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Version Reviewed: 3.0.1
Current Version: 3.0.1
Cup rating system:
4 Outstanding
3 Good
2 Acceptable
1 Poor
Vendor Info
Novera Software, Inc.
Burlington Office Center
25 Corporate Dr.
Burlington, MA 01803
781.270.4422 1.888.NOVERA1
www.novera.com
[email protected]
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NETWORK APPLICATION servers are ostensibly ugly beasts, and the trendy rewriting of their
sundry portions in Java has often created more issues than it has resolved. Enter jBusiness, a new
ambitious offering from Novera written entirely in Java-both on the server- and client-side. This
particular server package is geared toward customers who want to address all the management issues
inherent in the field while still using a simple platform-independent architecture, free of the
hassles from "Middleware."
While its versatility is not so readily apparent with its primitive
look and feel, it is still the little things in jBusiness that add up to a very competent tool in an
emerging market that is predominantly murky and uncharted.
From the horse's mouth, the principle aim of Novera's
product is to simplify deployment and maintenance of distributed network applications down to one set
of business logic. Moreover, it accomplishes this using platform-independent technology like Java,
while still addressing the complexity of large-scale applications. jBusiness uses the widely supported
CORBA and Lightweight Directory Access Protocol (LDAP) to handle the intercommunication of components
across the network, although it allows for users to deploy pre-existing applications without any knowledge
of these emerging technologies. jBusiness Application Servers can run on any UNIX and NT system, as can
the applications they deploy-without rewriting any code.
Novera's jBusiness is divided into three primary elements that install quite easily: the Application Server,
the Management Console, and the Component Development Environment. Of these, only the latter two are actual
user programs; the Application Server runs as a Windows NT service (or UNIX process) and is the central hub
through which all other built-in programs and user-developed applications will interact. Once the
installation is complete, however, configuring the system becomes
a bit less intuitive.
Novera provides a sizable cornucopia of PDF and HTML files detailing the how
and why of setting up each component and building a secure yet functional network, but the interface itself
is often too sparse and tedious to navigate through.
The awkward usability is in fact a bane that holds throughout the jBusiness suite. Every action, no matter
how minuscule, requires using the menus rather than having a toolbar or utility buttons. Most entered
values are not checked for validity, and there are no "browse" type functions for selecting many network
functions like peer servers and printers. Seemingly simple tasks often take a blind leap of intuition or
a glance at the user guide to carry out. Fortunately, these nuances do not detract from the rich features
that ultimately distinguish jBusiness as a strong product: its network flexibility and code-free interface
automation.
Novera uses the Secure Sockets Layer (SSL) to implement LDAP over TCP/IP networks. The Management Console
has the ability to dynamically configure and receive updates on other Application Servers across the network.
It also allows for monitoring any and all client activity occurring via the currently selected servers. There
is detailed granularity for controlling user access to specific applications.
In addition to the
user-created apps, the system comes with pre-built groupware such as an email client, terminal app, and a
file browser. The more savvy developer can also set Load Balance algorithms that control where and how much
each application is distributed over a network of servers. A long-term advantage is that all system events
are logged into a database, which can be filtered, selectively purged, or even accessed through the API for
statistical use.
The Component Development Environment showcases one of jBusiness' most astute features: that of automatically
generating CORBA and distributed code for pre-built classes to enable their use across the network through
the Novera Application Server. This is accomplished in the Network Wizard, which is really not a "wizard" so
much as a sparse panel in which a directory can be browsed for files that can be added to a project with
their various attributes. Then, on selecting "build" from the project menu, the various class stubs,
CORBA/IIOP interfaces, and management components common to all jBusiness applications are built on the fly.
There exists a thorough command-line interface for those who wish to automate this process with scripts.
The other two wizards are quite similar in form, though a bit less of a work-saver for the developer.
The Database Wizard can generate JDBC SQL calls from database schemas but is primarily geared toward
servicing applications that are already written for the JDBC packages. The Mainframe Wizard will either
prove insignificant for developers who are lucky enough to be without those legacy TN3270 machines in
their arsenal or a blessing with its ability to link Java code to recorded shell scripts for mainframe
terminal sessions.
As is to be expected with Application Server products, however, the real heart of the jBusiness
development process is in its reusable Java components. If you are willing to commit to the learning
curve inherent with any new API, you can develop from scratch using Novera packages that handle
everything from time-sharing to threaded network services. The user documentation for this is very
concise and readable by today's standards. Although jBusiness currently lacks any sort of IDE (the
Component Development Environment is simply the three wizards), Novera has tentative plans to bundle
its packages with leading Java Tools such as Symantec's Café.
In practice, jBusiness will take some time to fully learn and adjust to. Which is not to say that it
falls short as a usable product by any stretch of the imagination. Being in a market largely occupied
by companies and products that require on-site and long-term training and human support, jBusiness is
well under par for the course. After all, these particular products are not toys or simple development
utilities. With costs soaring high in the quadruple figures, and functionality that will likely be the
heart, lungs, and brain of your business operations, jBusiness will require serious commitment and
foresight as with any of its contemporaries.
With the enterprise server world rapidly phasing from mainframes toward UNIX variants and Windows NT,
it is encouraging to see products that are also phasing from proprietary and often dead languages
toward Java. Because of its multi-threaded and object component capabilities, Java was always more
promising as an eventual enterprise standard than just a language for Web applets. As Novera continues
to prove its scalability and reliability with case stories, its appeal to developers looking to stick
to new and open standards will continue to heighten.
Todd C. Zino works in publications and development at the National Software Testing Laboratories. He can
be contacted at [email protected].
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