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Skynax R6 introduces new rapid provisioning
functionality which allows mobile system administrators
to quickly establish secure device level and user level
authentication from newly deployed mobile computers.
In large mobile system deployments, this new capability
saves time and money by avoiding the tedious and error
prone process of manually entering device OEM Codes into
the central Skynax Manager. Furthermore, the need for
initial, secure, close proximity connectivity has been
eliminated thereby allowing the provisioning process to
occur as needed, using any type of existing IP connectivity.
Skynax R6 makes a substantial leap forward with GATC's
new high performance communications and
data processing kernel. Using the newly introduced high
performance kernel Skynax R6 leverages the multithreaded
processing capabilities of high-end multi-processor
servers to raise the parallel connection processing
capabilities of a single Skynax Server by almost 60% and
improve average encrypted communications throughput by
35%. These
advancements in core Skynax technologies delivers
outstanding mobile communications performance for
enterprise customers.
Skynax R6, when purchased through Intermec, comes with a
special version of the Skynax Client and a specially
designed Intermec Migration Plug-In which allows
Intermec partners that have been using the 6920
communications software to very quickly migrate their
applications over to Skynax by simply swapping out one
client-side file on the mobile device. This addition in
Skynax R6 provides a clear migration path from the
Intermec 6920 software and an easy solution to quickly
being able to offer greater value to your customers.
Skynax R6 now bundles the Skynax Packager application
which allows you to create new Skynax Packages as well
as modify existing Skynax Packages - Skynax Packages
contain the files and other information that will
automatically be distributed by Skynax to mobile devices
and implemented on those devices as per the instructions
enclosed within the package. The Skynax Packager
replaces the script file utility available previously
only in the Skynax SDK, thereby providing a more
intuitive and faster package management system. Packages
created by the Skynax Packager are loaded centrally into
a Skynax system using the Skynax Manager application.
A new option is now available to developers of Skynax
Server Plug-Ins which allows different versions of the
same Plug-In to be set so that they will not run
concurrently on different Skynax Servers within a single
Skynax system. This new feature is useful for
back-office data exchange scenarios where a specific
application or data resource cannot be accessed
simultaneously by more Plug-Ins at the same time.
Skynax R6 simplifies the process of establishing
handheld computer configuration settings using predefined
equipment set templates. The simplified interface allows
the mobile system administrator to easily create groups
of handheld computers that share common settings and
quickly modify those settings when needed.
The Skynax Loader (the fail-safe mechanism that allows
the handheld computer to be re-provisioned in case of a
cold reboot) in R6 automatically downloads to the
handheld computer, during its first connection to
Skynax, all Skynax Equipment Drivers that are available
for the given handheld computer. This now allows the
Skynax Client to makes use of the widest possible array
of connectivity options, including those that require
special configurations and settings, in order to be
accessed. By making all Skynax Equipment Drivers
available immediately to the Skynax Client on the
handheld computer, Skynax R6 provides best assurance
that the widest range of connectivity options will be
available to the user from the very start of their work.
Administrators will also appreciate a number of
ergonomic enhancements that make working with Skynax
even easier. In keeping with this theme, the Skynax
Manager in R6 integrates the functions of registering
and connecting to a Skynax system thereby allowing for a
one-step re-log-in to the Skynax system to
which
you were last connected, saving clicks and keystrokes.
Equipment Type objects, the virtual building blocks used
to define and add new devices to a Skynax System, have
been extended in R6 to include a new property: the
target operating system. This allows Skynax to
differentiate, and thereby properly configure, identical
handheld computers that are running different operating
systems and therefore require different device drivers
and settings.
New to Skynax R6 is the introduction of the Skynax
System Monitor, a special purpose application that
provides a real-time visual indicator of the status of
all Skynax Gateways and Skynax Servers within a
Skynax system. Now a quick glance at your display can
provide you with visual confirmation that core Skynax
applications and their respective network connectivity
are operating correctly.
Skynax R6 now allows each Skynax Gateway and Skynax
Server to connect to the Skynax Database
on an SQL
Server using their own individual user account. This
allows access rights to the Skynax Database to be
assigned individually and managed centrally using
Microsoft Active Directory Services,
for each computer
in the network that is running a Skynax Gateway and/or
Skynax Server.
Skynax uses a multi-level security model which includes
the option to use user level authentication. However,
user authentication may not be practical in all business
scenarios. Therefore, Skynax R6
now allows the
administrator to access the functionality to block
specified system codes from being
used within Skynax,
even when the use of system code passwords has been
turned off. This allows
the administrator to quickly and
selectively block the exchange of business data for a
specified set of system codes. This capability was
previously available in Skynax R5.x only when user level
authentication was activated.
Developers of Skynax Server Plug-Ins can now take
advantage of the Skynax R6 ability to present Plug-In
property values as enumerated lists of 'user friendly'
text items that can be automatically returned to the
Plug-In with a selected value that will modify the
Plug-In behavior. Previously, Skynax R5.x provided only
numeric lists. In practice, this means developers can,
for example, replace a scale ranging from 3 to 1 with
text options such as 'High', 'Medium' and 'Low'. For the administrator, this means that
Plug-In property values are more intuitive which makes
configuration faster and less prone to error.
Previously, the Skynax Manager in R5.x automatically
performed Skynax Database upgrades whenever
a newer
version of the Skynax Manager was used to connected to a
previous version of the Skynax Database. Now the Skynax
Manager in R6 verifies and notifies the user in case
there is an attempt to
use incompatible versions of the
Skynax Manager and Skynax Database, however no database
upgrade
is performed. All Skynax Database upgrades are
performed using the separate Skynax Installation Program
which allows IT administrators to have stricter control
over when and how Skynax system upgrades
are performed.
The need to create "Equipment Type Groups" for Skynax
Equipment Drivers has now been eliminated. Skynax R6 now
manages these assignments internally and also automatically
downloads the appropriate Skynax Equipment Drivers to
each Skynax Client on a handheld computer based on the
combination of hardware defined by your Equipment Set
and the operating system that it is running.
Starting with Skynax R6 it is not longer necessary to
launch the Skynax Manager to initiate Skynax Database
maintenance. This maintenance includes the control of
Skynax log transactions maintained according to
the
settings you define in the Skynax Manager. Now in R6
complete Skynax Database maintenance is performed
automatically and transparently using dedicated jobs
that run directly on the SQL Server.
Developers of Skynax Equipment Drivers had the option in
Skynax R5.x to return error codes via the
Skynax
Equipment Driver API whenever problems occurred and
driver processing was halted. Now the enhanced API in the R6
Skynax Equipment Driver allows the driver to return
warnings without halting its processing. These
warnings are logged by the Skynax Client and can be
viewed centrally using the
Skynax Manager.
Skynax R6 log functions have been enhanced to provide
better information usability. A key improvement now
allows the administrator to view and query log
transactions to show the beginning time and duration of
each handheld computer connection as well as the time
required for data transmission and the time required by
the respective Skynax Server Plug-Ins to process the
exchanged business data. This information is useful in
analyzing trends in Skynax system performance and
optimizing network connectivity, server utilization and
future capacity planning.
Skynax R6 will now perform an automatic remote restart
of any Skynax Gateway, Skynax Server and Skynax Server
Plug-In whenever the administrator modifies property
values used by these applications.
This transparent,
automated, remote restart functionality allows the
Skynax system, regardless of the geographic location of
the individual Skynax applications, to quickly adjust to
changing configuration settings.
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