Choosing a Server Configuration

Integration Technologies provides two types of server configurations:

• COM/DCOM Server Configuration. A COM/DCOM server configuration enables client access using the native Windows Component Object Model (COM) or Distributed Component Object Model (DCOM). In a client-server environment, DCOM must be enabled on both the client machine and the machine where the object server runs.

• IOM Bridge Server Configuration. An IOM Bridge server configuration enables client access using the Integration Technologies IOM Bridge for COM or IOM Bridge for Java. The IOM Bridge for COM allows you to develop native COM/DCOM applications that access server data on non-Windows platforms such as UNIX or z/OS. The IOM Bridge for Java allows you to develop applications using Java that access server data on either Windows or non-Windows platforms.

When to Use a COM/DCOM Server Configuration

You can use a COM/DCOM server configuration if:

• The object server will run on a Windows machine and will be accessed by Windows client applications running on remote machines. In this situation, the connection uses DCOM.

• The object server will run on a Windows machine and will be accessed by Windows client applications running on the same machine. In this situation, the connection uses COM.

For more information about COM/DCOM distributed clients, refer to Connecting Clients to IOM Servers in the Integration Technologies Technical Overview. For information on using Integration Technologies to set up a COM/DCOM server configuration, see Setting Up a COM/DCOM Server.

When to Use an IOM Bridge Server Configuration

You must use an IOM Bridge server configuration if:

• The object server will run on a non-Windows machine (for example, a UNIX-based machine); or if

• The object server will be accessed by Java client applications

You can also use an IOM Bridge server configuration if the object server will run on a Windows machine and will be accessed by Windows clients. In this situation, clients will connect to the server using the IOM Bridge instead of COM/DCOM.

For more information about the IOM Bridge for COM and the IOM Bridge for Java, refer to Connecting Clients to IOM Servers in the Integration Technologies Technical Overview. For information on using Integration Technologies to set up an IOM Bridge server configuration, see Setting Up an IOM Bridge Server.