Salvo Server can access various databases and information stores, and serves up dynamic Web applications with drag-and-drop ease. Salvo Impact lets IT managers easily create impressive Web applications. With the optional Dynamic Load Balancing package, Salvo Server can scale to fit current and future needs. Salvo now supports Windows NT Server 4.0, but not Unix- and NetWare-based infrastructures.

I tested beta versions of Salvo Server 4.0 and Salvo Impact 2.0 in our University of Wisconsin Real-World Labs®, and was very impressed. The Salvo suite provides a Web interface for numerous heterogeneous data sources with no need for third-party data synchronization tools. I created a simple Web application designed to access a Network Computing article database and retrieve information for a specific issue based on user input. After refreshing my SQL knowledge and reading the Salvo documentation, I was surprised to see that I had completed a complex Web application, having linked our article database to the Web in merely a few hours. Salvo Server and Salvo Impact are easy to use and very efficient.

Making It So Salvo Server's biggest strength is its support for multiple data sources, including host-based access to data stores (3270, 5250, VT100 and VT220 terminals, Bull and Unisys), any ODBC-compliant database and Microsoft COM objects. Combined with up to four scripting choices (SQL, REXX, JScript and VBScript), you can use Salvo Server with your existing enterprise data infrastructure. And with the ability to access a variety of databases, Salvo serves as gathering point for all data required by your Web applications. Dynamic Web applications can access and modify data in all data stores from the Salvo Server, so third-party data synchronization tools aren't needed.

After a painless installation--it took about four minutes--I was up and running, ready to increase my Web presence and level of customer service. Having previously set up a Microsoft Access database and configured the ODBC using the Windows NT Server ODBC control panel applet, I was prepared to create my test Web application. Salvo Impact created the Information Rules, which I later integrated into our Web site. (Information Rules gather the data to be manipulated for display on the Web.) Scripts for collecting, refining and displaying the data can be tweaked to fine-tune the presentation on the Web.

You can combine Information Rules into an Information Builder, which generates information based on these rules. In our test application, an Information Builder generated a database of article ideas. From Impact's interface, I dragged Information Rules into Web applications and Information Builders, and manually coded the collection, refinement and presentation scripts.

Salvo Server supports SQL (for ODBC-compliant data stores), REXX, JScript and VBScript for creating Information Rules. HTML pages can pull them into Web pages using a Salvo Server hook. Our test database was Access, so I used SQL. For HTML forms, you can use necessary input parameters for user input to collect the data. Configuring default parameter values ensures that the script runs in every scenario and provides useful information to the end user with, or without, correct user input. In our test application, users requested article information based on a month they indicated in the form. When the month was not noted, the scripts used the current issue for all database queries and provided meaningful information.

In terms of scalability, Simware also provides a Dynamic Load Balancing option, sold separately, which monitors pools of designated Salvo Servers in real time through the Windows NT performance counters. This option also automatically distributes and balances multiple connections across all your Salvo servers. It can be configured for round-robin load-balancing or load-balancing based on the performance counters. Access to Salvo Server is possible through HTTP, Microsoft COM objects and ODBC, providing access to virtually all clients and applications.

Salvo Impact displays all data sources, Information Rules, groups and users in an Explorer-like window. Browsing through the interface, I effortlessly accessed desired items. Using a convenient search tab, I easily located an item that was difficult to find based on description, rule type and data source. Salvo Impact displays each Information Rule in both graphical format and detail views. In the graphical format database, administrators can determine if they are accessing the correct data store simply by looking at query flow. Each Information Rule is displayed with a corresponding icon and arrow, indicating the data source from which it is obtaining information. Using the detailed view, administrators can change Information Rules access from either private or public, and indicate a password and which users have access to this rule.

Unfortunately, Salvo Server employs its own security model and user database. As a result, administrators will have to maintain a separate database for Salvo Server access or incorporate a third-party synchronization tool.

Send your comments on this article to Gregory Yerxa at gyerxa@nwc.com.