This section describes the Sybase DirectConnect products, which are a group of LAN-based middleware servers that provide access to non-Sybase data sources.
The DirectConnect products are Open Server-based software gateways that support DB-Library and CT-Library application program interfaces, and Java Database Connectivity (JDBC) and Open Database Connectivity (ODBC) protocols. They serve as fundamental building blocks for database middleware applications that allow you to access mainframe and LAN-based non-Sybase data sources.
DirectConnect products provide the following middleware services:
DirectConnect access services that provide access to non-Sybase data sources
DirectConnect administrative services (DirectConnect Manager) that provide server-side system management
DirectConnect can be used with other Sybase products, such as Replication Server, and the CIS feature of Adaptive Server Enterprise.
The following DirectConnect products support heterogeneous replication systems based on Sybase replication technology:
DirectConnect Anywhere
DirectConnect for OS/390
DirectConnect for AS/400
DirectConnect for DRDA
DirectConnect for Informix
DirectConnect for Microsoft SQL Server
DirectConnect for Oracle
All Sybase DirectConnect products provide basic connectivity to non-Sybase data services. In particular, they provide access management, copy management, and remote systems management.
Each DirectConnect product consists of a server and one or more service libraries. The server provides the framework in which the service libraries operate. From the server, each access service library accesses data from a particular target database, such as DB2 Universal Database, Informix, Microsoft SQL Server, or Oracle.
Each access service library contains one or more access services that are specific sets of configuration properties. An access service provides the following functionality:
Transforms SQL
Supports remote procedure calls (RPCs)
Transfers data between target databases and other servers, if the servers are accessible through Open Client™
Supports catalog stored procedures (CSPs) and system stored procedures from Adaptive Server/CIS
The DirectConnect server listens for, validates, and accepts incoming client connections, such as language events or remote procedure calls (RPCs). These events are routed to the target data source (replicate database) through DirectConnect access services, which provide target-specific connectivity features, including datatype conversion, network connectivity, and SQL transformation.
When a client connects to the target database (for example, a Replication Server connecting to a replicate database), the access service logs in using the client user ID, client password, and the ODBC-configured data source name (DSN).
