Storage
Symantec announces availability of Veritas Cluster Server 5.0
Symantec Corp. announced the general availability of Veritas Cluster Server 5.0 for VMware ESX. Cluster Server for VMware ESX provides advanced monitoring capabilities for applications running inside virtual machines and automates failover across local and remote sites in the event of disasters.
Cluster Server for VMware helps prevent downtime associated with application, virtual machine, network link or server failures. In addition, Cluster Server for VMware helps ensure availability in a single data centre, as well as multiple data centres across a campus, metropolitan or wide area network (WAN).
Cluster Server for VMware is complementary to Symantec’s clustering solutions for Windows, Linux and UNIX platforms.
Cluster Server for VMware ESX provides added protection against virtual machine or application failures, including:
- Server, application and resource monitoring
- Automatic recovery from application, network storage, virtual resource, virtual server and physical server failures
- Centralized management of virtual and physical clustered servers from a single console
- Comprehensive protection from wide area disasters by integrating disaster recovery plan verification tools, remote application failover features and real-time data replication to enable organizations to test disaster recovery without disrupting production environments.
Price and Availability
Veritas Cluster Server for VMware ESX is available immediately through Symantec’s direct sales force, enterprise VAR channel, system integrators and select OEM partners. Suggested pricing for Cluster Server for VMware ESX starts at US$1,995 per server.
E-Business
Adobe delivers Flash Player 9 for Linux
Adobe Systems Inc. announced the availability of Adobe Flash Player 9 for Linux, the next-generation client runtime for engaging with Flash content and applications on Linux open source operating systems. Additionally, Linux developers can create, test and deploy rich Internet applications (RIAs) on the Linux platform using the free Adobe Flex 2 Software Developers Kit (SDK), Adobe Flash Player 9 and the free Flex Data Services 2 Express.
Adobe Flash Player 9 for Linux vastly enhances user experiences with capabilities such as memory utilization, advanced features for graphics, video and text, as well as the ActionScript Virtual Machine (AVM2). Adobe recently contributed source code from the AVM2 to the Mozilla Foundation, which is hosting an open source project called Tamarin to accelerate the development of a standards-based approach for creating rich and engaging Web applications that work across multiple platforms. The Tamarin source code is available via CVS, an open source version control and collaboration system, from the Mozilla site www.mozilla.org/projects/tamarin/
Pricing and Availability
Adobe Flash Player 9 for Linux is available immediately as a free download from www.adobe.com/go/getflashplayerlinux. The standalone and debug versions of Adobe Flash Player for developers are available from www.adobe.com/support/flashplayer/downloads.html. Adobe Flash Player 9 for Linux will also be included in Linux operating systems distributed by Novell and Red Hat later this year.
Adobe Flash Player 9 is available in both English and localized versions and is available for Linux, Windows and Mac platforms. To learn more about Adobe Flash Player 9, please visit www.adobe.com/products/flashplayer/. For system requirements, please visit www.adobe.com/products/flashplayer/productinfo/systemreqs/.
For more information about developing RIAs for the Linux platform with the free Adobe Flex 2 SDK and Flex Data Services 2 software, please visit www.adobe.com/products/flex/productinfo/overview/.
Data-Management
Data-Basics releases SAM Pro Enterprise Version 7.0 and update to TechAnywhere 2.0
Data-Basics Inc. announced the release of SAM Pro Enterprise version 7.0. In addition, the company also announced a concurrent update to its wireless field service software, TechAnywhere 2.0.
Additional features include:
1. Smarter Escalation Management
One of the features of SAM Pro Enterprise is its Escalation Manager technology. This technology automates the service workflow process, using pre-defined “escalation profiles” that enable the system to automatically e-mail, fax or page a manager if a work order falls out of spec. In version 7.0, SAM Pro Enterprise recognizes the days contractors and service providers are closed and adjusts automatically.
2. Enhanced Payroll Tools
In addition to a premier service management software suite, SAM Pro Enterprise also boasts an integrated accounting package that includes a multiunion and multistate payroll. Version 7.0 brings improved payroll support for Canadian firms, increased security features to enable executive payroll and better support for employees with recurring wages. Furthermore, to comply with changing state and local requirements regarding workers’ compensation, version 7.0 supports the ability to specify the employee contribution on a workers’ compensation record.
3. TechAnywhere 2.0
TechAnywhere 2.0 for tablet PC allows technicians to electronically fill out job tickets as they currently do: with a pen (called a stylus) and on a form designed to look like the job tickets currently used. Version 7.0 adds the ability to generate and print custom invoices from the field (via a mobile printer) and to swipe and process credit card information in real time.
Available today to new clients, SAM Pro Enterprise version 7.0 and TechAnywhere 2.0 will be rolled out to Data-Basics’ current customer base in 2007.