LAN Distributed Platform (LANDP)

Key features include:

• Centralized and distributed environments: IBM® LANDP® supports Microsoft DOS®, OS/2®, Windows® and Linux so that you can build your solution in either a distributed or centralized environment. You can build a LANDP solution on a group of workstations that provide services to other workstations in the workgroup, even if there is a mixture of supported LANDP platforms. Using Java™ and an application server, your applications can communicate with LANDP services stored centrally.

• Financial device support: LANDP can share and manage financial devices such as printers, magnetic stripe readers and PIN pads. If you are using DOS, you can manage multiple print requests from one program.

• Communications services: The LANDP wide area communication servers provide the communication services required by other servers or client applications, including connections to host computers or any processors connected through supported links, and support for SNA and program-to program communications.

• Data management services: A LANDP solution can provide lightweight methods for storing, sharing and managing your data with a suite of servers that store transaction details and send data to the host. With these facilities, your local system can continue to function when access to your host systems is unavailable. LANDP also provides an interface to relational database management systems (RDBMS), such as IBM DB2®.

• Emulator support: LANDP includes two sets of API functions to access LANDP 3270 and 3287 emulators from user-developed applications.

• Application development: LANDP applications can be written in a number of different programming languages, including Java; C; C++; Visual Basic® and COBOL so that you can develop applications for your choice of platforms.

LANDP provides numerous technology and business benefits:

• Migration and coexistence: You can migrate LANDP solutions to other platforms. For LANDP solutions that use DOS-based applications, there is Virtual DOS machine relay support. There is also a path for customers to migrate to an e-business infrastructure. Because LANDP supports distributed environments, your solutions can coexist with other platforms and other LANDP workgroups.

• Cost savings: LANDP works with existing systems that are in place to ensure that your migration to LANDP is as smooth as possible while protecting your investments in hardware, operating systems, application software and staff training. The simple API that can be used for multiple platforms helps you use branch networks cost-effectively. You can maintain your existing applications while developing new solutions and benefiting from the ability of LANDP to share resources.

• Dedicated support: A dedicated LANDP team offers support that includes assisting a company through the evaluation of LANDP to providing on-site training on the use of LANDP once it is installed.

• Additional advantages: With LANDP V6.0, you can develop multi-platform networked solutions from scratch. You can also develop solutions based on WebSphere Business Components Composer or extend the services offered by WebSphere Business Components Composer, migrate your existing LANDP applications to Linux or Windows and continue to receive support for an existing LANDP installation.