Pericom Supports All Sessions Worth Emulating
While thin clients are very versatile, they may still need retooling to support different host environments. In a multi-platform shop, providing uniform access to various environments other than IBM servers may still be a challenge.
Pericom Software Inc. (Hamilton Square, N.J.) recently began shipping Java-based emulation software that expands the range of IBM's Network Stations. The product, called teemworld, enables the devices to receive data streams from applications running in HP, Data General, Tandem, ICL, Wyse, or even point-of-sale environments. Teemworld will run on any client that supports a Java-capable browser or Java Virtual Machine (JVM).
While Network Stations readily support 5250, 3270 and AIX emulation, "many IBM customers need emulation beyond what IBM supplies," says John Biancamano, director of sales for Pericom. Teemworld simplifies a company's communications by requiring just one terminal emulation product for all desktop and host computing platforms.
"Because of Java's ability to be downloaded from any Web server, teemworld can be used with multiple legacy hosts," Biancamano says. "It allows anybody to access the host data from anywhere with Internet access. You're not limited to internal networks."
Teemworld, which has been certified to run on all IBM Network Station models, includes 128-bit Secure Sockets Layer (SSL) support for data security. The product also includes an Auto GUI feature enabling the green screen to be updated automatically with GUI features such as input boxes, chisel boxes and fields, and enables host systems to be integrated with browser-based applications.
Pericom also provides a JavaBeans interface to teemworld, which enables developers to embed the emulation environment directly into applications. "Call centers use our API to embed teemworld into their call-center applications," Biancamano relates. This feature enables the application to automatically pull in host-based data, he says.