Middleware and Applications for Mobile Computers
Taro Saito Yahei Murakata Masatoshi Nakaya Naoko Taniguchi
OVERVIEW: In the mobile computing environment for business use, more and more people are declaring that they want to be able to do their jobs the same way when they are outside the office as they do when they are in it. That is to say, there is a strong demand for seamless collaboration between enterprise systems and mobile computers. Mobile computing environments, however, are subject to a number of problems. Users must endure slow data transfer speed, sudden connection failures, expensive connection costs, and other problems related to poor communication infrastructure. The problem of security must also be borne in mind because mobile users use a particular infrastructure like the Internet or a mobile phone system. Hitachi has investigated and analyzed these problems, and done much to solve them by providing special software products called “Mobile middleware”, which are based on new technologies such as agent and security technologies that comply with industry standards and de facto standards.
INTRODUCTION
IN the hot topic of mobile computing, the main elements are: (1) e-mail systems, which are free from the restrictions of time and location, (2) WWW (world wide web) which helps users acquire data on demand, (3) schedule management, (4) word processing, (5) other elements.
All of these can be accessed or utilized through various media, such as notebook computers, PDA, PHS (Japan’s personal handyphone system), cellular phones, and so on.
Of course, mobile computing is also a hot topic in the business world. And business people, being affected by the advances being made in mobile
Fig. 1—Current Situation in Mobile Computing.
There are many issues peculiar to mobile computing in business use. Mobile middleware overcomes these by providing appropriate solution for each user.
PDA: personal digital assistant
Solutions with “Mobile middleware” Problems for mobile computer users
Hitachi Mobile middleware
Mobile middleware solves connectivity problems, security problems, and many other mobile comuting problems. It also saves costs by reducing connection expenses like the phone bill, and ensures secure data transmission.
Mobile database access software
• Database access middleware used in mobile computing environment
Mobile message queue software
• Communication middleware for mobile computing
environment. Hitachi mobile message queue software provides queue function and asynchronous communication function. Secure communication software
• Automatic data compression function, encryption function, and authentication function when accessing a server machine from a client machine.
Groupware
• Groupware that has functions valuable in a mobile computing environment
Personal digital assistants (PDAs) have a lot of valuable data in them, but enterprise systems or LANs provide very little support for them.
Sudden connection failures happen very often and make us have to repeat work that we have already done.
If we send data through the Internet, it might get wiretapped or interpolated. Mobile computing is very convenient but the communication expenses like the phone bill are very expensive.
computing, wish to take advantage of them so that they can have the same computing environmnt both in and out of the office. However, there are still cost, quality, and security problems to overcome before this becomes possible. “Mobile middleware” has been created as a means of addressing these problems.
For the most part, however, current business use of mobile computing is restricted to using e-mail and the WWW to manage personal data and do relatively simple tasks. These are in widespread use because even simple dvices like PDAs have the functions required for using them. This is only a small part of the overall mobile computing picture, however, and brings only limited benefits to business users.
The benefits available to them would greatly expand, however, if they had access to a mobile computing system seamlessly connected to the company’s host system or LAN. Such a system would enable them to do their jobs equally well both inside and outside their office.
For example, it is very helpful for salespeople working outside the office to be able to get the latest data stored in the company’s host system and do order entries immediately if possible. What do you do if you are asked some questions that you can easily answer from your office but not from outside it. And what will happen if you must wait for some time to get the result of a commodity stock check, while your competitor offers the customer nothing but assurances? “Yes. I can get all the answers you need just like that.
Order stock? No problem, sir. We can draw up the contract right now if you’d like. Price lowering? Well, it’s beyond my authority, but I can check with my boss on that right now.” Things will be even tougher for you if your competitor has an on-demand entry system for reducing delivery time and you don’t.
Seamless connection to a company’s host system or LAN has the potential to provide very important advantages. Presently, though, it finds very limited use because of the problems involved. Table. 1, reproduced from an article in the magazine Mobile Media, shows the problems that have inhibited and are inhibiting the spread of mobile computing for business use in Japan. The main problems are:
(1) Poor communication infrastructure, resulting in high costs for communication expenses, e.g. phone bills (mostly on a per-time or data-amount basis in Japan)
(2) Hardware device limitations, e.g. operating time using battery power
(3) Inferior security, especially in complex security situations
(4) Necessity of modifying existing host system or LANs when constructing mobile computing systems To solve these problems, Hitachi has developed a number of special software products. It refers to as “Mobile middleware”. The main features of these products include:
(1) Batch processing
To save on costs, phone lines are used only when data is transferred.
(2) Process continuity
Even after a sudden connection failure, processing can be continued from the point at which the problem occurred.
(3) Security
Secure communication is ensured by the prevention of wiretapping and interpolation.
EXAMPLE MOBILE COMPUTING SYSTEM FOR SALESPEOPLE
As mentioned previously, it is important for sales-people to be able to access data stored in host systems or LANs from outside the office. At present, however, they have to access the data by phoning their associates at the office and asking them to get it. Cellular or PHS terminals are useful for this purpose, but very limited in efficiency. Voice messaging systems are of little use for such purposes, and in any event such systems enjoy very little popularity among Japanese business people since they normally share one telephone with several
TABLE 1. Problems That Inhibit the Spread of Mobile Computing
(Mobile Media Magazine, April/1998).
Target: 2,300 companies : system dept. and sales dept. (total of 430 available answers)
Target: Companies which have or are considering purchasing a mobile computing system
Question
Communication-related expense Valuable computerized data Obscurity of effectiveness User education
Difficulty of the security
Modification of the existing system Operating time with only battery power Portability and durability of hardware Data transfer speed
Abundance of software
Prompt business processing speed Narrow mobile phone/PHS service area System dept. and sales dept. perception Specialist shortage for radio transmission Other reasons Not in operation 41.9 9.3 16.3 16.3 32.6 4.7 48.8 34.9 30.2 16.3 2.3 14.0 0.0 0.0 9.3 Under consideration 57.6 18.2 6.1 42.4 36.4 24.2 21.2 27.3 21.2 9.1 0.0 15.2 3.0 6.1 3.0
other peeople. Thus business phones with a message recording function are few and far between. Many Japanese are also averse to get phone and call with cellular or PHS terminals because, being designed as a means for emergency communication, they have a very loud, annoying ring. Many customers in Japan would be quite put off if a visiting salesperson’s mobile phone started ringing in the midst of their discussion. In response to this situation, Hitchi has developed a number of mobile middleware to assist salespeople. One product provides database access using agent technology. Another is a groupware and e-mail system with a remote communicate function.
Database Access Using Agent Technology The database system is the most important component in the enterprise information systems used b y most companies. Thus it is important f or salespeople to be able to use the company’s database from outside their office. For this purpose, Hitachi mobile database access software and message queue software will save them time and money.
Hitachi mobile message queue softwae protects users from sudden communication failures which jack up communication expenses. Hitachi mobile database access software provides an agent mechanism that reduces the hardware resource requirement and communication expenses.
Data access software product for mobile computing A database access agent, in short, is a function to make server machines do all data retrieval operations. The function operates as described below.
First, a remote or mobile user registers “transaction” on the server, which registration describes the execution time, access condition to the database, and other details. This transaction unit registered on the server machine is called an “agent.” Hitachi mobile database access software receives the execution requirement and activate the agent. The data transmission between the client machine and the server machine is solely the agent calling and receiving a response. The amount of data transmitted is much less than that transmitted by an SQL transaction in an ODBC(open database connectivity) connection (Fig. 2).
Once the agent receives the requirement from the client machine, it can continue its operation without any connection between the two machines. That is to say, the connection time can be reduced. And in Japan, the resultant reduction in communication expenses is very significant because communication fees such as phone bills are very expensive in this country. For this purpose, incidentally, the Hitachi mobile message queue software is another indispensable product.
The Hitachi database access client software system is what helps to register the agent. By using this system, if salespeople register the agent from their desktop machine in their office, they can get the execution result merely by calling the agent from outside the office.
Fig. 2—Database Access Agent Operation Flow with Hitachi Mobile Database Access Software.
Agent group
Agent execution Agent execution direction
Execution result Mobile user
Execution result Agent execution result’s
acquisition requirement Database SQL Database access server Agent 1 Agent 2 Agent X
And it is also possible to customize the transaction processing pattern because Hitachi mobile database access softwre provides a special API (Application Programming Interface) for agent control.
Communication access software for mobile computing environment
One problem with mobile computing is poor communication quality which causes sudden commu-nication failures. So it is important for users to have a function which makes it possible to restart the data transmission from the point at which the commu-nication failure occurred. And application software like Hitachi mobile database access software running under a mobile computing environment also must be able to do communication-related work such as issuing requests to the server machine. Hitachi mobile message queue software helps users by providing a function for typical communication methods used in mobile computing, and by reducing transmission time and consequently communication expense.
Hitachi mobile message queue software is based on asynchronous messaging technology and also on the technology used in “Hitachi message queue software for OLTP”, a high-performance, asynchronous communication software that has inter-compatibility
with “IBM message queue softwre”, a de facto standard software in the present messaging market. Thus, it is easy for Hitachi mobile message queue software to cooperate with existing enterprise computer systems. Its architecture is shown in Fig. 3. Hitachi mobile message queue software has a gateway function on the server side that enables it to cooperate with other application software programs running on the server. Furthermore, it can even cooperate with core enterprise system software.
The API of Hitachi mobile message queue software, which registers and obtains messages between the transmitting queue and receiving queue, makes it possible for the application software to utilize this communication function. Users may access the core enterprise system through the API without even realizing they are using it.
Special Groupware and E-mail in the Mobile Computing
Groupware is software that includes functions like e-mail, schedule management, document management, workflow and so on. It is currently a popular data sharing mode in companies.
Hitachi’s groupware product has an e-mail function that is superior in many ways to other mobile
comput-Fig. 3—Architecture and Features of Hitachi Mobile Message Queue Software.
Mobile user Application
– Mobile API (DLL) –
– WinSock API –
– Windows Socket API (*1) – – MQI –
– Mobile API (DLL) – Hitachi mobile message queue software (Server)
Agent appli-cation Hitachi mobile database access software (Agent) Appli-cation for Hitachi OLTP software
Hitachi OLTP software Message queue software for OLTP TCP/IP PPP PPP TCP/IP Transmitting Queue Receiving Queue Receiving
Queue TransmittingQueue
Hitachi secure com-munication software
Hitachi secure com-munication software Hitachi mobile message
queue software (Client) Hitachi mobile database access software (Client)
Server Easy to use API
Enterprise system Enterprise database Mainframe Server MQI RPC MQI RPC SQL Hitachi OLTP software and message queue software for OLTP IBM message queue software
Easy to access the database from outside the office
Simple and easy to use API
Batch transmission with Queue mechanism and error retry function
Secure and reliable message transmission in mobile computing environment
GUI : graphical user interface DLL : dynamic linking library TCP/IP : transmission control, protocol/Internet protocol PPP : point-to-point protocol MQI : message queuing interface RPC : remote procedure call
OLTP: online transaction processing
*1: Windows is a registered trademark of Microsoft Corp. in the U.S. and other countries. *2: “Queue” means the queue of Hitachi message queue software for OLTP
ing software. One example is shown below.
E-mail is an effective communication method between a mobile office and a company’s main office. But it is very troublesome to use because salespeople must carry a hardware device like a PDA with them to access e-mail. Hitachi groupware server software, however, makes it possible for salespeople to send or receive e-mail merely by using a telephone. It even has a function with which e-mail replies can be sent via an attached voice file method (Fig.4).
E-mail check from a portable computer
“Integrated Desktop” software, one type of Hitachi groupware client software, has an automatic download function which is a new feature available beginning with new version. It can automatically download all e-mail messages into a client machine. Hitachi groupware has some functions that POP3-based mail client software and server software have. Thus, Integrated Desktop software can automatically dial the phone number, establish the dial connection to the mail server, send, receive, and download the new messages, and close the connection. Of course, users can read the new mail and send their replies in the off-line mode as well.
Reading/writing e-mail from the POP3 mail client software
Hitachi groupware has implemented POP3 (Post Office Protocol Version 3), the standard e-mail protocol in the Internet. This means that a user can use Hitachi groupware with leading e-mail client software that uses the POP3 protocol. Some PDAs also have POP3 mail client software now.
Accessing the Hitachi groupware e-mail server software by telephone
Hitachi groupware users can access their mailbox without using a notebook computer, any other type of PC, or a PDA. Instead, they can read e-mail messages and reply to them merely by using a pay phone, cellular phone, or a PHS phone.
SECURITY SYSTEM FOR MOBILE COMPUTING
Data wiretapping and interpolation are the key issues in the area of computer system security today. In a mobile computing environment, these issues can be broken down as follows:
(1) Wiretapping of transmission data
The data is sent through a public place, and thus it can be wiretapped easily.
(2) Illegal access to a computer system
In a mobile computing environment, many enterprise computer systems have modems for remote or mobile users. These modems are good entrances for crackers.
(3) Lost hardware device
It is always possible for a user to lose a hardware device, and for a stranger to find and use it.
Hitachi has developed software to help combat these security problems. Hitachi secure communication software prevents security breaches from wiretapping through automatic data encryption. The company’s software dealing with the illiegal access issue is described in “Communication Infrastructure for Secure Mobile Computing,” another article in this issue. And Hitachi’s portable hardware has an authentication mechanism with ID or password so that lost devices
Fig. 4—Association Between Telephone and E-mail with Groupware.
Fig. 5—Encryption and Compression with the Hooking Mechanism
FTP telnet
WinSock function entry
Socket library main body
Pseudo-WinSock DLL
True WinSock DLL
FTP : file transfer protocol
• Data compression • Encryption • Key management TCP / IP Hitachi groupware Hitachi groupware server software Intranet PP : program product Public phone network Cellular/PHS phone network (1) E-mail messages to salesperson (2) Salesperson checks
the mailbox (4) Reply/transfer using phone only (3) Salesperson hears the e-mail messages
Audio analog–digital data conversion board Hitachi groupware server (Voice mail–gateway)
Indispensable software : Integrated desktop software
will not result in security problems.
Features of “Hitachi Secure Communication Softwre”
Hitachi secure communication software has four principal features for mobile computing.
(1) No modification of existing systems is required. Hitachi secure communication software hooks the socket function that the application program calls to TCP/IP program, so there is no need to modify the application program. This mechanism is described in Fig. 5.
(2) Excellent authentication mechanism based on ISO/ IEC9798
Hitachi secure communication software has an ISO/ IEC9798-based authentication mechanism. It is more secure than an ID or password authentication mechanism.
(3) Hitachi secure communication software encryption mechanism
Hitachi secure communication software encryption mechanism has a 256-bit key length and a hash code mechanism to check data interpolation. Encryption and compression are done at the same time so that communication time and expense can be reduced.
(4) Removable certification data
Hitachi secure communication software requires certification data stored in a storage device. Thus, if the user uses a floppy disk, no third person can run Hitachi secure communication software without it.
CONCLUSIONS
This article has introduced Hitachi’s line-up of Mobile middleware products which provide an efficient, easy-to-use, and highly reliable mobile computing environment by realizing seamless computing. The products and technologies introduced in this article are only some of the many products Hitachi provides. Hitachi will continue to offer valuable Mobile middleware products and tech-nolog ies that will be key mobile computing components in the 21st century.
REFERENCE
(1) Omori: Current SFA status in USA and Next generation business strategy researched by Mobile-SFA actual condition survey through listed companies in USA, Mobile Media
Magazine 38, 50-54 (1998)
ABOUT THE AUTHORS
Taro Saito
Joined Hitachi, Ltd. in 1993 and now works at the 3rd Group of the Network Software Dept. of the Software Division. He is currently engaged in the product marketing and design of network related software products. Mr. Saito is a member of the Information Processing Society of Japan and can be reached by e-mail at [email protected].
Masatoshi Nakaya
Joined Hitachi, Ltd. in 1972 and now works at the 8th Group of the 4th Operating System Dept. at the Software Division. He is currently engaged in the product design of a secure communication software. Mr. Nakaya is a member of the Information Processing Society of Japan and he can be reached by e-mail at [email protected].
Yahei Murakata
Joined Hitachi, Ltd. in 1977 and now works at the 6th Group of the Data Communications Dept. at the Software Div. He is currently engaged in the product design of enterprise middleware products. Mr. Murakata can be reached by e-mail at [email protected].
Naoko Taniguchi
Joined Hitachi, Ltd. in 1989 and now works at the 4th Group of the Application Infrastructure Dept. at the Software Div. She is currently engaged in the product design of middleware for database access. Ms. Taniguchi is a member of the Information Processing Society of Japan and she can be reached by e-mail at [email protected].