COMPASS solutions are based on the following technical characteristics.

 

Multi-tier & Open System Architecture

 

COMPASS’s open architecture enables it to communicate and interface with other software applications and external systems. From a technology perspective, COMPASS was developed to support the growth of your customer base. Its scalable N-tier, client-server architecture allows processing to be distributed over several servers according to your organizational structure (geographical, regional, or otherwise). Certain demanding and complex processes, such as rating, can be distributed over multiple servers. This multi-layer architecture, combined with COMPASS’s multi-threaded and queued processes, provides you with the components required to maximize performance and support high transaction volumes.

 

Object-oriented Application Development

 

COMPASS is an object-oriented application that enables you to easily support your business model. Object-oriented development methodologies model the real world with greater accuracy and integrity than other approaches. COMPASS uses a robust and scalable GemStone database as the centerpiece of its system architecture. This database provides the processing power, security, and dependability required for a business-critical application. It supports high-availability online environments that demand 24x7 operations.

 

The benefits of COMPASS’s object-oriented and distributed architecture are:

 

• Lower software development and maintenance costs;

• Effective price/performance ratio, reliability, and scalability;

• Easily and rapidly adapted business rules to meet your customers’ specific requirements;

• Simplified enhancements to adjust to ever-changing market dynamics that require easy interaction with new application software;

• Interoperability with a large number of applications and systems from different vendors;

• Portability, cross-platform compatibility and flexibility, deployment of the same COMPASS application software on different computer sizes, from stand-alone workstations to supercomputers.

 

Computing Platform

 

As a multi-tier application, COMPASS supports various hardware platforms at the server level and at the client (or workstation) level as described below.

 

For the server part of the application, COMPASS runs on the following platforms:

 

• IBM RS/6000 (UNIX)

• HP 9000 (UNIX)

• SUN (UNIX)

• PC-based vendors (NT/XP)

 

PluraSoft recommends that the server have the following attributes:

 

• Symmetric Multi-Processing (SMP)

• Fast Disk System (Solid State, EMC, Clarion, IBM, SSA, HP, etc.)

 

PluraSoft works with you to validate your capacity planning and ensure that the optimal hardware configuration is selected.

 

For the client part of the application, PluraSoft recommends computers from any major manufacturer:

 

• IBM

• Dell

• HP, etc.

 

Operating Systems

 

As a multi-tier application, COMPASS supports various operating systems at the server level and at the client (or workstation) level.

 

For the server part of the application, COMPASS runs on the following operating systems:

 

• HP UX 11

• IBM AIX 4.3

• SUN Solaris 7 (or SUN/OS 5.7)

• Windows NT

• Windows XP

 

For the client part of the application, COMPASS runs under the following operating systems:

 

• Windows 98

• Windows 2000

• Windows NT

• Windows XP