RDM Server

01) What is Birdstep RDM Server?

Birdstep's RDM Server is an embeddable client/server database engine that offers compelling benefits to both software developers and business/IT managers. RDM Server has everything an organization needs in a small-footprint, low-maintenance, scalable, application-oriented relational database management system (RDBMS) for Windows,LINUX and UNIX operating systems. RDM Server offers industry-leading features and capabilities that make it uniquely configurable by developers. In fields as diverse as dedicated Web application, e-Business servers, device management, industrial automation and telecommunications systems, RDM Server is appropriate for applications with demanding performance requirements.

02) How does Birdstep RDM Server manage to satisfy the needs of both business and IT managers, and software developers?

RDM Server provides a proven, robust SQL embedded database, with a minimal cost of ownership. From the business or IT manager's perspective, RDM Server is a standard SQL database - but with a noticeable performance improvement!

03) Tell me more about RDM Server as a "standard" RDBMS --what important industry standards and features does it support?

RDM Server supports the following important industry standards: ANSI SQL, ADO.Net, PHP, ODBC 3.51, SAG CLI, Unicode and JDBC 3.0/4.0. This means it will fit seamlessly with existing IT infrastructure. This is an important concern for business and IT managers who need to maximize return on their total IT investment.

04) What features put RDM Server in "Best of Class" products?

RDM Server's total feature set puts it in the league of "Best of Class" RDBMS products. These features include: record and table-locking; automatic database server and client recovery; transactions with ACID (atomic, consistent, isolated and durable) support; hot online backup; binary large object (BLOB) support; stored procedures; triggers; very large database (VLDB) support; dynamic DDL, multi-threading and symmetric multi-processing (SMP).

05) With the features above, how does RDM Server differ from competing database servers?

RDM Server is different in that it is an embeddable database server. That is, the server is designed to be integrated into a specific application, and distributed seamlessly. In its day-to-day operation, RDM Server is intended to be transparent and maintenance-free to the application end-user. RDM Server even offers an administrative API that allows developers to automate administrative functions, to further shield end-users from these requirements.

06) What features support RDM Server embeddability?

The size of a database 's footprint is important. RDM Server requires minimal, incremental RAM and disk storage, and is designed to install into any application.

07) How does RDM Server have a positive effect on the "bottom line"?

RDM Server requires much less administration and maintenance than competing enterprise databases. By eliminating the need for both labor-intensive installation/integration and day- to-day maintenance, RDM Server solves the total cost-of-ownership (TCO) problem that is a major concern of business technology users. Compare this to enterprise databases from Oracle, Sybase and Microsoft, which require laborious installation processes and ratchet up the level of hardware required.

08) What if I'm approaching RDM Server as a developer - what problems does it solve?

RDM Server is ideal for addressing performance issues that attend client/server and Web-centric computing, and for tailoring data management to fit the exact needs of an application.

09) What three RDM Server features contribute to developer empowerment and flexibility?

The first feature is the developer's choice of application programming interfaces (APIs). RDM Server offers ANSI SQL, but a powerful alternative (or complement) to SQL is RDM Server's C function library. This navigational API is a tool for managing data on a record-by-record basis, which can reduce coding and add efficiency to processing when maximum performance is required.

The second is RDM Server's rich array of server--based processing options. In addition to providing industry standard stored procedures and triggers, which implement server-based SQL functionality, RDM Server offers server extensions, which allow C and C++ application code directly against the database server. This code executes in response to a single remote procedure call and returns only the result set to the client, avoiding the network bottleneck that can impede performance in client/server and Web applications.

The third important developer tool is RDM Server's choice of database models. A database can be designed using solely the relational database model. It can also be designed using the network database model -and this design can deliver substantial performance improvements by establishing direct links between related records. With RDM Server, database designs can combine elements of both the relational and network database models.

10) The network database model; doesn't that get away from the idea of a standard RDBMS?

It doesn't have to. With RDM Server, a database with network model functionality, and the resulting performance benefits, can be defined within SQL, in an application that uses SQL as the sole database API. The only difference is the addition of RDM Server's CREATE/JOIN statement to the database schema. This creates a direct link between the primary and foreign keys of selected tables. Queries, even purely SQL queries, no longer traverse indexes between tables. The result is improved performance.

11) To take advantage of SMP with RDM Server, do I need to take a new approach to developing with or deploying RDM Server?

No, support for SMP is transparent to the developer and end-user. RDM Server "knows" how to leverage SMP power, and the scalability and performance benefits are automatic.

12) Does RDM Server add any new developer tools or capabilities?

RDM Server v6.1 introduces a new administration tool to assist the developer. In addition the user will find integrated documentation, extended SQL support, and new access drivers like ADO.Net and PHP.

13) How does RDM Server support e-Business functions?

As networked connectivity (including LANs and WANs as well as intranet, extranet and Internet) becomes critical in all areas of business, there is a need for improved, web-enabled, dedicated online data management throughout a business application. Because of high availability and throughput, RDM Server is an excellent candidate.

14) What makes RDM Server the perfect choice for e-Business?

Today, business functions such as operations, distribution, and finance are required to share data that is critical to a variety of users through existing client server application as well as e-Business related Web applications. These solutions require a database to be open and reliable while being customizable for specific applications. RDM Server excels in meeting these demands.

15) RDM Server Application Linked Server Technology is used for what purpose?

The RDM Server Application Linked Server Technology can enhance the performance of Web database applications. When application and server processes run on the same machine, a communications layer stands between them. In order to access a typical DBMS, the application must connect to a separate database server and access the information using the usual network protocols supported by the DBMS. A directly linked, standalone database application can provide blazing performance that has rarely been achieved in client/server and Web-centric computing. This technology does not exclude connecting traditional clients to the server.

16) What kind of applications will take advantage of the Application Linked Server Technology?

Application Linked Server can be utilized by any application requiring real-time local data retrieval, conventional client/server, SQL and ODBC access to data applications. One use is for a "machine control application" that utilizes the in--process server for time-critical operations and ODBC and SQL-based tools for reporting and analysis. A telecom switch, interactive voice response (IVR) or network backup management application could also benefit from this new architecture that offers the best of both worlds.

17) How does the Application Linked Server Technology differ from RDM Server's Server Extensions?

Server Extensions and Application Linked Servers can, and should, be used side-by-side, to support the most efficient local and client/server data access in a single system. Both are examples of RDM Server's support for placing application processing directly onto the database server. Both are part of the solution that includes leveraging the emerging network infrastructure of powerful SMP servers and multi-threaded operating systems such as Linux and Windows Servers.

18) Why are RDM Server's Server Extensions valuable in situations that require networked clients including thin clients and mobile devices?

A client application calls a server extension, which is based on the server, using a single remote procedure call. This launches application and database processing (usually a C/ C++ code based on the RDM Server record-level API) that executes on the server machine. When this processing is complete, only the result set is returned to the client application. The benefit lies in reducing the network traffic by eliminating calls to the database over the network. It also leverages the server's processing power, and places application logic in a central place for simpler updates.

19) What flexibility does RDM Server give developers as a choice of database models?

With RDM Server, database engines can combine elements of both the relational and network database models to help fit the exact needs of an application.

20) Does RDM Server support data replication?

Yes, RDM Server supports single master multi slave asynchronous (lazy) replication. The replication engine is based on the pluggable transaction logging architecture giving database developers the ability to create user defined replication and synchronization solutions.