Introduction

TS Network DataServer is an integral part of the Thoroughbred Software network solution. Server data can be made available across platforms for uses in Dictionary-IV file maintenance, Report-IV, Query-IV, Script-IV, and Basic applications.

With TS Network DataServer software:

• Applications can now be configured to access a Network DataServer.
• New or existing applications can access and share data across a network.

When you access a file on another computer there is a large amount of network communication associated with accessing keys and locking records. This network traffic is in addition to the communication necessary to transfer the data.

Current file sharing capabilities with NFS, Netware, and Microsoft Network provide low-level access to files on other systems. They do not, provide acceptable levels of performance or ensure data integrity.

TS Network DataServer allows much of the logic required for distributed file I/O to reside on the system that contains the data. This process minimizes network exchanges and provides improved performance.

This guide first describes the Client side of TS Network DataServer, which is provided with every TS Environment installation. It then provides specific information for Thoroughbred servers.

Requirements

Starting with release level 8.9.0, the TS Network DataServer is no longer compatible with previous versions of Thoroughbred Basic/Web Basic.

To run TS Network DataServer your system must meet the following requirements:

• Network communications with TCP/IP protocol.
• Enabled and compatible TS Environment.

Once the installation is complete, server access is enabled by the addition of a number of configuration items. Refer to the sections that follow for instructions about creating or modifying the SERVER.MAP and IPLINPUT file, TERM.MAP file, and executing the Server startup program.

TS Network DataServer Components

The TS Network DataServer for consists of three components:

• A Client enabled TS Environment,
• A Startup Program (tsmgr), and
• A Server Process (tsserv) for each connection.

Client Enabled TS Environment

The client side is enabled in the standard TS Environment. When configured for data server access, it detects requests for data that reside on a server. When this event occurs, it sends the I/O request to the server for processing. The server responds with the resulting set and processing continues.

Startup Program (tsmgr)

The Startup Program (tsmgr) creates server processes for clients as needed. When the Startup Program detects a client attempting to connect, it tries to create a Server Process for the client. If a server process is created successfully, they can perform client/server communications.

Server Process (tsserv)

The Server Process (tsserv) is triggered by requests from the client. Once a request is received, it is processed and the results returned to the client.

System Architecture

The following diagram describes the configuration of components for the Thoroughbred Client.

Client on System A and Server on System B.

From the TS Network DataServer Reference, version 8.9.1. Open this page in the PDF