New MCP Release: Announcing MCP 13.0

MCP 13.0 is coming at the end of April, and we’ve packed an amazing amount of business and technical value into this release. It introduces important NEW capabilities in five key areas:

• Enabling people on the go to securely access ClearPath applications
• Protecting sensitive data in motion from unauthorized access
• Expanding security administration tools
• Providing data center infrastructure enhancements
• Extending the portfolio of application development and modernization tools

This integrated release of more than 125 products includes many major enhancements to existing capabilities – plus it ushers in the availability of three NEW products:

• Locum Real-Time Monitor – providing real-time monitoring of security and system events
• ClearPath Database Extensions for PHP – enabling web applications written in the popular PHP scripting language to access DMSII databases
• HTTP Client for ClearPath MCP – making it possible for MCP-based applications to send requests to web servers

Following are just some of the highlights of MCP Release 13.0. To get all the details, visit the MCP 13.x page in the eCommunity.

Enabling People on the Go to Securely Access ClearPath Applications

The smartphone is quickly overtaking the laptop as the way to work away from (and even in) the office. Weighing
just ounces, these mobile devices are far more convenient and functionally equivalent to PCs in many regards.
If you haven't been asked about support for these small wonders, you will be very soon.

Opening up your applications to mobile users has certain implications, including:

• New security challenges related to information stored on the smartphone and for applications and databases they access
• Changing usage habits in terms of many more connects/disconnects per user, per day
• Higher expectations regarding service levels and availability

MCP 13.0 introduces powerful NEW capabilities that address these concerns, including:

• ClearPath ePortal, which can be used to provide Apple® iPhone® or iPod Touch® users with access to MCP-based
  applications and data.
  
• Locum RealTime Monitor is a NEW product that complements the Locum SafeSurvey and SecureAudit products by providing real-time monitoring of security and system events. Contact your Unisys representative to order this NEW, separately priced product.
• The ability to configure Transaction Server (COMS) to automatically delete unused stations, which effectively increases connectivity to support the "multiple on/off" usage patterns of mobile end users.
• Workload Management for ClearPath MCP has many NEW features that make it even easier to use, giving you more ways to ensure SLAs are met in an environment where Internet-facing applications are subject to dramatic fluctuations in demand. One of the most significant enhancements is a NEW Assisted Workload Discovery tool that simplifies the task of deploying Workload Management on an existing system.
• Important enhancements to Unisys Business Continuity Accelerator that improve ease of use and increase configuration flexibility, such as the ability to recover to a local server and support for a three-server recovery configuration.
• Numerous updates to DMSII to increase database availability, including the ability to process update transactions while a quiesce database copy is being made.

Protecting Sensitive Data in Motion from Unauthorized Access

Security of sensitive data is a concern for many IT departments, especially as it is sent across the Internet and private networks, stored offsite, or used at your disaster recovery facility. MCP 13.0 introduces several product enhancements to help you protect sensitive data in motion, including the following:

Expanding Security Administration Tools

Several changes in MCP 13.0 improve security management capabilities:

• Role-based access control for applications enables them to apply more granular security controls on application functionality and data based on a person’s job role and responsibilities
• Security Center can manage security certificates for Java applications, import and export IPsec policies, and test IPsec policies before they are put into use

Providing Data Center Infrastructure Enhancements

As always, this new release of the MCP has features that expand compatibility and interoperability, including:

• Qualification of the release with Microsoft® Windows® 7 and Microsoft Windows Server® 2008 R2 (visit the Unisys Product Support web site for compatibility matrices with product-specific details)
• Enterprise Database OLE DB Data Provider for ClearPath MCP can run on x64 versions of Windows and be used with x64 versions of Microsoft SQL Server®
• The NEW HTTP Client for ClearPath MCP product enables MCP-based applications to send requests to web servers (this product is included in the MCP operating environment)
• FTP enhancements make it easier to copy all files in a disk directory to another system

Extending the Portfolio of Application Development and Modernization Tools

Last, but certainly not least, MCP 13.0 provides important NEW capabilities for developers – ones that help organizations continue to extend their existing ClearPath applications and build new ones, such as:

• ClearPath MCP IDE for Eclipse includes NEW editors for NEWP and Pascal and NEW integration with the Relational and Query Design Centers and many other enhancements.
• The NEW ClearPath Database Extensions for PHP product enables web applications written in the popular PHP scripting language to access DMSII databases (this is an Open Source product, which is available for download from the eCommunity).
• Database Operations Center’s database design capabilities (that work in conjunction with Embarcadero ER/Studio) can now be used with databases that include:
  – Logical databases
  – Remaps
  – Embedded datasets
  
• Unisys XML Parser for ClearPath MCP enhancements provide a facility to transform XML documents and improve scaling, redundancy, and performance.

More About this Major MCP Release

There's much to master in MCP 13.0, so we recommend that you take some time to view the recording of the MCP 13.0 Launch Event Webcast, which is posted in the eCommunity. For additional information, please visit the ClearPath MCP Release 13.x Information Library on the eCommunity.