| The present thinking is to offer an Active X automation interface that
can be used on a web server to access the ACMS application. The solution
is to include tools to automate the generation of the workspace
definitions and the automation server. The automation server will use an
ACMS Desktop client interface to invoke ACMS tasks. That is the general
framework of the approach, there are many details that need to be
worked through and a time frame to establish.
There are existing ACMS customers who have already implemented their own
web access. One intends to use a customized ACMS agent that they have
already in-house, and the others that I know of use some form of the
ACMS Desktop client on the web server. Depending on their urgency your
customer could consider our general intended approach and how it might
fit into what they can do themselves, perhaps eventually merging the
efforts.
One ACMS site that used a Netscape NSAPI interface on NT with an
embedded ACMS Desktop client is Digi-Key. They offer a on-line catalog
and ordering system at www.digikey.com. The technical people there
have said they are willing to talk with other ACMS users about their
implementation and I see they have a [email protected] on the page.
Below is something that came around the other day about another of the
known ACMS sites, I assume Bob Slone is the author. This cusotmer
contracted with Perot Systems to do the interface work for them. They
use a more traditional CGI program approach (process per request) but
again use ACMS Desktop to get from the web server into ACMS.
/Tom
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Using its existing VAX and Alpha systems and the DIGITAL
transaction processing monitor, ACMS, Thrifty Car Rental recently became
the first car rental company in the world to offer direct online
reservations capability via the Internet.
Recognizing the capability of the Internet to expand to new markets
and improve customer service, Thrifty partnered with Perot Systems to
integrate its legacy ACMS car rental reservation system with the World
Wide Web.
Perot Systems had already developed the existing high-volume
reservation system utilizing a three-tier, distributed client/server
architecture. The architecture consists of MicroVAX clients, a highly
available VAX cluster server, an ACMS transaction monitor, and an Oracle
Rdb database to store millions of records.
The system supports the Thrifty reservation call center as well as
a real time connection to the airline reservation systems. Protecting
this investment while expanding the capability of the system was of prime
importance to Thrifty.
Jim Lamb, Perot Systems project manager, says the Internet was a
logical extension to the Thrifty reservation system. "The architecture
of the reservation system made it very straightforward to offer the
application services to an Internet client. At the same time, ACMS
provided the features needed to prevent Internet access from adversely
impacting Thrifty's core business processes. As a result, Thrifty was
able to quickly open a new channel for reservations without incurring
incremental data maintenance expenses, while at the same time maintaining
consistency with the call center and airline systems."
Perot Systems used ACMS Desktop as the interface from the World
Wide Web to the existing Thrifty reservation system. This gave Perot
the opportunity to integrate the Internet with minimal change required
to the existing car reservation system.
Thrifty is confident its ACMS-based reservation system will scale
comfortably to handle the additional volume.
"The need for Thrifty Car Rental to expand markets and take
advantage of new technology while protecting investments in existing
systems is an example of the challanges facing business today," said John
Ferguson, ACMS product manager. "The architecture and scalability of
an ACMS transaction processing system gave Thrify the ability to take
its current applications into the future quickly and easily."
Thrifty Car Rental is an international franchise network of more
than 1,100 locations in 50 countries around the world. Thrifty serves
both the airport market and the local car rental market, and is one of
America's largest airport parking operators with more than 11,000 spaces
in 54 U.S. cities.
Perot Systems is a leading information technology services and
business transformation company with an estimated 1996 revenue of US$600
million. The company serves major clients in the financial services,
health care, utilities, telecommunications, and travel and leisure
industries in North America, Europe and Asia. Privately owned, Perot
Systems has more than 4,300 employees worldwide.
For additional information contact:
Bob Slone, DIGITAL Marketing ([email protected])
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