NonStop Systems Introduction

NonStop Systems Introduction—527825-001
2-1
2 Requirements of ZLE Systems
The business environment shown in Figure 1-1 on page 1-5 imposes a formidable set
of requirements on a ZLE system. To be competitive in this environment, a ZLE
system must provide:
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Fault Tolerance
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Data Integrity
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Data Security
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High Performance
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Consolidated View of All Data
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Current View of all Data
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Availability of Data
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Integration of Existing Operational Environments
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Support for Industry Standards in
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Messaging Middleware
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Services and Applications
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Application Integration Frameworks
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Standard Component Models
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Support for Heavy Transaction Volumes and Mixed Workloads
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Support for Expansion and Growth
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Decision Support
The rest of this section looks at each of these requirements to see how they affect the
design and objectives of a ZLE system. Later sections will show that NonStop servers
and software components are able to meet this entire set of requirements.
Fault Tolerance
A ZLE system must be designed to withstand faults (the hardware failures and
software failures that all systems are subject to). That is, critical applications must
continue to run even when faults occur. Given the mission-critical nature of a ZLE
system, the software and hardware components that compose it must stay up and
running during the hours they are needed. In today’s business environment,
customers expect to be able to conduct business day or night and from locations
around the world. For example, if a bank offers ATM services 24 hours a day, 7 days a
week, 365 days a year, then the system must be up and running all the time.