The Middleware

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The Middleware
By Jiraphat Wattanapateepgorn Jearanai
Muangsuwan
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Definition and Functionality of
Middleware Conceptually, it is the glue that
holds together the disparate systems in a
distributed computing environment.
Architecturally, it is a layer of the
client/server architecture that resides between
the client and the server, supports Multiple
communication and data access protocols and
interfaces, and enables run-time interactions.
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Middleware Techniques A client/server
computing model corresponding to each of the
cooperative processing styles can be supported by
one or more cooperative processing techniques.
Including -RPC (A remote procedure
call) -Messaging and queuing -Message
queuing and email -RPC versus
messaging -Data management middleware -Dist
ributed TP managers
Picture 1 RPC implementation
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Middleware and Emerging Standard Along with
the most popular standards that are emerging
to respond to the fast-growing middleware market,
software vendors and IS organizations alike pay
special attention to the OSF (DCE), Microsofts
(ODBC), OLEDB and Mail API (MAPI), and CORBA.
Although promising, these standards are good
examples of the lack of interoperability among
several middleware solutions vying for
marketplace dominance.
Picture 2 Possible Middleware Architecture
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Major Vendors Middleware Strategies The
importance and revenue potential of the
middleware market is difficult to underestimate.
A significant number of software vendors are
competing for the market share by Offering new
and improved versions of their middleware
solutions on an almost daily basis. Given the
number and the dynamic nature of the products, it
would be an almost impossible task to list all
available and emerging middleware products.
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IBM-IBM has entered the middleware arena with a
suite of products and strategic directions that
has made a visible impact on the market.
Microsoft- Microsoft offers two
middleware solutions -Vendor Independent Data
base Access -The Vendor Independent Store and
Forward Messaging Interface.
Picture 4 IBM MultiProtocol Transport Network.
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• Digital- Digital Equipment Corporation is a major
  contributor
• to the OSF DCE. As such, Digital supports
  practically all forms
• of middleware. Among the more important products
  are the
• following.
• -Digital RPCs are a port of the DCE RPC for VMS
  and Ultrix.
• DEC messageQ (DMQ) is a core component of Network
  
• Application Support.
• Others -Many other vendors are busy developing
  their
• middleware products to participate in this
  emerging and
• promising market.
• Example
• -ezBRIDGE Transact for MQSeries
• -SYBASE Open Client/Open Server
• -PIPES Platform from Peer Logic

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Middleware Benefits A complete
middleware solution will provide organizations
with the following benefits         -Consistent
API across multiple platforms        -Platform,
operating system, and network protocol
independence       -Insulation of
applications developers from the intricacies
of the underlying network protocol
stack         -Data location and possibly
structure independence         -Enhanced source
code portability and application
interoperability         -Lower development and
maintenance costs         -Reusability of
application-to-application communication
code         -Improved system availability and
manageability by incorporating dynamic
routing.
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Thank you!