Handbook of Local Area Networks, 1998 Edition:LAN-based Application Development Issues and Solutions Click Here! Search the site:   ITLibrary ITKnowledge EXPERT SEARCH Programming Languages Databases Security Web Services Network Services Middleware Components Operating Systems User Interfaces Groupware & Collaboration Content Management Productivity Applications Hardware Fun & Games EarthWeb sites Crossnodes Datamation Developer.com DICE EarthWeb.com EarthWeb Direct ERP Hub Gamelan GoCertify.com HTMLGoodies Intranet Journal IT Knowledge IT Library JavaGoodies JARS JavaScripts.com open source IT RoadCoders Y2K Info Previous Table of Contents Next The Changing Corporate Environment: Why Web Technology Is Becoming Key to Client/Server Environments The move in most corporate environments away from central IS management and a homogeneous computing environment started when client/ server technology began to be implemented on a wide scale. The goal of client/server technology is a distributed computing environment, which it has accomplished for the most part (see Exhibit 6-1-2). However, implementing and maintaining distributed computing environments has given IS departments a corporate-sized migraine. •  Most upgrades in a client/server environment have to be implemented not only on the servers, but on each client workstation. This causes the IS manager to upgrade many workstations, instead of upgrading a central point with automatic upgrades to each client workstation. In a corporation of even a few hundred users, the upgrade can take weeks. •  The very nature of a distributed environment causes the user interface to change with each upgrade. This means that training requires specialized planning because there is no common user interface. It also means that IS departments cannot immediately upgrade to new features, because the training is so time consuming and costly. •  Proprietary software, which is the short definition of legacy host data and applications, doesn’t communicate easily among different hardware platforms. More and more corporate users need access to legacy hosts, but these applications are hard to use—there is no common interface and no easy way for client workstations to connect directly to the different types of hosts. •  Expensive hardware upgrades cause corporations to constantly improve and enhance their client workstations and servers—corporate assets that require major capital expenses each year just to stay current. Exhibit 6-1-2.   Aside from the administration and maintenance issues, implementation of a distributed computing environment using client/server technology consistently takes longer than expected. By some estimates, only 18% of conversions to client/server technology happen on time and within budget. Intranet Trends: Client/Server/Web Connections There are two types of client/server/Web implementations: thick client and thin client. Thick-client implementations are the familiar client/server models: server hardware and software upgrades and multiple user interfaces. Thin client implementations, using languages such as Java, are platform independent: •  Platform independence means that hardware and software becomes less important—it’s zero desktop maintenance. IS departments and corporations can take advantage of what they already have, instead of upgrading to more expensive workstations and software at each client workstation. Corporations can also take advantage of the new Network Computer workstations that are a fraction of the cost of most client workstations. This allows capital expenses to drop because the latest-hottest-fastest computer is not needed to provide access. •  Platform independence means every user sees the same interface, which reduces training costs and provides a common knowledge base for users. •  Platform independence means that information is updated in one place only—the Web server—and reaches all users at the same time. Instant upgrades provide corporations with a powerful way to inform their user community of changes that they need to do their jobs well. A central update point also ensures version control across the corporation, instead of the IS department maintaining several versions on different servers. Intranets and Distributed Computing Intranets provide cost-effective, distributed computing that is being pulled along by enormous momentum and corporate need. For example, 89% of large companies and 54% of medium-size companies already have an intranet or will have one within 12 months, according to International Data Corporation (IDC) (see Exhibit 6-1-3). Half of the companies (52%) that plan to migrate to intranets in the next year expect to leverage their intranet to deploy custom, enterprisewide applications, such as database or transaction processing. Exhibit 6-1-3.  Intranet Deployment — Projected Growth Intranets and Web Browsers Web browsers provide an interface to the World Wide Web—a dominant interface for many users. According to IDC, 43% of medium to large companies see it as the primary interface for enhancing existing applications. With thin-client workstation solutions, there is nothing for IS departments or users to maintain on their client workstations. The IS department no longer needs to support multiple interfaces, because the Web browser is the only common interface. Picture the person running Windows 95 on a PC, the person on a Macintosh, and the person running UNIX on a workstation with the same interface regardless of their hardware platforms and operating-systems software. Intranets and Web Servers Client/server technology began with the growth of server technology. Today, UNIX servers make up the majority of corporate client/server environments. In the near future, NT 4.0 servers are expected to surpass unit sales of UNIX servers and continue to grow in popularity. (See Exhibit 6-1-4.) Exhibit 6-1-4.  Windows NT Server Projected Growth (1994-1998) Intranets and Legacy Data There’s an obvious need to keep everyone in the corporation informed and connected. For example, connectivity products that promote access to legacy applications and data help corporations maintain access to their information without shifting important data to other platforms. The importance of legacy applications and data is supported by the growth of mainframe sales, which have increased 33% each year for the past five years. If mainframe sales alone are not enough to show how important legacy data is for corporations, what about the billions of dollars being spent to solve the “year 2000” problem? If mainframe data were indeed no longer relevant, why would corporations spend billions of dollars on saving that data for the 21st century? Previous Table of Contents Next Use of this site is subject certain Terms & Conditions. Copyright (c) 1996-1999 EarthWeb, Inc.. All rights reserved. Reproduction in whole or in part in any form or medium without express written permission of EarthWeb is prohibited. Please read our privacy policy for details.