Eagle (web platform)

EAGLE is a Web application server which provides direct, secure, high performance Internet access to mainframe computer data and transactions without middleware or external gateways. EAGLE applications access and manipulate mainframe data using real-time transaction processing.

Originally based in an IBM 3270 environment developed at the University of Florida to reduce the delivery time of student record applications, the engine was configured for the Web in 1996 and removed the need for a screen scraping interface.

What EAGLE does

EAGLE provides direct network access to mainframe data and transactions. Web applications talk directly to native mainframe resources without the complexity or expense of middleware. Non-mainframe resources can be accessed via hooks to customized communication programs, using XML or EDI.

Since EAGLE is itself a mainframe computer transaction, application pages are created internally and delivered via the Web. This reduces overhead compared to external call interfaces and has resulted in considerable performance gains; during periods of peak demand at the University of Florida, EAGLE routinely handles 400,000 transactions per day while maintaining sub-second response time.

ession management

The Web is defined as a stateless environment-- normally, a Web page is requested, the Web page is delivered, and the interaction is over. EAGLE associates pages with a user and handles authentication and authorization. The EAGLE session management engine is protected behind mainframe security.

Current EAGLE implementations

* University of Florida
** Office of the University Registrar (ISIS and ISISAdmin)
** Student Financial Affairs
** Student Activities (Gator Nights)
* NWRDC
** Statewide SASS (Student Advising)
* Illinois State University
* [http://www.shands.org Shands Health Care]
* FACTS.org (Florida Academic Counseling and Tracking for Students)
** FACTS Central Site
** FACTS Implementation at UF

EAGLE patent

EAGLE was awarded [http://patft.uspto.gov/netacgi/nph-Parser?u=%2Fnetahtml%2Fsrchnum.htm&Sect1=PTO1&Sect2=HITOFF&p=1&r=1&l=50&f=G&d=PALL&s1=6532463.PN.&OS=PN/6532463&RS=PN/6532463 patent 6,532,463] for its state maintenance mechanism.

External links

* [http://eagle.ufl.edu EAGLE home page]
* [http://facts.org FACTS.org]
* [http://www.isis.ufl.edu ISIS home page at UF]