Bellcore's ADAPT/X Harness System for Managing Information on Internet and Intranets

Adapt/X Harness is an information integration system, platform, and tool set that provides integrated and seamless access to heterogeneous and distributed information in a networked environment (LAN, WAN, Intranets, and the global Internet). It allows cost-effective access, keyword and attribute queries, navigation, and linking and operations on these information resources using popular Internet browsers without requiring any translation, transfer, or rehosting of the original information resource. Information resources such as text and multimedia documents, files of various types, software applications, relational databases, email messages, and references can all be “registered” with Adapt/X Harness and are organized into collections. Information consumers can then use a standard WWW browser to search for required the information with specific (keyword or attribute) queries or they can browse through a “repository” looking for items of interest. Once the useful information is found, the user may use that information as needed; the Harness server would automatically launch the appropriate application or tool (e.g., Word Processor or Spread Sheet) for viewing, printing or using that information. Because the Harness servers talk HTTP, separate httpd is not needed for providing access to the information resources. The Adapt/X Harness platform is ext,ensible for easily supporting new information types without re-