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DPRO-91115 Technology Overview
Serena Lambiase 25 January 2001

Bluetooth Wireless Technology: An Introduction

Summary
Named after the 10th century Danish King Harald, Bluetooth is the English translation of his last name
"Blatand." Just as King Harald was famous for uniting the kingdoms of Denmark and Norway and for his
extensive travels, Bluetooth technology unites separate entities (peripherals, laptops, PDAs, palmtops,
cell phones) and simplifies life for people on the move. This wireless, low-cost radio solution enables
small devices to communicate between each other and to the Internet and can also be extended to the
desktop so that printers or scanners can communicate with PCs at short range without wires. The concept
has been termed Personal-Area Network or PAN. Bluetooth operates in the 2.4GHz radio frequency
band, offers 721Kb data rates, and has a range of 10 meters.

Table of Contents
Technology Basics
Bluetooth: How It Works
Technology Analysis
Business Use
Benefits and Risks
Standards
Technology Leaders
Technology Alternatives
Insight

List Of Figures
Figure 1: IEEE 802.15 Bluetooth WPAN

Entire contents © 2001 by Gartner Group, Inc. All rights reserved. Reproduction of this publication in any form without prior written permission is forbidden. The information contained herein has been obtained from sources believed
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Technology Basics

Introduction

The use of mobile computing gadgets is growing exponentially— according to Gartner's Dataquest,
annual shipments of mobile phones and handheld computers will reach 900 million within five years.
However, most users are aggravated by the difficulties they endure when attempting to have their mobile
equipment exchange information: schedules, phone numbers, files, and information with other people's
equipment. Besides resolving these issues, Bluetooth-enabled PCs and laptops will be capable of cable-
free connectivity to peripherals, such as on-the-fly cable-free printing and wireless headsets for cell
phones.
Bluetooth: How It Works
Bluetooth wireless technology is a specification designed to enable wireless communication between
small, mobile devices. The original idea behind the technology was to eliminate the need for proprietary
cables, which are currently required to enable device connectivity. A typical example would be connecting
a digital camera to a PC without cables. Expanding that idea to include all handheld mobile electronic
devices is what Bluetooth is all about.

Bluetooth Lineage

Although the Bluetooth specification contains many unique features, it has borrowed heavily from several
existing wireless standards. These include Motorola's Piano, IrDA, IEEE 802.11, and Digital Enhanced
Cordless Telecommunications (DECT).
• Motorola's Piano was developed with the concept of forming ad hoc "Personal-Area Networks," which
was adopted by the Bluetooth SIG to expand the capabilities of the original Bluetooth concept beyond
simple cable replacement.
• Bluetooth voice data transmission capabilities are derived from the DECT specification.
• Object exchange capabilities are derived from the IrDA specifications.
• Bluetooth inherits the 2.4GHz ISM band, frequency-hopping spread spectrum (FHSS), authentication,
privacy, power management, and LAN capabilities from the IEEE 802.11 specification.

Bluetooth Wireless Components

There are four major components in any Bluetooth wireless technology system: a radio unit, a baseband
unit, a software stack, and application software.
The radio unit is the actual radio transceiver that enables the wireless link between Bluetooth devices.
Bluetooth currently can have a maximum of 1 milliwatt (mw) of transmitter power, which allows operation
over distances of up to 10 meters; however, the Bluetooth specification permits increasing transmitter
power up to 10 mw in the future.
The baseband unit is hardware, consisting of flash memory and a CPU, which interfaces with the radio
unit and the host device electronics at the hardware level. The baseband hardware provides all required
functionality to establish and maintain a Bluetooth wireless connection between devices. Another name
for the Bluetooth baseband is "Link Control Unit." The baseband protocol supports both circuit-switched
and packet-switched communications using frequency-hopping spread-spectrum (FHSS) technology.
Bluetooth FHSS operates from 2.402GHz to 2.480GHz, dividing this frequency range into 79 1MHz

Copyright © 2001 DPRO-91115
25 January 2001 2


subchannels and hopping from channel to channel at a rate of 1,600 hops per second. Transmitting and
receiving devices must synchronize on the same hop sequence to communicate.
Compared with other wireless technologies that operate in the ISM frequency band, Bluetooth uses
shorter data packets and a higher hop rate. This makes Bluetooth devices more immune to interference
from microwave ovens and other sources of radio frequency (FR) energy, and limits interference between
users. Another advantage of FHSS is that it gives users the flexibility of roaming between access devices
in different physical areas.
Bluetooth wireless devices can link to a wired network, such as a corporate Ethernet LAN, through an
"access point," which includes a Bluetooth transceiver and baseband controller, the circuitry to convert
information from the Blue Bluetooth format to Ethernet format, and interface circuitry to connect the
access point to the wired network through a cable. As long as users remain in range of an access device,
they can roam about and still use the wired network resources.
Communications between Bluetooth devices are normally peer to peer, with each device being equal.
However, when two or more devices link into a small ad hoc network called a piconet, one device acts as
the master, and the others are slaves for the duration of the piconet connection. All devices in the piconet
are synchronized to the master’s clock and hopping sequence. The Bluetooth specification supports up to
10 piconets in a coverage area, with up to eight devices per piconet. Initially, Bluetooth networks are likely
to be limited to two piconets because of software restrictions. Each piconet is identified by a different
frequency-hopping scheme.
• Bluetooth Piconet example: several individuals with Bluetooth-enabled portable computers share a
database in a meeting. With automatic synchronization enabled, everyone in the meeting can see
any changes made in the shared database on his or her own computer.
• Bluetooth Scatternet: Bluetooth supports point-to-point and point-to-multipoint connections;
piconets can be linked together into scatternets. A scatternet consists of two or more piconets linked
together by one device in each piconet acting as a bridge between the piconets.

Security

The Bluetooth specification defines three security modes: nonsecure, service-level security, and link-level
security. The device does not initiate any kind of security procedure in the nonsecure mode. Service-level
security offers more flexibility in application access. In the link-level security mode, the device sets up
security procedures before the link setup is completed; this allows knowledge of "who" is at the other end
of the link and provides authentication, authorization, and encryption services. In spite of these three
security modes, current Bluetooth qualification processes do not yet enforce effective security
implementation, which opens up end users to security risks.

Bluetooth Products: Finally Here

Since its announcement in 1998, Bluetooth has been the subject of marketing histrionics and hype:
wireless headsets, "Smart Cars," wireless Web surfing with Bluetooth-enabled cell phones and Bluetooth-
enabled laptops or handhelds, and inexpensive wireless computer networking are just a few of the uses
Bluetooth vendors have claimed will be available through this still emerging technology.
Unfortunately, Bluetooth products, other than components and chips, have primarily been the province of
vaporware; however, a small group of Bluetooth-based products are finally becoming available, with many
more products expected in the immediate future. Bluetooth-enabled PC Cards from 3Com, IBM, and
Toshiba; headsets from Ericsson and GN Netcom; and phones from Motorola and Ericsson are among
the first Bluetooth products that are currently hitting the market.
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There are several reasons Bluetooth-enabled products have been slow to reach the market: expensive
pricing, an extremely rigorous qualification process, insufficient amounts of Bluetooth chips and testing
equipment. In addition, there are still software and security issues and a lack of interoperability testing.
However, testing equipment and chips are now more readily available, and pricing for the chips has
started to drop, which is key to the widespread deployment of Bluetooth-enabled products. Until recently,
Bluetooth chips were averaging US$35; prices are currently averaging closer to US$25 and are expected
to drop to US$12 by the fourth quarter of 2001. However, for Bluetooth connectivity products to truly
become ubiquitous, pricing for the chips will need to drop even further. When Bluetooth chips drop to the
US$1 level, Bluetooth can replace cables for battery-operated devices.
Technology Analysis
Business Use
• Create wireless PANs (WPANs).
• Wirelessly share presentations, files, or contacts between laptops.
• Synchronize contact information contained on a phone with the contact information on a PDA,
notebook, and desktop wirelessly.
• Automatically synchronize notebooks and desktops when users walk into a room.

• Send pages of information to a Bluetooth-enabled printer without the use of cables.
• Replace the cabling now used to connect a handheld device to a PC.
• Have wireless headsets that allow users to leave their mobile phones in their briefcases and make
hands-free, wire-free phone calls.
• Enable notebooks or PDAs to automatically access the Internet through the nearest Bluetooth-
enabled device.
Benefits and Risks

Benefits

• It replaces cables within Wireless PANs (PCs, laptops, printers, etc.).
• It provides on-the-fly printing (aim a Bluetooth-enabled laptop or handheld device at any Bluetooth-
enabled printer; no cables or drivers are required).
• Users do not want to employ a single, not-so-great product that purports to do everything; using
different best-of-class products geared to the individual situations and needs, and having those best
of class products work seamlessly, is preferable. Bluetooth offers this possibility.
• Point-to-multipoint capability will allow users to "roam" while performing various applications without
worrying about line of sight or distance.

Risks

• Information could by intercepted by other devices.
• There is the possibility of interference in highly congested areas.
• Interoperability issues will have to be resolved before wide acceptance.

25 January 2001 4


Standards

The Bluetooth SIG

www.bluetooth.com
The Bluetooth SIG was formed to promote Bluetooth technology. Formed in 1998, the Bluetooth SIG has
created a network of Bluetooth component vendors to supply equipment manufacturers, from antenna
suppliers to coaxial cable vendors. Ericsson, Intel, Microsoft, IBM, and Toshiba were the original
developers of the Bluetooth technology and Bluetooth special interest group (SIG); currently, there are
nine promoter companies of the SIG— 3Com, Ericsson, IBM, Intel, Lucent, Microsoft, Motorola, Nokia,
and Toshiba. There are also currently just over 2,000 member companies that are developing Bluetooth
products.
The original Bluetooth 1.0 specification was announced in July 1999. The current Bluetooth spec is now
1.0B. Ratified in May 2000, it had interoperability problems, forcing Bluetooth developers back to the
drawing board. A new version, 1.1, is expected to be approved in the immediate future. The upcoming 1.1
specification is expected to be the new standard for gauging interoperability. Next on the drawing board is
the possible extension of the Bluetooth specification to the Radio2, or High Rate (HR) Bluetooth
specification. Rates somewhere between 2 and 12 Mbps, or possibly higher, are being considered by the
IEEE 802.15.3 Working Group.

The IEEE and the IEEE 802.15 WG for WPANs (Bluetooth)

http://grouper.ieee.org/groups/802/15/
The Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE), in existence since 1884, helps advance
global prosperity by promoting the engineering process of creating, developing, integrating, sharing, and
applying knowledge about electrical and information technologies and sciences for the benefit of humanity
and the profession. The IEEE Working Group for WPANs (Bluetooth) is the IEEE 802.15 WG.
The IEEE 802.15.1 Task Group 1 is licensed to create a derivative work from the Bluetooth Specification
v1.x and convert it to IEEE Format.
• 802.15.1 (Standard)
• Bluetooth derivative that is a formalization of the original spec

• 802.15.2 (Recommended Practice)
• Coexistence MAC and PHY Modeling
• 802.15.3 (Standard)
• WPAN-HR, High Rate >20 Mbps
• 802.15.4 (Standard)
• WPAN-LR, Low Rate 2 Kbps to 200 Kbps

Figure 1: IEEE 802.15 Bluetooth WPAN

25 January 2001 5


Source: IEEE 802.15.1 WG for WPANs.

Technology Leaders

3Com

5400 Bayfront Plaza
Santa Clara, CA 95052, U.S.A.

Tel: +1 408 326 5000
Fax: +1 408 326 5001
Internet: www.3com.com

Ericsson Microelectronics

Telefonaktiebolaget LM Ericsson
Telefonplan
S-126 25 Stockholm, Sweden
Tel: +46 8 719 00 00
Internet: www.ericsson.com

IBM (International Business Machines Corporation)

New Orchard Road
Armonk, NY 10504, U.S.A.

Tel: +1 914 499 1900

25 January 2001 6


Fax: +1 914 765 7382

Internet: www.ibm.com

Intel Corporation (Santa Clara No. 4)

2625 Walsh Avenue

Santa Clara, CA 95052-8119, U.S.A.
Tel: +1 408 765 8080
Fax: +1 408 765 9904

Internet: www.intel.com

Lucent Technologies, Inc.

600 Mountain Avenue
Murray Hill, NJ 07974, U.S.A.
Tel: +1 908 582 8500
Internet: www.lucent.com

Microsoft Corporation

One Microsoft Way
Redmond, WA 98052, U.S.A.

Tel: +1 425 882 8080
Fax: +1 425 936 7329
Internet: www.microsoft.com

Motorola, Inc.

1303 East Algonquin Road
Schaumburg, IL 60196, U.S.A.

Tel: +1 847 576 5000
Internet: www.motorola.com

Nokia Corporation

Keilalahdentie 4
PO Box 226
FIN-00045 Espoo, Finland
Tel: +358 9 180 71
Fax: +358 9 652 409
Internet: www.nokia.com

25 January 2001 7


Toshiba America, Inc. (TAI)

1251 6th Avenue, 41st Floor

New York, NY 10020, U.S.A.
Tel: +1 212 596 0600
Fax: +1 212 593 3875

Internet: www.toshiba.com

IBM, Toshiba, and Logitech Agreement

Both IBM and Toshiba intend to work with Motorola to offer Bluetooth functionality as a customer option
across portions of their PC lines. Also, Motorola will work with its Digianswer subsidiary to supply a first-
generation embedded solution for use inside PCs and peripheral devices such as printers and data
access points. Motorola also has agreed to a joint development effort with Logitech aimed at introducing a
new generation of cordless peripherals based on Bluetooth technology.

Ericsson and Lucent Agreement

Ericsson and Lucent have agreed to collaborate on developing and licensing solutions for the Bluetooth
wireless technology market.

Microsoft and Intel Partnership

Intel announced during June 2000 that it plans to work with Microsoft to integrate its Bluetooth software
with Windows. Intel claims that Bluetooth will be native to the Windows operating environment by the first
half of 2001. In the interim, Intel will license its current Bluetooth software stack to other vendors. The
stack is already compatible with Windows 98/2000 and offers rudimentary Bluetooth features: file
synchronization, data transfer, dial-up and networking, and the capability of identifying other Bluetooth-
enabled devices. Future wireless features from the Intel-Microsoft union will include high-definition audio,
video streaming, and sending print commands.

Epson America

Epson was the first printer vendor to demonstrate printing capabilities using Bluetooth wireless
communication technology. Epson claims Bluetooth printing promises to be a business application that
will enhance convenience in both the office and the home, with advantages over infrared connectivity.

Hewlett-Packard

Hewlett-Packard is working to provide a reliable PAN solution, incorporating Bluetooth technology, to give
users the ability to eliminate connecting cables and wirelessly synchronize data among notebook PCs,
personal digital assistants (PDAs), cell phones, and other peripherals. HP is a member of the Bluetooth
Special Interest Group (SIG) and is leading the development to help establish the Bluetooth 2.0 wireless
standard. Bluetooth 2.0 is know as "high rate" Bluetooth, or Radio2. The IEEE 802.15.3 Working Group is
responsible for this possible extension to the Bluetooth specification.

Bluetooth Phones

• Motorola Timeport 270: Accepts a Bluetooth add-on; when paired with Bluetooth PC Cards from
Motorola, the new phone allows users to access the Internet on portable computers from up to 30
feet. It could enable wireless mobile connections in larger handheld computers that feature PC Card

25 January 2001 8


slots. In addition, the Motorola phone could be paired with Compaq Computer Corp.’s Pocket PC-
based iPaq and its PC Card expansion jacket. Availability: 1H01.
• Ericsson R520m: The R520m is a triple-band mobile phone featuring WAP, GPRS, high-speed data,
and Bluetooth wireless technology. It is expected to ship in volume in the first quarter of 2001.

Bluetooth Headsets

Bluetooth headsets connect to mobile phones by a radio link instead of a cable. The phone can be up to
10 meters (30 feet) away, in briefcases, coat pockets, or in other rooms.
• GN Netcom's GN 9000 Bluetooth Headset requires Bluetooth host devices to operate (GN Netcom
base station, Bluetooth card, or PDA) at a range of up to 30 feet. The GN Netcom 9000 began
shipping during October 2000.
• Ericsson's Bluetooth Headset has a built-in Bluetooth radio chip that acts as a connector between the
headset and the Bluetooth plug on the Ericsson phone. When the phone rings, the user can answer
by pressing a key on the headset. The Global launch was in December 2000, except for the U.S.,
where it is expected to launch by the end of January 2001. This is the first consumer product from
Ericsson that utilizes Bluetooth.

Bluetooth PC Cards

• 3Com Bluetooth PC Card: the antenna pops in and out for better wear. 3Com OEMs its Bluetooth PC
Card to Hewlett-Packard. In addition to the PC Card, 3Com has also announced a Bluetooth Access
Point and USB adapter; the access point could be used in offices, airports, or other networked public
places. Many users could get wireless access to networks through a single Access Point; the Access
Point increases Bluetooth's range from 10 meters to 100 meters. Delivery is expected in the first half
of 2001 for all three products.
• IBM Bluetooth PC Card: currently shipping as of 29 December 2000.
• Toshiba Bluetooth PC Card: currently shipping in the U.S. since mid-September and in Japan since
August 2000.

Upcoming: Bluetooth Printing

• Epson expects to be able to use a full line of its printers already on the market in conjunction with its
Epson Bluetooth Print Adapter; the adapter is expected to be available by the end of the first quarter
of 2001.
• Lexmark and Axis Communications recently demonstrated a wireless printing solution using a
Toshiba laptop computer equipped with a Toshiba Bluetooth PC Card and a Lexmark laser printer
equipped with an Axis Bluetooth print device.
• Xerox and Compaq held a joint demonstration of wireless printing at Comdex 2000; the
demonstration linked a Compaq Armada notebook computer with a Xerox DocuPrint P1210 personal
laser printer using a Bluetooth PC-Card that communicates with the printer's parallel port. Xerox
expects its first Bluetooth-enabled products within the next 12-18 months.

Bluetooth and Section 508 of the Americans with Disabilities Act

Bluetooth technology may soon enable workplaces to make document devices, such as printers,
accessible to disabled workers. Section 508 of the Americans With Disabilities Act, issued 7 August 2000,
requires all U.S. government offices to make information technology accessible to all employees.

25 January 2001 9


According to Xerox, the long list of necessary modifications could prohibitively increase the cost of the
devices; however, Bluetooth adapters could be added to the devices, which could be controlled by using a
wide variety of user interfaces designed to compensate for specific disabilities.
All of the technologies below are often mentioned as wireless alternatives to Bluetooth. However,
Bluetooth was initially developed specifically for use as a Wireless PAN; its key use will largely be as a
cable replacement for WPANs and pervasive computing.

IrDA

• IrDA requires line of sight and is limited to point-to-point communication; Bluetooth offers point to
multipoint, and line of sight is not necessary.
• IrDA is already built into many notebook PCs, printers, and some cell phones, but has a poor user
interface and is unable to penetrate walls; Bluetooth can penetrate walls.

HomeRF

• HomeRF is intended for longer-range links to 2 Mbps and is geared towards a home-LAN approach,
linking PCs; DSL routers; or printers, refrigerators, TVs, and other "smart" appliances to PCs.
• HomeRF is specifically geared towards the SOHO market. Bluetooth is geared more towards a
business environment, such as a personal area network (PAN), and shorter ranges; however, its
makers claim that Bluetooth could also be extended for use within the SOHO market.

802.11b

• 802.11 connections can range in transmission rates from 2 Mbps to 11 Mbps and at distances from
50 to several hundred feet. Bluetooth requires less power and is meant for transmitting small
amounts of data at 1 Mbps over short distances (up to 10 meters). The Bluetooth spec has a higher
power option that gives it about the same range as 802.11, although that is not expected to be the
primary usage of the technology.
• Bluetooth provides persistent, wireless connections between different kinds of devices, but it uses the
2.4GHz radio frequency, the same used by wireless LANs based on the 802.11 standard. When a
Bluetooth connection collides with a wireless LAN connection, either or both connections can jam,
resulting in a transmission error.
Insight
The key application for Bluetooth technology in the foreseeable future is cable replacement and Wireless
Personal-Area Networks (PANs). However, in order for Bluetooth to truly become ubiquitous,
manufacturers need to start delivering more products to the marketplace, the pricing for the chips must
become substantially less expensive, the software must be improved, and there must be more
interoperability and interference testing. However, Bluetooth is still an emerging technology, and
eventually these issues will be resolved. When that happens, the number of Bluetooth-enabled products
will grow exponentially.

25 January 2001 10

Serena Lambiase 8 March 2001

Web-to-Host Software: An Introduction

Summary
Web-to-host software uses Internet browser technology to allow large numbers of users access to
information contained within corporate mainframes and promises to strengthen a company’s e-business
strategy by shortening time-to-market. Until recently, most mainframe usage was accessed with fat-client
terminal emulation connectivity and provided only the proverbial "green screen" interface. The lengthy
learning and training curve, software maintenance and user management resulted in steep costs. Web-to-
host software changes this scenario— it offers the alluring promise of cutting costs and gaining a
competitive edge. Expensive fat-client connectivity is replaced with a user-friendly GUI, centralized
access management, faster responsiveness to business requirements and increased user productivity.

Table of Contents
Technology Basics
Web-to-Host Components
Technology Analysis
Business Use
Benefits and Risks
Standards
Price vs. Performance
Selection Guidelines
Technology Leaders
Insight

List Of Tables
Table 1: Features and Functions: Web-to-Host Software Products
Table 3: PC-to-Host-Connectivity



Technology Basics

Introduction

Despite the rise of client/server and network computing, along with Windows NT Server, most mission-
critical data still resides on corporate mainframes and midrange computers. A few years ago, industry
pundits predicted the demise of corporate mainframes; instead, "Big Iron" sales have actually increased.
Why? One reason is the explosive growth of Internet technologies and the promise of e-business. Serving
extranet and Internet clients and a growing mobile work force with host data is potentially the foundation
for an enterprise’s World Wide Web presence.

What Is Web-to-Host?

Web-to-host is connectivity software that enables secure browser-based access to information that
resides on mainframes and other host computer systems. Web-to-host software is designed to turn any
Java-enabled Web browser into a secure workstation. Mainframe and other host applications can be
enabled for Web-to-host access without changing source code. The user accesses commercial
information by using a Web browser. The browser communicates on the Internet by using the Hypertext
Transfer Protocol (HTTP). Access to proprietary host applications is achieved by using Java applets
embedded within the HTTP code, which are automatically downloaded to the browser client. Some of the
more important features touted by most Web-to-host vendors include centralized access management,
faster time-to-market for custom e-business applications, improved user productivity and reduced costs.

Web-to-Host Components
Java Applets and ActiveX Controls: Web-to-host products employ Java applets or ActiveX controls—
miniprograms designed to be executed from within a Web browser— which either the emulation server
has to download for three-tier architectures or for two-tier architectures, the Web Server has to download
if the Web browser is to talk to the host. The larger the size of the applet or control, the longer the
download takes; applets can be locally stored or cached to eliminate future downloading for products and
can be downloaded to either the browser or hard drive. The majority of Web-to-host vendors use only
Java applets; however, some offer a choice of either Java applets or ActiveX controls.
• Java: Java applets are inherently safer than ActiveX controls— unlike ActiveX, Java applets do not
make changes to the system configuration and cannot touch the hard disk or Registry; this makes
them more secure. Java applets have a smaller footprint than ActiveX, which can mean a shorter-
download time; this is especially important for remote access users. They are also cross-platform
compatible; this is important for enterprises that have a heterogeneous mix of platforms to support.
Java-enabled Web-to-host products are a good choice for enterprises that employ cross-platform
interactive Web sites.
• ActiveX: ActiveX controls have full access to the Windows operating system and can be written to
any file on the hard drive, not just within the Web browser. This gives them more robust functionality
than Java applets, but can make them less secure. Also, ActiveX controls are currently limited to
Windows environments, as opposed to Java applets, which can be written to run on all platforms.
ActiveX-enabled Web-to-host products are a good choice for Enterprises that are Windows-centric or
maintain Web sites that are highly interactive and application laden.
Architecture: Web-to-Host vendors take either a two-tier or a three-tier approach. With two tiers (client-
host), the applet communicates directly with the gateway in front of the host. With three tiers (additional
server), all traffic passes through, or via, the emulation server. In the two-tier model, there is no chance of

8 March 2001 2


the emulation server acting as a bottleneck, since traffic does not travel through it— therefore, two-tier
architecture can be a good choice in situations that require quicker runtime for remote users. In the three-
tier scheme, the emulation server could slow things down; however, three-tier provides better scalability.
Impact of Architecture on Security: One thing often overlooked when discussing security issues is the
impact of the architecture (two-tier versus three-tier) on security. Two-tier solutions send the entire host
data stream to the client— even if the client runs some customization which masks the display of sensitive
data, the data still resides in memory on the client, which could create a security exposure. However, if
the customers are using their own Web-to-host software for trusted users to remote sites, the quicker
runtime the customer receives from the two-tier, direct-connect model might be the better choice.
Security and Encryption: Web-to-host software exposes the mainframe to the rest of the world, so
security is extremely important. All Web-to-host vendors offer elementary password authentication
features, and most offer SSL encryption to protect legacy data passing through the network (RUMBA
2000 being the exception). Since there is sometimes a performance penalty to encryption and decryption,
it is best to offer a variety of methods and strengths. Sensitive data can use the highest level of
encryption, and more public information can be passed along with less encryption.
Web-to-Host Security Methods: A detailed discussion of the security methods employed by Web-to-host
vendors and how they work is beyond the scope of this introductory report. The following list contains a
brief discussion of security methods for Web-to-host software.
• RACF, ACF and TopSecret are legacy security methods and still command the lion's share of the
high-end security market. Resource Access Control Facility (RACF) was developed 21 years ago by
IBM and lends itself well to the distributed environment; ACF and TopSecret were developed by
Computer Associates. Virtually all Web-to-host products support RACF, ACF and TopSecret.
• Secure Socket Layer (SSL) is the de facto standard for Web-to-host security. Transport Layer
Security (TLS) extends SSL v3 slightly and incorporates it into the Internet's open standards process;
WRQ is currently the only vendor deploying TLS. SSL works by using a private key to encrypt data
that is transferred over the SSL connection. Web pages that require an SSL connection start with
https: instead of http:. Currently, all Web-to-host vendors that employ SSL use server-side
authentication, but more recently, some have started to add SSL client-slide authentication for further
security.
• Public Key Infrastructure (PKI): a system of digital certificates, Certificate Authorities and other
registration authorities that verify and authenticate the validity of each party involved in an Internet
transaction.
• Digital/x.509 Certificates: A digital certificate is an attachment to an electronic message used for
security purposes; the most widely used standard for digital certificates is X.509.
• Lightweight Directory Access Protocol (LDAP): In addition to its strong directory capabilities,
LDAP is increasingly being used by Web-to-host vendors to obtain e-mail addresses and Public
Keys, thereby strengthening security.
• Virtual Private Network (VPN): These systems use encryption and other security mechanisms to
ensure that only authorized users can access the network and that the data cannot be intercepted.
Some Web-to-host vendors have started to add VPN support to their software.
• Proxy Servers: For increased security, some Web-to-host venders use proxy servers to sit between
the Web browser and server, in order to filter requests.

8 March 2001 3


Gateways: With Web-to-host software, an SNA gateway strips off the IP encapsulation at the host end.
Some vendors package this component with their software; others say their products are designed to talk
to third-party gateways, specifically, the SNA Gateway from Microsoft or NetWare for SAA from Novell.
Management Support
• LDAP: Directories based on LDAP will eventually play a large role in the deployment and
management of remote clients. Several Web-to-host vendors have started to support LDAP for their
products, because of its strong group and user-management features.
• Browser-Based Management: Most of the major Web-to-host vendors offer browser-based
management capabilities; it gives administrators the greatest flexibility in managing, configuring and
deploying clients, without having to physically manage from one centralized server. This feature
alone is often enough to justify moving to Web-to-host technology for many companies, because of
the cost-savings that central management brings.
Application Server Compatibility: Compatibility with Web application servers (i.e., Netdynamics from
Sun and Kiva Enterprise Server from Netscape) can effect the overall response time by reducing the
number of times a client has to go to the host to access legacy data by caching data locally. Most of the
major Web-to-host vendors support Web application servers.
Application Development and GUI Screen Rejuvenation: Prospective Web-to-host customers should
query the vendor about the inclusion of HACL, and whether such features as open APIs and VB Script
and Jscript are supported for customization of applications. Also, most Web-to-host vendors support a
feature that allows the "green screen" to be automatically changed to a more user-friendly, GUI-like
screen; this is referred to as an "on-the-fly" GUI. Vendors offer varying degrees of support for this feature,
and a minority does not yet offer it at all.
Printing Support: The majority of Web-to-host vendors support the capability to print host-based screens
to a local printer and copy-and-paste features. However, due to the inherent weakness of Java for printing
support, the printing features for Web-to-host products that employ Java applets are not as robust as the
printing features available with fat-client computing. For instance, Java does not support graphics
printing— ActiveX and fat-client PC emulators do. IBM HOD and Persoft Persona 4.3 are currently the
only Web-to-host products that offer improved printing solutions, including PDF capability.
Platform Support: Since Java is supposed to be cross-platform, technically any Java-enabled Web-to-
host product could be considered platform independent. Indeed, that is what most Web-to-host vendors
claim. If that is the case, why do we see a detailed list of platforms listed for some vendors, while other
vendors simply claim their software will work on any Java-enabled machine?
It is not enough for Web-to-host vendors to claim that since their software is Java-enabled, the Web-to-
host software will work on any Java-enabled machine running in a standard browser. Despite the hype,
the "write once, run anywhere" promise of Java has not yet fully materialized. There are minor differences
between the different JVM, some of which can affect product function or performance or both. When a
user is evaluating a particular vendor's Web-to-host software for an environment that is fairly
heterogeneous, the user should question the vendor as to whether the Web-to-host software has been
previously tested with the user's various platforms and whether the vendor will guarantee that its Web-to-
host software will work with those platforms.
Emulation Support: Terminal emulation drivers enable PCs to emulate a particular type of terminal so
that users can logon to a mainframe. All of the Web-to-host products in this class include emulation
support for mainframe, AS/400 and VT (DEC) emulations; however, some offer a very limited number of

8 March 2001 4


VT emulation levels. Other emulations supported by some, but not all, are for HP, CICS, Linux and WYSE
50/60.
Technology Analysis

Business Use
• Corporate intranets/extranets: host access for employees, business partners and remote workers
or sales forces.
• Custom e-business Applications: custom applications for e-business can be quickly deployed
without changing code.
• Wireless Web-to-Host: some vendors are designing Web-to-host products for use on personal
digital assistants (PDAs) and mobile phones to enable business transactions. These Java-based
products connect mobile wireless users and business partners to a host.
• Financial Industry: Web-to-host vendors claim users can securely access account information,
investment performance and execute trades from their Web browser.
• Colleges/Universities: students can access grades, registration, admissions, etc; this enables
schools to reduce overhead and improve service.
• Manufacturing: browser-based access to host information lowers operational costs, expands profit
margins and fulfills customer's needs. Companies can quickly match buyers with sellers.
Benefits and Risks
Risks
• GUI front-ends are not always an improvement over "green screen" interfaces, particularly for
massive data entry or complex application navigation. Switching over entirely to Web-to-host
technology in this instance could pose the risk of slowing down production. These types of
enterprises may want to incorporate Web-to-host technology for their remote users and casual users,
along-side their standard PC-to-host and fat-client technologies.
• In spite of the many obvious benefits that come with Web-to-host technology, there are security risks
to consider when providing access to legacy applications to business partners, suppliers, customers
and employees. Some users may need to support both Web-to-host and PC-to-host concurrently;
however, as the security methods used for Web-to-host continue to evolve and improve, this will
eventually change.

Benefits

• The time and expense required to train employees and business partners on traditional terminal
screens is eliminated with the more user-friendly GUI that most people are already familiar with; costs
are lowered even further with the central administration of applications formerly on fat-client PCs and
simplified maintenance.
• Now that the expenditures and time spent on Y2K issues are over, many corporations are looking for
ways to quickly and inexpensively put legacy business systems and data on end-user desktops,
hoping to expedite their e-business strategies.
• Web-to-host computing reduces or eliminates the challenges of remote backup and data security;
since all data remains on the central server, backup of data from remote laptops and PCs is not
required.
8 March 2001 5


Standards

Open Host Interface Objects (OHIO)

Although Web-to-host vendors incorporate very similar technologies and features within their products,
there has yet to emerge a common, nonproprietary Web-to-host connectivity standard. IBM and
Attachmate hope to change this situation with the proposed "OHIO" Web-to-host standard. IBM and
Attachmate jointly collaborated on the development of the "OHIO" Web-to-host standard which was
submitted for review to the Internet Engineering Task Force (IETF) during 1998.
HLLAPI has been for many years the de facto standard for writing applications that access host data.
OHIO is a set of object classes that defines a new open-programming interface for accessing host data,
especially via the Internet, which will enable e-business applications to access either mainframe or
AS/400 data. The open APIs, which are based on tn3270 and tn5250 protocols, will work with Web
graphical user interfaces and business applications, such as CICS, that need access to legacy data.
Security, service location, response time and session balancing are a few of the issues that could be
standardized by the OHIO standard. Incorporating the OHIO standard would allow Web-to-host
developers to create e-business applications that do not require proprietary solutions.
Price vs. Performance
According to Gartner, the Total Cost of Ownership (TCO) for Web-to-host software versus traditional
terminal emulation software is a 25 percent savings:
• Technical Support: (includes training users and tech support staff, software distribution and
inventory reviews): 15 percent savings
• Administration: 45 percent savings (reflects reductions in desktop security tasks, policy
administration and formal audits of desktop computer equipment)
• Capital Costs (equipment): 9 percent savings
• Total Cost of Ownership: 25 percent savings
Selection Guidelines
• Java Versus ActiveX: Java-enabled Web-to-host products are a good choice for Enterprises that
employ cross-platform interactive Web sites. ActiveX-enabled Web-to-host products are a good
choice for Enterprises that are Windows-centric or maintain Web sites that are highly interactive and
application laden.
• Management: Users should question Web-to-host vendors about LDAP support for more robust
management needs.
• Printing Capability: The printing capabilities of Java-enabled Web-to-host products are somewhat
limited for Mainframe and AS/400 and lack graphics-printing capability. Users that require graphics
printing may want to consider Web-to-host products that offer ActiveX. If extensive printing features
are a must, users should consider a Web-to-host product that offers an improved printing solution for
Java-enabled Web-to-host software.
• Platform Support: Web-to-host vendors should be questioned as to whether their Web-to-host
software has been previously tested with the user's various platforms— users should not rely solely
on Java's cross-platform capabilities.

8 March 2001 6


• Emulation Support: Web-to-host Vendors should be questioned as to whether their Web-to-host
software will meet the user's emulation requirements. All of the Web-to-host products in this class
include support for mainframe, AS/400 and VT emulations; however, some offer a very limited
number of VT emulation levels. Other emulations supported by some, but not all, are for HP, CICS,
Linux and WYSE 50/60.
Technology Leaders

Attachmate Corp.

P.O. Box 90026
Bellevue, WA 98009-9026, U.S.A.

Tel: +1 425 644 4010; +1 800 426 6283
Fax: +1 425 747 9924
Internet: www.attachmate.com

support@attachmate.com

Attachmate e-Vantage Host Access Server

Attachmate e-Vantage Host Access Server is geared towards companies who need to extend their
enterprise information using Internet technologies. Host Access Server differs from its competitors in the
way it has been designed as part of an extremely modular architecture and licensing scenario. For
companies which require basic Web-to-host technology for occasional users, the "Standard Viewer" part
of Host Access Server is usually all they will need. For companies that require more robust capabilities for
intensive users, the "Enterprise Viewer" part of Host Access Server provides full-featured desktop
emulation, plus licenses for both Java-based technology and ActiveX thin-client applets. This makes
Attachmate a good choice for companies that are currently using thick-client PC-to-host connectivity and
are looking to upgrade or to add Web-to-host connectivity.
Attachmate eVantage Host Access Server offers an easy-to-use interface and strong platform support; it
also includes the capability of loading both Java and ActiveX clients locally. The eVantage Management
Console component of Host Access Server is its strongest feature. Other features include support for
LDAP and the major directory services for group and user management. However, eVantage offers only
one level of Virtual Terminal (VT) support, VT420, and lacks HP emulation support. Also, FTP from the
AS/400 requires ActiveX, which limits its use to Windows clients. Enterprises looking to move their
business to the Web will want to evaluate Attachmate eVantage Host Access Server.

Esker, Inc.

Persoft, an Esker Co.
465 Science Drive
P.O. Box 44953
Madison, WI 53744-4953, U.S.A.
Tel: +1 608 273 6000
Fax: +1 608 273 8227
Internet: www.persoft.com
8 March 2001 7


Persoft Persona 4.3
Esker, Inc., acquired Persoft during July 1999. All Esker and Persoft Web-to-host software products are
controlled from Persoft’s Madison, Wisconsin, corporate facility. Persoft is now referred to as "Persoft, an
Esker company." The Esker Web-to-host product line includes TunPLUS, Esker Corridor for Active Server
and the Persoft Persona family of Web-to-host products.
Persona 4.3 offers users Web-based, inexpensive, public plumbing; remote access; three-tier capability
and robust security features. This makes it ideal for secure remote access through the Internet (three-
tier). When the user’s fundamental need is to replace PC-based terminal emulation with an intranet
solution, TunPLUS is recommended. Corridor for Active Server is a three-tier HTML conversion solution
for Internet/extranet environments geared towards Web commerce.

IBM

New Orchard Road

Tel: +1 914 499 1900

IBM WebSphere Host On-Demand, Version 5.0

IBM WebSphere Host On-Demand 5.0 supports direct (two-tier) connections, excellent security features,
including SSL 3.0 on both the client and server side and triple DES centrally administered sessions and
LDAP support, "on-the-fly" GUI screen rejuvenation, XML scripting, built-in application development
support and the broadest amount of platform support among its competitors. (IBM is currently the only
vendor that is using both client-side and server-side SSL). However, WebSphere HOD lacks built-in
import capability for NT user databases and does not support HP and higher-end DEC VT terminal
emulations.
WebSphere HOD is part of the overall IBM Host Integration Solution; because of this, an enterprise’s
entire portfolio of connection types can be incorporated into the per-user license fee. Also, the importance
of the Cisco/IBM agreement should not be overlooked: On 23 February 2000, IBM announced that it had
joined with Cisco Systems to provide Cisco customers with IBM’s host integration products, which
includes IBM WebSphere Host On-Demand. According to IBM, WebSphere Host On-Demand is the only
Web-to-host product that Cisco intends to actively recommend to its customers. Companies that want to
replace their existing thick-client terminal-emulation software or increase the range of users that can gain
access to their legacy applications will want to evaluate WebSphere Host On-Demand.

NetManage, Inc.

10725 North De Anza Boulevard
Cupertino, CA 95014, U.S.A.
Tel: +1 408 973 7171
Fax: +1 408 257 6405
Internet: www.netmanage.com
NetManage RUMBA 2000 4.0

8 March 2001 8


RUMBA 2000 4.0 offers fast, simple deployment through a browser, with Java tools for installation and
robust emulation support. It is designed to provide Java or ActiveX connectivity to mainframes, Unix and
VAX systems through VT terminal emulation, AS/400 and HP3000. Among its competitors, RUMBA 2000
supports the largest number of emulation choices. RUMBA 2000 offers a strong migration path for
customers who are already using PC-to-host technology and want to switch to Web-to-host connectivity or
who require mainframe or AS/400 compatibility. However, it lacks LDAP support and product-level
security (no SSL), making it a poor choice for use outside the firewall. In its efforts to become an industry
leader and a single-source provider of Web-to-host, PC-to-host and Web integration solutions,
NetManage has acquired several companies with both similar and disparate products. Its challenge will
be to assimilate these products as quickly as possible and to do so without losing existing customer
bases.

OpenConnect Systems, Inc.

2711 Lyndon B. Johnson Highway, #80
Dallas, TX 75234, U.S.A.
Tel: 1+ 972 484 5200
Fax: 1+ 972 484 6100
Internet: www.openconnect.com

OC://WebConnect Pro 4.4

OC://WebConnect Pro provides the capability to automatically rejuvenate user interfaces ("on-the-fly" GUI
implementation), optimize performance through applet caching and provide users quick access to host
information (mainframes, AS/400, etc.) via a Web browser. It offers robust security features, such as DES,
triple-DES (168-bit) and 40- or 128-bit RC4 out to their applets. It also supports all legacy security such as
RACF, TopSecret and ACF2 and a patented technology that extends SNA session control over the
Internet; however, it lacks HP and higher-end VT terminal emulation. OC://WebConnect Pro is best suited
for customers who need to integrate mainframe access into their existing Web application environment,
and it is geared towards extranets in the business-to-business class. OC://WebConnect Pro contains
above average features within the Web-to-host product class, and it would make a good evaluation choice
for users wishing to Web-enable their sites and enter the age of e-business.

SEAGULL

3340 Peachtree Road, N.E., Suite 900
Atlanta, GA 30326 U.S.A.
Tel: 1 + 404 760 1560
Fax: 1 + 404 760 0061
SEAGULL was founded in the Netherlands in 1990, and initially focused its expertise in developing and
implementing customized, integrated software solutions for customized client requirements in the AS/400
market. During 1998, SEAGULL expanded into the mainframe market with the announcement of WinJA,
which is geared towards rapid e-business enablement. More recently, SEAGULL has also expended into
using wireless technology to leverage legacy data (wireless-to-host). SEAGULL’s Web-to-Host product is
WinJa, whose main strength is using Java to connect to mainframe data.

WRQ, Inc.

8 March 2001 9


1500 Dexter Avenue, N.

Seattle, WA 98109, U.S.A.
Tel: 1+ 206 217 7500
Fax: 1+ 206 217 7509

Internet: www.wrq.com
Reflection for the Web 4.1 offers top-notch security and data encryption: SSL/TLS, triple DES and
optional security proxy server and VPN support. Currently, it is the only Web-to-host vendor that supports
TLS security. It also offers broad terminal-type support and with the Professional Edition, "on-the-fly"
green-screen to GUI features. It is a highly scalable product— the number of possible users is not tied to
the server's capability since their applets are used to bypass the Web Server. However, platform support
is limited to Windows 95/98/NT and Mac, and the direct-connect model means that application
development will be somewhat limited. Reflection for the Web provides secure Web-based host access
across enterprises and beyond the firewall, and it is a competitively priced product. Companies that are
looking to Web-enable their enterprise for e-business will want to evaluate Reflection for the Web.
Company Attachmate Corp. IBM NetManage, Inc. OpenConnect
Systems, Inc.

Product Name e-Vantage Host IBM WebSphere NetManage RUMBA OC://WebConnect
Access Server Web- Host On-Demand 2000 Pro
to-Host

Applets/Clients Java; ActiveX Java ActiveX (Host Pro Java
and Host Express);
JavaBeans (Host
Java)
Architecture Two tier or three Two tier Two tier or three Two tier or three
tier tier tier

8 March 2001 10


Systems, Inc.

to-Host

Platform Support Client: Client: Browser-based host Client: Supports
Windows 95/98/NT; Windows 95/98/NT access; deploys any Java-enabled
Windows NT 4.0 with SP3; across an intranet machine running in
Terminal Server; Windows 2000; IBM from virtually any a standard browser,
Citrix AIX, 4.2/3; IBM Web server although somewhat
WinFrame/MetalFra OS/2 WARP, limited with Macs
me; Apple Mac OS Version 4; HP-UX
8.x 10.20, 11.0; Sun Server: Sun Solaris,
Solaris 2.5.1, 2.6; IBM AIX, HP-UX,
Server: Red Hat Linux, Windows NT
Windows NT Server Version 5.2, 6.0,
4.0 SP3 or higher 6.1; Caldera
with IIS; Unix OpenLinux 2.2;
Edition supports Pacific HiTec
Sun Solaris 2.7, TurboLinux 3.6;
HP-UX 11.0, Red SuSE Linux 6.1
Hat Linus 5.2, AIX
4.3 and Windows Server:
4.0 SP4, each with Windows NT 4.0;
JVM supporting Windows 2000; IBM
1.1.7b JDK AIX, Version 4.2/3;
IBM OS/2 WARP
Version 4 and Warp
Server; Novell
NetWare, Version 5
with JVM 1.17b;
Sun Solaris
Release 2.6; IBM
OS/400, V4R2,
V4R3, V4R4; HP-
UX 10.20, 11.0;
Red Hat Linux,
Version 5.2, 6.0,
6.1; Caldera
OpenLinux 2.2;
Pacific HiTec
TurboLinux 3.6;
SuSE Linux 6.1;
IBM OS/390, V2R5,
V2R6, V2R7, V2R8

8 March 2001 11


Systems, Inc.

to-Host

Emulation Support Mainframe, AS/400; Mainframe, AS/400; Mainframe, AS/400; Mainframe, AS/400;
VT420; Unix/VMS VT52/100/220; VT52/100/101/102/ VT220 and NVT
Linux; CICS Java 125/131/220; transport
Note: Lacks HP Gateway Access VT240/241/320/330
emulation /340/420; HP 3000; Note: Lacks HP
Note: Lacks HP VAX/Unix emulation; VT
emulation emulation ends at
Note: Supports 220
largest number of
emulation choices
File Transfer IND$file; DISOSS; IND$file; FTP file IND$FILE + FTP IND$FILE
Functions FTP transfer (AS/400) (Host Pro and Host
Note: FTP from the Java); FTP (Host
AS/400 requires Express
ActiveX
Gateways Supports third-party HOD supports any RUMBA products Supports any TN-
gateways; optional TN server; IBM support wide range based gateway;
e-Vantage SNA Communications of SNA or TN includes Cisco CIP,
gateway Server included gateways; third- Cisco IOS,
with the IBM "Host party support OpenConnect
Integration includes Microsoft Server, TCP/IP for
Solution" SNA Server, IBM MVS and VM
Direct, NetWare for TCP/IP for AS/400,
SAA, OpenConnect Microsoft SNA
SNA Server and
TN3270/TN3270E

Optional:
WebConnect SNA
Access Server
Printing Support Print screen; Print screen; 3270E; TN5250E + 3287 LU1/LU3;
LU1/LU3; TN3270e; LU1/LU3; 5250 host Print Transform; screen print; 3812
TN5250e HPT printing HP3000 print
Passthrough,
Optional: VAX/Unix
Interface Systems’ Passthrough;
Document Server Screen Print
receives print
streams and
converts into PCL,
postscript or PDF

8 March 2001 12


Systems, Inc.

to-Host

Security and SSL 3.0 (server- SSL 3.0 (client- and Supports public SSL 3.0, public
Encryption side); RC4, and server-side); RC2, key/digital key/digital
Triple DES; public RC4, DES, Triple certificates, RAS certificates; HTTPS;
key/digital DES; public and VPN; optional RC2, RC4, DES,
certificates; key/digital RUMBA Security Triple DES
Windows NT certificates Services provides
Domain and Novell authentication
NDS/Bindery Note: HOD is the encryption over
authentication; only product with single HTTPS port
RADIUS, CHAP, both server- and
Secure ID client-side SSL Note: Lacks SSL
authentication; and built-in product
Attachmate VPN level security
Management Robust access Web-based remote Supports Browser-based
control to administration; customizable user management;
administrative LDAP support for and group profiles, Group and user
capabilities via e- storing user license management
Vantage profiles; IBM management to features offered
Management License Use manage and through HTML user
Console; includes Management monitor concurrent interface
software support; User and users, and support
management, group for several NT Note: Lacks LDAP
usage metering, management; domains support
license control, AS/400 simultaneously.
LDAP and directory RSTLICPGM
services support install; S/390 Note: Lacks LDAP
SMP/E install from support
tape; Service
Location Protocol
(SLP) load-
balancing support;
IBM SecureWay
On-Demand Server
integration

8 March 2001 13


Systems, Inc.

to-Host

Application Open APIs; HACL Host Access Class Robust API support JHLLAPI allows
Development included; Host Library API for Java for customization; interfaces to be
Session Services (HACL); Host API supported: constructed
enables custom- Access Beans for EHLLAPI (32 bit), between any third-
developed Java, including WinHLLAPI, party development
applications that Terminal, Session; (WOSA), DDE, tool and
reside on the server File Transfer, EHLLAPI (16 bit), WebConnect Pro;
and are not Macro and other DOS EHLLAPI; Autovista converts
downloaded to the beans; Host Access Keyboard mapping; green-on-black
client ActiveX Controls color mapping; auto mainframe format
macro (login); User to a GUI display;
macros OpenVista provides
an IDE for custom
development of
applets
GUI "HotGUI" feature Default GUI Lacks "on-the-fly" Visual Rejuvenation
automatically provides limited capability Tool option offers
changes green "on-the-fly" robust "on-the-fly"
screen to GUI-like rejuvenation; GUI capability;
screen. converts any Persistent
3270/5250 screen Connection keeps
Note: "HotGUI" is into its graphical client screens
standard with the equivalent synchronized with
Unix edition the mainframes
Optional add-on:
Screen Customizer
provides robust "on-
the-fly" host
application
rejuvenation.

Company Persoft, an SEAGULL WRQ, Inc.
Esker
Company

Product Name Persoft WinJa/JWalk WRQ Reflection for the Web
Persona

Applets and Java; C++ Java; ActiveX Java
Clients
Architecture Three tier Two tier or three tier Two tier

8 March 2001 14


Esker
Company

Persona

Platform Client: Client: Client: Will support any Java-
Support Platform Windows 95, 98, NT, 2000; enabled machine running in a
independent Windows NT Terminal Sever; standard browser; native platform
Cit4ix, any JVM 1.1 and 1.18 support limited to Windows and
Server: Any compliant devices running served Mac running Mac OS Runtime for
Windows NT- Java clients through a browser. Java 2.1.1+
based Web
server Server: Server: Supports major Web
Windows NT/2000; Sun Solaris; servers
OS/390 2.5 or higher (WinJa
only); OS/400 V4R3 or higher
(Jwalk only)
Emulation Mainframe, WinJa includes its own internal Mainframe, AS/400; Unix;
Support AS/400; emulator for mainframe; external OpenVMS; VT52/100/102;
VT52/100/101/ emulators not required. VT220/400; extensive HP
102, Supported: RUMBA 5.2; emulations
VT220/320/42 Attachmate Extra! 6.1 – 6.4;
0; Data NetManage Chameleon 8.02;
General IBM Personal Communications
(Persona 4.2; TCP/IP to SNA Server
Insight)

Note: Lacks
HP emulation
File Transfer Not supported Not supported IND$FILE
Functions
Gateways Microsoft SNA Supports gateways of third Not required; supports SNA
Server parties Server and NetWare for SAA, as
well as other SNA gateways

8 March 2001 15


Esker
Company

Persona

Printing Supports local Screen and GUI panel printing for TN3270E; Screen printing for all
Support printing all client types; emulations
through the Text spool file and full TN5250E
browser; for JWalk
supports
delivery of
host reports to
IBM 3270 or
5250 users in
PDF format
Note:
Currently the
only Web-to-
host product
with a built-in
PDF delivery
feature
Security and SSL 3.0; SSL 3.0; SSL/TLS; DES and Triple DES;
Encryption Authenticode Proprietary encryption method for Java-based security proxy server;
2.0, Diffie- Java Clients VPN support; HTTP tunneling;
Hellman; WRQ VeriSign certificate
public provides applet verification (no
key/digital HTTP proxy server required)
certificates;
RC2, DES, Note: WRQ is currently the only
Triple DES; Web-to-host vendor that supports
MD5; SHA-1 TLS security

Note: 168-bit
is optional
(Triple DES)

8 March 2001 16


Esker
Company

Persona

Management Windows- Servers managed with XML- Browser-based management
based based server management includes HTML content and Java
console; console (SMC) applets
central
management; Note: Lacks LDAP, but can port Note: No LDAP; Lacks any built-
supports LDAP info into WinJa or JWalk in user or group access control;
Windows NT must use authentication and
NTFS-based authorization features built into
file systems the Web server

Note: Lacks
LDAP support
and
user/group
management
Application Browser script Open APIs to Java, VB; Java-based APIs automate logon
Development integration: "Collector" technology gathers tasks, access dialog boxes,
JavaScript, screen maps and display files create Web framework; Java-
VBScript, CGI based APIs accessible through
scripts and HTML, JavaScript, VBScript and
Macros; Applet Java
parameters
GUI "On-the-fly" Complete customization; also "On-the-fly" GUI features only
GUI features "On-the-fly" GUI capability available with the Professional
Edition

Table 3: PC-to-Host-Connectivity
Thick-Client Thin-Client

Installed on individual desktops; the user interface is a Installed at a single point to a Citrix or TSE network
Windows GUI, and the client platform is Windows. server; the user interface is a Windows GUI, and the
Geared towards power users that require high client platform can be Windows or non-Windows.
performance and end-user flexibility. Geared toward users that require flexibility and IT
personnel that require better administrative control.

Traditional Emulation Connectivity Versus Web-to-Host
Web-to-host connectivity promises to deliver mission-critical host information to a broader user base—
faster, easier and more cost-effectively than traditional emulation software. More importantly, it promises
to open the doors to the data contained within legacy systems to a broader user base while maintaining
centralized control and lowering software ownership costs; this can be key to a company's e-business
8 March 2001 17


strategy. Does this mean that companies should switch to Web-to-host? Not quite; process-intensive
types will probably want to continue using their traditional tools. Many companies will find they need to
incorporate Web-to-host alongside thick-client and thin-client PC-to-host technologies.
Insight
Web-to-host furnishes point-and-click access to the proprietary information contained within corporate
mainframes quicker, easier and cheaper than traditional PC-to-host connectivity methods— users can
simply link their Java-enabled Web browsers to the "big iron". Downloading a thin-client terminal
emulation applet to establish sessions can free management from administering and maintaining
traditional client terminal emulation software on each PC; this adds up to considerable savings.
Additionally, the cost of Web-to-host software is substantially cheaper than traditional terminal emulation
software for PCs. More importantly, Web-to-host can enable companies to implement e-business
strategies more quickly. However, there are still security concerns, and for some process-intensive types,
Web-to-host may not be enough. On the other hand, Web-to-host is still evolving; as vendors continue to
add more robust security and customization features, even larger numbers of users will be able to employ
Web-to-host technology.
Web-to-Host Glossary
ActiveX Control: A local resident control based on Microsoft’s Component Object Model (COM) that loads within a
Web browser providing host-access capability.

Applet: A Java program that is run from inside a Web browser.

Certificate: A digital document that contains information about a person or organization, including the identity and
public keys.

Client: The computer that displays the Web page that contains an applet.

Data Encryption Standard (DES): An algorithm for encoding messages by breaking them into logical blocks and
encrypting each one.

Diffie-Helman: A key agreement protocol allowing two entities to agree upon and exchange public keys prior to
combination with private keys.

Host Access Class Library (HACL): A core set of classes and methods that allow development of platform-
independent application that can access host information at the data-stream level.

Host: The mainframe or midrange computer to which the PC connects.

Hypertext Markup Language (HTML): An application of SGML that uses tags to mark text and graphics in a
document. Web browsers use the tags to structure and format Web pages.

Hypertext Transfer Protocol (HTTP): A client/server protocol that allows information exchange between Web servers
and browsers.

Proxy: A server that works in conjunction with a firewall to provide network security.

Secure Sockets Layer (SSL): The de facto security standard used with most Web-to-host software; a group of
protocols based on public-key cryptography and digital certificate for encrypting private information.

Transmission Control Protocol/Internet Protocol (TCP/IP): A set of communication protocols that allow
communication between computers on a local network or the Internet.

Terminal Emulation: The capability of personal computers to act as if they were a particular type of terminal and
communicate with another computer, such as a Unix system or a mainframe.

Telnet: A protocol that allows a user to access a remote computer on a TCP/IP network as if the user were using a
text-based terminal, such as a 3270 terminal.

8 March 2001 18


Transport Layer Security (TLS): A group of protocols incorporating the specifications used in other security
protocols, including SSL for encrypting private information.

TN3270 and TN5250: Protocols used by an IBM mainframe or AS/400 to communicate with other devices, including
PCs.

VT Emulation: The use of software that enables a client to emulate Digital Equipment Corp. (DEC) terminals such
as the VT52, VT100, VT200 and VT220. VT emulation is widely used with Unix systems.

8 March 2001 19

Serena Lambiase 5 April 2001

Peer-to-Peer Computing Technologies: An Introduction

Summary
The newly updated peer-to-peer networking model is currently being referred to by many in the industry
(most notably Intel) as a paradigm that is about to change IT in much the same way the Internet has.
What is peer-to-peer computing, why is there so much industry hype concerning it, what are the benefits
and risks, and are there viable business uses?

Table of Contents
Technology Basics
Technology Analysis
Business Use
Benefits and Risks
Standards
Technology Leaders
Insight

List Of Tables
Table 1: Peer-to-Peer Companies and Categories

Entire contents © 2001 by Gartner, Inc. All rights reserved. Reproduction of this publication in any form without prior written permission is forbidden. The information contained herein has been obtained from sources believed to be
reliable. Gartner disclaims all warranties as to the accuracy, completeness or adequacy of such information. Gartner shall have no liability for errors, omissions or inadequacies in the information contained herein or for interpretations
thereof. The reader assumes sole responsibility for the selection of these materials to achieve its intended results. The opinions expressed herein are subject to change without notice.


Technology Basics
Since peer-to-peer computing has existed from the very beginnings of PC computing, why has it recently
become so popular, and what are the implications for businesses and enterprises? How was the "old"
model of peer-to-peer computing implemented, and what has suddenly caused this model of networking
to be resurrected into new uses?

Peer-to-Peer Networking versus Client/Server Networking

The original PC networks were based on file-sharing peer-to-peer architectures. In a peer-to-peer
network, each workstation has equivalent capabilities and responsibilities; this differs from today’s
client/server architectures, in which some computers are dedicated to serving the others. Peer-to-peer
networks were simpler to implement, but they did not offer robust performance under heavy loads. In the
1990s, PC LAN computing evolved because the capacity of the file sharing was strained as the number of
online users grew (it can only satisfy about 12 users simultaneously) and graphical user interfaces (GUIs)
became popular. As a result of the limitations of file-sharing architectures and the faster speeds that
became available through technologies such as Ethernet, the client/server architecture for networking
became the preferred model of business networking, where every computer on a client/server network is
either a client or a server.

The Impact of Recent Industry Changes on Peer-to-Peer Development

Over the past few years, the sheer number of PCs has increased exponentially. At the same time, the
computing capabilities of PCs have become more powerful; in fact, most PCs today are more powerful
than earlier servers. Broadband has become more readily available, and PCs have also become both
more powerful and affordable. During this same time frame, Internet technologies have drastically
improved; the increasing availability of broadband, together with more powerful PCs, has led to new
business uses for Internet technology (intranets, extranets, using browsers to gain access to mainframe
data, etc.).
During 2000, file-sharing peer-to-peer networks such as Napster became extremely popular. Napster
allows users to utilize the worldwide reach of the Internet to share music files stored on their local hard
disks. Although the Napster program initially gained notoriety because of its music-pirating ability, the real
news here is the importance of its very powerful distribution platform and search engine that Napster
provides. This simultaneous occurrence of the changes and improvements within the PC industry,
including the newer Internet technologies, and the wildly popular Napster phenomenon has given rise to
the possibility of an entirely new type of peer-to-peer (P2P) business model for computing.

The New Peer-to-Peer Computing Models

The new peer-to-peer model abandons the networking notions of separate clients and servers and
instead allows every networked machine to connect to another machine. New peer-to-peer applications
will enable people to search for information stored on an individual user's hard drive via the Internet— the
original P2P networks worked by exchanging information directly between computers. This would not be
possible if PCs had not become ubiquitous, more powerful, and had more broadband available. The new
P2P models can be implemented in a pure peer-to-peer fashion as totally server-free implementations
that directly connect desktops over an IP network, or Napster-style, using servers to direct traffic. Peer-to-
peer proponents claim that new Internet-based standards and protocols will make P2P computing easier
to implement and believe it will soon become practical for many businesses. Many universities and

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research organizations have been using P2P models for years; now these technologies are being
developed for the enterprise space.
Peer-to-peer technology allows enterprises to leverage their computing resources by enabling a direct
exchange of services between computers. This includes exchanging data, processing cycles, cache
storage, and disk storage. This past year has seen a plethora of start-up companies materialize that are
geared towards utilizing P2P computing. Distributed computing (reducing computation costs), file sharing
(protected content distribution), collaboration (secure file sharing in ad hoc groups), intelligent agents
(cooperative search engines), and distributed storage sharing (reduce the need for file servers; migrate
files to area of use) are examples of the ways P2P is being developed by these companies.

Technology Analysis
Business Use

Peer-to-Peer Distributed Computing and Cycle Sharing

The Boeing Aerospace company, oil company Amerada Hess, and Intel claim they have been able to
reduce the need to buy high-end computer systems, including mainframes, by using P2P networking to
tap into the processing power that is already available on their companies’ desktop PCs. Enterprise
managers can use existing resources for storage and computing from every computer on the network on
a global basis. Companies that stand to benefit from P2P Distributed Computing are in the following
industries: biotech, search engines, computer-aided design, film animation, and financial services.

Peer-to-Peer Collaboration

Peer-to-peer collaboration applications can be used for real-time meetings and communications and
secure file sharing in ad hoc groups. Business groups can form and dissolve self-organized webs for
collaboration on projects. Peer-to-peer collaboration can also be used to speed the development of new
products and to decrease the cost and time involved in developing manufactured products, as exemplified
by Oculus Technologies, Inc. Several companies are currently developing P2P collaboration applications
geared towards the investment management industry. They claim the more simplified and automated
workflow process will allow participants in the financial services community to connect directly with
investment managers without going through an intermediary, currently represented by the B2B
exchanges; this could have significant impact on B2B exchanges. NextPage is an example of this type of
company.

Peer-to-Peer File Sharing and Superdistribution

Peer-to-peer can also be used to disseminate the latest security measures in real-time, including antivirus
and personal firewall updates to an entire enterprise. Another use for the new P2P model would be the
authorized peer-to-peer sharing of music or book files, giving retailers and consumers the ability to pass
content to multiple recipients; this would be geared towards companies in the media industries.
Benefits and Risks

Benefits

Peer-to-peer tools can save time and money by lessening the need for corporate IT to expand some of
their services, such as Web servers, backup storage, and replacing outdated documents. Peer-to-peer
computing also has the potential to allow a certain amount of network traffic to move from the corporate
backbone to less expensive infrastructure, such as switches, hubs, and routers.

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Many corporations have stretched their resources for the server layer to the limits, while their network of
underutilized client PCs sit idly by. This represents an enormous untapped resource for storage. Large
companies might be able to utilize their client layer in order to offer as much as 10 terabytes of spare
storage (2,000 clients x 5GB/client) with trillions of operations per second of spare processing power
available for intense calculations performed over the network without placing additional strain on the
backbone.
Peer-to-peer computing can extend computing to the "edges" of the Internet, allowing every computer to
serve as an "edge server" to those computers around it. Intracompany training is one of many business
applications that could benefit from this benefit. One of the key inhibitors to the use of multimedia
audio/video files for the purposes of intracompany training is their typically enormous size; since so many
companies are now global and need to distribute files to trans-Atlantic locations, they have been held
back by trans-Atlantic bandwidth constraints. Peer-to-peer could allow every computer to act as an edge
server to those computers around it. After the first employee downloads a file, the second employee’s
system automatically recognizes that there is a local version of the file within the overseas office and
begins a direct exchange between the computers, as opposed to accessing the file over a trans-Atlantic
line. From that point on, every subsequent employee is able to access the file over a 10/100 Mbps
network.
Cycle sharing allows workstations on the network to access the computing resources of underutilized
machines. Design teams that require massive computing resources can leverage the machines from other
groups who are not currently using their machines for heavy computations. This would lessen the time to
market for the development and manufacturing of new products.
Other benefits include substantially faster transaction times for the financial and brokerage industries and
downloading important files, such as updated antivirus and firewalls, in real-time on a company-wide
basis.

Risks

Peer-to-peer applications enable other people to search for information stored on an individual user’s hard
drive via the Internet; this can lead to security problems. Therefore, software needs to be developed that
will enable users to restrict the peer-to-peer applications access rights to only those areas specified by the
user.
Since P2P computing is not centralized, managing P2P within a corporation is problematical. The lack of
centralization also poses a problem for search engines.
Most enterprises do not have enough Internet bandwidth to sustain a flood of large file transfers that could
be caused by the unauthorized use of P2P programs by their employees; enterprises will need to restrict
the unauthorized use of P2P applications by their employees.
The still nascent peer-to-peer industry needs to develop common protocols and improve scalability,
security and management, and standards for interoperability.
Standards
Without the timely development of effective standards for interoperability and security, the much hyped
expectations for P2P will not come to fruition. To expedite P2P’s adoption, the following groups are laying
the groundwork for standardization.

The Peer-to-Peer Working Group

http://peer-to-peerwg.org
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The "Peer-to-Peer Working Group" is a consortium for the advancement of infrastructure standards for
peer-to-peer computing and the sharing of computer resources and services by direct exchange. The
stated charter for the Peer-to-Peer WG is to determine areas for standardization, rapidly develop
specifications, and promote adoption of these specifications as standards throughout the computer
industry.
• Peer-to-Peer Working Group Member Companies: Alliance Computing; BIAP Systems Inc.; Bright
Station PLC; CenterSpan; Endeavors Technology; Entropia, Inc.; Fujitsu PC Corporation; Global
Network Computers; Information Architects, Intel Corporation; J.D. Edwards, NetMount; NextPage,
Inc.; OpenDesign, Inc.; Proksim Software, Inc.; Science Communications, Inc.; United Devices.
• Peer-to-Peer Working Group Supportive Companies: AppleSoup; Applied MetaComputing;
Distributed Science; Dotcast; Enfish Technology; Engenia Software; Groove Networks; HP; IBM;
Kalepa; MangoSoft; Static; Structural Analysis Tech, Inc.; Thinkstream, Inc.; Uprizer; Vtel.

Global Grid Forum (Global GF)

www.globalgridforum.com
The "Global Grid Forum" (Global GF) is a community-initiated forum of individual researchers and
practitioners from industry and academia working on distributed computing or "grid" technologies (peer-to-
peer). The Global GF focuses on the promotion and development of Grid technologies and applications
via the development and documentation of "best practices," implementation guidelines, and standards.
The Global GF efforts are also aimed at the development of a broadly based "Integrated Grid
Architecture" that can serve to guide the research, development, and deployment activities of the
emerging Grid communities.
• Global Grid Forum Registered Participants: The majority of the registered participants consists
largely of universities and National Science Labs, along with a smaller group of companies. A partial
list includes the following: Argonne National Laboratory, Centrata, CERN, Compaq, CSC-NASA
Ames Research Center, Entropia, Fujitsu America, GE Corporate R&D Center, IBM, Intel, Jet
Propulsion Laboratory, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Microsoft Research, MIT, NASA,
Sandia National Laboratories, Sun Labs and Sun Microsystems.

The New Productivity Initiative (NPI)

www.newproductivity.org/npi_in.html
A small group of companies, which include Hewlett-Packard, Compaq, and SGI, have formed an alliance
to take advantage of the growth of distributed computing. The purpose of the New Productivity Initiative
(NPI) is to define and develop a reference model and a set of open APIs to enable the sharing of
distributed computing resources regardless of platform. It is also the goal of the NPI to create a distributed
resource management (DRM) standard that will allow software from different vendors running on different
hardware platforms to work in concert.
According to the NPI, distributed resource management is key to P2P because it enables users and
applications to interact as if they are using a very large, single, virtual distributed computer. DRM provides
a way of sharing processing cycles with other computers, automatically finding the best computer in the
network to run the desired application, and distributes processing in a secure and reliable manner without
user or application intervention. DRM itself operates as a central service that may be implemented by
either hybrid or pure P2P technologies.

Universal Description, Discovery, and Integration (UDDI) Project

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www.uddi.org
On 6 September 2000, Ariba, IBM, and Microsoft announced the Universal Description, Discovery and
Integration (UDDI) Project, designed to create a standard format with which enterprises engaged in e-
commerce can describe themselves and their method of conducting e-business transactions. The
specification defines a platform-independent, open framework for describing services, discovering
businesses, and integrating business services using the Internet.
Many design problems associated with directory services, communication protocols, and message
formats are being addressed by P2P applications in a proprietary manner; UDDI and other Internet-
derived standards are expected to reduce the complexity and amount of effort required to create P2P
applications.

Peer-to-Peer Trusted Library (PtPTL)

Intel has recently developed security software code that other companies can use when developing P2P
applications. The Peer-to-Peer Trusted Library (PtPTL) includes full API documentation and provides
support for peer authentication, secure storage, encryption, and digital signatures. Intel has made the API
freely available to developers online; it is Intel’s hope that releasing the PtPTL will aid innovation in the
peer-to-peer security market.
The Peer-to-Peer Trusted Library (PtPTL) allows software developers to add the element of "trust" to their
peer-to-peer applications. It provides support for digital certificates, peer authentication, secure storage,
public key encryption, digital signatures, and symmetric key encryption. The library also provides simple
support for networking and some operating system primitives, such as threads and locks, to ease the
development of applications that are portable to both Win32 and Linux.

Sun Microsystems’ Juxtapose (JXTA)

On 15 February 2001, Sun Microsystems Inc. announced that the company is developing a Web-based
programming language called Juxtapose for use by companies looking to build distributed peer-to-peer
computing applications. In April, the company plans to host an online conference related to JXTA, at
which time it will release the specifications for the technology.
According to Sun, security mechanisms in JXTA will be a priority for Sun. The language is expected to
contain some monitoring features and to support collaborative development capabilities. There are four
mechanisms planned for JXTA: the ability to connect peers, group them together logically, monitor and
control what they do, and add a security layer.
Technology Leaders

Intel and Cycle Sharing: NetBatch

Intel was the initial founder of the Peer-to-Peer Working Group and has been extremely vocal in its
support of P2P technology. According to Patrick P. Gelsinger, Vice President and Chief Technology
Officer of the Intel Architecture Group, peer-to-peer computing will spark the next wave of Internet
innovation much as the Mosaic browser did for the last. "Intel sees peer-to-peer computing as a natural
complement to the infrastructure that we’ve been building."
Intel has developed a P2P program called NetBatch, which allows Intel’s design engineers to leverage the
idle computing resources in any of Intel’s global facilities. Simulation jobs submitted to NetBatch are
assigned to one of the many resources (computers) comprising the NetBatch queue across Intel’s global
computing network. Intel claims that by using NetBatch, resources that would otherwise be utilized 50
percent or less are deployed on Intel’s most mission-critical computing tasks. NetBatch now processes
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2.7 million jobs on a monthly basis. Mr. Gelsinger claims that during the 10 years that Intel has been using
NetBatch, the company has increased the utilization of its aggregate computing capacity from 35 percent
to over 80 percent. Mr. Gelsinger claims that Intel was able to accelerate its validation process by eight
weeks on a recent chip project and delivered the chip ahead of schedule. Intel claims that NetBatch has
saved them greater than a half-billion dollars.
Intel is also responsible for the development of the new Peer-to-Peer Trusted Library (PtPTL) security
code, which was discussed in the above "Standards" section of this report.

Microsoft and the .NET Initiative

New services are being developed by several companies, which will allow users to synchronize messages
from all their devices and retrieve them from a central Web site. This new way of using data utilizes the
Internet itself as an operating system, thereby eliminating problems created by conflicting formats and
allowing users to store data safely on the Internet and access it from any personal computer, cell phone,
or Web appliance. Microsoft is expected to aid the creation of such online applications through its .NET
initiative. On 22 June 2000, Microsoft announced what it calls a new generation of software, Microsoft
.NET, which they claim will enable every developer, business, and consumer to benefit from the new
Internet devices and programmable Web services that characterize the Next Generation Internet.
Microsoft also plans to incorporate new P2P features into future versions of Windows. To provide Internet-
based security features for P2P applications, Microsoft is considering opening its Passport user directory
in order to authenticate a wide range of P2P applications; Microsoft is also considering using Windows to
enable P2P services in the background. File-sharing and printer-sharing features have been embedded
into Windows for years, and Microsoft Office 10 will incorporate MSN Messenger Service for person-to-
person collaboration.

IBM: EMMS and Superdistribution

The IBM Electronic Media Management System’s (EMMS) upcoming superdistribution capability will allow
the authorized peer-to-peer sharing of music or book files, giving retailers and consumers the ability to
pass content to multiple recipients. EMMS’s new feature set is intended to address the music industry’s
immediate need for a solution to create e-commerce and a viable business model around consumers’
growing affinity for sharing music files over the Internet. Along with superdistribution, EMMS also provides
support for the MusicMatch Jukebox digital music software and the RealNetworks, Inc. RealJukebox.

Groove Networks, Inc. and Groove

Amongst the new P2P start-ups, the company that has probably attained the most attention is Groove
Networks, Inc. This is because its founder and CEO is Ray Ozzie, the creator of Lotus Notes. Groove
proposes software infrastructure that will allow groups of coworkers, regardless of location, to share
documents, collaborate on them, and converse about them over VoIP links. The software enables
coworkers to use whatever communication channel is open to them. The initial release of the software
was a 10MB client that includes browser, instant messaging, and other tools.
Groove hides the complexity of dealing with firewalls, encryption, and other security issues. Groove runs
on each user’s computer and handles all communication functions. To establish communication with
another person, the user sends an invitation via e-mail. Groove is intelligent and detects the connection;
when modem users are not using Groove, it puts itself into a low priority to free up bandwidth. Also,
Groove can detect if the connection is internal or external. The platform works through firewalls by routing
all traffic through port 80, the HTTP port used by Web browsers; connections are fully encrypted, as is the
shared space, which takes place on a router at Groove’s data center. Groove is an open-architecture

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platform with full support for standard data formats, protocols, APIs, and development tools. According to
Groove, any business process that requires dynamic communication and collaboration can be enhanced
and extended. Examples of these business processes include purchasing, inventory control, distribution,
exchanges and auctions, channel and partner relationship management, and customer care and support.
In addition to being a P2P application for interactivity among business individuals, Groove is also a peer
computing platform which can be used by an e-business or a solution developer. As a platform, Groove
includes the ability to integrate edge-based functionality with centralized systems and business
processes, which can be extended outside the corporate firewall to external partners and customers. It
also provides users with the ability to add functionality and additional members "on the fly." The
underlying peer services include security, local XML object storage, and XML object routing services.

Other Companies and Initiatives That Are Peer-to-Peer Influencers

The SETI@home Project, or ET Call Home

Napster may be the most notorious and well-known example of P2P, but SETI@home is arguably a close
second in fame. SETI@home began distributing its P2P software in May 1999, just a few months after
Napster was released. SETI@home allows individuals, or "volunteers," to donate unused processing
cycles on their PCs to a worldwide "grid" of approximately 2.6 million computers, turning it into the most
powerful supercomputer on the planet. The goal of the SETI@home project is to search for extraterrestrial
intelligence (SETI) using radio telescopes. At a glance, SETI@home looks like a screensaver; in order to
participate in the project, volunteers download a small program to their PC. The program then downloads
a batch of data and processes it while the PC is idle. When the batch is complete, the program connects
to the SETI@home server over the Internet, returning the results and obtaining the next batch of data.

Porivo Technologies, Inc. and PEER

Porivo Technologies’ PEER enables users to contribute the spare capacity of their PCs to large-scale
computing projects across the Internet, while turning their PC’s otherwise wasted resources into
sweepstakes entries for cash and prizes. Users that download and install the Porivo PEER will help test
the performance of high-volume Web sites while they earn sweepstakes entries. Using otherwise wasted
CPU and bandwidth resources, each Porivo PEER autonomously tests the performance of Web sites,
returning valuable performance data that companies can use to optimize their Web site design, content
distribution strategies, and technical infrastructures.
Porivo has formed a partnership with The Daily Jolt, a network of college-specific Web sites at 105
campuses, to promote its Porivo PEER technology to college students nationwide. The Daily Jolt network
reaches more than 1.2 million students daily. Each Daily Jolt site is built and maintained by students on
campus and driven by those who use it each day. Porivo will be The Daily Jolt’s exclusive partner in the
peer-to-peer computing space.

NextPage and NXT 3

NextPage is currently using P2P content networks to create a secure exchange of business-critical
information, where users have integrated access to relevant data that is distributed on the Internet,
intranets, partner’s databases, commercial publishers, or other resources through a Web browser.
According to NextPage, the company was first to employ P2P technology to enable businesses to
manage, access, and exchange distributed content from partners, suppliers, customers, and employees
in real time. In other words, enterprises can use their P2P software, NXT 3, not just within their own
companies, but also outside of their companies. NXT 3 is geared towards information-intensive industries,
such as high-tech financial services and professional services. According to a company spokesperson,

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NXT 3 was developed to be able to create access on a business-to-business framework and enables
distributed access to corporate information content, from e-mail, to documents, to slides.

Oculus Technologies, Inc. and CO

Utilizing P2P to speed the development of new products, P2P computing applications can be used to
decrease the cost and time involved in developing manufactured products. Start-up Oculus Technologies
Inc. lets companies link engineering applications and share information about product design among
departments, workgroups, and partners that play a role in bringing manufactured goods to market. Its
software, CO, routes shared data directly from PC to PC. The company claims the application eliminates
the phone calls, faxes, and meetings that ordinarily take place when changes to a design are requested
and also may encourage innovation by making it easier and faster to evaluate design options.
The application is meant to enhance existing enterprise resource planning, computer-aided design, and
product data management applications. Once users download CO from the Web, they can create links to
documents, such as a CAD file, and send those links to others over an IP network. CO also lets users
make just a single field of a document accessible, rather than the entire file, to protect intellectual property
and minimize network traffic.

DataSynapse

DataSynapse is attempting to bring distributed computing to the marketplace by creating a network of
home computers that will serve as a virtual supercomputer for DataSynapse’s clients. Individual computer
owners download proprietary software; when the computer is idle, the software retrieves a portion of the
task from the DataSynapse server, performs the calculation, and returns the results to the company. The
individual computer owner is paid a small fee for processing time.
DataSynapse has targeted the financial services industry as its first market. Since speed is crucial in this
sector, DataSynapse believes large financial services firms will pay a premium for access to its networked
computing power. According to the DataSynapse CEO, its clients now have the ability to perform in
seconds or minutes calculations that could require five to 10 hours using their usual installed software
applications. Critical decisions about pricing, risk assessment, and other matters involving complex
calculations can now be made in real time.

myCIO.com

Rumor, distributed by myCIO, a subsidiary of Network Associates, is a distribution system for antivirus
patches. Rumor enables users at a customer site to share the ASP’s latest security measures in real-time,
including antivirus and personal firewall updates. A typical example would be: instead of 10 users at a
customer site separately downloading an antivirus update, one person would do it, and other users would
get the update transparently from a "peer" on the LAN. Digital signatures ensure the update originates
with myCIO.com.
Peer-to-Peer Peer-to-Peer Categories
Companies

2AM Distributed Computing, Gaming, Superdistribution
3Path Superdistribution, Messaging
Aimster File Sharing, Instant Messaging, Messaging Infrastructure
Alibre (Alibre Design) Collaboration

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Companies

Applied Distributed Computing, Internet Operating System
MetaComputing
Aviatis (LiveDoc) Collaboration
Bad Blue File Sharing
BearShare Search Engines, File Sharing
Biz2Peer Development, Infrastructure, Portal, Platform
Technologies
Buzzpad, Inc. Gaming
CenterSpan Gaming, Messaging
Centrata Distributed Computing
Clip2 Develops and provides technical data and research for the Gnutella developer and
end user communities.

Search Engines, File Sharing
Consilient, Inc. Infrastructure
CuteMX.Com File Sharing
(GlobalScape, Inc.)
Datasynapse Distributed Computing
Distributed.net Distributed Computing
Distributed Science Distributed Computing
eMikolo Licensed Media File Sharing
Endeavors Magi P2P technology.
Technology, Inc.
Web Publishing, Wireless
Engenia Software Engenia’s Unity is XML-based Web-enabled software for managing corporate and
personal data.

Collaboration, Messaging
Entropia Distributed Computing
Everything Collaboration, Web Publishing
eZ Real-time shared whiteboard and real-time chat.

Collaboration, Messaging
File Navigator Finds media files on Open Napster (Open-Nap) networks.

File Sharing
File Rouge, Inc. File Sharing
Filetopia Search Engines, File Sharing
Flycode Napster cofounder Bill Bales’ project to create a video version of Napster’s music-
swapping software; originally named AppleSoup.

Licensed Media Distribution
Freenet File Sharing, Superdistribution

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Companies

Frontcode File Sharing
Technologies
Gnutella Gnutella is an open-source project with several clients registered under the GNU
License.

File Sharing
gonesilent.com (aka Based on the Gnutella technology, InfraSearch was built by Gene Kan and other
InfraSearch) Gnutella developers.

Search Engines
Groove Networks Developed by Ray Ozzie, creator of Lotus Notes; Groove’s "Transceiver" provides
robust file-sharing and collaboration capabilities for businesses.

Collaboration, Messaging, File Sharing
grub.org Search Engines
IBM EMMS IBM Electronic Media Management System (EMMS).

Superdistribution
Hotline File Sharing
Communications Ltd.
Ikimbo, Inc. Collaboration
iMaestro iMaestro is focused on e-commerce applications of P2P technology.

File Sharing, Messaging, Infrastructure
iMesh Ltd. File Sharing
Infobot Perl-based online fact-gathering service that relies on the Internet Relay Chat (IRC)
protocol. The fact-gathering involves factoids, an online research tool.

Search Engine
Interbind Collaboration
Jabber Instant Messaging, Messaging Frameworks
Jabberzilla This site is devoted to Jabberzilla, a Jabber client that installs into Mozilla-based
browsers.

Instant Messaging
Jungle Monkey Unix-based file-sharing service developed by the Electrical Engineering and
Computer Science Department University of Michigan.

File Sharing
Kalepa Networks, Provider of Internet content delivery infrastructure. Individual investors include
Inc. executives at Excite@Home and Ziff Davis.

Licensed Media Distribution
KaZaA Search Engines, File Sharing

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Companies

MangoSoft File Sharing
Manila Manila Example: Editthispage.com.

Web Publishing
Microsoft.NET Microsoft’s .NET consists of a "set of building block services as well as services for
file storage, user preference management, calendar management, and other tasks."

Infrastructure, Distributed Storage
Mithral Infrastructure
Communications &
Design Inc.
Mojo Nation System designed to enable publishing and sharing of any kind of data; each
(Autonomous Zone transaction costs some "Mojo," and as user’s credit limits are reached, cash or
Industries) resources must be contributed to the "community."

File Sharing
myCIO.com (Rumor) Rumor enables antivirus and personal firewall updates.

File Sharing
Napster The most famous peer-to-peer file sharing service; its success has drawn attention
to the power and capability of peer-to-peer computing.

File Sharing
NextPage (NXT 3) Collaboration, File Sharing, Messaging
Ohaha File Sharing
OnSystems, Inc. Formerly named "InterFriendly"; develops Virtual Internet Networks (VINs) that allow
(InterFriendly) people to create virtual networks between PCs over the Internet.

File Sharing, Infrastructure
OpenCOLA Search Engine, Distributed Computing
OpenNap OpenNap is an open source effort to create a version of the proprietary Napster
server.

File Sharing
Parabon Distributed Computing
Computation
Phoenix Integration Collaboration
(Model Center)
Plebio Search Engines
Pointera File Sharing, Search Engine, Infrastructure
Popular Power Distributed Computing
Porivo Technologies, Distributed Computing
Inc.

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Companies

Proksim Software Infrastructure, Gaming, File Sharing
(NetZ 1.0)
Publius File Sharing
Radio Userland A "personal radio station" that acts as a music organizer and player that allows
users to program music for themselves, and share their creations with others, over
the Internet, also works as an HTTP server.

Web Publishing
RightsMarket Inc. Licensed Media Distribution
Sandia National National security laboratory operated for the U.S. Department of Energy by
Laboratories Lockheed Martin; has a technology that allows multiple agents to form a cooperative
aimed at network security.

Infrastructure
Scour Exchange Video Swapping
SETI@home: The Distributed Computing
Search for
Extraterrestrial
Intelligence
Spinfrenzy.com File Sharing
Splooge, Inc. File Sharing
Swapoo Game Swapping
The Free Haven File Sharing
Project
Toadnode.com, LLC File Sharing
Tripnosis, Inc. File Sharing
United Devices, Inc. Distributed Computing
vTrails Superdistribution, Bandwidth Balancing
WebDAV Web Publishing
WebV2 WebV2 provides an application platform and network infrastructure to enable
commercial peer-to-peer applications.

Infrastructure, Search Engine
Wiki Wiki Web Web Publishing
WorldOS Development, Infrastructure
Corporation
WorldStreet Collaboration
Yo!nk Messaging, Media Distribution
Zion Technologies Development, Infrastructure

Insight
Peer-to-peer technology extends computing to the "edges" of the Internet, which allows every computer to
act as an edge server, thereby unlocking idle end-user computer resources (i.e., PCs). As the availability
of broadband connections and more powerful PCs continues to grow, and if standards for security and
DPRO-97205


interoperability are quickly developed, the business uses of P2P architecture will expand. Peer-to-peer
technology not only promises to answer the constantly growing demand for more types of information, it
also promises faster access to that information. Because of this, P2P technology stands to fundamentally
change many business models.

DPRO-97205

DPRO-95097 Product Report

IBM’s WebSphere Wireless Web-to-Host Solution

Summary
IBM’s Wireless Web-to-Host Solution provides mobile access to mainframe and host information. IBM
accomplishes this by combining two stand-alone products, WebSphere Host Publisher (WHP) and
WebSphere Transcoding Publisher (WTP). Together, these products are used to extend the reach of host
data applications beyond the Web to pervasive technologies; e.g., SmartPhones, cell phones, PDAs, and
Palm Pilots. Host Publisher offers Web-to-host connectivity and high-end HTML formatting to users
requiring Internet publishing; Transcoding Publisher transforms traditional Web content for wireless
environments. WTP also transforms Host content for wireless environments when used with Host
Publisher. Together, these two products become "IBM’s Wireless Web-to-Host Solution."
Note
This report focuses on IBM’s "Wireless Web-to-Host Solution" and therefore covers only the features and
capabilities of WHP and WTP that allow wireless, mobile connectivity to mainframe and host information,
using the various Web technologies.

Table of Contents
Overview
Analysis
Pricing
Competitors
Strengths
Limitations
Insight

List Of Tables
Table 1: IBM WebSphere Transcoding Publishing 3.5 Features and Functions
Table 2: IBM WebSphere Host Publisher Features and Functions

List Of Figures
Figure 1: IBM’s Wireless Web-to-Host Solution



Corporate Headquarters

International Business Machines Corp.
New Orchard Road

Tel: +1 914 499 1900
Overview

Table 1: IBM WebSphere Transcoding Publishing 3.5 Features and Functions
Content Sources • HTML, GIF, JPEG, XML
Output Formats • HDML, HTML, GIF, iMode (a variant of cHTML), JPEG, wireless bitmap, WML,
XML
Devices Supported • WAP devices, PCs, HDML, iMode, PDAs with wireless/browser capability, any
device with a standard HTTP browser
Server Operating • AIX, Linux, Solaris, Windows NT 4.0, 2000
Systems Supported
Other Platform • Support for JDK 1.2.2
Requirements
Special Platform • Load Balancing and Cache Exploitation with WebSphere Edge Server
Features • Key component of IBM WebSphere Everyplace Suite
• Support for SyncML
Special User • No effort required by end user on client. Customizes content by user-agent field in
Features device
Profile • Ships with several device profiles
Management/Person • Wizard-based profile creation tool
alization
Session • Yes
Management
(automatic reconnect
to disconnected
session)
Single (Global) Log- • Supported if user signs on via cookies-based user ID and password, and if the
In user's browser supports cookies
Voice • WTP must be used with IBM WebSphere Voice Server to enable voice-data
Transformation integration
Interactive Voice • No
Response (IVR)
Development Tools • SDK, Java based. JavaBeans. Open APIs. Request Viewer. Transform Tool.
Samples and documentation.
Admin./Management • Centralized administration via LDAP
Tools • Remote site monitoring. Wizards for adding transcoders, style-sheet association,
and device profiles
Security • In servlet: Supports SSL and transforms content before encryption

9 January 2001 2


Comments • Four deployment configurations: servlet, proxy, reverse proxy, or as JavaBeans.
Pluggable framework. Supports image transcoding.
Support • Services and training classes available through IBM, which provides a wide variety
of software support and services to help install and maintain the product
International • Support for 10 languages, including Japanese and Chinese
Language Support

Table 2: IBM WebSphere Host Publisher Features and Functions
Backend Data • Support applications written for 3270, 5250, VT52, VT100, VT220, Java classes,
Sources and JDBC-enabled databases
Performance and • Load balancing and failover are provided by IBM Network Dispatcher, which runs
Scalability on AIX, Windows NT, Windows 2000, Linux, and Solaris operating environments
• WebSphere Host Publisher applications run unchanged on any supported server
platform, allowing users to move their application to a higher-capacity platform as
demand increases
• Pages are precompiled into Java servlets and rerun anytime a user requests the
same Web page
• Connection pools improve response time during runtime through connected,
logged-on, and ready connections
• Object chaining provides flexibility and performance
Compatibility and • Includes IBM WebSphere Application Server, Standard Edition
Usability • Integrates IBM WebSphere Studio, Professional Edition for developing advanced
e-business applications
• Enables access to other IBM connectors, such as MQSeries
• Enables users to create HTML pages, which can be enhanced using industry-
standard HTML editors
• Lets users generate reusable Integration Objects, which can be used by
WebSphere Host Publisher applications and standard Java IDEs
• Provides access to Host Publisher Integration Objects from remote Java
applications or applets
• Enables import of Java classes created outside WebSphere Host Publisher to
WebSphere Host Publisher applications
• Allows users to encapsulate the interaction and data retrieval with host
applications, using GUI point-and-click customization tools
• Provides a load-and-go HTML emulator for 3270 and 5250
• Extends 3270 and 5250 application data in XML format
Security • 128-bit data encryption (RC/2, RC/4, DES, and Triple DES)
• SSL 3.0 support (X.509 certificate)
Memory and • Host Publisher Studio runs on Windows 95, Windows 98, Windows NT Ver 4, and
Software Windows 2000
• Requires at least an Intel Pentium 166 processor, 128MB of RAM, and 90MB of
available disk space
• Host Publisher Server runs on several platforms
• Requires at least 256MB of RAM
• 512MB of RAM recommended
• OS/390, Version 2 Release 7, or higher, requires WebSphere Application Server,
Standard Edition, Version 1. 2, running on a machine with at least 512MB of RAM
• OS/400, Version 4 Release 4, or higher, running on a machine with at least 512MB

9 January 2001 3


of RAM
• AIX, Version 4.3.2, or higher, running on a machine with at least 256MB of RAM
• Solaris operating environment, Version 2.6 or 2.7 SPARC, with the Native Threads
package, running on a machine with at least 256MB of RAM
• Windows NT, Version 4 requires Service Pack 4, or higher, running on a machine
with at least 256MB of RAM
• Windows 2000 Server or Advanced Server, running on a machine with at least
256MB of RAM

Analysis
IBM’s "Wireless Web-to-Host Solution" allows mobile users to connect to corporate or commercial
mainframes and retrieve data. This can be accomplished by using the various pervasive technologies
available today; e.g., SmartPhones, cell phones, PDAs, Palm Pilots, and laptops. This solution consists of
the following components:
• IBM WebSphere Host Publisher—high-end HTML formatting for customers requiring Internet
publishing.
• IBM WebSphere Transcoding Publisher— Filters, enhances, converts, or reformats data (e.g., Host
and Web content).

Figure 1: IBM’s Wireless Web-to-Host Solution

Extending Legacy Application Reach to Mobile Users

Source: IBM

IBM’s Wireless Web-to-Host Solution: How It Works

9 January 2001 4


IBM uses WebSphere Host Publisher to "pull" Host screen data and change it into HTML format. Then,
WebSphere Transcoding Publisher "transcodes" that data and makes it readable for any pervasive
device; e.g., SmartPhones, cell phones, PDAs, and Palm Pilots.

Possible Wireless Web-to-Host Customer Scenario Example

• Host Publisher: Company A, a bottled soft-drink distributor, deploys IBM WebSphere Host Publisher
to extend the company's legacy purchasing and inventory management system to their retail
Business Partners. Retailers are able to place inventory refill orders directly over the Internet and
receive immediate status as to stock-on-hand to fulfill the order. This solution makes purchase order
status information available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.
• Transoding Publisher: Company A also has a large mobile workforce in the form of the drivers who
deliver its products to the retailers. The drivers are equipped with small tablet devices on which their
daily delivery schedules are downloaded, but have no way to address requests for back-order status
or available inventory information while making their daily deliveries— the drivers need access to the
purchasing application, but do not have a PC or Web browser available to them. Transcoding
Publisher can take the output of Host Publisher, transform the output to fit the small form factor of the
tablets, and manage the wireless protocol used by the tablet devices to provide real-time access the
purchase order application.
• IBM's WebSphere Wireless Web-to-Host Solution: IBM WebSphere Host Publisher is deployed by
Company A to extend legacy applications to Web users in an HTML format; then, in combination with
Transcoding Publisher, Company A extends legacy application access to an even broader range of
new users.

Back-end Data Sources and Supported Devices

The two most important requirements for products that supply mobile, wireless access to mainframes are
the ability to interface with and interact with any back-end data source, and the ability to render the data to
any device. Within IBM's "Wireless Web-to-Host Solution" scenario, WebSphere Host Publisher takes
care of the back-end sources, and WTP can render the data to wireless devices:
• Supports applications written for 3270, 5250, VT52, VT100, VT220, Java classes, and JDBC-enabled
databases.
• Supports WAP devices, PCs, HDML, iMode, PDAs with wireless/browser capability, any device with
a standard HTTP browser.

Platform Support

IBM's "Wireless Web-to-Host Solution" is highly scalable and includes extensive platform support. Server
operating systems supported include AIC, Linux, Solaris, Windows NT 4.0, and Windows 2000. By way of
WebSphere Host Publisher, IBM's "Wireless Web-to-Host Solution" allows applications to run unchanged
on any supported server platform; users can move their applications to a higher-capacity platform as
demand increases.

Performance

Connection pools improve response time during runtime through connected, logged-on, and ready
connections, thereby shortening the connection time. Additionally, WTP transforms data before sending,
further reducing connection time; however, the downside is that this can cause a heavier footprint, as
much as 256 Mb RAM. Response time is also enhanced by precompiling pages into Java servlets, which

9 January 2001 5


can be rerun anytime a user requests the same Web page. Additionally, object chaining is supported,
which provides flexibility. Load balancing and failover are provided with IBM Network Dispatcher.

Image Transcoders

IBM’s "Wireless Web-to-Host Solution" allows data to be dynamically modified to new environments;
HTML content can be transcoded "on the fly" to WML, iMode, and HDML; and XML can be transformed to
XML variants through the use of XSL style sheets. In addition to the ability to transcode data, IBM’s
"Wireless Web-to-Host Solution" can transcode image content to mobile devices. Specifically, JPEG and
GIF images can be transformed to mobile devices:

• JPEG to GIF
• GIF to JPEG
• JPEG or GIF to WBMP (Wireless Bitmap)

Server Operating Systems Support

IBM's "Wireless Web-to-Host Solution" is highly scalable and includes extensive platform support. Server
operating systems supported include AIC, Linux, Solaris, Windows NT 4.0, and Windows 2000.

SyncML

One feature of particular note is IBM's support for SyncML. This emerging mobile synchronization
standard enables WTP to interoperate with other synchronization products which also support SyncML.
As the use of pervasive devices grows, the ability to synchronize a large number of different devices, and
to do so both effectively and in the background (invisible to the user), becomes increasingly more
important. The successful deployment of SyncML will help to accomplish this.

Management

• Remote site monitoring is supported.
• LDAP: IBM's "Wireless Web-to-Host Solution" deploys centralized administration through its LDAP
support (when used in conjunction with the new 3.5 version of WTP). Session Management is also
supported— sessions are automatically reconnected if disconnection occurs.
• Global log-in: Web server administrators can manage the configurations of multiple copies of WTP
from a single, central location through LDAP. However, global log-in for users is available only if they
use a cookies-based user-ID and password process, and if their handheld browser supports cookies.

Development Tools

Development tools include a Java-based SDK, JavaBeans, Open APIs, a "Request Viewer," transform
tool, samples, and documentation. Wizards for adding transcoders, style-sheet association, and device
profiles are included.

Security

IBM's "Wireless Web-to-Host Solution" includes robust security support, including SSL, which is
supported within the servlets. One security feature of particular note is that the content is transformed
before the encryption.
Pricing

WebSphere Transcoding Publisher
9 January 2001 6


The price of WebSphere Transcoding Publisher Version 3.5 is based on the number of processors in the
system executing all or any part of WebSphere Transcoding Publisher. In the case of a symmetric
multiprocessor (SMP) system, the user must also acquire the "one processor install entitlement." The
following example illustrates the pricing methodology: Two 4-way SMPs, for stand-alone systems in a
larger system, would require the WebSphere Transcoding Publisher Version 3.5 program package and
seven "one processor install entitlements."
• WebSphere Transcoding Publisher is priced at US$30,000 per processor.

Host Publisher

Host Publisher pricing is based upon the number of sessions or connections needed to the legacy system
applications, an example of a session being a TN5250 session between HostPub and an AS/400
application. There is a charge for the base server and the usage pack that are purchased to support
greater numbers of sessions:
• Price of HostPub server for AS/400 is $10,000 and includes up to 25 sessions. Additional usage
packs cost $5,000 and provide an additional 25 sessions, buy as many as needed.
• Price of HostPub server for AIX, NT, Solaris is $15,000 and includes 50 sessions. Additional usage
packs cost $10,000 and provide an additional 50 sessions, buy as many as needed.
• No additional charge for use of the Host Publisher Studio, included within above pricing; customer
can use as many as needed to support their environment.

GSA Pricing

Yes.
Competitors
• Attachmate PalmFrame
• Eicon Technology: Aviva Web-to-Host Server and Aviva for Java
• Esker Corridor Wireless
• NetManage OnWeb
• ResQNet.com: ResQ/Me

• Seagull: Seagull Wireless-to-Host
Strengths
• HTML can be dynamically transcoded to WML, iMode, and HDML.

• JPEG and GIF images transform to mobile devices "on the fly."
• Is highly scalable and has extensive platform support.
• Session Pooling reduces connection time.

• Transforms data before sending— reduces connection time.
Limitations
• Transforms data before sending— downside is larger footprint.

9 January 2001 7


• Limited Single (global) log-in support.

• Voice/data integration requires separate add-on (WebSphere Voice Server).
Insight
Transcoding technology is still an emerging and evolving technology. Because of this, any wireless Web-
to-host solution will not be perfect. However, as this technology improves, so will products based upon its
use. The biggest plus to IBM's "Wireless Web-to-Host Solution" is IBM itself. It's difficult to compete with
the worldwide consulting and professional services offered by IBM. IBM's "Wireless Web-to-Host
Solution" allows companies to create one Web site and deploy its content to many devices. Its plug-in
architecture allows developers to configure the server for a wide variety of devices, including handheld
PDAs and smart phones, and the modular architecture is a plus for developers. Companies looking to
grow their e-business or to improve their business-to-business abilities will want to evaluate the "IBM
Wireless Web-to-Host Solution."

9 January 2001 8

Serena Lambiase 5 September 2000

PhoneLine Technology: An Introduction to HomePNA

Summary
PhoneLine technology is essentially Ethernet technology modified for Home Networking use, replacing
conventional Ethernet cables with existing telephone wiring, using standard telephone wiring to pass data
between PCs in a home, small office, or MDU (Multiple Dwelling Unit). It’s inexpensive (less than US$100
per node), and simple to install— it does not require cables to be strung within walls and floors. Users can
share one broadband modem for access to the Internet, using a single ISP account. Using only one
telephone line, up to 25 computers can share peripherals, files, and drives at the rated speed of 10 Mbps.
In addition to these features, PhoneLine technology satisfies the "no new wires" requirement for the
successful growth of the nascent Home Networking industry.

Table of Contents
Technology Basics
Technology Analysis
Business Use
Benefits and Risks
Standards
Technology Leaders
Insight

List Of Tables
Table 1: Home Networking Technologies



Technology Basics

PhoneLine Technology: An Introduction

PhoneLine technology is supported by the HomePNA standard, started by the Home PhoneLine
Networking Alliance (HomePNA or HPNA). The HomePNA is an incorporated, nonprofit association of
industry leaders who wish to ensure the adoption of a single, unified PhoneLine networking industry
standard and rapidly bring to market a range of interoperable home networking solutions.
PhoneLine technology is essentially Ethernet technology that has been modified for Small Office/Home
Office (SOHO) and Home Networking use, replacing conventional Ethernet cables with existing telephone
wiring. PhoneLine networks use telephone wiring to pass data between PCs in a home, small office, or
MDU (Multiple Dwelling Unit). The PhoneLine network communicates at a different frequency from other
communication services within the home, so it can coexist with voice calls, fax machines, modems, and
data: standard voice occupies the range from 20Hz to 3.4kHz in the U.S. (slightly higher internationally);
xDSL services occupy the frequency range from 25kHz to 1.1MHz; HomePNA base PhoneLine
networking can operate in a frequency range above 2MHz.
Using the same phone line, users can talk on the phone and share peripherals; they can also share one
Internet connection simultaneously. The only exception is if a dial-up modem is used instead of DSL or
cable modems; in that case, users can still share peripherals, files, and applications, but would not be
able to talk on the phone at the same time the dial-up modem is in use.

PhoneLine Technology

Initially, the Home PhoneLine Networking Alliance adopted Tut Systems’ 1 Mbps technology as its first-
generation networking standard, HomePNA 1.0. This standard uses Ethernet technology with a few
modifications for the home environment, using standard residential telephone wiring instead of Ethernet
cabling. HPNA-based PhoneLine technology supports distances up to 500 feet between adapters, and
housing structures up to 10,000 square feet; installation is "plug-and-play." Up to 25 PCs can be
connected to an HPNA network.
The second-generation HomePNA standard, HomePNA 2.0, was developed by the Epigram Division of
Broadcom. Currently, HomePNA PhoneLine technology operates at 10 Mbps; within a year, PhoneLine
silicon is expected to be developed to the limits of the HPNA 2.0 specification, 32 Mbps. Additionally, a
future version of the HPNA technology will be capable of ramping up to speeds as high as 100 Mbps.
PhoneLine technology uses Frequency Division Multiplexing (FDM) to simultaneously operate multiple
services over a single pair of wires. Consumers can simultaneously use the phone or send a fax, and
access the Internet via an "always-on" broadband connection, such as xDSL or cable.
PhoneLine technology was designed to ensure compatibility with other communications services within
the home or SOHO environment, such as voice, ISDN, and xDSL data services. The technology occupies
the passband frequency range between 5.5MHz and 9.5MHz. Passband filters attenuate frequencies
below 5.5MHz very rapidly, so there is no interference with the xDSL services or traditional phones.
PhoneLine technology is deployed using IEEE 802.3 CSMA/CD (Carrier Sense Multiple Access/Collision
Detect) methods for multiple access to a common communication's medium— the basis of Ethernet.
Therefore, PhoneLine technology is essentially Ethernet over phone lines. This is what allows HomePNA
networks to leverage the huge amount of Ethernet-compatible software, applications, and existing
hardware in the market today.

5 September 2000 2


How Is PhoneLine Technology Deployed?

A typical PhoneLine network consists of PhoneLine adapters and a choice of interfaces: USB port, PCI
card, or parallel port. Standard telephone wire is connected from the adapters to the interfaces, and from
the adapters to any standard telephone jack.

Typical PhoneLine Hardware

• Users with newer equipment who wish to avoid opening up the insides of their PC or laptop should
choose USB models— they can simply connect the PhoneLine adapter to a USB port. The
PhoneLine USB models work only with Windows 98.
• PCI Card PhoneLine adapters will work with either Windows 95 or 98. Also, users who often have
very large file transfers or use streaming, full-motion video might want to consider PCI Card
PhoneLine products— they operate at a higher speed than most USB models. Users will be required
to open up their PCs to install a circuit board.
• Users with legacy equipment, such as a 486 machine and Windows 3.x, should consider a parallel
port PhoneLine adapter; however, these usually run at the slower, HomePNA 1.0 speed of 1 Mbps.
The adapter for a PhoneLine parallel port model plugs into a PC's Parallel port.

Typical PhoneLine Software

HomePNA networks can connect multiple PCs to the Internet simultaneously while sharing only one ISP
account and one modem— the modem can be broadband (DSL/cable) or dial-up. This ability, in addition
to not requiring any "new" wiring or cabling, is currently the main driver behind PhoneLine networking.
This feature requires Internet-sharing software; all PhoneLine networks include some form of Internet-
sharing software. Some vendors include their own or third-party software for this purpose; others depend
on the Internet-sharing capability that is included with Microsoft 98 SE (Second Edition). If users choose a
vendor that deploys Windows 98 SE for Internet sharing, they will be required to upgrade if they are using
an earlier version of Windows.
There is one drawback to this scenario. The "main" or "server" computer, which is the one with the
modem (usually broadband), must always be turned on in order for the other PCs to share the Internet.
However, some vendors have recently started to offer gateways to resolve this problem. A gateway is a
type of network hub, to which the PhoneLine adapters can be connected, along with the broadband or
dial-up modem— this alleviates the need to have one computer turned on at all times. Gateways also
offer firewall software for improved security.
Another key component of the software typically included with PhoneLine networks is how the software
handles connecting to a corporate network. Remote employees, regardless of whether they are full-time
telecommuters or occasionally bring their laptops home from the office, normally require a VPN to gain
access to their corporate mail or intranet. Some PhoneLine vendors use software that allows users to set
up profiles, and then switch between the normal PhoneLine network and the corporate network
automatically, but a user cannot be in the VPN-accessed network and the PhoneLine network at the same
time. Other vendors allow use of a VPN for corporate access without the need to exit the PhoneLine
network. Users who regularly require corporate access should question the PhoneLine vendor about this
feature.
There will also be sharing and mapping software to set up access to drives, files, and peripherals on the
PhoneLine network, and installation software. Some PhoneLine vendors have software that installs
automatically; others require manual installation and setup. Automatic installation is definitely a plus;
however, users should inquire as to whether the network setups and profiles are installed separately from

5 September 2000 3


the Internet-sharing software. Since PhoneLine technology is standards based, users can mix and match
different HomePNA products from different vendors on the same network; however, there are often
problems when trying to install conflicting Internet sharing software from different vendors. If there is
already Internet-sharing software installed, it is not necessary to add another vendor’s version of this
software to the mix, only the software drivers for the adapters.

Pricing

The average cost of connecting each HomePNA-enabled device is less than US$100 per node. A typical
two-node network kit retails under US$200. Additional NICs and adapters can be purchased for under
US$100.
Technology Analysis
Business Use

Current Uses

• Internet Sharing
• Peripheral Sharing
• File and Application Sharing

Next Stage Developement

• Environmental control and security systems
• Voice and Video over IP
Benefits and Risks

Benefits

SOHO and Home Networking

• Simultaneous Internet sharing on LAN, using a single ISP account
• Shares resources (peripherals, files, applications, drives)
• Inexpensive
• Simple to install

Enterprise

• Offers an economical alternative to expensive, Ethernet LANs for enterprises that require LANs in
areas where standard, structured data wiring does not already exist
• Economical alternative for enterprises that need to provide network services for remote workers

Risks

• HPNA devices cannot be controlled by physical monitoring; this could be problematical for enterprise
use, or for SOHOs with shared wiring, such as an apartment complex or office suite.
• Although the HomePNA technology allows for wireless products to interoperate on the same network
with PhoneLine, none of the PhoneLine products currently on the market allow this. Upcoming
"gateway" products will be required to alleviate this problem.
5 September 2000 4


• As the speed of the connection increases, the link can become more susceptible to radio
transmissions, especially from amateur and police radios.
Standards

Home Phoneline Network Alliance
2694 Bishop Drive, Suite 105
San Ramon, CA 94583, U.S.A.

Tel: +1 925 277 8110
Internet: www.homepna.org

HomePNA 2.0

Networking Alliance (HomePNA or HPNA), which was founded in 1998. The HomePNA is an
incorporated, nonprofit association of industry leaders who wish to ensure the adoption of a single, unified
PhoneLine networking industry standard and rapidly bring to market a range of interoperable home
networking solutions. The HomePNA is not a standards body. It relies on established global standards
organizations that take input from members in determining formal standards.
The founding members of HomePNA include 3Com, AMD, AT&T Wireless Services, Compaq, Conexant,
Broadcom, Hewlett-Packard, IBM, Intel, Lucent Technologies, and Tut Systems. HomePNA members
currently number in excess of 150. HomePNA is an open alliance and it encourages all interested
companies to join.
According to the HomePNA, their primary objectives are:
• Ensure mass deployment of consumer-friendly, low-cost, high-speed "no-new-wires" solution for in-
home, PhoneLine-based networking.
• Develop certification standards to ensure interoperability among HomePNA member company
products from the broadest possible range of technology and equipment vendors.
• Achieve industry standardization both nationally and internationally through deployment and
acceptance by appropriate standards bodies such as ITU and IEEE.
Technology Leaders

Intel AnyPoint Home Network

Intel offers both USB and PCI card options for 10 Mbps networking (PhonePNA 2.0), plus a parallel port
option for legacy computers, backed by the older PhonePNA 1.0 standard. Access to corporate networks
via a VPN is accomplished by using Intel's included "Network Switching Software": users set up a profile,
and then can switch back and forth between the AnyPoint network and the corporate network. Intel
includes its own software for Internet sharing, called "Internet Sharing Software." In addition to automatic
installation from the included CD, AnyPoint products also include a manual and quick-start setup chart.

3Com Home Connect

3Com offers a 10 Mbps PCI solution, the 3Com HomeConnect Home Network Phoneline Kit, but it does
not offer a USB option. 3Com has recently announced a Home Network Gateway, which will allow the
PhoneLine network to be an "always-on" network, without tying up one of the computers for the purpose

5 September 2000 5


of Internet sharing. 3Com uses HomeClick software from Microsoft to enable users to set up profiles, so
that users can switch between their corporate network (using a VPN) and the 3Com HomeConnect
Network automatically. A hard-copy manual is included.

Diamond Multimedia (S3) HomeFree Phoneline 10 Mbps

Diamond Multimedia offers USB and PCI 10 Mbps PhoneLine products. The CD that ships with S3’s
products has an application called AlterNet. This application allows the user to boot into different network
configurations. Once it’s configured, the computer will ask the users which network profile they want to
use; i.e., "Home" or "Office." This allows users to take the computer back and forth between home and
office without having to constantly make manual changes to their network settings. Diamond also offers
the HomeFree Residential Gateway, which acts as a bridge between Ethernet and HomePNA products.

Farallon HomeLINE (Proxim)

Unlike its competitors, Farallon’s PhoneLine products are based on the older HomePNA 1.0 standard,
which operates at 1 Mbps, as opposed to the current HomePNA rated speed of 10 Mbps. However, they
are currently the vendor offering PhoneLine products that interoperate with both Windows and Mac.
Farallon, recently acquired by Proxim, offers both USB and PCI card PhoneLine configurations, and an
Ethernet-to-Phoneline adapter. Customers that use a VPN to connect to their corporate network do not
need to switch back and forth between the Farallon HomeLINE Network and the corporate network.
Corporate users can access their company e-mail using a VPN without leaving or switching out of the
PhoneLine network— currently, this is the only PhoneLine product with this software ability. Farallon will
also be offering the NetLine Broadband Gateway, an Ethernet-to-HomePNA bridge, by Fall 2000.

NetGear Phoneline 10X

NetGear offers both USB and PCI card options. NetGear's software does not currently have the ability to
automatically switch the Windows settings from the corporate network (i.e., using a VPN) to the home
network. According to a company spokesperson, this ability will be available in the near future. An
Ethernet-to-PhoneLine Bridge will be available in October which will support a 10 Mbps HomePNA 2.0
port with a built-in splitter and a 10/100 auto-negotiating Ethernet port. NetGear also offers a Broadband
Gateway, which, when combined with the NetGear Phoneline 10X, allows customers to share their high-
speed DSL or cable modem connection.

D-Link 10 Mbps Home PhoneLine Adapter/Network in a Box

D-Link offers both USB and PCI card options, either as single add-on adapters or as complete kits.
Currently, it also offers a Residential Gateway that can be configured for use with a HomePNA network,
but only if the computers with the HomePNA PCI cards also have a separate Ethernet NIC installed.


Home Networking Technologies

PhoneLine technology is geared toward the Home Networking market, and supports the HomePNA
industry standard. Home Networking technologies, including HomePNA PhoneLine, HomeRF SWAP
(wireless), and HomePLUG (PowerLine) are geared specifically for SOHO (Small Office/Home Office)
networking and home networking.
There are four technologies that compete for the Home Networking space: conventional Ethernet,
wireless, PhoneLine, and PowerLine. Of these, only Ethernet requires new wiring. PhoneLine uses
existing telephone wiring and jacks, and PowerLine uses the existing AC power lines— Wireless does not
require any wiring at all.
5 September 2000 6


Wireless Alternatives

Currently, wireless technologies are either inexpensive but much slower than HomePNA 2.0 kits (i.e.,
HomeRF), or about the same speed but significantly more expensive— typically $200 to $300 per PC
(i.e., 802.11b).

Home RF SWAP

Wireless products, based upon the HomeRF SWAP (Shared Wireless Access Protocol) wireless industry
standard operates in the 2.4GHz Radio Frequency band, can currently support 10Mbps transmission
(voice and data), and a range of 10 meters (33 feet). HomeRF was designed specifically for the SOHO
Home Networking market; it is intended for long-range links, and is geared towards a home-LAN
approach, linking PCs, DSL routers, printers, refrigerators, TVs, and other "smart" appliances to PCs.
Currently, wireless products that are based on the HomeRF standard can only offer a maximum speed of
1.6 Mbps, even though the HomeRF technology allows for up to 10 Mbps. The HomeRF Working Group
has applied to the FCC for permission to deploy the maximum speed of 10 Mbps in products that support
the HomeRF standard.
HomeRF is not an "end-of-the-line" technology— in other words, it is still evolving. For instance, the
HomeRF Working Group has petitioned the FCC for rules modifications that will permit the use of 5MHz
channels, instead of the current 2.4GHz radio frequency band. This is important, since there are
competing technologies (802.11b, Bluetooth) which use the same 2.4GHz band, thereby possibly causing
interference. It is also entirely possible that future products utilizing the HomeRF technology will be able to
employ even higher transmission speeds than the pending 10 Mbps— speeds as fast as 50 Mbps or
faster may be available by 2001. As the Home Network market expands to include streaming video, PC
telephony, entertainment networks, and Internet appliances, these higher speeds will become necessary.

IEEE 802.11b

This "wireless Ethernet" specification was originally geared towards corporate use, and could become
HomePNA and HomeRF's stiffest technology competitor for the emerging Home Networking market.
Wireless products based on 802.11b share the same 2.4GHz spectrum as HomeRF, but supports the
faster transmission speeds of 11 Mbps at distances from 50 to several hundred feet, and is already in
place within many corporations.
Supporters of this specification claim that employees who work at companies already employing IEEE
802.11b will want to use these products in their home offices when they bring their laptops home; they
also claim there is only room for one wireless standard for both the enterprise and home networking
wireless space. HomeRF supporters claim that although 802.11b works well for sharing peripherals, files,
and Internet access, HomeRF will provide the better fit for future Home Networking requirements:
telephony (802.11b is data only), entertainment systems, universal remote controls, and other consumer-
oriented devices. HomePNA was also designed from the ground up as a Home Networking standard, and
supports both voice and data.
Unlike HomeRF, IEEE 802.11b may require access points, and the radio design itself is more expensive
than HomeRF designs. HomeRF is also less complicated to use, and supports both voice and data;
802.11b supports data only. HomeRF systems are also more immune to interference from other devices
operating in the 2.4GHz band, and have the potential of consuming less power compared to competing
802.11b systems. Future products utilizing the HomeRF technology may be able to employ even higher
transmission speeds than the pending 10 Mbps— speeds as fast as 50 Mbps or higher.

5 September 2000 7


HomeRF-based systems are considered to be more secure than 802.11b; this is because HomeRF uses
a frequency-hopping modulation spread spectrum, as opposed to the direct-sequence spread spectrum
that 802.11b uses. The frequency-hopping spread spectrum (FHSS) technology is considered to be more
secure than direct-sequence spread spectrum (DSSS).

HomeCast Open Protocol (HOP)

HOP is the only wireless industry standard, besides HomeRF, which was developed specifically for the
SOHO/Home Networking market, and has a 1 Mbps transmission rate. HOP was created by Alation
Systems, and is a semiproprietary standard— it does not have the wide industry support that HomeRF
has.
Alation was recently acquired by Cypress Semiconductor Corp. According to a Cypress spokesperson,
Cypress acquired Alation to be combined with Radiocom into a Bluetooth-focused business unit within the
Cypress Interface products Division.
Going forward, Cypress will not be creating any new products using HOP, but will use the expertise and
knowledge of the team gained from working on HOP to create Bluetooth solutions. The HOP technology
is currently implemented by the Diamond Multimedia (S3) HomeFree Wireless product line.

OpenAIR

OpenAir is a proprietary wireless standard developed by Proxim for use in both the corporate and SOHO
environments, with capabilities that are similar to HomeRF. OpenAir supports data only; HomeRF
supports voice and data. Being able to use one technology to support both voice and data will become
extremely important as more products are developed for the Home Networking market. Proxim's Wireless
SOHO product line, Symphony Cordless, supports the OpenAir standard. Proxim's next-generation
wireless SOHO product line, Symphony HRF, will support HomeRF.

Bluetooth

Bluetooth is a relatively new wireless technology— the original Bluetooth 1.0 specification was announced
in July 1999. The specification consists of a common set of specifications for wireless voice and data
transmission, the hardware and software for connecting computers, peripherals, cellular phones, and
PDAs at short range (10 meters or 33 feet). The Bluetooth 2.0 specification is currently expected to be
released by the end of this year, but its rate is still under intense debate.
Bluetooth was originally conceived as a way to connect devices, such as laptops, PDAs, and cell phones,
without requiring cables. Vendors are now trying to extend the Bluetooth technology into the Home
Networking space; however, as of the date of this report, there are still no Bluetooth-enabled end products
that have been shipped. Also, the initial Bluetooth-enabled products to reach the market will be items
such as wireless headsets for cell phones, and various Bluetooth-enabled automobile kits.

PowerLine

PowerLine technology uses existing AC power lines, and was developed specifically for the SOHO
market. PowerLine products with speeds as high as 10-14 Mbps are in development; however, products
currently shipping are only capable of speeds of 350 Kbps. PowerLine technologies, such as Intelogis'
PassPort, connect directly to AC outlets and use a home's wiring system to transfer data between PCs.
However, these products are currently subject to higher rates of transmission interference than HomePNA
products. Although PowerLine-based products cost slightly less per PC than HomePNA 2.0 solutions and
don't require direct cabling between computers, the current low data rate will limit its deployment until the
higher speed products in development are available.

5 September 2000 8


Conventional Ethernet

Developed for enterprise use, conventional 802.3 Ethernet kits have been available for the SOHO and
Home Networking market for several years. The kits are inexpensive; however, they can be difficult to
implement, and require installing cables within walls.
The "Home Networking Technologies" table includes the industry standards and features for the four
competing SOHO technologies: conventional Ethernet, PhoneLine, PowerLine, and wireless.
Industry Standard Features

Conventional Ethernet IEEE 802.3 and IEEE IEEE 802.3: 10 Mbps
802.3u IEEE 802.3u: 100 Mbps
• Originally developed for • Requires installing
Enterprise Category 5 wire in walls,
• Inexpensive kits available ceilings, floors
for SOHO market (10 • Requires opening PCs
Mbps) • Requires hub, router,
server
Wireless HomeRF SWAP 1.2 • 1.6 Mbps Data
• SWAP was developed • 2.4GHz
specifically for the SOHO • 10 meters
Networking market • Non line-of-sight
• Designed for both voice • FHSS (Frequency
and data Hopping Spread Spectrum)
• Interoperates with
HomePNA and
HomePLUG
HomeRF SWAP 2.0 • 10 Mbps Voice/Data
(proposed) • 2.4GHz (has petitioned
• SWAP was developed FCC for rules modifications
specifically for the SOHO that will permit the use of
Networking market 5MHz channels)
• Designed for both voice • 10 meters
and data • Omnidirectional
• Interoperates with • FHSS (Frequency
HomePNA and Hopping Spread Spectrum)
HomePLUG
WLI OpenAir • 1.6 Mbps Data
• Proprietary specification • 2.4GHz
developed by Proxim, for • 10 meters
use within both the SOHO • Omnidirectional
and Enterprise networking
industry
HomeCast Open Protocol • 1 Mbps Data only
(HOP) • 2.4GHz
• Created by Alation • 50 to 100 meters
Systems for SOHO market
• Currently implemented by Note: Alation systems

5 September 2000 9



Diamond HomeFree bought by Cypress
Wireless Home Network Semiconducter; HOP
specification will no longer
be developed by Cypress
IEEE 802.11 • 2 Mbps Data only
• This specification was • 2.4GHz
originally developed for • 100 meters
commercial, medical, • Omnidirectional
academic use. • DSSS/FHSS
• Vendors are trying to
extend its reach into the
SOHO market.
IEEE 802.11b (hi-rate • 11 Mbps Data only
802.11) • 2.4GHz
• This specification was • 100 meters
originally developed for • Omnidirectional
commercial, medical, and • DSSS only
academic use. • Not compatible with
• Vendors are trying to Bluetooth
extend its reach into the
SOHO market.
IEEE 802.11a • 54 Mbps Voice/Data
Still in development (Proposed)
• 5GHz (Proposed)
• 40-bit RC4 Encryption
• Omnidirectional
• Single carrier
HiperLAN2 • 54 Mbps Voice/Data
Still in development; (Proposed)
basically, the European • 5GHz (Proposed)
version of 802.11a, with • DES, 3DES Encryption
minor differences • Omnidirectional
• Single carrier with
Dynamic Frequency
Selection
Bluetooth • 1 Mbps Voice/Data
• Originally conceived as • 2.4GHz
cable replacement, data • 10 meters
and voice access points, • Omnidirectional
and ad hoc networks • Point to multipoint
• Vendors are now • Not compatible with
extending the Bluetooth 802.11b
technology into the SOHO
market
IrDA • 4 Mbps Data only
• Transmits data via • 1 meter
infrared light waves • Line-of-sight

5 September 2000 10



• No cables • Point-to-point
• Short range; narrow angle
PhoneLine HomePNA 2.0 • 10 Mbps Voice/Data
• Ethernet-type technology • 500 feet
• Uses existing phone lines • Connects up to 25 PCs,
• Developed specifically for up to 500 feet apart, in
the SOHO market homes/offices up to 10,000
sq. feet
PowerLine (Power Line Carrier— PLC) HomePLUG 2.0 • Today: 350 Kbps Data
• Uses existing AC power only
lines • In development: speeds
• Developed specifically for as high as 10 to 14 Mbps
the SOHO market • In development: enabling
• Improved resistance to high-frequency PLC data
transmission blocks and networks and low-
interference frequency home
• Higher speeds than automation apps to coexist
earlier PLC attempts on the same in-house
electrical infrastructures

Insight
PhoneLine networking offers the ability to employ Ethernet technology using standard, residential
telephone wire to network computers in SOHO or Home Network environments. This "no new wires"
technology offers the advantages of Ethernet, but without the inconvenience of requiring new wiring or
cables. In the Enterprise space, HomePNA-based products offer an alternative to Ethernet LANs in areas
where standard, structured data wiring does not already exist, or where network services for remote
workers are required. In existing homes with adequate telephone wiring and jack distribution, HomePNA
2.0-based PhoneLine networking is currently the more appropriate choice.

5 September 2000 11

Serena Lambiase 21 March 2001

Proxim Harmony Wireless LAN Product Line

Summary
Supporting multiple technologies and standards, the Proxim Harmony Wireless LAN includes wireless
LAN (WLAN) cards and access points (APs) based on the IEEE 802.11b standard or Proxim’s proprietary
OpenAir standard. The Proxim Harmony WLAN is unique in its use of an AP controller; the controller is
radio-independent and can simultaneously manage access points and WLAN cards based on IEEE
802.11b, OpenAir, upcoming 10 Mbps frequency hopping, and future 5GHz technologies. Proxim
Harmony is geared towards the enterprise and university sectors for customers who require either indoor
or campus-style wireless mobile computing; however, because of its flexibility, it can also be used by
small business users.

Table of Contents
Overview
Analysis
Pricing
Competitors
Strengths
Limitations
Insight

List Of Tables
Table 1: Harmony Product Line Overview: 802.11b APs and WLAN Cards
Table 2: Harmony Product Line Overview: OpenAir APs and WLAN Cards
Table 3: Harmony Product Line Overview: AP Controller
Table 4: Harmony Product Line Overview: Harmony Power System
Table 5: Price List: Proxim Harmony Wireless LAN Product Line

List Of Figures
Figure 1: Proxim Harmony WLAN Architecture
Figure 2: Proxim Harmony WLAN




Proxim, Inc.
510 DeGuigne Drive
Sunnyvale, CA 94085, U.S.A.

Tel: +1 800-229-1630
Tel: +1 408-731-2700
Internet: www.proxim.com

Overview
Vendor Proxim, Inc. Proxim, Inc. Proxim, Inc.
Product Harmony Harmony 8432 802.11b PC Card Harmony 8110 802.11b PCI Card
8550/8551
802.11b
Access Point
Frequency 2.4GHz 2.4GHz 2.4GHz
Modulation DSSS DSSS DSSS
Standards IEEE 802.11b IEEE 802.11b, Wi-Fi IEEE 802.11b
Compliance
Semiconductor Intersil Intersil Intersil
Type
Data Rates 1, 2, 5.5, and 1, 2, 5.5, and 11 Mbps 1, 2, 5.5, and 11 Mbps
(Throughput) 11 Mbps
Antennas 8550: Integrated antenna Patch antenna with 6’ cord for
Supported Integrated best placement
diversity
antenna
8551: Dual
RTNC
connectors
support a
variety of high-
gain antenna
options
Number of With AP Does not apply Does not apply
Client Users Controller:
Supported 10,000
In stand-alone
mode: 512
Typical Range 1,300 ft. 1,300 ft. 1,300 ft.
at 1 Mbps (400 m.) (400 m.) (400 m.)
(indoors)

21 March 2001 2


Typical Range 890 ft. 890 ft. 890 ft.
at 2 Mbps (270 m.) (270 m.) (270 m.)
(indoors)
at 5.5 Mbps (200 m.) (200 m.) (200 m.)
(indoors)
at 11 Mbps (140 m.) (140 m.) (140 m.)
(indoors)
Wired LAN 10BaseT, Does not apply Does not apply
Interfaces 100BaseT
when used in
conjunction
with the
Harmony AP
Controller
Security 40- or 128-bit 40- or 128-bit WEP 40- or 128-bit WEP
Wired
Equivalent
Privacy (WEP)
Network ID;
Enterprise
class 10,000
node MAC
address
authorization
table via AP
Controller
Power Over Yes Not Applicable Not Applicable
Ethernet
Capability
Roaming APs can be Yes Yes
Across placed on any
Subnets subnet
Diagnostic Ethernet, radio Radio and link statistics via site Radio and link statistics via site
Support and link survey tool survey tool
statistics via
AP Controller
Remote Automatic IP Does not apply Does not apply
Configuration address
assignment via
DHCP. All
other
parameters via
Web-browser.

21 March 2001 3


Auto Yes, via AP All other parameters via included All other parameters via included
Configuration Controller configuration utility configuration utility
using
SmartAttach
Operating Does not apply Windows 95/98/2000/ME/CE/NT Windows 95/98/2000/ME/NT
Systems Mac OS
Supported
Additional Ships with Ships with graphical site survey Ships with graphical site survey
Software graphical site tool tool
survey tool
Management Via HTTP and Client statistics available via AP Client statistics available via AP
Access SNMP Controller Controller
Warranty 1 year parts 1 year parts and labor 1 year parts and labor
and labor

Vendor Proxim, Inc. Proxim, Inc. Proxim, Inc.
Product Harmony 7550 Harmony 7431/32 OpenAir PC Harmony 7630 OpenAir
OpenAir Card CompactFlash Card
Access Point
Frequency 2.4GHz 2.4GHz 2.4GHz
Modulation FHSS FHSS FHSS
Standards OpenAir OpenAir & HomeRF OpenAir & HomeRF
Compliance
Semiconductor Proxim Proxim Proxim
Type
Data Rates 800 Kbps, 1.6 800 Kbps, 1.6 Mbps 800 Kbps, 1.6 Mbps
(Throughput) Mbps
Antennas Ships with 1 7431: Dipole antenna Snap-on antenna
Supported dBi dipole 7432: Snap-on antenna
antenna.
RTNC
connector
supports a
variety of high-
gain antenna
options.
Number of 10,000 via AP Does not apply Does not apply
Client Users Controller
Supported
Typical Range 1,000 ft. 1,000 ft. 1,000 ft.
Outdoors (305 m.) (305 m.) (305 m.)
Indoors (150 m.) (150 m.) (150 m.)

21 March 2001 4


Wired LAN 10BaseT, Does not apply Does not apply
Interfaces 100BaseT
when used in
conjunction
with the
Harmony AP
Controller
Security Scrambled Scrambled security ID Scrambled security ID
security ID;
Enterprise
class 10,000
node MAC
address
authorization
table via AP
Controller
Power Over Yes Does not apply Does not apply
Ethernet
Capability
Roaming APs can be Yes Yes
Across placed on any
Subnets subnet
Diagnostic Ethernet, radio Radio and link statistics via site Radio and link statistics via site
Support and link survey tool survey tool
statistics via
AP Controller
Remote Automatic IP Automatic IP address assignment Automatic IP address assignment
Configuration address via DHCP for Win 98 and 2000 via DHCP for Win 98 and 2000
assignment via
DHCP. All
other
parameters via
Web-browser.
Auto Yes, via AP All parameters via included All parameters via included
Configuration Controller configuration utility configuration utility
using
SmartAttach
Operating Does not apply Windows 95/98/2000/ME/CE/NT Pocket PC (Windows CE 3.0)
Systems
Supported
Additional Does not apply Ships with graphical site survey Ships with graphical site survey
Software tool tool
Management Via HTTP and Client statistics available via AP Client statistics available via AP
Access SNMP Controller Controller
Warranty 1 year parts 1 year parts and labor 1 year parts and labor
and labor

21 March 2001 5


Table 3: Harmony Product Line Overview: AP Controller
Vendor Proxim
Product Harmony 7550 AP Controller
Wired LAN 10/100BaseT
Interfaces
Radio Independence • Supports Harmony IEEE 802.11b and Harmony OpenAir Access Points
• Supports any radio standard
• Supports multiple Access Point types simultaneously
APs per AP • Up to 10 Harmony 802.11b Access Points
Controller • Dependent upon traffic utilization
Auto AP Yes
Configuration
Security Password protected Web-interface. Enterprise class 10,000 node MAC address-
based access control list (Harmony Acess Points and PC/PCI cards support WEP).
Automatic Network Yes
Map Generation
IP Address DHCP
Assignment
Management Access HTTP, SNMP
Firmware Upgrade Via HTTP or serial connection. One click updates all APs and AP Controllers in the
system.
Warranty 1 year parts and labor

Table 4: Harmony Product Line Overview: Harmony Power System
Vendor Proxim, Inc.
Product Harmony 7562 Power System
Number of Access 6
Points
Simultaneously
Powered
Compatibility Powers both Harmony 802.11b Access Points and OpenAir Access Points
Port Type 10/100BaseT
Input Power Universal 100-240 VAC, 50/60 Hz
AP Distance from Up to maximum Ethernet cabling length, 100 m.
Power System
Auto-Sensing Yes, senses whether device supports power over Ethernet
Auto-Shutoff Yes, will automatically turn off power over Ethernet to non-supported devices
Warranty 1 year parts and labor

Analysis
The Proxim Harmony Wireless LAN was announced in June 2000, and shipping began in October 2000.
The complete Proxim Harmony WLAN product line consists of the Harmony Access Point "Controller,"
IEEE 802.11b-based Access Points, PC and PCI cards; an OpenAir-based Access Point and PC card;
and the optional Harmony Power System. The Harmony Access Point controller is the strong point of this
WLAN product line.

Proxim Harmony AP Controller

21 March 2001 6


Proxim engineers approach the typical WLAN topology differently than its competitors. In addition to the
usual mix of WLAN access points and PC cards, Proxim Harmony includes a WLAN access point
"controller." The Harmony Access Point Controller is radio-independent and can simultaneously manage
APs and WLAN cards based on IEEE 802.11b, OpenAir, upcoming 10 Mbps frequency hopping, and
future 5GHz technologies.
Wireless access points (APs) typically contain two components, a network management component and a
radio. When users need to switch to WLAN products that use different standards (i.e., from OpenAir to
IEEE 802.11b, or from IEEE 802.11b to the upcoming IEEE 802.11a), they must either remove the old PC
card and replace it with the new card or, if the AP has two slots, add a second PC Card. This method can
be problematical; the various radio technologies do not have the same coverage patterns, and users
would eventually need to reconfigure their access point placement. Proxim has devised a unique way of
solving this problem with its AP Controller.
Proxim Harmony separates the network management and radio components that are typically contained
within APs. The Harmony AP Controller deploys the network management functions, and the Harmony
APs handle the radio functions. The radio-independent AP controller can manage up to 10 access points
using any type of radio on the same network.

Figure 1: Proxim Harmony WLAN Architecture

Source: Proxim, Inc.

Proxim Harmony Access Points

Harmony access points may be placed anywhere within the network. Since all configuration and
management is deployed through the controller, the Harmony AP architecture is simplified, which allows
the APs to be less expensive and easier to manage than traditional APs which require individual
administration. Smaller networks can be used without the AP controller, which can be added at a later
time when the user wishes to upgrade system capabilities.

Proxim Harmony IEEE 802.11b and Harmony OpenAir PC Cards

21 March 2001 7


Proxim Harmony offers a choice of PC and PCI cards based on either the IEEE 802.11b standard or
Proxim’s proprietary OpenAir standard. The IEEE 802.11b cards can offer speeds up to 11 Mbps and
supports the WEP security standard; the OpenAir PC card offers throughput up to 1.6 Mbps, and 20-
character alphanumeric encrypted security ID.
In spite of the higher throughput offered by IEEE 802.11b-enabled WLANs, there are very specific
scenarios where the OpenAir PC card might be preferred. The OpenAir technology offers the longest
battery life amongst the current radio designs; this could be particularly important for individuals that need
to transmit data for extensive periods of time. Also, because OpenAir uses frequency-hopping technology,
instead of the direct sequence technology employed by IEEE 803.11b, it works particularly well in "dense"
wireless network environments.
Emergency rooms in hospitals, stock exchanges and classroom auditoriums are examples of the type of
environments where OpenAir is more successful due to its capability to handle large numbers of clients
within small physical spaces. Additionally, the OpenAir standard supports the Digital Enhanced Cordless
Telecommunications protocol (DECT) for voice; upcoming mobile telephone handsets based on the
DECT standard interoperate with OpenAir based Radios and can be deployed by doctors and radiology
personnel.

Proxim Harmony Power System

The optional Proxim Harmony Power System distributes power to up to six access points over Ethernet at
distances of up to 300 feet. This eliminates the need for electrician services where power cabling for the
access point does not exist.

Figure 2: Proxim Harmony WLAN

Deploying Proxim Harmony with multiple radio types.

Source: Proxim, Inc.

Installation

21 March 2001 8


Proxim Harmony supports the automatic installation and configuration of APs and automatic network map
generation through their "SmartAttach" software; automatic IP address assignment of all components of
the wireless solution is also supported. DHCP is built-in; the Harmony AP controller, APs, and PC Cards
support IP address assignment from a DHCP server. IT managers can also assign a static address if they
would like to, or the AP Controller can function as the DHCP server for the APs. New access points are
automatically found and configured; also, the 10/100 Ethernet autosensing interface allows for simplified
integration into standard wired-networking infrastructures.
Proxim Harmony also supports power over Ethernet. The optional Harmony Power System eliminates the
requirement for separate AC wiring for access points; it can also be used as a redundant power source in
combination with an AC/DC adapter for access points.

Management and Security

The Proxim Harmony AP controller supports standard enterprise SNMP management packages;
additionally, Harmony’s "SmartArchitecture" management system provides all the necessary filtering,
management, and security functions for the various radios on the WLAN:
• Software upgrades for the APs and AP Controller are obtained by deploying a one-click method
through any Web browser. Firmware upgrades are automatically distributed to all or any set of APs
and AP Controllers in the system.
• Harmony supports any type of traffic over Ethernet, including PPPoE, Ipsec and PPPtP.
• Harmony supports WEP encryption, client authentication and authorization. Automatic system-wide
security updates are available in the event of a lost or stolen PC card.
• Proxim Harmony supports IEEE 802.11b, OpenAir, 10 Mbps frequency hopping and emerging 5-GHz
standards; all of these radio types can be managed simultaneously, enabling migration to new
technologies using the same management interface, without disturbing an existing installation.

The Wireless Ethernet Compatibility Alliance and Wi-Fi Certification

Proxim has recently joined the Wireless Ethernet Compatibility Alliance (WECA); this means Proxim can
now request Wi-Fi certification for their 802.11b products. Currently, the Harmony Access Point is Wi-Fi
certified; certification for the Harmony PC and PCI cards is still pending. This certification is important, as
it guarantees that Proxim's Harmony IEEE 802.11b-based products can interoperate with IEEE 802.11b
products from different vendors. Proxim is the largest vendor of frequency-hopping products and was the
last of the major wireless LAN vendors to support IEEE 802.11b.
Pricing
Table 5: Price List: Proxim Harmony Wireless LAN Product Line
Product List Price (US$)

Proxim Harmony Access Point Controller 1495
Proxim Harmony Power Server 695
Proxim Harmony IEEE 802.11b Access Point 599
Proxim Harmony IEEE 802.11b PC card 199
Proxim Harmony IEEE 802.11b PCI card 249
Proxim Harmony OpenAir Access Point 499
Proxim Harmony OpenAir PC card 199

GSA Pricing
21 March 2001 9


Yes.

Competitors
Proxim’s Harmony Wireless LAN product line is geared towards the enterprise and university sectors for
customers who require either indoors or campus-style wireless mobile computing. Within this same
sector, Proxim’s competitors are as follows:

• Cisco Aironet
• Lucent ORiNOCO
• Enterasys RoamAbout

• Nortel Networks e-mobility
Strengths
• Protects current and future WLAN investments by supporting all current and forthcoming wireless
LAN standards.
• "SmartArchitecture" system provides simplified, system-wide security updates and remote office
infrastructure management through a single interface.
• Web-based interface provides customizable network maps and traffic statistics.
• Where power cabling for APs does not exist, the Harmony Power System delivers power for up to six
access points over Ethernet at distances of up to 300 feet.
• Proxim recently joined the Wireless Ethernet Compatibility Alliance (WECA); this means Proxim's
802.11b products can now be Wi-Fi certified.
Limitations
• No Client support for systems with ISA or USB interfaces.
• Only the Harmony Access Point is Wi-Fi certified; Wi-Fi certification for the Harmony PC and PCI
cards is still pending.
Insight
The Proxim Harmony WLAN product line's approach to the WLAN topology allows enterprises to
somewhat "future-proof" their WLANs. Instead of throwing away equipment when standards change or
speed requirements increase, users can simply add new PC cards and access points. Enterprises that
need to deploy WLANs within a variety of different environments where using different radios may be
required or who want to be able to upgrade to future 5-GHz technologies, will want to evaluate the Proxim
Harmony Wireless LAN.

21 March 2001 10


SOHO/Home Networking Technologies: An Introduction

Summary
The growth of multiple PC penetration, at the same time that broadband access is starting to become
widely available, has created the ideal scenario for the much-hyped and long-awaited "Home Networking"
technology explosion. There are four technologies that compete for the nascent Home Networking space:
PhoneLine, wireless, Powerline, and conventional Ethernet. Of these, only Ethernet requires new wiring;
PhoneLine uses existing telephone wiring and jacks; Powerline uses the existing AC power lines; and
wireless does not require any wiring at all. Additionally, broadband access devices are beginning to
integrate these technologies directly into their products. Gartner focuses on the role of the newer "no new
wires" technologies: HomePNA-based PhoneLine, HomeRF and Bluetooth-based wireless, and
Powerline.
Table of Contents
Technology Basics
Technology Analysis
Business Use
Standards
Technology Leaders
Insight

List Of Tables
Table 2: Company



Technology Basics
The new SOHO/Home Networking "no new wires" technologies offer mobility, ease of deployment, and
affordability. These technologies include:

• PhoneLine (HomePNA)
• HomeRF
• IEEE 802.11a

• IEEE 802.11b
• Bluetooth
• Powerline

• Conventional Ethernet

PhoneLine (HomePNA)

PhoneLine technology is essentially Ethernet technology modified for Home Networking use, replacing
conventional Ethernet cables with existing telephone wiring and using standard telephone wiring to pass
data between PCs in a home, small office, or Multiple Dwelling Unit (MDU). It is inexpensive (less than
US$100 per node) and simple to install— it does not require cables to be strung within walls and floors.
Users can share one broadband modem for access to the Internet using a single ISP account. Using only
one telephone line, up to 25 computers can share peripherals, files, and drives at the rated speed of 10
Mbps. In addition to these features, PhoneLine technology satisfies the "no new wires" requirement for
the successful growth of the nascent Home Networking industry.
Networking Alliance (HomePNA or HPNA). The HomePNA is an incorporated, nonprofit association of
industry leaders who wish to ensure the adoption of a single, unified PhoneLine networking industry
standard and rapidly bring to market a range of interoperable home networking solutions. HPNA-based
PhoneLine technology supports distances up to 500 feet between adapters and up to 10,000 square feet
for housing structures; installation is "plug-and-play." Up to 25 PCs can be connected to a HPNA network.
The Epigram Division of Broadcom developed the second-generation HomePNA standard, HomePNA
2.0. Currently, HomePNA PhoneLine technology operates at 10 Mbps; within a year, PhoneLine silicon is
expected to be developed to the limits of the HPNA 2.0 specification, 32 Mbps. Additionally, a future
version of the HPNA technology will be capable of ramping up to speeds as high as 100 Mbps.
PhoneLine technology uses Frequency Division Multiplexing (FDM) to simultaneously operate multiple
services over a single pair of wires. Consumers can simultaneously use the phone or send a fax, and
access the Internet via an "always-on" broadband connection, such as xDSL or cable. Using the same
phone line, users can talk on the phone and share peripherals; they can also share one Internet
connection simultaneously. The only exception is if a dial-up modem is used instead of DSL or cable
modems; in that case, users can still share peripherals, files, and applications, but would not be able to
talk on the phone at the same time the dial-up modem is in use.
The average cost of connecting each HomePNA-enabled device is less than US$100 per node. A typical
two-node network kit retails under US$200. Additional NICs and adapters can be purchased for under
US$100.

5 January 2001 2


Wireless Networking with HomeRF SWAP

HomeRF Shared Wireless Access Protocol (SWAP)is an industry standard designed specifically for
wireless products aimed at the nascent SOHO and Home Networking market. It is intended for long-range
links and is geared towards a wireless home-LAN approach, linking PCs, DSL routers, and printers.
Eventually, it will also be used to wirelessly network refrigerators, TVs, and other "smart" appliances to
PCs.
The HomeRF SWAP standard operates in the 2.4GHz Radio Frequency band, supports an aggregate
throughput of 10-Mbps transmission for voice and data, and has a range of 150 feet at the maximum
transmission speed. It combines elements of the existing Digital Enhanced Cordless Telecommunications
(DECT) and the IEEE 802.11 standards. The protocol architecture closely resembles the IEEE 802.11
wireless LAN standards in the physical layer and extends the Medium Access Control (MAC) layer with
the addition of a subset of the DECT standard to provide both data-oriented services, such as TCP/IP,
and the DECT/GAP protocols for voice. HomeRF uses FHSS transmission. A single connection point can
support both voice services via Time Division Multiple Access (TDMA) and data services via CSMA/CA.
Quality of Service has been built into the HomeRF standard. Approval for the QOS extension is expected
by year-end 2001.
Wireless products based on the HomeRF standard that are currently shipping only offer a maximum
speed of 1.6 Mbps; however, faster products are on the way. The HomeRF Working Group petitioned the
FCC for permission to deploy the maximum speed of 10 Mbps in products that support the HomeRF
standard; this request was approved on 31 August 2000. New HomeRF wireless products that reflect the
faster 10-Mbps speed are expected to be available by the first half of 2001. The new products will be
backward-compatible; however, the older products will still operate at the original 1.6-Mbps speed.

IEEE 802.11b

This "wireless Ethernet" specification was originally geared towards corporate use, and is HomeRF’s
strongest wireless competitor for the nascent Home Networking market. Wireless products based on
802.11b share the same 2.4GHz spectrum as HomeRF, but support the faster transmission speeds of 11-
Mbps at distances from 50 to several hundred feet. 802.11b uses Direct Sequence Spread Spectrum
(DSSS) and works by spreading the signal over a wide range of the 900MHz or 2.4GHz frequency band.
802.11b is already in place within many corporations.
Supporters of this specification claim that employees who work at companies already employing IEEE
802.11b will want to use these products in their home offices when they bring their laptops home; they
also claim there is only room for one wireless standard for both the enterprise and home networking
wireless space. HomeRF supporters claim that although 802.11b works well for sharing peripherals, files,
and Internet access, products based upon HomeRF will provide the better fit for future wireless Home
Networking requirements such as telephony, entertainment systems, universal remote controls, and other
consumer-oriented devices.

IEEE 802.11a

Higher performance integration with personal-area networks (PANs) and wide-area networks (WANs),
along with both data and inherent voice capability, are the key drivers for 802.11a and its European
cousin, HiperLAN2. These wireless standards both operate at the 5GHz channel, as opposed to 2.4GHz
for HomeRF and 802.11b, with data rates ranging from 6 Mbps to 54 Mbps. However, products based
upon the 802.11a standard are not expected to reach the United States Home Networking market before
2002.

Bluetooth
5 January 2001 3


Bluetooth is a wireless, low-cost radio solution that enables small devices such as PDAs, cell phones, and
palm tops to communicate with each other and the Internet. The original idea behind the technology was
the concept to eliminate the need for proprietary cables, which are currently required to enable device
connectivity— a typical example would be using a Bluetooth enabled laptop, PDA, or Palm device to
connect to a Bluetooth-enabled printer without cables. Expanding that idea to include all handheld mobile
electronic devices is what Bluetooth is all about. The concept has been termed Personal-Area Network
(PAN). Bluetooth operates in the 2.4GHz Radio Frequency band, offers 712Kb data rates, and has a
range of 10 meters (33 feet).
The use of mobile computing gadgets is growing exponentially— according to Gartner's Dataquest, there
will be 900 million mobile phones and handheld computers within five years. However, most users are
aggravated by the difficulties they endure when attempting to have their mobile equipment exchange
information— schedules, phone numbers, and files— with other people's equipment. Besides resolving
these issues, Bluetooth-enabled PCs and laptops will be capable of cable-free connectivity to peripherals;
another use will be wireless headsets for cell phones.
Bluetooth wireless devices can link to a wired network, such as a corporate Ethernet LAN through an
"access point," which includes a Bluetooth transceiver and baseband controller, the circuitry to convert
information from the Blue Bluetooth format to Ethernet format, and interface circuitry to connect the
access point to the wired network through a cable. As long as users remain in range of an access device,
they can roam about and still use the wired network resources.

Powerline

Powerline technology uses existing AC power lines and was developed specifically for the SOHO market.
Powerline products with speeds as high as 10 Mbps to 14 Mbps are in development; however, products
currently shipping are only capable of speeds of 350 Kbps. Powerline products, such as Intelogis's
PassPort, connect directly to AC outlets and use a home's electrical wiring system to transfer data
between PCs. However, these products are currently subject to higher rates of transmission interference
than HomePNA products. Although Powerline-based products cost slightly less per PC than HomePNA
2.0 solutions and do not require direct cabling between computers, the current low data rate will limit its
deployment until the higher-speed products in development are available.


Originally developed for enterprise use, conventional 802.3 Ethernet kits (10 Mbps) have been available
for the SOHO and Home Networking market for several years. Although the kits are inexpensive, they can
be difficult to implement and require installing cables within walls.

Residential Gateways

One drawback to networking using the above technologies is that the "main" or "server" computer, which
is the one with the modem (usually broadband), must always be turned on in order for the other PCs to
share the Internet. However, some vendors have recently started to offer residential gateways to resolve
this problem. A "residential gateway" is a type of network hub to which the wireless, PhoneLine, or
Powerline adapters can be connected, along with the broadband or dial-up modem. This alleviates the
need to have one computer turned on at all times. Gateways also offer firewall software for improved
security.

5 January 2001 4




IEEE 802.3 and IEEE 802.3u • Originally developed for IEEE 802.3: 10 Mbps
the enterprise IEEE 802.3u: 100 Mbps
• Inexpensive kits available • Requires installing
for SOHO market (10 Category 5 wire in walls,
Mbps) ceilings, floors
• Requires opening PCs
• Requires hub, router, and
server
Wireless

HomeRF SWAP 1.2 • SWAP was developed • 1.6-Mbps data
specifically for the SOHO • 2.4GHz
Networking market • 10 meters
• Designed for both voice • Omnidirectional
and data • Frequency-Hopping
• Interoperates with Spread Spectrum (FHSS)
HomePNA and HomePlug
HomeRF SWAP 2.0 • SWAP was developed • 10 Mbps voice/data
specifically for the SOHO • 2.4GHz (has petitioned
Networking market FCC for rules modifications
• Designed for both voice that will permit the use of 5
and data MHz channels)
• Interoperates with • 10 meters
HomePNA and HomePlug • Omnidirectional
• First products expected • FHSS (Frequency
1H01) Hopping Spread Spectrum)
WLI OpenAir • Proprietary specification • 1.6-Mbps data
developed by Proxim, for • 2.4GHz
use within both the SOHO • 10 meters
and enterprise networking • Omnidirectional
industry
HomeCast Open Protocol (HOP) • Created by Alation • 1-Mbps data only
Systems for SOHO market • 2.4GHz
• Currently implemented by • 50-100 meters
Diamond HomeFree
Wireless Home Network NOTE: Alation systems
bought by cypress
semiconductor; hop
specification will no longer
be developed by cypress
IEEE 802.11 • This specification was • 2-Mbps data
originally developed for • 2.4GHz
commercial, medical, and • 100 meters
academic use • Omnidirectional
• Vendors are trying to • DSSS (earlier
5 January 2001 5




extend its reach into the deployments included both
SOHO market DSSS and FHSS)
IEEE 802.11b (hi-rate 802.11) • This specification was • 11-Mbps data
originally developed for • 2.4GHz
commercial, medical, and • 100 meters
academic use • Omnidirectional
• Vendors are trying to • DSSS only
extend its reach into the • Not compatible with
SOHO market Bluetooth (FHSS)
IEEE 802.11a Still in development • 54-Mbps voice/data
(proposed)
• 5GHz (Proposed)
• 40-bit RC4 Encryption
• Omnidirectional
• Single carrier
• Orthogonal frequency-
division multiplexing
(OFDM)
HiperLAN2 Still in development; • 54-Mbps voice/data
basically, the European • 5GHz
version of 802.11a • DES, 3DES Encryption
• Omnidirectional
• Single carrier with
Dynamic Frequency
Selection
• Orthogonal frequency-
division multiplexing
(OFDM)
BLUETOOTH 1.1b (IEEE 802.15) • Originally conceived as • 1-Mbps voice/data
cable replacement, data • 2.4GHz
and voice access points, • 10 meters
and ad hoc networks • Omnidirectional
• Vendors are now • Point to multipoint
extending the Bluetooth • Not compatible with
technology into the SOHO 802.11b
market
IrDA • Transmits data via • 4-Mbps data only
infrared light waves • One meter
• No cables • Line-of-sight
• Short range; narrow angle • Point-to-point
PhoneLine

HomePNA 2.0 • Ethernet-type technology • 10-Mbps voice/data
• Uses existing phone lines • 500 feet
• Developed specifically for • Connects up to 25 PCs,
the SOHO market up to 500 feet apart, in

5 January 2001 6




homes/offices up to 10,000
sqare feet
Powerline (Power Line Carrier— PLC)

HomePlug 2.0 • Uses existing AC power • Today: 350-Kbps data
lines only
• Developed specifically for • In development: speeds
the SOHO market as high as 10 Mbps to 14
• Improved resistance to Mbps
transmission blocks and • In development: enabling
interference high-frequency PLC data
• Higher speeds than networks and low-
earlier PLC attempts frequency home
automation applications to
coexist on the same in-
house electrical
infrastructures

Technology Analysis
Business Use

• Sharing residential broadband connections
• Using "no new wires" networks to eliminate cable installation
• Using "no new wires" networks to share printers, hard drives, and files

• Mobility
Standards
Home Networking and SOHO standards have been developed from the ground up for products geared
towards the nascent Home Networking market or the SOHO market. These include HomePNA
(PhoneLine), HomeRF/SWAP (wireless), and Bluetooth, also wireless. HomePlug (Powerline) is also
included, although it has yet to be realized as more than a smaller, niche market.

HomePNA 2.0

Home PhoneLine Network Alliance
2694 Bishop Drive, Suite 105

San Ramon, CA 94583, U.S.A.
Tel: +1 925 277 8110
Internet: www.homepna.org
Networking Alliance (HomePNA or HPNA), which was founded in 1998. The HomePNA is an
incorporated, nonprofit association of industry leaders who wish to ensure the adoption of a single, unified

5 January 2001 7


PhoneLine networking industry standard and rapidly bring to market a range of interoperable home
networking solutions. The HomePNA is not a standards body. It relies on established global standards
organizations that take input from members in determining formal standards.
The founding members of HomePNA include 3Com, AMD, AT&T Wireless Services, Compaq, Conexant,
Broadcom, Hewlett-Packard, IBM, Intel, Lucent Technologies, and Tut Systems. HomePNA members
currently number in excess of 150. HomePNA is an open alliance and it encourages all interested
companies to join.

Primary Objectives

• Ensure mass deployment of consumer-friendly, low-cost, high-speed "no new wires" solution for in-
home, PhoneLine-based networking.
• Develop certification standards to ensure interoperability among HomePNA member company
products from the broadest possible range of technology and equipment vendors.
• Achieve industry standardization both nationally and internationally through deployment and
acceptance by appropriate standards bodies such as ITU and IEEE.

HomeRF Working Group (HRFWG)

5440 SW Westgate Drive, Suite 217
Portland, OR 97221, U.S.A.

Tel: +1 503 291 2563
Fax: +1 503 297 1090
Internet: www.homerf.org
The HomeRF Working Group (HRFWG) was formed in 1998 to provide the foundation for a broad range
of interoperable consumer devices by establishing an open industry specification for wireless digital
communication between PCs and consumer electronic devices anywhere in and around the home. The
HomeRF specification is called Shared Wireless Access Protocol (SWAP). The purpose of the SWAP
specification is to define a new common interface that supports wireless voice and data networking within
the home and SOHO space— utilizing products from the HomeRF Working Group member companies—
to ensure the final specification is complete and robust, and to see that devices envisioned as part of the
home network are interoperable.
The HRFWG includes leading companies from the personal computer, consumer electronics, peripherals,
communications, software, and semiconductor industries. There are approximately 100 members of the
HomeRF Working Group.

Bluetooth SIG

Internet: www.bluetooth.com
Promoter companies include 3Com, Ericsson, IBM, Intel, Lucent, Microsoft, Motorola, Nokia, and Toshiba.
There are currently 1,882 member companies of the Bluetooth SIG.

Bluetooth Spec

• The original Bluetooth 1.0 spec was announced July 1999.

5 January 2001 8


• The spec consists of a common set of specifications for wireless voice and data transmission, and
the hardware and software for connecting computers, peripherals, cellular phones, and PDAs at short
range (10 meters or 33 feet).
• The focus of the new SIG Spec 2.0 will be Radio2, which will include modifications and additions to
the 1.0 specification. Other areas to be expanded are the Bluetooth Profiles, which are being finalized
by the Working Groups. The Bluetooth 2.0 spec should be released by the first half of 2001, but its
rate is still under intense debate.

HomePlug Powerline Alliance

Internet: www.homeplug.org
The HomePlug Powerline Alliance (HomePlug) is a not-for-profit corporation formed to provide a forum for
the creation of open specifications for high-speed home powerline networking products and services. It
also seeks to accelerate the demand for these products and services through the sponsorship of market
and user education programs.
Technology Leaders

Table 2: Company
Technology

Intel HomeRF- and HomePNA-based products
Proxim HomeRF-based products
Farallon (Proxim) HomePNA-based products
3Com HomePNA-based products
NetGear HomePNA-based products
Cayman HomeRF-based products
Motorola HomeRF-based products

Proxim and Intel are currently the only vendors delivering HomeRF based systems to the market. Proxim
OEMs the wireless hardware for AnyPoint to Intel; however, the AnyPoint software is developed by Intel.
Caymen offers HomeRF-based residential gateway products, and Motorola offers DOCSIS cable modems
that support HomeRF. Compaq offers Proxim's Symphony HRF products as an option to its Presario
desktop and laptop products. Intel, Farallon (Proxim), 3Com, and NetGear offer HomePNA-based
PhoneLine products.
Insight
The Home Networking market, heavily hyped at the moment, is currently driven by a need for
simultaneous Internet connectivity and computer equipment connectivity. Currently, the two most
successful Home Networking technologies are wireless HomeRF and PhoneLine HomePNA; products
based upon these two technologies are already in use. Products based upon the wireless 802.11b
standard were initially considered too expensive and difficult for use in the Home Networking or SOHO
space; however, as prices drop and 802.11b becomes more simplified, that is changing, and 802.11b
products could begin to offer serious competition to HomeRF-based products. Bluetooth-based products,
originally expected to have hit the market by now, have not yet been delivered to the Home Networking
market, and there continues to be a lack of strong demand for Powerline products, which is not likely to
change until the newer, higher-speed rates are implemented. Currently, Home Networking products are
geared towards linking and sharing PCs, peripherals, and Internet access within SOHO and residential

5 January 2001 9


environments. The next step will be linking computers, Internet appliances, TVs, and other digital devices
together.

5 January 2001 10

Serena Lambiase 26 February 2001

WRQ Reflection for the Web, Web-to-Host Software

Summary
WRQ’s Reflection for the Web 4.1 is a Java-based, Web-to-host solution geared toward trusted users
across intranet or extranet and remote mobile workers. It uses a direct-connect (two-tier) architecture and
provides secure Web-based host access across the enterprise and beyond the firewall. Its security
features are above the industry standard for this class of products and include the emerging TLS standard
(Transport Layer Protocol), an optional security proxy, VPN support, and triple DES. Reflection for the
Web is component-based, allowing users to download only the functionality they require.
Note
An incremental update of Reflection for the Web, Version 4.1, was released on 1 November 2000. This
release adds fully localized versions of Reflection for the Web in German, French and Japanese. In
addition, WRQ added the capability for users to display a customizable toolbar and has redesigned its
keyboard-mapping utility to address user feedback regarding usability.

Table of Contents
Overview
Analysis
WRQ Reflection for the Web Components
Pricing
Competitors
Strengths
Limitations
Insight

List Of Tables
Table 1: Features and Functions: WRQ Reflection for the Web 4.0

List Of Figures
Figure 1: WRQ Reflection for the Web




WRQ, Inc.
1500 Dexter Avenue North
Seattle, WA 98109, U.S.A.

Tel: +1 206 217 7500
Fax: +1 206 217 7509
Internet: www.wrq.com

Overview
Table 1: Features and Functions: WRQ Reflection for the Web 4.0
Company WRQ, Inc.
Product Name WRQ Reflection for the Web 4.1
Applets/Clients Java
Architecture Two-tier
Platform Support Client: Will support any Java-enabled machine running in a standard browser;
native platform support limited to Windows and Mac running Mac OS Runtime for
Java 2.1.1+
Windows 95/98/NT/2000 supported through Internet Explorer 4.0+ or Netscape
Navigator 4.06+; Unix supported through Netscape Navigator 4.06+
Server: Supports major Web servers
Emulation Support Mainframe, AS/400; Unix; OpenVMS; VT52/100/102; VT220/400; extensive HP
emulations
File Transfer IND$FILE
Functions
Gateways Not required; supports SNA Server and NetWare for SAA, as well as other SNA
gateways
Printing Support 3812 for AS/400; TN3270E connectivity; 3287 printer; Screen printing for all
emulations; logging and controller mode printing for VT; HPT and non-HPT support
Security and SSL/TLS; DES and Triple DES; Java-based security proxy server; VPN support;
Encryption HTTP tunneling; WRQ VeriSign certificate provides applet verification (no HTTP
proxy server required)
Management Browser-based management includes HTML content and Java applets
Application Java-based APIs automate logon tasks, access dialog boxes, create Web
Development framework; Java-based APIs accessible through HTML, JavaScript, VBScript, and
Java
GUI "On-the-fly" GUI features only available with the Professional Edition

Analysis
Reflection for the Web 4.1 is component based— the functionality has been broken down by emulations,
and the different emulations can be further broken down from there. The resulting smaller applet sizes
and automatic caching of the applets allow for faster initial connections. Reflection for the Web 4.1
deploys keyboard mapping, an integrated Security Proxy Server Wizard, and an automatic green-screen
to GUI tool; however, the "on-the-fly" GUI tool is only available with the Professional version. According to
26 February 2001 2


WRQ, their component-based architecture enables remote access users to download only the features
they need, resulting in faster start-up times.
WRQ Reflection for the Web Components
Java Applets and ActiveX Controls: Java Applets and ActiveX Controls: Web-to-host products
employ Java applets or ActiveX controls— miniprograms designed to be executed from within a Web
browser— which either the emulation server has to download for three-tier architectures or for two-tier
architectures, the Web Server has to download if the Web browser is to talk to the host. The larger the
size of the applet or control, the longer the download takes; applets can be locally stored or cached to
eliminate future downloading for products and can be downloaded to either the browser or hard drive. The
majority of Web-to-host vendors use only Java applets; however, some offer a choice of either Java
applets or ActiveX controls. Reflection for the Web employs Java applets.
• Component-based architecture: WRQ Reflection for the Web uses "Java components" that are
downloaded on demand by the user and then stored locally to the hard drive on the user's machine.
At the initial connection, users receive applets as little as 200KB or as large as 1MB. After the initial
connection, only a 40KB manager applet is downloaded, along with any additional functionality users
may require. This "automatic applet caching" feature enables the terminal emulation components to
be stored locally and updated automatically and should reduce the time it takes to get connected.
• Using applets to bypass the Web Server: Users can choose between enabling the optional
security, which links browser users to a mainframe host through a proxy server or having the applet
connect directly with the host instead of through a Web server. Clients download a Java applet from
the corporate Web server; the applet then resides in the user's cache. A manager applet checks to
see if the emulation applet needs to be updated; if an update is needed, only the manager applet will
connect to the Web server. Some users may prefer to bypass the Web server, since the number of
possible users is not tied to the server's capability, which means greater scalability.
Gateways: With Web-to-host software, an SNA gateway strips off the IP encapsulation at the host end.
Some vendors package this component with their software; others say their products are designed to talk
to third-party gateways, specifically, the SNA Gateway from Microsoft or NetWare for SAA from Novell.
WRQ Reflection for the Web is a direct-connect, Java-based terminal emulation applet. According to the
vendor, a gateway or any intermediary between the client and the host system is not required. WRQ
Reflection for the Web supports SNA Server and NetWare for SAA, as well as other SNA gateways.
Architecture: Web-to-host vendors take either a two-tier or a three-tier approach. With two-tier (client-
host), the applet communicates directly with the gateway in front of the host. With three-tier (additional
server), all traffic passes through or via the emulation server. In the two-tier model, there is no chance of
the emulation server acting as a bottleneck, since traffic does not travel through it— therefore, two-tier
architecture can be a good choice in situations that require quicker runtime for remote users. In the three-
tier scheme, the emulation server could slow things down; however, three-tier provides better scalability.
WRQ Reflection for the Web was an early supporter of two-tier architecture (direct-connect model).
According to the vendor, this choice was made based on its large enterprise customers' desire for
scalability (additional servers are not required to add users) and to reduce server bottleneck and single
point of failure.
Security and Encryption: Web-to-host software exposes the mainframe to the rest of the world, so
security is extremely important. All Web-to-host vendors offer elementary password authentication
features and most offer SSL encryption to protect legacy data passing through the network. Since there
sometimes is a performance penalty to encryption and decryption, it is best to offer a variety of methods
26 February 2001 3


and strengths. Sensitive data can use the highest level of encryption, and more public information can be
passed along with less encryption.
Most of the major Web-to-host vendors use SSL, but SSL does not define the user datagram protocol
(UDP) port on the Web server that should be used for the encrypted session, which can result in
incompatibility when multiple products are used. The transaction layer security protocol (TLS), which
comes out of the IETF, specifies telnet port 23 for encrypted traffic and helps to resolve this security hole.
Reflection for the Web’s security is based on the TLS standard, and WRQ is the only Web-to-host vendor
that currently supports it. Triple DES (168-bit) encryption is supported, and the TLS protocol is backward
compatible to SSL; a 56-bit version for some export-restricted markets is also available. Secure server
authentication and HTTP tunneling are included; also, VPN support and an optional security proxy server
are included. Additionally, Reflection for the Web includes a security "Wizard."
The direct-connection model that Reflection for the Web uses does not require a dedicated server, but
connecting to a host through a corporate firewall can be more difficult with a direct-connect model.
Specifically, it is more difficult to connect external users than internal ones. WRQ deals with this by
including a proxy server; the proxy server allows remote clients to pass safely through the firewall,
authenticate on the proxy, and then access the host computer. This feature, along with the triple DES,
TLS and VPN support, makes Reflection for the Web a good evaluation choice for Web-to-host users that
require the best possible security solutions.
Impact of Architecture on Security: One thing often overlooked when discussing security issues is the
impact of the architecture (two-tier versus three-tier) on security. Two-tier solutions send the entire host
data stream to the client— even if the client runs some customization which masks the display of sensitive
data, the data still resides in memory on the client which could create a security exposure. However, if the
customer is using his or her Web-to-host software for trusted users to remote sites, the quicker runtime
the customer receives from the two-tier, direct-connect model might be the better choice.
WRQ Reflection for the Web uses a two-tier, direct-connect model. According to WRQ, the two-tier model
is best suited for trusted users, in spite of the security issues, because it is the best-performing and most
scalable architecture. The security issues stem from the fact that the entire data stream is sent to the
workstation, and the user has direct access to the host. However, the majority of production/knowledge
workers where performance is a primary concern are trusted users; they need immediate and complete
responses from the host. For these types of customers, the simplicity and scalability benefits of a two-tier
solution outweigh the security risks. For customers that require better application development,
customization and the three-tier architecture, WRQ offers its Verastream Host Integrator solution.
Management Support: Most of the major Web-to-host vendors offer browser-based management
capabilities; it gives administrators the greatest flexibility in managing, configuring and deploying clients,
without having to physically manage from one centralized server. This feature alone is often enough to
justify moving to Web-to-host technology for many companies, because of the cost-savings central
management brings.
Reflection for the Web's management and administration infrastructure is browser based, with HTML
content and Java applets to walk the users through the deployment and management process. However,
Reflection for the Web does not have user/group-based management built into the product. To deploy
user/group management, the administrator can use the authentication and authorization features built into
the Web server. Since all Reflection for the Web host sessions are deployed through Web pages, the
administrator can create different pages for different groups and use the Web server to control access to
the appropriate Web page depending on what group the user is in.

26 February 2001 4


Directories based on Lightweight Directory Access Protocol (LDAP) will eventually play a large role in the
deployment and management of remote clients, and several Web-to-host vendors have started to support
LDAP for their products, because of its strong group and user-management features. WRQ does not offer
LDAP support with the current 4.0 version of Reflection for the Web.
• Administrative WebStation— A self-contained Web site containing all the information and tools
needed to configure Reflection terminal sessions and create Reflection Web pages.
• Deployment Director— The set of utilities included in the Administrative WebStation; guides the
user through the steps for creating Web-based host sessions and uploading the files to the Web
server.
• Usage metering— Java-based tools for auditing and controlling access to Reflection for the Web-
host sessions.
• Security proxy server— An optional, Java-based proxy server that provides encrypted data
connections to host computers from Reflection for the Web sessions. The Reflection security proxy
server includes a Security Proxy Server Wizard that helps the user set up the server and generates
the required security certificates automatically.
Application Server Compatibility: Most of the major Web-to-host vendors support Web-application
servers; WRQ supports any HTTP 1.0-compliant Web server, including Microsoft Internet Information
Server, Netscape Enterprise Server, and Apache Web Server.
Printing Support: The majority of Web-to-host vendors support the capability to print host-based screens
to a local printer and copy-and-paste features. However, due to the inherent weakness of Java for printing
support, the printing features for Web-to-host products that employ Java applets are not as robust as the
printing features available with fat-client computing. For instance, Java does not support graphics
printing— ActiveX and fat-client PC emulators do.
WRQ Reflection for the Web supports screen-printing for all emulations; this allows users to quickly get a
hard copy of their current screen. Reflection for the Web also supports 3287 printing for IBM mainframes.
Additional printing capabilities include 3812 printing for AS/400 and logging and controller mode printing
for VT emulation users; also, AS/400 users can format and scale print jobs that allow printing to a file,
local printer or a networked printer. Support for Host Print Transform (HPT) and non-HPT devices is also
included.
Emulation Support: Terminal emulation drivers enable PCs to emulate a particular type of terminal so
users can log-on to a mainframe. All of the Web-to-host products in this class include emulation support
for mainframe, AS/400, and VT (DEC) emulations; however, some offer a very limited number of VT
emulation levels. Other emulations supported by some, but not all, are for HP, CICS, Linux and WYSE
50/60.
WRQ Reflection for the Web offers an extensive list of emulations. IBM mainframe support includes
TN3270 and TN3270E; IBM AS/400 support includes TN5250 connectivity. Unix and OpenVMS emulation
includes Telnet connectivity, VT 220 with VT 400 extensions, VT 102, VT 100, and VT 52 (DEC). HP
emulation includes HP 700/92, HP 700/94, HP 700/96, HP 700/98 and HP 239A. WRQ also offers an
extensive list of HP emulations, in addition to the usual Web-to-host offerings for IBM mainframe, Digital
minicomputers, Unix systems, and AS/400 support. Additionally, the terminal emulation sessions run
under a browser but retain the look of a standard-host connection.
Platform Support:

26 February 2001 5


• Server: Major Web servers:
• Client (desktop): Will support any Java-enabled machine running in a standard browser, although
somewhat limited with Macs; can also support thin-client network terminals. Windows 95/98/NT and
2000 are supported through the use of either Internet Explorer version 4.0 or higher or Netscape
Navigator/Communicator version 4.6 or higher. Unix users are supported through Netscape
Navigator.
The Relationship Between Platform Support and Java: Since Java is supposed to be cross platform,
technically any Java-enabled Web-to-host product could be considered platform independent. Indeed,
that is what most Web-to-host vendors claim, including WRQ. Despite the hype, the "write once, run
anywhere" promise of Java has not yet fully materialized. There are minor differences between the
different JVM, some of which can affect product function or performance or both. When prospective
customers are evaluating a particular vendor's Web-to-host software for an environment that is fairly
heterogeneous, the Web-to-host vendor should be questioned as to whether the software has been
previously tested with the user's various platforms.
Application Development and GUI Screen Rejuvenation: Prospective Web-to-host customers should
query the vendor about the inclusion of HACL and whether such features as open APIs and VB Script and
Jscript are supported for customization of applications. Also, most Web-to-host vendors support a feature
that allows the "green screen" to be automatically changed to a more user friendly, GUI-like screen; this is
referred to as an "on-the-fly" GUI. Vendors offer varying degrees of support for this feature.
WRQ Reflection offers several customization host-access options for users who require or prefer a GUI-
type browser interface, as opposed to the typical mainframe "green-screen." Macro recording support is
also included:
• WRQ Reflection for the Web: Features Java-based APIs to automate logon tasks, access dialog
boxes, and create a Web framework to improve usability of legacy applications. The Java-based APIs
are accessible through the standard Web languages of HTML, JavaScript, VBScript and Java. The
macro recorder function automates routine tasks, which allows capture and playback actions
performed each day with Reflection for the Web. This feature can be used to eliminate several steps
from a user's host log-in process.
• WRQ Reflection for the Web, Professional Edition: Includes the same features as the standard
edition, but also offers tools to automatically generate ("on-the-fly") Web-style graphical interfaces
from traditional "green-screen" IBM host applications and transform them into a graphical interface
form— WRQ calls this process "rejuvenation." The Professional Edition also includes the capability to
deploy a GUI interface to the application with thousands of screens, without screen by screen
reengineering. The author mode and the context sensitive help are geared towards aiding navigation
for IBM Mainframe and AS/400 users.

Differentiators: Reflection for the Web 4.1; Reflection for the Web 4.1 Professional Edition; Verastream Host
Integrator

The only difference between Reflection for the Web and Reflection for the Web PE is that the
"Professional Edition" supports the auto rejuvenation of IBM Mainframe and AS/400 screens (green-
screen to GUI). Both products have the same architecture and security and are geared towards trusted
users over either an intranet or extranet. For example, one WRQ customer has 40,000 resellers using
emulation on the extranet for catalog access. For customers that require more robust application
development and customization, and a three-tier architecture, WRQ offers its Verastream Host Integrator

26 February 2001 6


solution, application-integration software for the mining and dynamic reuse of host information in e-
business systems.

Figure 1: WRQ Reflection for the Web

Reflection for the Web is downloaded from a Web server to the desktop browser on demand— providing direct
connections to IBM, HP, Unix and OpenVMS hosts.

Source: WRQ, Inc.

Pricing

WRQ Reflection for the Web 4.1

• One concurrent license: $199
• Per user: $115

WRQ Reflection for the Web 4.1, Professional Edition

• One concurrent license: $239
• Per user: $138
Volume pricing available.

GSA Pricing

Yes.
Competitors

• Attachmate: e-Vantage Host Access Server

26 February 2001 7


• IBM: WebSphere Host On-Demand

• NetManage: RUMBA 2000, Web-to-Host
• OpenConnect: OC://WebConnect Pro
• Persoft, an Esker Co.: Persona Entry/Insight

Strengths
• Strong security and data encryption:
• (Transaction layer security TLS): WRQ is the only Web-to-host vendor with TLS

• Triple DES
• Optional proxy server
• VPN support
• Broad terminal-type support for Digital Equipment Corp., IBM, Hewlett-Packard and Unix hosts.
• Simple, Web-based administration tools.
• Usage metering tool.

• Proxy server eases host access through a corporate firewall.
• 40K initial downloads enables faster remote access.
Limitations
• User/group management not integrated within the product and depends on the Web server.
• No LDAP support.
Insight
Reflection for the Web 4.1 offers top-notch security and data encryption: SSL/TSL; triple DES; and
optional security proxy server and VPN support. WRQ's emulation support is broad and extensive;
compared to its competitors'. WRQ offers the longest list of supported emulations. It is a highly scalable
product— the number of possible users is not tied to the server's capability since its applets are used to
bypass the Web Server. Additionally, Reflection for the Web includes enhanced printing features for
AS/400 users; however, Reflection lacks LDAP support. Reflection for the Web provides secure Web-
based host access across enterprises and beyond the firewall and is a competitively priced product.
Companies that are looking to Web-enable their enterprise for e-business will want to evaluate Reflection
for the Web.

26 February 2001 8

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