Re[2]: Z39.50

From: David Godfrey <David_Godfrey_at_CONAK1CC_at_SMTP.CONTINUUM.CO.NZ>
Date: Thu, 7 Mar 1996 09:55:19 NZT
Message-Id: <9603062113.AA11716@alice.jcc.com>

     Hello,

     Z39.50 is a protocol defined for 'bibliographic type' information
     sources. This doesn't mean that it's purely limited to say, Library
     systems, but can lend itself to Document management systems,
     cataloguing systems etc.

     For example - it defines the schema for a 'title' record, so that the
     actual physical implementation of a 'title'/'catalogue' record in a
     particular system doesn't need to be known, just that by using a
     specific protocol item within Z39.50, you will be querying the other
     databases data, on what it determines is the equivalant of the
     'title'/'catalogue' record/field you specified.

     One thing this enables, is the invisible linking in of other data
     sources, and infact, in a previous life, the app I was working on, did
     parallel querying of remote, heterogeneous datasources. Firing off
     z39.50 queries simultaneously to other vendors applications (which
     were Z39.50 compliant), and asynchronously receiving result sets back.
     This was successfully done against any number of datasources from
     multiple vendors.

     The good thing with this, is that the speed of response, is the speed
     of the fastest server response - that is the one which starts
     populating your query hits, but that the slower servers still feed
     into the hitlist later on.


     One thing here though, is that there are multiple Z39.50
     implementations, and let's just say, some are not as good as others -
     thus you can receive a whole load of rubbish back from odd servers. We
     had the ability to turn off the connection to those servers at time of
     query.



     Hope this helps,

     Let us know if you want to know more,

     David Godfrey

     dgodfrey_at_continuum.co.nz


______________________________ Reply Separator _________________________________

Subject: Re: Z39.50
Author: "ORACLE database mailing list." <ORACLE-L_at_CCVM.SUNYSB.EDU> at INTERNET Date: 07/03/1996 9:38 AM

This looks interesting. Anybody want to explain to the uninitiated what the Z39.50 protocol is? Thanks. Received on Wed Mar 06 1996 - 16:14:03 CST