1 <html><head><meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=ISO-8859-1"><title>2. The Database Frontend</title><meta name="generator" content="DocBook XSL Stylesheets V1.73.2"><link rel="start" href="index.html" title="YAZ User's Guide and Reference"><link rel="up" href="server.html" title="Chapter 4. Generic server"><link rel="prev" href="server.html" title="Chapter 4. Generic server"><link rel="next" href="server.backend.html" title="3. The Backend API"></head><body><link rel="stylesheet" type="text/css" href="common/style1.css"><div class="navheader"><table width="100%" summary="Navigation header"><tr><th colspan="3" align="center">2. The Database Frontend</th></tr><tr><td width="20%" align="left"><a accesskey="p" href="server.html">Prev</a> </td><th width="60%" align="center">Chapter 4. Generic server</th><td width="20%" align="right"> <a accesskey="n" href="server.backend.html">Next</a></td></tr></table><hr></div><div class="sect1" lang="en"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h2 class="title" style="clear: both"><a name="server.frontend"></a>2. The Database Frontend</h2></div></div></div><p>
2 We refer to this software as a generic database frontend. Your
3 database system is the <span class="emphasis"><em>backend database</em></span>, and the
4 interface between the two is called the <span class="emphasis"><em>backend API</em></span>.
5 The backend API consists of a small number of function handlers and
6 structure definitions. You are required to provide the
7 <code class="function">main()</code> routine for the server (which can be
8 quite simple), as well as a set of handlers to match each of the
10 The interface functions that you write can use any mechanism you like
11 to communicate with your database system: You might link the whole
12 thing together with your database application and access it by
13 function calls; you might use IPC to talk to a database server
14 somewhere; or you might link with third-party software that handles
15 the communication for you (like a commercial database client library).
16 At any rate, the handlers will perform the tasks of:
17 </p><div class="itemizedlist"><ul type="disc"><li><p>
24 Scanning the database index (optional - if you wish to implement SCAN).
26 Extended Services (optional).
28 Result-Set Delete (optional).
30 Result-Set Sort (optional).
32 Return Explain for SRU (optional).
33 </p></li></ul></div><p>
34 (more functions will be added in time to support as much of
35 Z39.50-1995 as possible).
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