USAS Web Enabling Project

1
USAS Web Enabling Project

• Pilot Project Goals, Status
• and New Technologies

2
Pilot Project Goals

• Short-Term/Immediate Goals
• Provide alternative GUI for Requisition entry
• Post new Requisitions
• Clone existing Requisition and post as new
• Modify Requisitions
• Print Requisitions
• Do not disturb existing application
• Post/update to existing USAS data files
• Use existing OpenVMS/USAS security model
• Focus on casual/infrequent user

3
Pilot Project Goals

• Project Requirements
• Design framework for web-enabling other state
  software functions
• Plan for future for platform migration
• Use standard technologies (XML, SOAP, RPC, etc.)
• Allow for other interfaces e.g. native GUI
  client
• Ancillary Goals
• Keep costs low (hardware, licensing operating)
• Use Open Source or free tools when possible
• Support, but dont limit to, current OSs and
  hardware
• Reduce dependency on proprietary OSs and software

4
Project Status

• HP/Compaq performed assessment
• Reviewed current systems and code
• Recommended strategies for moving to enterprise
  environment
• HP Consultants hired to
• Design architecture and framework
• Implement first (Requisition) web application and
  SOAP service
• SSDT
• Writing backend RPC service on OpenVMS using
  existing USAS routines
• Target Release date April 2003

5
Architecture Diagram
6
New Technologies

• For OpenVMS Server
• USP (Universal Service Provider)
• Free product from HP
• Provides RPC (Remote Procedure Call)
• Permits existing 3GL (e.g. COBOL) to be called by
  remote clients
• Handles VMS process creation and management
• Allows creation of a process similar to an
  interactive user with appropriate security
  context
• Provides native Java classes for remote clients

7
New Technologies

• For Web Server
• Java 2
• J2EE web container (e.g. Tomcat)
• JSP, Servlets, etc
• For SOAP server
• Apache Axis
• Entire application will be native Java

8
Preliminary Requirements

• OpenVMS server
• USP V6.1
• Web/SOAP server
• Java 1.3.1 (or higher)
• Tomcat 4.0.4 (or higher)
• Apache web server (or any server with Servlet
  Connector)
• Can run on any OS that supports Java 2 platform.
  SSDT intends to support
• OpenVMS with Apache Web Server
• Linux
• Windows 2000 (IIS or Apache web server)
• SSDT will provide additional details and sources
  for software
• All required software is Open Source or free to
  use and has no licensing costs.

9
Why Java J2EE?

• Advantages of Java and Java 2 Enterprise Edition
• Low cost
• No licensing for development or run-time
  environments
• Open source and commercial alternatives available
• Platform independence
• Runs anywhere
• Provides migration from OpenVMS
• Does not limit hardware or OS choices
• Broad industry and standards support