News
Bridging the gap between .NET and J2EE
- By John K. Waters
- November 17, 2003
Borland Software last week released the latest version of Janeva, a tool
designed to help developers build applications for the Microsoft .NET Framework
that are integrated with software based on J2EE and CORBA. Borland bills Janeva
6 as a tool designed to help enterprises with mixed IT environments reduce the
expense and impact of integrating new and existing applications.
According to IDC analyst Rikki Kirzner, an increasing number of Web services
vendors are trying to span the gap between .NET and J2EE in enterprises with
''bridging'' technologies that typically rely on evolving or proprietary
standards. These bridges often require additional hardware and software, she
said, and they can easily become the bottleneck and single point-of-failure in a
system.
Janeva 6 is designed to allow Microsoft .NET Framework client- or
server-based applications to access J2EE and CORBA server-side components
through the Internet Inter-ORB Protocol (IIOP), translating data types
automatically and allowing hands-free interoperability between J2EE and .NET.
And unlike SOAP, which Kirzner sees as still somewhat immature, aimed as it is
at providing loose couplings between applications, Janeva is tightly integrated
with several development environments for the Microsoft .NET Framework,
including Visual Studio for .NET and Borland C# Builder.
''One of the biggest challenges customers are facing with Web services is the
complexity of implementation in high-transaction environments,'' said Borland
Senior VP Boz Elloy.
With this release, Borland officials contend that Janeva now supports all
major J2EE application servers with transaction and security services, including
user authorization and authentication. J2EE and CORBA applications can also
utilize Janeva's new callback capabilities to ''talk back'' to .NET
Framework-based applications for two-way interoperability.
This release is the second upgrade to Janeva, which the Scotts Valley,
Calif.-based toolmaker first launched in May.
Janeva 6 is scheduled for shipment late in the fourth quarter of 2003.
Borland certifies Janeva 6 interoperability with BEA WebLogic Server 7.0, BEA
WebLogic Server 8.1, Borland Enterprise Server 5.2, IBM WebSphere 5.0 and
Oracle9i Application Server.
In related news, Borland also announced the launch last week of JDataStore 7,
its embedded database for mobile devices. The new version includes such
enhancements as database mirroring; incremental backup; and features that allow
the software to work on PDAs, tablets and laptops.
About the Author
John K. Waters is a freelance writer based in Silicon Valley. He can be reached
at [email protected].