10th March 2002
A new release of the Distributed Transaction System for Windows is now shipping,
introducing a completely new version level 5 with major functional enhancements.
DTS/Windows V5.0 is a full-function DTS environment for 32-bit Microsoft® Windows operating
systems, Windows XP, Windows 2000, Windows NT 4.0, Windows 95, 98 and Me.
The most important enhancement is the support for long DTS messages.
Since the dawn of the DTS architecture, a common limit of 32000 bytes for the size of an individual
DTS transaction message has existed. Originally inherited from the IBM SNA world, this constant
maximum size has covered all DTS platforms and protocols supported. And it still does when
unlimited and seamless platform interaction and application portability is desired. However, since
version level 5 new DTS implementations will be equipped with a completely new kernel, allowing
transaction message sizes up to two gigabytes. The practical maximum of the size of an individual
message then depends on the amount of system memory available in the communicating computers.
The long message support is an optional feature accessible for new applications when interacting
with remote parties who also support DTS messages exceeding 32000 bytes. Thus both the front-end
(client) and back-end (server) side of the application must be implemented using the new long
message conventions, and both sides should be running DTS version level 5.0 or higher.
Whenever the message sizes do not exceed the traditional 32000-byte barrier, all DTS applications
will interact without any problems, regardless the programming interfaces being used.
Automatic failover switching is another desired feature provided in version level 5 DTS distributions.
It enables setup of more failsafe nonstop DTS environments. Each remote DTS node configured may have a
failover node, or even a chain of multiple failover nodes, defined. A transaction aimed to the primary
node is then automatically passed to the failover node in case the communication to the primary system
fails. A clustered server environment with distinct DTS installations residing in different network
addresses is a typical area of use for failover node switching.
Parallel spooling is a mechanism that has existed in DTS implementations for large systems for a long
time. Now also available in DTS/Windows for maximum transaction performance even in very large networks
with varying communication throughput.
DTS/Windows V5.0 contains support for TCP/IP communications, layered directly on the standard
WINSOCK 2 interface. Via DTS a Windows system can access application services on and
exchange messages with other DTS environments like different UNIXes, VMS, MPE, CICS,
OS/400...
As a first standard DTS distribution this version of DTS/Windows has a built-in capability for very easy
product embedding when DTS is being shipped and used with other commercial software requiring middleware
for system interconnectivity.
The DTSCRYPT strong data encryption support provides DTS transactions
and intersystem communication a very secure environment where business critical data may be transferred
as DTS messages over insecure communication lines safely.
DTS/Windows V5.0 uses the DTS License Authorization Key mechanism. It allows more flexible
distribution of evaluation kits and software upgrades. To submit a request for a free evaluation license,
please fill up the registration form.
Further information about the Distributed Transaction
System product family is available.
