News
NEC and Softricity in SoftGrid Bundling Deal
- By Stuart J. Johnston
- November 04, 2004
NEC Solutions has teamed up to offer its fault-tolerant servers with Softricity’s SoftGrid application management system.
SoftGrid uses what Softricity calls “application virtualization” to simplify management of enterprise applications by enabling them to be deployed centrally and downloaded to client computers only when needed. The idea is to reduce complexities associated with deploying and updating applications on a machine-by-machine basis.
SoftGrid's technology also inserts a software layer between the applications and the client operating system, preventing common application conflicts over registry and other system settings.
Rather than "pushing" down and installing entire applications, the first time an application is requested by an end user, the SoftGrid client "pulls" the necessary software package from a central SoftGrid Server down to Windows desktops or Terminal Servers. Applications are centrally managed.
NEC's fault-tolerant servers rely on doubling up the processors and memory cards inside a server. The servers run all processor instructions and memory calls in parallel through the redundant, industry-standard hardware and then conduct consistency checks on the back end. The failure of one critical hardware component, therefore, neither crashes the system nor loses any transactions that were in progress when the failure occurred.
The joint solution is available immediately.
About the Author
Stuart J. Johnston has covered technology, especially Microsoft, since February 1988 for InfoWorld, Computerworld, Information Week, and PC World, as well as for Enterprise Developer, XML & Web Services, and .NET magazines.