Long before Linux existed, The SCO Group's Skunkware project was making Unix utilities freely available to developers. That project is still going strong, and SCO continues to develop many of the technologies used in Unix today. Now that SCO owns Unix System V, the company has become the leader in most Unix standards. The latest release of the group's powerful UnixWare operating system is version 7.1.4.

Even though SCO's UnixWare 7.1.4 supports Linux-like capabilities that allow applications to run natively on top of UnixWare, SCO engineers preferred to completely port open-source applications into the UnixWare environment. Doing so makes applications more easily accessible in binary form, which can significantly ease compatibility issues across various flavors of open-source OSes. SCO's inclusion of these ported applications will help Linux developers transitioning to UnixWare. Previously, Linux users had to port and recompile applications manually with no guarantee that a ported application would work across Linux variations.

UnixWare includes a highly optimized C++ compiler for the Intel platform. A memory-leak tool and a graphical debugger that can work with threaded applications are also part of the OS's development package. UnixWare also incorporates Sun's J2SE 1.4.2, Postgres, MySQL and PHP.

UnixWare packs powerful tools for Web and Web services developers, including a SOAP/XML toolkit with Apache Axis, gSOAP and PEAR::SOAP. UnixWare's Web Services Substrate extends legacy green screen applications to the Web or to the desktop. By accessing program memory and interacting directly with commands, the substrate tools can interface with Cobol and legacy C programs that use text-based GUIs.

UnixWare's key kernel locking capability allows developers to pre-empt the kernel at any point to run other processes. This granular locking mechanism allows UnixWare to support up to 32 CPUs, the maximum that can be used by the Intel platform. Windows and Linux do not offer this feature. UnixWare's kernel technology automatically optimizes virtual memory based on accessible server memory and drive space. This automatic tuning process takes full advantage of system resources, freeing administrators from having to tweak the OS. Because many systems today do not include floppy drives, UnixWare supports media-less distributed installations over a network. The server also includes a mass replication tool to create server images. UnixWare supports up to 64 Gbytes of RAM and file sizes up to 1 Tbyte. The OS also supports hot-swappable CPUs, Intel's hyperthreading technology, USB 2.0 and various DVD drives. UnixWare is often used in POS and embedded Intel-based systems, since the OS supports javax.comm for POS applications that run on JBoss. JBoss does not ship with UnixWare, but it is available through the Skunkware project.

SCO's Merge technology allows Windows applications to run natively in UnixWare. This capability is especially important for companies consolidating servers, since Merge allows any Windows application to run side-by-side with Unix apps. However, interfacing with Windows applications is limited to Web services or client-base communication through a network. The OS does not provide direct calls to Windows applications. UnixWare applications can only interact with .Net applications through Web services.

UnixWare supports many networking and security protocols such as VPN tunneling, native firewall capability for bidirectional traffic, PAM and NSS support, Samba and encryption for its file system. The server includes a GUI-based administration interface, which also works in text-base form, allowing administrators to control every tool and feature through a single administration interface. SCO's channel program offers an average reseller margin of 25 percent. The company provides MDFs, product discounts and sponsorship opportunities. Personalized, on-site sales training is provided once a year at the company's annual partner conference and on the Web. Partners must pay for telephone technical support at a minimum of 11 hours, but discounts are available based on partner level. Free Web-based support is available 24x7.

CHANNEL PROGRAM SNAPSHOTS
> UnixWare 7.1.4
COMPANY: SCO
Lindon, Utah
(800) 876-8649 ext.8507
www.thescogroup.com
DISTRIBUTORS: DTR Business Systems, Seneca Data, Tech Data, Terian Solutions
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