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Customer:
A Fortune 500 Transportation Information Services Provider
System:
Tariff and Shipping Rate Retrieval System
Challenge
Design and implement the world's most advanced tariff
and shipping rate retrieval system for an international
customer community. Allow users to search a 40 GB database
of nearly 5000 tariffs with a guaranteed average response
time of under 10 seconds. Support up to 500 simultaneous
users while concurrently loading up to 100 MB of new tariff
data daily (without adversely impacting performance).
Provide customer access on a 24x7 basis via dial-up, leased
line and the Internet. Reduce operational expenses by
75% as compared with the customer's previous generation
system running on an IBM 3090 mainframe.
Solution
We used a 3-tier client/server approach to deliver a system
with both OLTP and DSS capabilities. We wrote a user-friendly
GUI in Visual BASIC, which communicates with a multi-threading
gateway program (developed in Microsoft Visual C++) via
TCP/IP protocol and Microsoft Open Data Services. The
gateway application verifies security, creates billing
and audit records for each transaction and routes user
queries to one of several MS-SQL Server databases running
on Windows NT.
The team implemented a multi-platform host system on
DEC Alpha and Intel processors with RAID-5 storage.
Load balancing and performance is achieved through a
custom designed clustering scheme and system tuning.
We used Microsoft Replication Services to update remote
database servers.
Our project manager worked on the customer's behalf
to negotiate contracts with CompuServe for global dial-up
access and MCI for Internet and dedicated frame relay
connectivity. We managed an extensive quality assurance
program using automated test tools like SQA Robot and
designed an automated pager notification application
to alert the operations staff of any system problems
around the clock. To ensure ongoing user satisfaction,
we implemented a company-wide problem tracking system
for our client and provided technical training for their
help desk staff.
To increase user convenience and expedite release delivery,
we implemented a web site (including firewall) to deliver
product marketing information and allow users to download
software on demand via FTP. We also used Internet Information
Server in conjunction with CGI and IDC applications
to integrate system management and reporting with the
customer's corporate Intranet.
The cyberThink Advantage
Our industry experts (project manager, system architect,
client/server developers, database designer and data communications
specialist) delivered this best in class system in 12
months and for less than $3 million - one third the development
time and one quarter the cost of the system that it replaced.
We provided a complete solution encompassing requirements,
design/development, quality assurance, vendor management
and hardware deployment. Our customer was able to keep
its focus on the business aspects. As a result, our client's
customer base increased by over 350 percent. |
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Customer:
One of the World's Largest Telecommunications Companies
System:
SAP Databases for Backup and Disaster Recovery
A Brief description of Environment:
One of the largest telecommunication companies in the
world has unique requirements for backup and disaster
recovery. Our team put together approximately 90 Large
SAP databases, varying from 50 GB to 1.3 TB and averaging
650 GB, utilizing an Oracle 8x (64 bit) back-end built
on HP UNIX 11x (64 bit), operating in the EMC Symmetrix
Remote Data Facility environment.
Client Requirements:
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Setting up SAP and Oracle
Databases in the data center, data center moves,
and replicating databases across development, test,
consolidation, integration and production environments.
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Providing 7x24 database availability
with very short (15 minutes) weekly downtime for
Taking offline backups and no downtime for other
types of backups. |
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Affording faster recovery times in
case of database crash using the hybrid of EMC SRDF
technology with Oracle 8 Recovery tools. |
The Solution:
Moved existing databases to new location, replicated same,
moved production environments to a new datacenter location
across the United States using EMC sophisticated multi-hop
technology with WAN setup across the US using mirror replication
procedures and fault tolerant software.
The Model:
Software includes a complex mix of HP Openview's OMNIBACK
, II 3.1 tool in tight integration with SAP's brtools
combined with EMC's Symmetrix Remote Data Facility (SRDF),
a volume management tool that provides high availability
of data. Omniback II 3.1 is used for backing up all production
databases transparently in the background using EMS' Symcli
Ver 4x, SRDF volume management and data storage utilities.
Hardware for production databases consists of a multi-million
dollar fault resistant architecture using extraordinarily
fast HP V/N class servers with over 26 CPUs connected
to two 97 10 Timberwolf DLT Tape Libraries, each having
20 70GB DLT tape drives and running Omniback II 3.1.
An EMC 3930 unit houses a vast number of disks that
are assigned to each of the production databases. A
separate FDDI network backbone is designed to handle
the backup data traffic that is independent of front-end
network for application users.
All SRDF links between the backup host and the application
host transparently maintain the data consistency and
the integration without affecting the front-end production
environment. The mirrored backup EMC also provides for
disaster recovery by interconnecting EMC over a Fibre
Channel WAN using multi-hop technology. The backup EMC
and the production EMCs can be set miles apart in two
different data centers to provide the ultimate solution
for faster disaster recovery operations.
Our team of three highly skilled DBAs used a complex
integration of EMC SmmConsole with brtools and the Omniback
utility to operate and maintain this environment.
Corporate Backup
and Disaster Recovery Solution:
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Project 3
Customer: A Large
American Telecommunications CorporationSystem:
Enterprise Development Metrics Repository
Challenge
Build a system to support the collection and analysis
of over 100 productivity and quality metrics for about
10,000 projects in a multinational organization. Generate
dynamic graphical and tabular reports showing projects
detail or summary information at any company, division
or organization level. Provide user access to reports
via corporate Intranet, using Netscape Navigator or Microsoft
Internet Explorer web browsers. Load project data from
web-based forms, Excel spreadsheets and import files produced
by other project management tools. Implement a C3 compliant
security system to control data access based on user permissions.
Accommodate the diversified needs of the multiple companies
comprising the client's organization.
Solution
Using rapid application development techniques, the cyberThink
team prototyped the major functionality of the system
early in the requirements phase. By helping the users
to visualize the end product, this expedited the requirements
through a committee approval process. We designed a database
with the flexibility to adapt to any type of future organizational
restructuring and implemented it on Microsoft SQL Server.
The system was deployed on multiprocessor Compaq servers
with RAID storage.
Our HTML experts used Microsoft Internet Information
Server in conjunction with Active Server technology,
VBScript and Active Database Objects to produce and
innovative tree-style interface that allows users to
easily navigate through a multi-tiered hierarchy. Session
and state management techniques are used to allow users
to save their preferences form session to session and
to enforce the security model.
We made extensive use of JavaScript for web form field
validation and client side data modeling. In response
to our client's need for the delivery of real-time dynamic
graphical reports via the web, the cyberThink team developed
a Visual C++ application that interfaces ISAPI with
Crystal Reports. Using C + + and Visual BASIC, we also
developed software to import and export data between
the database and Microsoft Office applications. In addition,
we wrote software to migrate data from the customers'
legacy systems and support ongoing feeds from external
data sources.
The cyberThink Advantage
By tactfully managing the varied goals of the multiple
user teams involved in this multi-million dollar project,
we defined requirements that satisfied the needs of the
customer's entire organization. Our team used a result
oriented phased approach to help the customer differentiate
critical requirements from wish list items. This allowed
the cyberThink team to deliver productive functionality
to the client in a short time frame. |
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Customer:
A Fortune 500 Company Specializing in Providing Web
Based Information on Medical Research
System:
Document Management System
Challenge
Allow users to search for specific documents or pages
residing on a 40 GB database via the web with an average
response time of under 10 seconds. Support up to 500 simultaneous
users while concurrently loading several hundred MBs of
new documents on a daily basis. Provide customer access
on a 24x7 basis over the Internet using either Netscape
or Internet Explorer. The system functions allowed:
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Storage of documents
and pictures as images and text |
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Categorizing of the stored documents |
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Grouping of documents with unique
group IDs and names |
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Entering of suitable titles and
other short descriptions |
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Editing of titles |
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Moving of documents from one group
to another |
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Searching of documents by categories,
group ids, key words, author, publisher, etc |
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JavaScript Provisioning of different
levels of access |
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Printing and e-mailing of selected
documents |
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Statistical information on most
searched pages, documents, etc |
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Displaying of the actual document
image |
Solution
We used a 3-tier web/server approach to provide highly
reliable and scalable architecture. The front part used
HTML with Java script for editing. The middleware included
Active Server Pages (ASP) working in conjunction with
IIS web server, and the backend included an MTS application
server with COM component interfacing with SQL Server
database.
The team implemented the applications on SUN E450 server
with RAID-5 storage. Load balancing and performance
was achieved through a custom designed clustering scheme
and system tuning.
Our project manager worked on the customer's behalf
to negotiate contracts with a hosting company with a
guaranteed uptime. We managed an extensive quality assurance
program using automated test tools. We also provided
technical training for the client's help desk staff.
The cyberThink Advantage
Our industry experts (project manager, system architect,
web/server developers, database designer and data communications
specialist) delivered this best in class system in 3 months.
We provided a complete solution encompassing requirements,
design/development, quality assurance, vendor management
and hardware deployment. Our customer was able to keep
its focus on the business. |
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