San Francisco-based Peerlogic Inc promises peer-to-peer applications across OS/2, NetWare and AIX operating environments with version 3.1 of its Pipes Platform. Pipes is an environment that is designed to enable distributed applications to run across OS/2, NetWare 386, and IBM Corp’s AIX/6000 Unix. The product is akin to Ellipse and Primrose in that it that serves as a framework for distributed computing, supporting both client-server and peer-to-peer models. But the company claims that it manages all aspects of communications on behalf of applications, offering consistent network services across supported environments. With the new release, it is said that applications running on a NetWare server as a NetWare Loadable Module, or on local area network workstations, Unix machines and host systems, can interoperate without loading additional protocol stacks or installing additional hardware. To achieve this, the software operates as ‘middleware’ and resides between applications and the network. It incorporates asynchronous, full-duplex messaging, and a dynamic global naming service. As far as programmers are concerned, Pipes Platform consists of a library of 12 C-language functions designed to shield the developer from the underlying network protocols, significantly reducing the amount of communications code, and dramatically accelerating the development process. Unlike some of its competitors, the product does not claim to carry out the partitioning of the application, but portions of the actual application reside in more than one location, while both processing and data can be distributed across heterogeneous systems. Pricing is based on the number of nodes deployed. Single-node prices go from $365 for OS/2 to $800 for NetWare. Site licences and volume discounts are available. Pipes Platform for MS-DOS, Microsoft Windows and SunOS will be available in the next couple of months and the company says that Pipes for MVS is in beta test. Software Development Kits cost $500 for OS/2, $600 for NetWare, and $800 for AIX.
