Year: 2001 (Page 45 of 66)

DataPower Technology, Inc. announced the introduction of its XSL just-in-time compiler technology that reduces the latency associated with XML processing by an order-of-magnitude or more. By utilizing a radically different approach to XSLT execution, DataPower is able to provide the high-speed infrastructure needed for Internet applications, from real-time financial data distribution to business transaction handling. In order to exchange business documents expressed in different XML vocabularies (RosettaNet, BizTalk, etc.) or to make XML content viewable in web browsers and wireless devices, it is necessary to perform XSLT (eXtensible Stylesheet Language) transformations on XML data. XSLT is a resource intensive process that can introduce significant delays in web services and online transactions forcing customers to demand high-performance XML technology to avoid scalability woes. DataPower’s internal tests show the XSLJIT compiler achieves about 10 megabytes per second of sustained throughput using the XSLTMark benchmark. This is equivalent to Fast Ethernet speed and effectively wire-speed XML processing. With XML becoming part of the network infrastructure, wire-speed XML is essential. www.datapower.com

The World Wide Web Consortium (W3C) issued XML Schema as a W3C Recommendation. XML Schemas define shared markup vocabularies, the structure of XML documents that use those vocabularies, and provide hooks to associate semantics with them. By bringing datatypes to XML, XML Schema increases XML’s power and utility to the developers of electronic commerce systems, database authors and anyone interested in using and manipulating large volumes of data on the Web. By providing better integration with XML Namespaces, it makes it easier than it has ever been to define the elements and attributes in a namespace, and to validate documents that use multiple namespaces defined by different schemas. The XML Schema specification consists of three parts. One part defines a set of simple datatypes, which can be associated with XML element types and attributes; this allows XML software to do a better job of managing dates, numbers, and other special forms of information. The second part of the specification proposes methods for describing the structure and constraining the contents of XML documents, and defines the rules governing schema-validation of documents. The third part is a primer, which explains what schemas are, how they differ from DTDs, and how someone builds a schema. XML Schema are XML documents themselves, they may be managed by XML authoring tools, or through XSLT. XML Schema Tools Include Validator and Test Suite Collection W3C, with the University of Edinburgh has co-developed XSV, the XML Schema Validator. The validator has been revised at each stage of XML Schema development and now provides validation against the XML Schema Recommendation. In addition, W3C invites developers to send in sample schemas for a test suite library, to be reviewed and managed by the W3C XML Schema Working Group. www.w3.org

Vignette Corp. announced new versions of the Vignette Content Syndication Server (VCSS) and the Vignette Content Aggregation Server (VCAS). The Vignette Content Syndication Server enables companies to distribute Web-based content or comprehensive information such as catalogs and other information directly from an e-business application over HTTP and FTP. This syndication can be scheduled, on-demand or driven by events such as price, availability or any change in content, and VCSS automatically tailors the content to the format capabilities of each recipient, whether it’s XML, multimedia or raw text. The Vignette Content Syndication Server can be used as a stand-alone application, or integrated with other Vignette integration applications. The new version of VCAS provides additional features, including the Vignette Agent Library Manager, an add-on tool that enables companies to easily manage the agent applications that collect and monitor their functionality. The Vignette Agent Library Manager provides a convenient way to manage and test all deployed agents on a predetermined schedule, which lowers the cost of managing any number of agents. The Vignette Agent Library Manager also provides an early warning function that helps companies avoid disruption in aggregating content. The Vignette Content Syndication Server and the Vignette Content Aggregation Server are currently available and shipping to customers. www.vignette.com

Oracle Corp. and Akamai Technologies, Inc. announced development and delivery of Edge Side Includes (ESI), an open specification for assembling dynamic Web pages at the edge of the data center or the edge of the Internet. Vendors in the application server and content delivery industry are expected to jointly submit ESI to the appropriate standards bodies for approval as a standard later this spring. ESI is a simple markup language used to define Web page fragments for dynamic assembly at the edge of the data center or the edge of the Internet. Traditional caching techniques speed the delivery of static content to client browsers over the Internet and corporate intranets. Most Web pages today, however, are generated on demand for each individual user and many contain a mix of personalized and non-personalized content fragments, making them non-cacheable by traditional caching products and CDN services. ESI will enable dynamic assembly of these page fragments. Akamai will implement ESI as part of the Akamai EdgeSuite service offering starting in May of 2001. This will include the integration of ESI into Akamai’s metadata management system, as well as the support for ESI across Akamai’s global platform of close to 10,000 globally distributed content delivery servers. Oracle9i Application Server with support for ESI is scheduled to be available next month. Oracle9i Application Server costs $5 per Universal Power Unit for the Standard Edition, $30 per Universal Power Unit for the Enterprise Edition and $150 per Universal Power Unit for the Wireless Edition. Oracle JDeveloper, part of Oracle Internet Developer Suite, will enable the development of ESI-compliant Java applications. Both products will be available for purchase through the Oracle Store. www.oracle.com, www.akamai.com

Serena Software, Inc. announced the general availability of Serena ChangeMan WCM, a Web code and content management solution that provides enterprise customers the software infrastructure needed to manage the entire lifecycle of creating and deploying Web Content. Designed for both technical and non-technical users, Serena ChangeMan WCM allows the diverse range of content contributors to effectively collaborate and coordinate their efforts across multiple locations and multiple platforms, from the mainframe to the Web. Serena ChangeMan WCM is a Web code and content management solution built from the ground up, that also includes tight integration with existing code management tools through a single meta repository. The product automates content focused processes such as task assignment, resource scheduling, content routing, previewing and editing, online notification and approvals, while providing eBusiness organizations with flexibility to allow multiple contributors to produce Web content. The product is tightly integrated with Serena ChangeMan DS, Software Change Manager for Distributed Systems, and Serena ChangeMan ALM, it’s Application Lifecycle Manager. www.serena.com

Authentica, Inc. introduced NetRecall, a solution that lets enterprises share valuable Web content with business partners and colleagues while actively controlling what recipients can do with it. NetRecall extends the protection of traditional Web security solutions, such as Web access control and SSL encryption, by allowing Web content to be controlled after it has been accessed or downloaded. Using the NetRecall Content Manager, Web authors create policies that indicate how recipients may access or use content, and then encrypt it. The Content Manager also allows authors to track activity on protected information. Protection policies are stored on a central Recall Policy Server and can be changed at any time. NetRecall encrypts each individual page and registers the keys for decrypting the pages, along with the associated policy, on the Recall Policy Server. When a user attempts to access a Web page, he or she downloads the NetRecall Secure Viewer plug-in and, if authorized, views the protected information. Web content is always protected even if it is saved to the local machine. In a centrally managed environment, the NetRecall administrator can configure the NetRecall Dynamic Protection Module to protect content that is dynamically generated from a Web server or application, without involving the Web author. In this scenario, NetRecall encrypts content as it is served from the Web server and is independent from the Web application and Web content management solutions. NetRecall is available immediately. Pricing is based on concurrent users and server configuration and starts at $17,000 (USD) for a 100-user installation. www.authentica.com