The next version of Sybase's enterprise portal software is set to
reach beta testers this month and promises new tools that enable
enterprise developers and end users to build advanced applications
that run inside a portal.
The beta version of Sybase Enterprise Portal 5.0 is scheduled for
release on 15 August and will compete with similar products from
Microsoft and IBM.
A portal server allows organisations to create portal Web sites
that can be accessed by employees, customers and partners. These
portal Web sites can include a variety of applications that draw
information from internal databases as well as sources on the
Web.
Among its new features, Sybase Enterprise Portal 5.0 will bring the
debut of a new development environment called Portal Studio, which
can be used by programmers and administrators to build and deploy
applications that run inside a portal, also known as "portlets".
The tools are based partly on technology the company gained through
its April acquisition of OnePage.
Sybase's Portal Studio tools come with templates for commonly
constructed portal applications, as well as information about
building applications that make use of Java Server Pages (JSP),
Extensible Markup Language (XML), databases and Web services, the
company said.
Sybase Enterprise Portal 5.0 will also include an enhanced version
of the company's Portal Framework, which also features OnePage
technology. The Portal Framework includes a feature that allows end
users to build their own portlets and add them to the interface
they see when they sign in to their own portal view.
By clicking on a "create portlet" button located on a panel inside
that portal view, an end user can select content from the Web, link
to it and automatically create a portlet that displays a current
version of the information at all times.
"It really simplifies the portal-building process," said Haridas
Nair, director of the portal product line in Sybase's e-business
division. He called it "portlets without programming".
The Portal Framework also adds to the portal server support for
Lightweight Directory Access Protocol (LDAP), certificate-based
authentication, hierarchical role-based access, Secure Socket Layer
(SSL) encryption and multi-level auditing and alerts, the company
said.
With the release of Sybase Enterprise Portal Server 5.0, Sybase for
the first time has also made its product compatible with
application server software from competing vendors, including the
open source application server Tomcat, BEA System's WebLogic and
IBM WebSphere.
"Although we have our own application server, some customers have
made their own decision about what to use," Nair said.
The final release of Sybase Portal Server 5.0 is expected in
October. Pricing for the software will not change from the cost of
Sybase Enterprise Portal version 2.5, the current version, which is
$85,000 (£54,000) per central processing unit, according to Nair.