COMPAQ Software Product Description ___________________________________________________________________ PRODUCT NAME: Reliable Transaction Router[TM] Version 3.2 for 51.04.07 OpenVMS[R] DESCRIPTION Reliable Transaction Router (RTR) is fault tolerant transactional mes- saging middleware used to implement large, distributed applications using client/server technology. This version of Reliable Transaction Router for OpenVMS enables enterprises to deploy distributed appli- cations on OpenVMS Alpha and VAX systems. Reliable Transaction Router allows distributed applications to run in heterogeneous environments, allowing client and server applications to interoperate on the supported Windows, UNIX and OpenVMS platforms. Reliable Transaction Router provides an API for development of dis- tributed applications using languages such as C and C++, with optional all-or-nothing transaction semantics as well as a message broadcast- ing capability. The API calls are also available from a command line interface. RTR provides a reliable, transparent, dynamic message rout- ing system that includes both a transactional and non-transactional message control system. RTR transaction management supports two-phase commit of distributed transactions. In addition, RTR for OpenVMS im- plements RTR Version 2 API "wrapper" routines that allow most exist- ing RTR Version 2 based applications to run without change. Reliable Transaction Router implements automatic software fault tol- erance and failure recovery in multinode environments by adapting to many kinds of hardware (CPU), communications, application software, and site failures. Automatic failover and recovery of service oper- ate by exploiting redundant or alternate hardware and network links. June 1999 AE-Q8B3H-TE Reliable Transaction Router[TM] Version 3.2 for 51.04.07 OpenVMS[R] If alternative hardware or network links are not available, RTR au- tomatically continues provision of service when the CPU or network link becomes available. Reliable Transaction Router applications are developed and deployed using a three-tier client/router/server software model. Client appli- cations call the RTR "client" software tier, which passes messages to the "router" tier of the software. Transaction messages are routed re- liably and transparently, based on message content, to the appropri- ate process(es) in the "server" tier. Server applications typically execute transactions against a database and return results back to clients. A single physical node may run one, two, or three tiers of the RTR client /router/server software model. Each of the three software tiers may consist of one or more nodes. The software model and its content-based routing present a "virtual", rather than physical, network to the ap- plication developer, providing a single view of a distributed client/server environment. This technique allows application software to be inde- pendent of physical hardware (CPU) location, network naming conven- tions, and communications protocol. This facilitates single-node de- velopment, and transparent scalability of applications to complex net- work configurations. Reliable Transaction Router software fault tolerant features such as router failover and shadow-server processing provide continuous com- puting services with completion of in-progress transactions despite single or multiple points of failure in the distributed client/server environment. Call-out servers implement user authentication control, and concurrent servers provide dynamic message load balancing for high performance. The high performance transactional messaging is imple- mented as a full-duplex conversation with remote server procedures us- ing real-time flow control techniques. These features generally re- quire no special user application programming logic. The system management interface allows the creation, deletion, and mod- ification of virtual networks (facilities) within a network, and per- mits control of distributed RTR processes from a single system within the distributed environment. The RTR system management interface is 2 Reliable Transaction Router[TM] Version 3.2 for 51.04.07 OpenVMS[R] used to bind the physical hardware (CPU and communications) to a vir- tual network namespace and is transparent to the applications soft- ware. A monitoring utility can be invoked to report application per- formance information on the local node. RTR is independent of forms/window management systems and databases. Multiple databases and other resource managers (e.g., flat-file sys- tems) can be updated within the same distributed transaction. RTR is intended for distributed applications that require continuous computing services and transaction integrity (e.g., trading/money deal- ing systems, electronic commerce, payment systems, transportation sys- tems, telecommunications systems, and so on). Reliable Transaction Router can also be used for applications that require reliable messaging and fault tolerant application control over LANs, WANs, or the Internet. Reliable Transaction Router provides the enabling technology for ap- plications requiring fully distributed client/server models. RTR on OpenVMS provides an interface for controlling transaction com- mitment directly with a DECdtm compliant resource manager. RTR provides an interface for allowing RTR transactions to be part of a transaction coordinated by an external Transaction Manager such as Microsoft MTS, Encina, Tuxedo[R] or any other foreign Transaction Man- ager. In this case RTR acts as a Resource Manager in a transaction that can be globally coordinated by the Transaction Manager. License Types Reliable Transaction Router for OpenVMS has two license types. The Back End license provides full client/router/server functionality. It is required for nodes configured as routers or servers, and can also be used for nodes configured as clients. The Front End license provides client application functionality only, in a production environment, plus a single-node development and test- ing environment for RTR applications. 3 Reliable Transaction Router[TM] Version 3.2 for 51.04.07 OpenVMS[R] Backend Features o Provides transparent, content-based transaction routing for client/server applications. o Provides publish/subscribe broadcast (nontransactional) messaging for delivery to multiple subscription domains within a virtual net- work. o Allows user-defined partitioned data models (content-based rout- ing) for improved performance of user applications. o Acts as a layer between the application clients and servers, thus decoupling the end-to-end relationship normally required by user application control. This provides the application developer with a single system view of the programming environment. o Ensures atomicity of transactions (all or nothing) by using a two- phase commit protocol for transactional message delivery among one or more application servers. o Offers at-most-once semantics for valid transactions. This includes specially flagged transaction replay to a surviving application server, or a later instantiation of that server on the same or a differ- ent machine on the virtual network. o DECdtm support is provided for use with resource managers supported by DECdtm. When the DECdtm option is invoked by the application pro- gram, the application programmer is not required to be aware of trans- action replays, since Reliable Transaction Router coordinates this directly through DECdtm and the participating resource managers. o Supports multiple (concurrent) servers. o Provides disaster protection against site failure by mirroring trans- actions in shadow-server environments. Automatic resynchronization of shadow pairs after recovery is provided transparently to the ap- plication. o Maintains performance scaling over a wide range of configurations allowing easy horizontal expansion of both hardware systems and ap- plication software. 4 Reliable Transaction Router[TM] Version 3.2 for 51.04.07 OpenVMS[R] o Enables automatic failover/failback of application servers on mul- tiple backend systems while remaining transparent to client appli- cations executing on remote system(s). RTR can maintain applica- tion operation in many instances of single or multiple failure modes in a widely distributed software/hardware configuration. o Includes system management utilities for online control of virtual networks from any workstation or terminal with the appropriate priv- ileges. Monitoring of statistics, software and hardware states, and clients and servers is provided on a local node basis. o Uses TCP/IP as the underlying transport for the virtual network. o Includes an option to support RTR clients that use the ODBC inter- face. o Allows the operator to manage various partition based attributes, such as: o Create or delete a partition using a user-specified name. o Define or change a key range definition. o The preferred role option to choose a preferred primary node. o The failover precedence option to choose between local and cross- site shadow failover. o Suspend and resume operations to synchronize database backups with transaction flows. o Override RTR's automatic recovery decisions to allow manual spe- cial recovery procedures. o Specify retry limits for problem transactions. o Provides for the operator to selectively inspect, modify states, or remove transactions from the journal or the running RTR system. o Supports anonymous clients, i.e., allows clients to be configured with wildcarded node names. o May be used with the AltaVista Group Tunnel, supporting secure In- ternet communication for any RTR connection (client to router, router to backend). 5 Reliable Transaction Router[TM] Version 3.2 for 51.04.07 OpenVMS[R] o May be used with an optional BMC Patrol [TM] knowledge module for RTR which, when used with BMC Patrol [TM] console and agent, al- lows Patrol to manage RTR. Frontend Features o Provides the ability for the client to start transaction branches, where the global transaction may be controlled by external trans- action managers or RTR. o Provides the necessary environment to run Reliable Transaction Router client applications under OpenVMS as part of a Reliable Transac- tion Router virtual network. o Provides client functionality in a production environment, as well as a single-node application development and testing environment for RTR applications. o Uses TCP/IP as the underlying transport for the virtual network. o Supports transactional and nontransactional (broadcast) messages. o Supports automatic failover to another router in the event of a com- munication link failure. o Supports Reliable Transaction Router system management operations. HARDWARE REQUIREMENTS o Any hardware that supports the underlying operating system. Refer to the configuration charts listed in the OpenVMS Operating Sys- tem Software Product Description (SPD 25.01.xx) Hardware Support Tables for further information. o A CD-ROM drive is required for installation. 6 Reliable Transaction Router[TM] Version 3.2 for 51.04.07 OpenVMS[R] SOFTWARE REQUIREMENTS OpenVMS Alpha or OpenVMS VAX Operating System Version 6.2, 7.1, or 7.2. YEAR 2000 READY This product is Year 2000 Ready. "Year 2000 Ready" products are defined by Compaq as products capable of accurately processing, providing, and receiving date data from, into, and between the twentieth and twenty-first centuries, and the years 1999 and 2000, including leap year calculations, when used in accor- dance with the associated product documentation and provided that all hardware, firmware, and software used in combination with such prod- ucts properly exchange accurate date data with the products. For additional information visit the DIGITAL Brand area on Compaq's Year 2000 Ready web site located at http://ww1.digital.com/year2000/warranty.asp. To ensure that this product is Year 2000 Ready, the following test- ing process or methods were utilized: Tests that employ sample RTR applications and which verify message in- tegrity and proper transactional serialization on shadow sites are de- ployed on a network containing systems with dates set forward to just before and just after 1-JAN-2000 and at dates far into the 21st cen- tury. To ensure that this product interoperates properly with other hard- ware and software, the following testing process or methods were uti- lized: The above mentioned tests were deployed on a variety of hardware plat- forms, using both TCP and DECnet protocols, together with applications using the C run-time library. 7 Reliable Transaction Router[TM] Version 3.2 for 51.04.07 OpenVMS[R] OPTIONAL SOFTWARE o Optional software commonly used in developing and deploying Reli- able Transaction Router applications includes programming languages such as C, C++, and database software offered by third-party ven- dors such as Oracle Corporation. o DECnet for OpenVMS, or DECnet-Plus for OpenVMS. (For DECnet-Plus, Version 6.3 ECO5 or higher is required.) o Compaq TCP/IP Services for OpenVMS, or approved third-party TCP/IP network software. (For Compaq TCP/IP Services for OpenVMS, Version 4.0 or higher is required.) o Applications using the ODBC client interface require an ODBC server process at the RTR backend. A sample RTR ODBC server for Reliable Transaction Router V3.2 for OpenVMS for use with Oracle8 is avail- able from Compaq. o A BMC Patrol Knowledge Module for RTR is also offered by third par- ties such as Insight Innovations. Refer to the optional product's Software Product Description for more information on optional software products and hardware requirements and support. GROWTH CONSIDERATIONS The minimum hardware/software requirements for any future version of this product may be different from the requirements for the current version. DISTRIBUTION MEDIA The software and documentation for Reliable Transaction Router are avail- able on the Compaq CD-ROM Software Library for OpenVMS. The software and documentation for Alpha systems are also available on a separate CD-ROM supplied as part of the media and documentation kit QA-2AQAA-H8. 8 Reliable Transaction Router[TM] Version 3.2 for 51.04.07 OpenVMS[R] The software and documentation for VAX systems are also available on a separate CD-ROM supplied as part of the media and documentation kit QA-XNKAA-H8. ORDERING INFORMATION - ALPHA SYSTEMS Back End License: Software Licenses: QL-2AQA*-** Media and Documentation Kit: QA-2AQAA-H8 Hardcopy Documentation: QA-2AQAA-GZ Software Product Services: QT-2AQA*-** Front End License: Software Licenses: QL-2ARA*-** Media and Documentation Kit: QA-2AQAA-H8 Hardcopy Documentation: QA-2AQAA-GZ Software Product Services: QT-2ARA*-** * Denotes variant fields. For additional information on available li- censes, services, and media, refer to the appropriate price book. ORDERING INFORMATION - VAX SYSTEMS Back End License: Software Licenses: QL-XNKA*-** Media and Documentation Kit: QA-XNKAA-H8 Software Documentation: QA-XNKAA-GZ Software Product Services: QT-XNKA*-** Front End License: 9 Reliable Transaction Router[TM] Version 3.2 for 51.04.07 OpenVMS[R] Software Licenses: QL-XNLA*-** Media and Documentation kit: QA-XNKAA-H8. Software Documentation: QA-XNKAA-GZ Software Product Services: QT-XNLA*-** * Denotes variant fields. For additional information on available li- censes, services, and media, refer to the appropriate price book. SOFTWARE LICENSING This software is furnished only under a license. For more information about Compaq's licensing terms and policies, contact your local Com- paq office. License Management Facility Support for OpenVMS: This software supports the OpenVMS Operating System License Manage- ment Facility. Back End License: License units for this product are allocated on a CPU-capacity basis. Front End License: License units for this product are allocated on a CPU-capacity basis. SOFTWARE PRODUCT SERVICES A variety of service options are available from Compaq. For more in- formation, contact your local Compaq office. 10 Reliable Transaction Router[TM] Version 3.2 for 51.04.07 OpenVMS[R] SOFTWARE WARRANTY This software is provided by Compaq with a 90 day conformance warranty in accordance with the Compaq warranty terms applicable to the license purchase. © 1999 Compaq Computer Corporation. All rights reserved. [R] AIX and IBM are registered trademarks of International Busi- ness Machines Corporation. [TM] Alpha, DEC, DECdtm, DECnet, DIGITAL, OpenVMS, PATHWORKS, Re- liable Transaction Router, and VAX are trademarks of Digital Equipment Corporation. [TM] BMC Patrol is a trademark of Insight Innovations, Inc. [R] COMPAQ and the Compaq logo are registered in the United States Patent and Trademark Office. [R] Encina is a registered trademark of Transarc Corporation. [R] Hewlett-Packard and HP-UX are registered trademarks of Sun Microsystems, Inc. [R] Intel is a registered trademark of Intel Corporation. [R] Microsoft and Windows 95 are registered trademarks of Micr- soft Corporation. [R] ORACLE is a registered trademark of Oracle Corporation. [R] Sun, SunLink, and Solaris are registered trademarks of Sun Microsystems, Inc. [R] Tuxedo is a registered trademark of Novell, Inc. [R] UNIX is a registered trademark in the United States and other countries, licensed exclusively through X/Open Company, Ltd. [R] Windows NT, Windows 95, and Windows 98 are registered trade- marks of Microsoft Corporation. 11