Gresham Telecomputing Plc, Southampton, has increased the scope of its Dataserve range of ICL communications products with the addition of client versions of the product for VME, VMS and Unix-based systems, with a Windows version following later in the year. DataServe for VME, the base software product, provides what is basically a remote procedure call mechanism for VME, and opens up corporate data stored on ICL’s IDMSX mainframe data stores to different environments. Unix applications, such as Ingres or ICL’s OfficePower, can make use of the client service for direct access to remote VME data, and Dataserve can work in conjunction with transaction processing monitors such as Tuxedo or Gresham’s own tp+. Gresham also has plans for a VMS server version of Dataserve. Without access to corporate data, says Gresham, companies are unwilling to begin the shift over from proprietary systems. Gresham is an ICL software partner in the UK and Europe. Cost of the VME to ICL DRS 6000 version is UKP2,000, with a UKP300 per annum annual maintenance fee.
