In a thin client configuration, your application is composed of two logical layers: a user interface (UI) layer on the display host (client) and a COBOL layer on the application host (server). The UI layer handles screen, mouse, and keyboard activity, and the COBOL layer performs application processing. Because no application components are required on the client (unless you want to use ActiveX controls), it is considered to be "thin."
Rather than forcing you to split your application into client and server components, the ACUCOBOL-GT runtime has been split so that your existing application can be displayed on the client. The runtime portion that is installed on the client is known as the "ACUCOBOL-GT Thin Client". The full ACUCOBOL-GT runtime is installed on the server. To function, the split runtime makes use of a "remote COBOL listener" on the server known as AcuLaunchTM. The role of the listener is to listen for requests from clients to launch the ACUCOBOL-GT runtime on the server. You license the server runtime for a specific number of concurrent users.
Together, the ACUCOBOL-GT Thin Client runtime, the ACUCOBOL-GT runtime, and AcuLaunch are the enabling technologies that make up Acucorp's thin client solution. This is the case whether you are operating in a local-area or wide-area network, or over the Internet.
Acucorp's Thin Client Solution
To run programs over the Internet, thin client users either specify an IP address or known server name when starting the ACUCOBOL-GT Thin Client, or they visit your Web site and click an application link (provided that you have set up your Web site accordingly). For a comprehensive look at Acucorp's thin client technology, please refer to A Guide to Using Acucorp's Thin Client Technology.