MB Foster is shipping the Version 7.00 release of its MBF-UDALink data connection suite, adding enhancements that provide corporate customers with support for Microsoft’s .NET standards to extend the reach of host-based applications.

“Our latest release makes customers’ data .NET-ready,” said founder Birket Foster. “These Microsoft standards are essential for up-to-date connectivity to data and interoperability of applications. MBF-UDALink gives the data on HP host systems express access through .NET.”

.NET-ready enhancements in MBF-UDALink include a Secure Socket Layer (SSL), support for Remote Procedure Calls, a COM Component Builder, two-phase commit database support, and a Transaction Monitor. Microsoft’s .NET is a language-neutral environment for writing programs that can easily interoperate with required security.

“Supporting .NET is critical for nearly all of the world’s desktop users,” Foster said. “The technology will eliminate .DLL hell, easing the support issues on managing desktop computing platforms.”

MBF-UDALink guarantees client-server and Web access to virtually all HP e3000 and UNIX host data sources, ensuring both transformation of and access to existing and future applications. The software bridges Microsoft’s connectivity standards as well as the J2EE Java framework, giving corporate customers the complete range of access capability.

Version 7.00 secures ODBC transactions over Web-based e-business and through company Intranets using SSL technology. The MB Foster software supports three levels of SSL, so connections to a server can be encrypted using server certificates for true authentication and Web data can remain on HP hosts, rather than Web servers.

MBF-UDALink uses Remote Procedure Calls to allow users to run existing programs in distributed environments, so Visual Basic and Visual C++ can be enabled with HP host applications on either UNIX or MPE/iX.

UDALink’s COM Component Builder enables companies to affordably create remote procedure calls, using logic contained in current libraries (XLs or proclibs) with the COM architecture. That means current business logic can be included in Visual Studio, IIS or Cold Fusion. The UDALink COM facility supports up to 20 parameters in one RPC call, allowing developers to rapidly deploy solutions by re-using existing code.

Two-phase commit capability in Version 7.00 lets companies control consistency and integrity during complex simultaneous database transactions. Databases can reside on a combination of HP or UNIX servers, and can include Allbase/SQL, Oracle, SQL Server and other XA-compliant relational databases.

UDALink’s Transaction Monitor tracks processes across Windows, NT, MPE, HP-UX environments, allowing remedial action to take place if required.

MBF-UDALink’s powerful batch reporting and extract capabilities also include generating output in XML format; Microsoft’s designated default for all data in the Office Suite, other Microsoft applications, and many desktop applications from vendors other than Microsoft.

The MB Foster software is the latest generation of technology that’s at the heart of HP’s database connectivity. Integrated with Allbase and Image/SQL in 1997, ODBCLink/SE is designed and maintained by MB Foster’s labs, providing data access for thousands of HP e3000 servers throughout the world.

MBF-UDALink expands the starter functionality of ODBCLink/SE, providing full support for Powerhouse and KSAM files, support for both TurboIMAGE and IMAGE/SQL databases on the HP e3000 — a full complement of capabilities well beyond the basics of ODBCLink/SE.

About MB Foster

MB Foster, a provider of data access and delivery solutions to the Hewlett-Packard community for over 30 years, is a selected HP Platinum Migration Partner. The company provides migration planning, services and tools to assist HP e3000 customers in their move to other platforms, as well as proven data access solutions which drive mission-critical IT operations around the world. As a Certified Microsoft developer, an Oracle Partner, an IBM Business partner, and a Sun Development partner, MB Foster has a wealth of knowledge specifically focused on data – where all business logic and critical information resides.

The company is headquartered in Chesterville, Canada with offices in Texas, Washington, Ontario and British Columbia. For information on its distributors, products and services, visit www.mbfoster.com