Configurable Network Computing

Configurable Network Computing or CNC is a Oracle Corporation JD Edwards® (also known simply as JDE) client-server architecture and methodology that was designed to implement scalable enterprise-wide business solutions software that can run on a variety of database and operations systems (OS) platforms. Specifically, the CNC architecture is now sponsored by the Oracle Software-owned JDEdwards Enterprise Resource Planning or ERP system. It also refers to the systems analysts who install, maintain, manage and enhance this architecture.

The CNC architecture

In this specialized architecture, a company's JDEdwards business software(JDE)applications run in such as way as to be transparently insulated from both the database where the business data is stored as well as from the client computer's underlying operating system. In layman's terms, the business programs don't "care" where the data is or which operating system is being used on any of the end user computers. Neither do the applications servers on which business programs run need to directly "know" what database systems are being called on the data end or back end. The CNC architecture keeps track of this through various database tables that point the business applications to the servers that run or execute the business applications and also include database connection tools called database drivers that tell the system also where the database servers are and what specific databases to do lookups, data inserts and data extracts from. Because of the key nature of the underlying architecture, a sound CNC infrastructure is critical to the success of a JD Edwards OneWorld® installation or implementation.

In what has been known traditionally as client/server environments, applications must communicate across a combination of different hardware platforms, operating systems and databases as including. The CNC architecture uses a layer of software, called middleware, which resides between the platform operating system and the JDE business applications. To accomplish this, JDE provides two types of middleware, JDENET Communication Middleware for communication of and JDEBASE Database Middleware

JDENET and JDEBASE Middleware

JDENET is the message-oriented middleware that connects the generated presentation layer of JDE applications with business function components through a standard JDE applications programing interface, or API called “jdeCallObject.” The JDENET middleware, running within the CNC architecture, supports the configuration of business function components for execution in the heterogeneous distributed computing environment that the CNC architecture support.

CNC systems analysts

Systems analysts that work in this field are known as JDE and/or Peoplesoft CNCs. Based on the size of the company implementing a JDE system, there may be one or more CNCs. In some small companies, there is no resident CNC, but some of the day-to-day CNC functions such as security and business program object builds and deployment is done by a JDE developer on staff while a third-party CNC is called in for non-routine, critical and/or high-risk CNC work such as system ugrades and expansion.

CNC-related functions

In order to support this architecture, CNC analysts perform the some or all of the following functions:

• CNC Systems Administration which includes user and application security.
• Planning and installation of business application patches also called electronic sofware updates or ESUs as well as underlying foundational code or programs called tools releases or service packs.
• Building and deploying changes to the business applications called package builds
• Management of various development, testing and production business environments which are self-contained sub-systems
• Printer Configuration
• Refreshing and optimization of the underlying database, working with database administrators
• Creation of new environments
• System auditing and perfomance tuning tasks
• Development of software tools and processes automate repetitive CNC® tasks
• Remote CNC management through various secure access systems.
• Training both business analysists, programmers and end-users on the overall use of the JDE ERP system