September 15, 1997

Web-Ready Mainframe IBM System/390 to get security boost, TCP/IP support By Martin J. Garvey BM last week announced more robust Web capabilities for its System/390 mainframes. The added features, which will be delivered before year's end, will include security enhancements such as firewall technology and digital certificate support, as well as improved TCP/IP support. IBM says the features will equip mainframes with the functions needed to build big, secure systems for electronic commerce. One analyst likes the new features, but notes that users should be careful how they use mainframes for Web-based applications. "The integrated security beats the limited availability of a PC server out front containing a firewall," says David Floyer, VP of research for International Data Corp., a market research firm in Framingham, Mass. "IBM has done a lot with this announcement to make S/390 very secure for large-scale text-based Internet work." But, he adds, "It's overkill outside of that." IBM's new firewall technology includes support for virtual private networks and hardware security features built into IBM's mainframes. IBM also says its Lotus Domino Go Web server will ship for S/390 this month, and announced support for the Secure Electronic Transaction protocol in new software, due to be available in the first half of 1998, that will work with Domino. Digital Certificate support, which will be built into IBM's OS/390 Security Server software, is aimed at identifying and authenticating users involved in E-commerce transactions. Other internet-related announcements by IBM included Java Development Kit 1.1, enabling development of cross-platform Java appli- cations, which is due to be available Sept. 30. IBM says its improved TCP/IP protocol stack will allow the mainframe to respond better as a Web server, accommodating more site hits. Back to News in Review Send Us Your Feedback Top of the Page

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