March 1996
By Lee Bruno
Groupware vs. Webware
Forget the hype. Can Web servers and browsers
really make the groupware grade?
[
War of the 'Wares
]
In 1993, when John Swartzendruber started checking out Web bro
wsers
and servers, he wanted to do more than put Eli Lilly and Co. on the
Internet. The technical manager of the Internet service group was
convinced that Web technology was a low-cost, low-impact replacement
for conventional groupware.
Three years and 16,500 Netscape browsers later,
Swartzendruber's hunch has paid off, and pharmaceutical giant
Eli Lilly (Indianapolis) is an intranet pioneer. Web browsers and
servers--not groupware--let scientists, researchers, and
marketers share information from their desktops. And by adding
Internet gateways to its network, Lilly extends communications
worldwide.
Intranets may sound like the buzzword of the month, but
they're fast becoming big business. According to Forrester
Research Inc. (Cambridge, Mass.), 22 percent of Fortune 1,000
companies already use Web servers for internal applications, and
another 40 percent are thinking of taking the plunge. What's
more, Business Research Group (Newton, Mass.) expects to see Webware
take a big bite out of the ov
erall groupware market in the next few
years. It estimates that these products will account for 26 percent of
all groupware sales by the year 2000--up from 5 percent of this
year's $730 million market. So it's good-bye groupware,
hello Webware--right?
Not exactly. Net managers intrigued by intranets need to understand
what each technology can--and can't--deliver. In
many ways, it comes down to a simple decision: build or buy. Web
servers and browsers don't offer the sort of integrated
databases that are standard issue with groupware products like Notes
from Lotus Development Corp. (Cambridge, Mass.), Exchange from
Microsoft Corp. (Redmond, Wash.), and Groupwise from Novell Inc.
(Provo, Utah). That means corporate networkers who need databases will
have to write hooks to third-party products.
Database replication also is missing from Web products. This key
capability automatically updates far-flung groupware servers to keep
them in sync. And don't even think about so-called bidirectional
update
s, a glitzy Notes feature that ships only new
info--instead of the entire database--across the wide
area. (This is just one of the many ways that market leader Notes sets
the standard for these products.)
Shrink-wrapped document- and information-sharing applications also
are MIA with Webware. Here again, net managers who want the
collaborative capabilities of groupware will have to code them in.
Security is another shortcoming with Web browsers and servers (as it
often is on the Web itself).
WEB WEAVERS
Despite these shortfalls, intranet browsers and servers have a lot
going for them--starting with price. Putting Notes on a small
network would cost about $15,000. Netscape Communications Server from
Netscape Communications Corp. (Mountain View, Calif.) sells for less
than $1,500; Netscape Navigator retails for roughly $40.
Web software also is based on open technology and published
standards rather than proprietary schemes. That's very good news
for net managers who don't want
to get locked into one vendor or
need to mix and match out on the enterprise.
But taking the Web way also means wrestling with several design
issues, particularly how to hold down overhead. The infrastructure of
the Internet itself can be a consideration: Since there are no
guaranteed delivery times, a message can take five minutes or five
hours to get through. That can play havoc with attempts to track
traffic or gauge when to resend data.
Further complicating matters is the fact that Webware and groupware
are starting to converge. "Basically, the Internet camp is rushing
to write APIs [application program interfaces] so that developers can
add groupware functionality to their products, while the groupware
vendors are feverishly embracing and integrating Web technologies into
their product lines," says Ray Laracuenta, senior research analyst
at the Gartner Group (Stamford, Conn.).
Given this move toward melding, some net managers may want to put
decisions on hold until they see how t
he industry shakes out. Those
that can't wait should be aware of hybrid products already
available. For example, Netscape recently bought groupware supplier
Collabra Software Inc. (Mountain View, Calif.) to get its hands on
document-sharing technology.
DATABASE DILEMMA
One key difference between Webware and groupware is that the latter
boasts integrated databases. These make it easy to custom-tailor
packages so that they deliver exactly the information end-users
request. Notes, for example, features a high-level scripting language
that speeds the setup of custom databases. A company could create a
database that responds to employee queries about, say, vacation
policies--with answers supplied automatically. Over time, the
database would also become a repository of frequently asked
questions.
"The Internet solutions can't match Notes' database
capabilities," admits Bob Lehmenkuler, Internet business
application marketing manager at Digital Equipment Corp. (DEC,
Maynard, Mass.). "It jus
t can't be done with Web technology
today." DEC recently released Workgroup Web Forum, an application
that lets a Web server function as a groupware platform (see
"Groupware Therapy for Web Servers," January 1996).
So where does that leave net managers who want to add databases to
their Web servers? It can be done, but it means some heavy-duty
coding, typically in C or Visual Basic. Essentially, the task means
writing code to an API furnished by a database vendor like Informix
Software Inc. (Menlo Park, Calif.), Oracle Corp. (Redwood Shores,
Calif.), or Sybase Inc. (Emeryville, Calif.). And while it's
true that APIs shield programmers from the more mind-numbing coding
complexities, it's still not a job for the uninitiated.
RELATIONAL REALITIES
That's not to suggest that the effort isn't worth it.
Net managers who stay the course will end up with something they
can't get with off-the-shelf groupware: access to relational
databases. The flat files used by Notes and Groupwise, for examp
le,
are not compatible with SQL (Structured Query Language) databases,
making them strictly proprietary.
What's more, it looks as if help is on the horizon. During
the coming year the major database vendors are expected to release
code that will allow their products to be queried using CGI (common
gateway interface) scripts. CGI is the lingua franca of Web servers,
and far easier to program in than C.
There's more good news. Next Software Inc. (Redwood City,
Calif.) recently introduced Webobjects, a family of tools that make it
possible to build custom applications that can exploit information
residing on mainframe or relational databases. At the moment,
Webobjects works with Next's Webscripting language; support for
Javascript is planned, once it is available from Netscape. The tools
are server independent and compatible with OLE (Object Linking and
Embedding).
REPLICATION SITUATION
Replication--the ability to keep data on far-flung servers in
sync--is another key difference
between groupware and Web
servers. Once again, it's a case of groupware delivering this
feature out of the box. In fact, the next releases of products like
Exchange and Groupwise automatically update databases every few hours
to reflect changes that have been made. This function can be critical,
for instance, in sales applications, where orders entered on regional
groupware servers can be forwarded to a central site to track
inventory. The regional servers also could be told to regularly
replicate on other databases to make sure that all information stays
current.
Notes goes this scheme one better with something known as
bidirectional replication, which sends only the information
that's changed since the last update. (Other approaches
replicate the entire database each time.) This helps save on WAN
bandwidth.
The AEA (American Electronics Association, Santa Clara, Calif.) has
already put bidirectional replication to good use--with a
helping hand from Internotes, a companion product for Notes
that acts
as a Web server. The AEA has Notes servers in 18 major cities and also
maintains a Web site that lists seminars and speakers. Its most
pressing need, however, is to keep members informed of policy
developments in Washington, D.C., that affect their jobs and work. To
do this, the AEA uses Notes' bidirectional replication to update
its Web server every hour and a half with new information. Previously,
it took the AEA about two days to post this information.
Right now, it's not possible to add replication to Web
servers. That means that net managers may have to pin their hopes on
database vendors that are working to add this capability to their
offerings.
SWEAT EQUITY?
Generally speaking, adding groupware features and functions to Web
servers involves a fairly intensive programming effort. Customizing
groupware, in contrast, is relatively simple--thanks to embedded
macros and scripting languages. This takes the agony out of things
like modifying a scheduling application with r
ules that accept or
refuse appointments.
What does all this mean to net managers? Integrators and analysts
agree: Webware's lack of turnkey apps means that it's
better suited to the simplest groupware functions. These generally
fall under the "push" model, in which companies publish documents
on servers across the enterprise. "An accounting department could
easily post the status of expense reports on a Web server, making it
easy for users to access them," explains Ian Campbell, research
director for collaborative computing at International Data Corp. (IDC,
Framingham, Mass.).
"Groupware is good at workflow and managing data, something the
Web is not particularly suited to," notes Chet Geschickter, vice
president of research at Hurwitz Consulting Group (Watertown, Mass.).
That helps explain why Eli Lilly has held onto Notes for some
applications, particularly those that involve heavy collaboration.
PLAYING IT SAFE
Security also is a big concern, especially if sensitive data i
s
going to be shipped over the Internet. Basically, Web browsers
implement security in two ways, using either secure HTTP (hypertext
transfer protocol) or SSL (Secure Sockets Layer). Secure HTTP is based
on public-key encryption technology from RSA Data Security Inc.
(Redwood City, Calif.). SSL is a technique that allows data to be
encrypted between the server and the browser. (Both the browser and
the server need to support the protocol.)
Most browsers also support basic and enhanced authentication. With
the basic take, unencrypted passwords are shipped over the Internet.
Enhanced authentication employs DES (data encryption standard)
private-key encryption.
Some groupware vendors go further, requiring one of the clients in
a session to supply a certificate that proves it's who it claims
to be. Notes offers two-way client authentication, with both clients
exchanging certificates. It also can take advantage of X.509
certificates to protect data as it crosses the Internet, as well as
SSL.
"Notes has the best security," says IDC's Campbell. But
he adds, "Not all of the information in a company has to be behind
lock and key."
DESIGN DECISIONS
Running applications on a Web server calls for more than skill in
programming. Net managers also need to address design issues. For
starters, they'll want to minimize traffic loads and boost
response times. A caching proxy can go a long way to doing both.
Basically, a caching proxy is a holding tank located between
end-users on a LAN and a remote Web server. Simply said, it allows
frequently requested data to be stored locally (see Figure 1). The
proxy can reside on a dedicated server or on a local file server. That
gives end-users a way to access data on the LAN itself, which
typically runs at 10 Mbit/s, rather than having to cross a relatively
slow WAN link, which probably tops out at 56 kbit/s.
Figure 1: Performance Proxy
A caching proxy--a local
repository of frequently
requested data--helps speed performace and boost response times.
End-users on a LAN access the proxy, rather than the web server, on
the far side of the WAN link.
|
As mentioned, the infrastructure of the Internet itself also can
raise a design issue. Essentially, it comes down to timing. Groupware
typically relies on store-and-forward mail systems. If a connection is
lost during a data transmission, these packages can pick up where they
left off--instead of resending the entire file.
This isn't possible on the Internet, which is why some
companies are implementing time server applications on their Web
servers. These utilities time-stamp each packet as it's shunted
onto the Internet. If a connection is lost, the time server knows
where to pick up the transmissions once the link is restored.
WHEN WORLDS CONVERGE
Trying to decide between Webware and groupware is like trying to
hit a moving target. Groupware vendors are rushing to make their
products more Web-friendly. As mentioned, Lotus already sells
Internotes, an add-on that translates Notes documents into HTML
(hypertext markup language) and posts them to HTTP servers. With Notes
4.0 (expected midyear), HTML support will be built into the groupware
package.
Other groupware heavyweights are moving in the same direction.
Microsoft's Exchange groupware product features calendaring,
scheduling, and threaded discussion capabilities and runs on Windows
NT. The vendor has staked out the intranet market as a strategic area
and recently licensed Java from Sunsoft Corp. (Mountain View, Calif.).
Its next release of Exchange (expected by the end of the year) should
boast bidirectional replication. Microsoft also is shipping its
Internet Information Server for Windows NT for free.
Novell's Groupwise combines e-mail, personal calendaring,
group scheduling, tas
k and workflow management, and rules-based
messaging. A new module, Webaccess, allows all these functions to be
accessed from an Internet browser. It runs on Netware servers and
under Windows, OS/2, and Unix. An NT version is expected this
summer.
WORLD WIDER WEB?
It's a two-way street. Web vendors, as indicated, also are
looking to add groupware functions to their products. DEC's
Workgroup Web Forum, for example, allows Web servers to support
so-called multithreaded discussion, in which up to 25 people can
participate.
Besides buying Collabra, Netscape announced this month that it is
adding turnkey database connectivity to its Enterprise 2.0 Web
service. The vendor also announced that the server will support
messaging and discussion groups.
Webware vendors also are looking to tighten up security. Process
Software Corp. (Framingham, Mass.) and Microsoft codeveloped an
Internet Server API that functions as a standard Internet gateway.
Once loaded onto a server, the API authen
ticates passwords and user
names from the IP address of a client. This makes it much easier to
restrict access to data stored on a server. A company president, for
example, would be allowed to view profit-and-loss statements, while
district sales managers would be locked out of these reports.
The API, which is based on a Windows DLL (Dynamic Link Library) has
been shipping since September. Process Software compares it with
Winsock, in that it ensures that vendors don't have to write to
10 different interfaces. Trouble is, Netscape, O'Reilly and
Associates Inc. (Sebastopol, Calif.), and other Web vendors are
implementing their own versions of the API.
What's ahead? Given the level of activity, it's hard to
tell. Among the promising ventures are collaborative tools based on
the Internet Relay Chat Standard. These would allow users to mark up
collaborative documents shared by a group of end-users, moving Webware
a big step closer to groupware. Netscape also plans on supporting
network news transf
er protocol (NNTP) in release 3.0 of its browser.
This IETF standard, the basis for Usenet discussion groups, could
point the way to Web browsers that support collaborative projects.
Unfortunately, there are no easy answers--especially since
new suppliers seem to show up every week. Even TCP/IP stack vendors
are getting into the act: Hummingbird Communications Ltd. (North York,
Ontario) recently announced Columbus. The intranet package consists of
a Web server, e-mail (via MIME [multipurpose Internet mail
extensions], POP3 [post office protocol 3], and SMTP [simple mail
transfer protocol]), and document management software for group
collaborations.
One thing's clear: There's no shortage of excitement
and optimism. "It took Lotus Notes seven years to get where it is
today," says Gartner's Laracuenta. "It's unreasonable
to expect Internet providers to provide the tools in a year."
Lee Bruno is software editor for Data Communications. He is based in
San Mateo, Calif., and c
an be reached by e-mail at
lbruno@data.com
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