About the Author Chapter One Chapter Two Chapter Three Chapter Four Chapter Five Chapter Six Chapter Seven Appendix Java Computing in the Enterprise Whitepaper (Postscript Compressed 141KB) Java Computing in the Enterprise Whitepaper (Acrobat 124KB)

What is an Intranet? A prerequisite to Java Computing is the deployment of an enterprise intranet infrastructure. The term "intranet" is widely used to describe the application of Internet technologies in internal corporate networks. Generally, businesses use intranets today to more effectively share information, taking advantage of the Internet browser paradigm. Intranets are based on technology that already exists in many enterprises. Intranets provide many benefits to enterprises. Use of the browser paradigm simplifies internal information management and improves internal communication. Similarly, Web navigation and search paradigms make it easier for people to find and analyze information. Integrating Internet technologies with an enterprise infrastructure and legacy systems enables a company to leverage its existing technology investments. In the past, Web servers focused primarily on storing static pages viewable from a browser. The simple ability to transfer these pages using the HTTP protocol was the requirement of an Internet server. Now, Web pages are becoming applications -- Java applications. They are downloaded on demand from a Web server and are available on any machine able to access Web pages and execute Java -- both Java devices and existing desktop platforms running Java-enabled browsers. The basic infrastructure for an intranet consists of an internal TCP/IP network connecting servers and desktops, which may or may not be connected to the Internet through a firewall. The intranet provides services to desktops via standard, open Internet protocols. In addition to TCP/IP for basic network communication, these also include protocols for: Browsing HTTP File Service NFS Mail Service IMAP4/SMTP Naming Service DNS/NIS+ Directory Services DNS/LDAP Booting Services Bootp/DHCP Network Administration SNMP Object Services IIOP (CORBA) These open Internet protocols are well established in the industry. Many products exist for their support and management. For example, all of these services are supported by the Sun SolarisTM operating system, and can be managed by Sun SolsticeTM management products. Intranets and the Internet Since intranets and the Internet are so closely related, it is important to consider how they interact and how they are typically utilized. One way to categorize these networks is illustrated in Figure 1. This framework divides business use of networks between internal (intranet) and external (Internet), and between informative and transactional use. Sun's experience indicates that companies typically traverse this framework in a counter-clockwise direction -- progressing to increasingly sophisticated use: Web Presence: Companies typically first use the Internet to establish a Web presence, informing customers about their products and services. Collaborative Communication: Just as a World Wide Web presence informs customers, an internal Web presence can be used to inform and to educate employees. Business Applications: With a set of internal Web sites established, the next step is to use Web servers as gateways to legacy systems, providing Web-based access to enterprise-critical data. This use may be transactional. Examples range from employee expense reporting to inventory control systems to data-mining applications. Networked Marketplace: The ultimate use of intranets occurs when internal business applications mature to the point where they can be released for customer/supplier interactions. At this point, the firewall can be opened up for specific activities and true electronic commerce enabled.