Peer-to-peer software on tap for Sun users

LEHI, UTAH - The latest version of NextPage software will let Sun Solaris users manage, access and exchange content across distributed servers on intranets and via the Internet.

The company last week rolled out its NXT 3 peer-to-peer software with the idea that by using it, employees anywhere could access data at any location as though it were on a server in the next room. Customers can also link multiple distributed Sun servers and let them work together, saving processing power. Until now, NextPage only ran on Windows NT.

The NXT 3 architecture has multiple components, including features that update data automatically when changes are made remotely, and the ability to access multiple file and application formats from a single viewer.

Peer-to-peer software lets users tie together information - and in some cases computing power - from servers or other networked computers. The main benefit of peer-to-peer is that by harnessing information and power from servers and desktops, users can take advantage of otherwise-unused CPUs and information that might be inaccessible through traditional means. For example, sales and marketing department members could use information usually only available to finance personnel through application-specific software on their desktops.

With this release, the company wants to address enterprise users who have invested in the Sun Unix platform for years and who maintain critical information on those servers.

Brand Niemann, a computer scientist at the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), agrees. "We have been interested for a long time in having [NextPage software] ported to the Sun platform, because we are heavily vested in [Solaris]."

Niemann says a recent project used NXT 3 to link more than 1,500 data tables from 200 statistical programs to put together the Statistical Abstract for the U. S. - a document that tracks everything from labor statistics to population. The project normally takes months. "We built our site in five weeks, so this is really proof of concept," he says.

NXT 3 software can operate in different ways. Network administrators can install the software on servers in different locations and connect those servers to provide access to data at different sites. NXT 3 servers can also access data from servers they are networked with, eliminating the need to replicate application servers at individual sites. NXT 3 uses XML to provide access to different file formats.

PROFILE: NEXTPAGE
Location	Lehi, Utah
Founded:	June 1999
Product:	NXT 3, file-sharing software based on a peer-to-peer model that lets users request information from various servers on the network.
Management:	Brad Pelo, founder and chairman; Tom Ngo, CTO; Bill Wesemann, CEO.
Financing:	First $10 million came from angel investors, received second round in January totaling $20 million from Oak Investment Partners, epartners, Dominion Ventures and Amp Capital Partners. Privately held.
Customers:	More than 150, including the federal government, Baker & McKenzie, ABN AMRO Bank, Ernst & Young and KPMG Deloitte Touche.

At the EPA, end users can get spreadsheet data via a Web browser without having the database software installed on their computers. For example, users can access Microsoft Excel file data without having Excel running on their computers.

Users working remotely can also dial in to servers to access data via a Web browser. NXT 3 automatically detects the browser type and adjusts the presentation of data to work with the browser.

NextPage competes with companies such as Groove Networks and Vignette in the peer-to-peer arena. Groove's software runs on Windows operating systems, while Vignette offers support for Windows and Solaris. An NXT 3 server license costs about $85,000 and is available now.

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