>MVS Web Server,</I> which can enable a mainframe to be used as a Web site.
(IBM is also planning a similar access tool for the AS/400.) Lotus Development Corp.,
now an IBM subsidiary, also has a product to incorporate the Web in internetworks.
The <I>InterNotes Web Publisher</I> permits a Lotus Notes database to be published
and accessed over the Web.</P>

<P>Standardizing on the Web for internal publishing addresses many network limitations
and compatibility problems. The Web is the easiest way available for enabling Macintoshes,
UNIX workstations, and Intel-based PCs to share information. Anyone can create a
page in HTML from any platform, which can then be made available to anyone with a
Web browser, regardless of operating system or hardware.<FONT COLOR="#000077"></FONT></P>
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