August 18, 1997

Beyond Push Technology Marimba product automatically updates non-Java applications on remote clients By Justin Hibbard and Jeff Angus arimba Inc. last week shipped an add-on product that broadens the software distribution features of its Castanet application, allowing it to update software written not only in Java, but also in languages such as C, C++, and Visual Basic. The add-on software, called UpdateNow, plugs into the Castanet Transmitter server, letting the server automatically update non-Java application files on client machines. Files are sent directly to users' desktops or to an administrative system, which lets IS staffers manage updates from a central location. Using the UpdateNow software developers' kit, developers can also bypass the client and build automatic updating into their applications. The added functionality solidifies Castanet's position in the emerging category of products for managing remote systems over the Internet, analysts say. "It's a logical next step for Marimba as they increase their focus on the application-deployment value of their solution and veer away from the content-push market occupied by players such as PointCast," says Ezra Gottheil, an analyst at the Hurwitz Group Inc. in Newton, Mass. Gottheil believes Marimba's Castanet will face stiff competition in the software-management and distribution market from established products such as Tivoli's TME 10 and Microsoft's System Management Server. But David Cope, VP of marketing at Marimba, in Palo Alto, Calif., says Castanet competes with those products by adding Internet-based remote systems management-a feature neither TME nor SMS offers. However, Castanet is not alone in its product category. Administrators can al so use RemoteWare from XCelleNet Inc. in Atlanta, or Altis from Epicon Inc. in Waltham, Mass., to update software on remote systems over the Internet. UpdateNow is available starting at $995. Back to News in Review Send Us Your Feedback Top of the Page

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