Number One…With A Rocket!

Dear U2 Community,

As we near the first anniversary of Rocket’s purchase of the U2 brand, I’ve been reflecting on our accomplishments over the past 12 months - and thinking about our future plans for UniVerse, UniData, the U2 tools products and other technologies that Rocket will deliver to enhance the value of your U2 solution.

The U2 Lab has been very productive over the past year. In addition to re-branding UniData, UniVerse, SB+, SBClient, SB/XA, U2 Web DE, U2.NET and wIntegrate as Rocket Software products, the Lab also turned out over 15 interim releases of these products. They also released wIntegrate v6.2 with enhanced security and improved application remodeling samples. UniVerse v11.1, with major new functionality such as External Database Access and U2 Replication, will be released shortly.

Perhaps even more exciting for our customers is the upcoming release of U2 DataVu v1.1. This is the first collaborative effort between the U2 team and other Rocket labs. U2 DataVu delivers web-based reports and dashboards through a native interface to the U2 databases, and can present information amalgamated from U2 and other Windows, Linux, and Unix-based SQL databases. You may recall that I identified this as a potential opportunity when I spoke at U2 University 2009, and I am pleased that we will be able to deliver this new product to you so quickly.

Our next new product for U2 customers will be a test database generator, which will enable customers to build robust and secure test environments masking original data while maintaining relationships between data fields, and much more. We plan to bring this product to market in late 2011. Watch the U2 News Flash for further announcements.

I want to assure you of our ongoing commitment to the U2 brand. As I said last year, you will measure our commitment not by our words, but by the productivity and pace of delivery from the U2 lab. I’m sure you’ll agree that we continue to produce and deliver more than ever before.

Rocket sees a bright and long future for the U2 products. We are committed not only to providing future releases of both UniData and UniVerse with enhancements to meet your growing technology needs, but to delivering other products that will leverage and protect your investment in U2. Thank you for being a Rocket U2 customer.

Sincerely,

Andy Youniss
President & CEO, Rocket Software

Product Information

Final Notice: Legacy Documentation Available Only Until September 30, 2010!

As of the end of September, we will be removing old documentation from our Web site leaving only Rocket Software-branded versions. If you wish to keep old versions, please download them before that deadline. After September 30th, older documentation will no longer be available for distribution.

End of Marketing for IBM-Branded Products

We would like to bring to your attention two articles that appeared in the August edition of our U2 News Flash newsletter. These articles notify customers of changes to availability of products and documentation that retain branding of IBM or one of the brands that it acquired (e.g. Informix, Ardent, Vmark, Unidata, etc.). After September 30, 2010, Rocket will only be providing Rocket-branded products and materials to our U2 customers, and will be removing all IBM-branded materials that are currently available for U2 products.

Please note that products that are not in End of Service (EOS) status will continue to be supported. Be advised that we will not be able to provide physical or electronic versions of IBM-branded software or documentation after September 30, 2010, even for backup purposes.

For a full description of available options on product versions in EOM or End of Service (EOS) status, please see your U2 Handbook or contact your U2 Provider. In order to determine the Product Lifecycle Status of a given product version, please see the Product Availability Matrix. If you have any questions, please contact u2askus@rs.com.

Product Availability

The following products are scheduled for release in September:

• SystemBuilder and SBClient 5.5
• U2.NET 1.2.1

For information on the latest releases of U2 products look for the U2 Product Availability Matrix at u2tc.rocketsoftware.com/matrix.asp.

UniVerse V11.1 Beta for Windows and Linux

If you are interested in being a beta tester for UniVerse V11.1 on Windows or Linux, please send an email to u2askus@rs.com and let us know! The rebranding of UniVerse to Rocket Software continues with the UniVerse V11.1 clients. After September 30th, when you order clients for UniVerse V11.1 or V10.3, you will get the V11.1 clients. The new client release has been tested for use with both releases.

Announcing SB+ and SBClient V5.5

SB+ and SBClient V5.5 resolve menu display issues in Windows Aero more and removes Btrieve from SBClient to eliminate conflict with third-party software that also uses Btrieve. SB+ and SBClient license files and splash screens have been rebranded as Rocket Software products. Please consult the on-line readme for any customer-resolved issues through the Product Availability Matrix. SB+ and SBClient grace period for authorization is now 10 days.

IBM.NET: Get the Right Fixpack!

Until Rocket finalizes our extraction and re-branding our ADO.NET Provider and Visual Studio Add-Ins, be sure to get the right fixpack version of IBM.NET. The correct Fixpack to get is FP1 rather than FP2. Fixpack 1 continues to support U2 as well as IBM’s DB2 and Informix Dynamic Server. Please note that Fixpack 2 is not supported for the Rocket U2 database; do NOT download Fixpack 2.

You can get IBM.NET Fixpack 1 here.

You can download the IBM Data Server Driver Package to get the ADO.NET Provider and download the IBM Database Add-Ins for Visual Studio. Please contact u2askus@rs.com with any questions.

U2.NET release

A new version of U2.NET, V1.2.1, is being released this month. This will be the first Rocket Software branded release of U2.NET. A new version of the documentation will also be available.

Product Authorization Grace Period

The product authorization grace period for all U2 products is being reduced from 60 to 10 days. Authorization services are available online 24x7 at u2tc.rocketsoftware.com/authprod.asp. Standard 60-day evaluation licenses, which require authorization, continue to be available through your ISV or from Rocket if you have a direct contract.This grace period change will take effect in UniVerse 10.3.9, a future release of UniData 7.2, wIntegrate 6.2, Web DE 5.0, and in SB/XA 6.0.2.

U2 University 2010-11

U2U 2010 will be held in Denver November 9-11. The Australia event will be in February of 2011, and we expect to be in the UK in March of 2011. If you have any questions or suggestions for the upcoming U2U series, email u2askus@rs.com, and listen to this podcast to learn how to get the most out of this year’s U2 University! This year’s event will feature more technical content than ever before, so come meet the engineers who design our products and the technical gurus who support you, and learn about third-party tools to enhance your application.

U2 University Spotlight Session: Creating iPhone or iPad Applications

This year's event is focused on accelerating the value of your Rocket U2 investment. One of our highlighted sessions, Creating iPhone or iPad Applications, will focus on development tools for Apple mobile devices and how you can develop exciting apps that connect with your U2 environment.

To learn more about this and other U2 University sessions, please click here.

U2 University Preview Webinar

U2 University is coming soon! Please join us for a preview of U2U; with a tour of the agenda, including tutorials, labs and sessions and how they fit into the product roadmap. Learn why this event is not to be missed:

• Tutorials now included free
• Three FULL days of technical content
• Technical Support Kiosk
• Meet the Experts
• Networking event
• Free certifications
• 10 Hands-on Labs
• and more!

Please click here to sign up and register for this webinar:

• Oct 6, 2010 9 am MDT
• Oct 6, 2010 4 pm MDT

U2 Tell Us

Tell us what you think! Complete our customer satisfaction survey.

u2tc.rocketsoftware.com/custsurvey2010.asp

Education Updates

UO.NET Course Available

The Rocket U2 education team is pleased to announce the release of a two-day course on UO.NET. This course covers connecting U2 database accounts, reading and writing to U2 files and manipulating records with UniObjects.NET. This course is available in the US as a custom course only, but will be added to the public training schedule in Q1 2011. If you are interested in UO.NET training outside the US, please contact one of the following Rocket U2 Authorized Independent Training Providers:

Europe: Maxima u2services@maxima.co.uk
Asia Pac: Meier Business Systems info@mbs.net.au
South Africa: Workgroup info@utwo.co.za

For any training questions, email u2bc@rs.com.

SB/XA v6.0.3 Technical Briefing Now Available!

This brief video explains the changes and new features in SB/XA version 6.0.3. Visit U2TechConnect, log in, and click on "U2 Technical Briefings" under the Learn heading.

Podcasts

U2 University (U2U) 2010 is the fourth annual premier technical event for U2 developers, administrators, power users and support engineers. Rocket U2 will host this event in Denver, Sydney and the UK and will be better than ever based on attendee and partner feedback. Learn what is new and improved at this year's event including more content at the same low price, multi-attendee discounts, related savings for training and more. Listen to this podcast to learn how to get the most out of U2 University 2010. Access the recorded presentation.

Webinars

U2 Web Development Environment (U2 Web DE) V5.0 Preview

Please join us for an overview of the architecture and features in Web DE V5.0. We will be previewing all of the new features of Web DE V5.0 including:

• New architecture
• National Language Support/I18N
• Eclipse deployment tooling
• 7x24 support
• Updated Security
• Auto-generation of RBOs

Please click here to sign up and register for one of the webinar sessions:

• Oct 20, 2010 9 am MT
• Oct 20, 2010 4 pm MT

Support Corner

Rocket U2 is seeking an experienced UniVerse extended relational database Technical Support Engineer. The role includes resolving client questions and problems with installation, setup, configuration and functionality of UniVerse and additional U2 products – UniData, System Builder - SB/XA and U2 Web DE).

Read more and apply for this exciting position

Entitled U2 Tech Notes

Access to this knowledge base is available to Rocket Software customers with a valid maintenance agreement, including ISV Partners, Distributors, tiered partners of distributors, and end users having a maintenance agreement directly through Rocket Software. You need to sign in to U2 TechConnect in order to access entitled documents. For more information, select the link Discover how to access U2 Entitled Documents in the Knowledgebase found near the top center of the page located at u2tc.rocketsoftware.com.

UDT-26
The error, “Data source name not found and no default driver specified', is displayed when using EDA Schema Manager to test an ODBC User DSN connection.

The UniData EDA SQL Server driver fails to connect when using an ODBC User DSN with the With Integrated Windows authentication option; it does connect when using the SQL Server authentication option, however. Review Tech Note UDT-26 for details.

UCC-695
“How to save and retrieve the image data in the U2 Database via UniObjects.NET” This Tech Note contains deployment software that demonstrates how to save and retrieve image data in the U2 Databases via the UniObjects.NET client solution.

UCC-26
How to enable and disable the UniVerse UCI Server trace log using a UniObjects.NET tool program

SBXA-10
How do I display the progress bar in SB+?

Partner News

Alpmobil is renting electric cars in some of Switzerland's most popular tourist areas. Travelers can reserve their vehicles through Hotelpac, a leading European reservations system, which is powered by UniVerse from Rocket Software. Alpmobil was launched in 2010 to provide green transportation options to tourists visiting the scenic Haslital and Goms mountain region of Switzerland. Visitors who want to rent a car and explore the area can now choose from a fleet of 60 battery-driven “Think” two-seater vehicles that can be charged at any local hotel. Alpmobil cars can be rented through Hotelpac, one of the country's top online reservations systems.

Read the Case Study