To use this guide effectively, you should be familiar with the following basic networking terms and concepts.

A network is a collection of connected computers, software, and communication links.

A heterogeneous environment is a computing environment that includes a variety of machines, operating systems, software, and protocols.

A homogeneous environment is a computing environment in which all machines are the same, and use the same operating system, software, and protocols.

A protocol is a standard that defines a set of rules for the transference of data between computers. A protocol specifies how the data is represented, how the transfer occurs, and how errors are detected and transmissions are acknowledged.

A node is a computer that is connected to a network. Each network node has a unique address within the network.

The term local refers to the instance or node on which you are working.

The term remote refers to all non-local instances or nodes on the network. For example, assume that your network has three instances, “napoleon,” “eugenie,” and “josephine,” and that you are working on “napoleon.” From your perspective, “napoleon” is the local instance and “eugenie” and “josephine” are the remote instances. If a co-worker is working on “josephine,” for that person, “josephine” is the local instance and “napoleon” and “eugenie” are remote instances.

JDBC (Java Database Connectivity) is a standardized API (Application Programming Interface) that allows database connectivity. It defines a set of function calls, error codes and data types that can be used to develop database independent applications using Java.

ODBC (Open Database Connectivity) is a standardized API (Application Programming Interface) that allows database connectivity. It defines a set of function calls, error codes and data types that can be used to develop database independent applications using Structured Query Language (SQL).

ODBC permits maximum interoperability--a single application can access many different database management systems. This enables an ODBC developer to develop, compile, and deploy an application without targeting a specific type of data source. Users can add the database drivers that link the application to the database management systems of their choice.