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Hardware & Software Environment

Peoplesoft (and the Shared Financial System) uses a three-tiered client/server architecture to integrate high-end computing systems with the user-oriented environment associated with personal workstations. The three-tiered architecture connects directly to an application server and submits application requests using Tuxedo messages. Tuxedo is a message-based middleware product designed to manage transactions and enable distributed application computing. The application server generates virtually all of the SQL run against the database server, and responds to the client using Tuxedo messages. The following diagram illustrates this environment.

There are several databases used for a variety of purposes. Some are used exclusively by DoIT. The ones used people outside of DoIT are:

• SFS - this is the production database
• SFDV - this is a development and testing database used by DoIT application technology staff and UWPC staff
• SFPT1 - this is a database used by the pilot campuses for testing
• SFPT - this is a database used in prototyping sessions and also for testing by non-pilot campuses
• SFDM - this is a demo database
• SFTRN - this is a database used in training classes. During June, July and August, 1999 it will be used for both transaction processing and inquiry/reporting training. Effective early September, 1999, it will be used for inquiry and reporting training only
• SFTRN1 - this database will be establish in early September, 1999 and will be used for transaction processing training