Administration and Programming Guide for OS/400

Glossary

absolute path

The full path name of an object. Absolute path names begins at the highest level, or "root" directory (which is identified by the forward slash (/) or back slash (\) character).

API

Application programming interface. Net.Data supports three Web server APIs for improved performance over CGI processes.

applet

A Java program included in an HTML page. Applets work with Java-enabled browsers, such as Netscape Navigator, and are loaded when the HTML page is processed.

application programming interface (API)

A functional interface supplied by the operating system or by a separately orderable licensed program that allows an application program written in a high-level language to use specific data or functions of the operating system or licensed program. Net.Data supports the following proprietary Web server APIs for improved performance over CGI processes: ICAPI and GWAPI.

BLOB

Binary large object.

CGI

Common Gateway Interface.

CLOB

Character large object.

commitment control

The establishment of a boundary within the process that Net.Data is running under where operations on resources are part of a unit of work.

Common Gateway Interface (CGI)

A standardized way for a Web server to pass control to an application program and receive data back.

current working directory

The default directory of a process from which all relative path names are resolved.

database

A collection of tables, or a collection of table spaces and index spaces.

database management system (DBMS)

A software system that controls the creation, organization, and modification of a database and access to the data stored within it.

DATALINK

A DB2 data type that enables logical references from the database to a file stored outside the database.

data type

An attribute of columns and literals.

DBCLOB

Double-byte character large object.

DBMS

Database management system.

Domino Go Web server

The Web server offered by Lotus Corp. and IBM, that offers both regular and secure connections. ICAPI and GWAPI are the interfaces provided with this server.

firewall

A computer with software that guards an internal network from unauthorized external access.

flat file interface

A set of Net.Data built-in functions that let you read and write data from plain-text files.

GWAPI

Go Web server API.

HTML

Hypertext markup language.

HTTP

Hypertext transfer protocol.

hypertext markup language

A tag language used to write Web documents.

hypertext transfer protocol

The communication protocol used between a Web server and browser.

ICAPI

Internet Connection API. See ***.

Internet

An international public TCP/IP computer network.

Intranet

A TCP/IP network inside a company firewall.

Java

An operating system-independent object-oriented programming language especially useful for Internet applications.

language environment

A module that provides access from a Net.Data macro to an external data source such as DB2 or a programming language such as Perl.

LOB

Large object.

middleware

Software that mediates between an application program and a network. It manages the interaction between a client application program and a server through the network.

null

A special value that indicates the absence of information.

path

A search route used to locate files.

path name

Tells the system how to locate an object. The path name is expressed as a sequence of directory names followed by the name of the object. Individual directories and the object name are separated by a forward slash (/) or back slash (\) character.

Perl

An interpreted programming language.

persistence

The state of keeping an assigned value for an entire transaction, where a transaction spans multiple Net.Data invocations. Only variables can be persistent. In addition, operations on resources affected by commitment control are kept active until an explicit commit or rollback is done, or when the transaction completes.

port

A 16-bit number used to communicate between TCP/IP and a higher level protocol or application.

registry

A repository where strings can be stored and retrieved.

relative path name

A path name that does not begin at the highest level, or "root" directory. The system assumes that the path name begins at the process's current working directory.

TCP/IP

Transmission Control Protocol / Internet Protocol.

transaction

One Net.Data invocation. If persistent Net.Data is used, then a transaction can span multiple Net.Data invocations.

Transmission Control Protocol / Internet Protocol

A set of communication protocols that support peer-to-peer connectivity functions for both local and wide-area networks.

URL

Uniform resource locator.

uniform resource locator

An address that names a HTTP server and optionally a directory and file name, for example: http://www.software.ibm.com/data/net.data/index.html.

unit of work

A recoverable sequence of operations that are treated as one atomic operation. All operations within the unit of work can be completed (commited) or undone (rolled back) as if the operations are a single operation. Only operations on resources that are affected by commitment control can be committed or rolled back.

Web server

A computer running HTTP server software, such as Internet Connection.