Recent Projects of David Paul McLure

Back to Top (of Main Resume Page)

.
Fidelity Plansponsor Webstation WebSite
This series of projects involve various web applications and infrastructure of the Institutional wing of Fidelity Investments' web sites.

The most recent projects have involved the development of software for the Fidelity Plansponsor Webstation (PSW) WebSite. These projects include the complete architectural redesign and transformation of PSW, along with the underlying infrastructure from what was C/C++ to what is now primarily a Java J2EE suite of web applications. Not only were contributions made to the various rewritten components, but also to the newly built infrastructure.

 
.
Fidelity NetBenefits WebSite
This series of projects involve the architecture and development of the Fidelity NetBenefits WebSite. Projects include the design and implementation of the main "NavStation" frameset and associated API, the Patent Pending "Pretender" backend user assistance application, the backend XML data communications class library, Single SignOn feature linking the Fidelity Institutional and Retail websites, and a front end firewall content distribution system.
 
Back to Top (of Recent Projects Page)
.
3D Web Development (VRML)
This project was written as an illustrative example depicting how animated 3D Client/Server applications can be implemented for the Web using the ISO standard Virtual Reality Modelling Language ("VRML97").
 

Click Here to Preview this Animated VRML97 program

(Caution: this demo requires Java 1.1!!!)

The sample script comes in two forms: the Client/Server enabled, and the Client/Server disabled versions.  In both versions, the errily familiar looking seagoing vessle appears to be chugging along in the water.  In the Client/Server enabled version, the ship will cruise merrily along as long as it is able to obtain and hold a network socket to a [potentially] remote system on the network.  If it loses the network connection, the ship sinks.  In the Client/Server disabled version, the ship cruises along without a need for any socket connection and the ship sinks when the ship is clicked with the mouse. 
 
Writing this program would not have been possible without the assistance of the VRML Community and other Netizens of the Web itself.  The first in a series of articles describing the inner workings of this Sinking Titanic program (otherwise known as the "ScriptSample" series) can be found at: http://www.webresource.net/vrml/articles/ScriptSample/vrmlScriptArticle.html
 
The Virtual Reality Modelling Language (VRML) provides a computer programming language foundation for the creation of the next generation of the Web.  In addition to VRML, the VRML97 specification embeds APIs to the Java and Javascript languages, thereby harnessing virtually unlimited programming resources and rounding out an otherwise somewhat limited language in and of itself.  The next wave of Web user interface design promises to be a Virtual Reality experience involving not only the three dimensions of space (as in X, Y, and Z), as well as the fourth dimension of time.  To be sure, with VRML97, the term "3D" is actually no longer adequate to describe this ISO standardized version of the VRML language.  Instead, the term should actually be "4D."
 
For more information on articles which I have written on the subject of VRML in general, see http://www.webresource.net/vrml/vrmlmain.html.
Back to Top (of Recent Projects Page)

.

Unix Cluster Service Continuation Demo Software (VRML & Java)

This project, otherwise known as the "Sculling Demo" was a considerably more complex foray into the world of live 3D animation via VRML, Java, and Javascript. Like the Titanic example program, this client/server application is also browser-based with the help of a VRML 2.0 (better known as "VRML97") plugin. This VRML 2.0 client application interfaces to a Java client Applet, which in turn spawns four client subprocesses, each of which in turn is multithreaded to be able to connect a socket over the network to an associated Java Server application (one server per Rower-Client subprocess). The Server applications are run on a DG/UX (Unix) Cluster system, each having their own associated IP Service group. As long as the servers are up and running, and the associated client thread has a socket connection open to the server, then the Rower associated with that service group continues to row the boat (scull). As the rowers begin to row, the boat begins to move across the water at a speed based on the number of active rowers with the camera panning at the same speed and the background scrolling by accordingly. The program acts as a remote process monitoring system, reflecting socket connection changes in real-time. A screen capture from the latest such project can be seen below:
 

 
To see the full Client/Server version of the demo in action, you should contact your local Data General sales representative and ask to visit the Executive Briefing Center in Westboro, Massachusetts.
 
Back to Top (of Recent Projects Page)
.
NT Cluster Failover Client/Server Demo Software Development (C++)
Windows based client program entitled "Data General SQL Client Demo" used to demonstrate real-time connectivity from an ODBC-based client PC to a variety of different SQL database products running on NT Server. This software is designed to demonstrate connectivity to a highly available database. The SQL client program is designed to connect to the standard "pubs" demo database found on standard installations of the Microsoft SQL Server 6.5, and Sybase database products. The program provides various controls for manually browsing the database, and can also be set to automatically browse the database at a given speed. If the application is disconnected from its ODBC datasource (as is the case during a cluster failover), then the program is designed to automatically reconnect after a certain tailorable period of time. This cluster transition event is monitored using an additional progress bar (not shown). A screen capture from a typical program run follows:

 
Back to Top (of Recent Projects Page)
.
Teraback Performance Monitor Demo Software Development (C++)
A program used to display aggragate Teraback backup performance using Cheyenne backup software which was shown by Data General at the Microsoft NT Scalability Day show at New York City in May of 1997. An image capture of a typical screen follows:
 
Back to Top (of Recent Projects Page)
.
Informix Performance Demo Software Development (C++)
A program designed to assist in the display of Informix performance statistics on a local client PC obtained from a remote AViiON 20000 running DG/UX with Informix 7.22. An image capture of a typical screen follows:
 
Back to Top (of Recent Projects Page)
.
NUMA Client/Server Performance Demo Software Development (C++)
An experimental client/server program using Windows Sockets (Winsock) to display current [in this case CPU] performance data realtime on a local client PC from a remote ccNUMA system running DG/UX.

 
Back to Top (of Recent Projects Page)
.
DirectX 3D Graphic Tool Development (C++)
This experimental project consists of a 3D class library in C++ which is used to explore the capabilities of DirectX on a Windows 95 PC (bitmap images available upon request).
 
Back to Top (of Recent Projects Page)
.
ActiveX Control Tool Development (C++)
The MonBox (Monitor Box) consists of a simple rectangle, with various attributes for controlling both the foreground and background colors, as well as Data and Data Maximum values (among other things) in real-time. The MonBox project is a useful ActiveX tool used in many of these projects. In particular, see the following screen captures where the MonBox control can be seen displayed in its default green and black colors:

Teraback Performance Monitor Demo Software Development (C++)

Informix Performance Monitor Demo Development (C++)

NUMA Client/Server Performance Demo Software Development (C++)

Certain web browsers support ActiveX Controls (particularly Microsoft Internet Explorer). Netscape can also run ActiveX controls with the proper plugin. Click Here to see the MonBox ActiveX Control in action.

 
Back to Top (of Recent Projects Page)
.
Winsock (Windows TCP/IP Socket) Tool Development (C++)
This project consisted of a custom Windows Sockets library which was used initially to connect to and retrieve data from remote Unix, as well as NT servers from C++. The library was used to obtain the data in the experimental ccNUMA Client/Server Performance Demo (above).
 
Back to Top (of Recent Projects Page)
.
Microsoft Netshow Video/Sound Demo Development (ASF)
This project involved the use of a Bravado 1000 video capture card, along with Adobe Premiere for video editing to create a digitized video sequence of a Net-Surfer windsurfing across the water. This video image was then combined with a sound (WAVE) file to create an ASF file for use with the Microsoft Netshow program. The full demo can be seen in the Executive Briefing Center facility of Data General Corporation in Westboro, Massachusetts.
 
Back to Top (of Recent Projects Page)
.
Database Enabled Web Development (HTML)
I was involved with several web-enabled database projects. One example of a web enabled database was that of a local (Microsoft Access) database which was used to store information about my ever growing library. Various HTML based Microsoft Access database queries were then be stored as Hyperlinks from this web page, providing database access from anywhere on the web using a standard web browser. From the web page, I could then perform queries such as: Titles by Author Name, Topics by Title, and Quotes by Author Name.
 
Another database web-enabled involved Microsoft SQL Server and consisted of the web-enabling of a database used in tracking demos performed in the Data General Executive Briefing Center at Corporate Headquarters. Due to the proprietary nature of these databases, as well as the lack of Microsoft database support on this website, this webpage is not set up to demonstrate these tools.
 
Back to Top (of Recent Projects Page)
.
ORACLE / Peoplesoft Client/Server Integration
This project was originally staged for the AIIM '96 (Imaging) tradeshow in Chicago. The integration work involved the construction of a Peoplesoft HR v5.01 demo database within Oracle running on DG/UX, connected to from a series of client PC's in a full (three-tier) Peoplesoft environment. Once Peoplesoft was installed and running in a client/server format, a button was added to the standard Peoplesoft application using Peoplecode to provide a means of activating the AV Image Viewer via the AV Image Toolkit. An image capture of the AV Image Viewer accessed from within Peoplesoft follows:

 
Back to Top (of Recent Projects Page)
.
AV&NT Alert Managed System/FEP-DDS Server/Client Integration
This project involved the creation of a somewhat scaled down version of the Data General Atlanta Customer Support Center onto a Unix workstation in the backroom of the Executive Briefing Center. The resulting "FEP Server" was used to dial into over modem lines from remote AV and/or NT Servers to simulate what would occur at a customer site when a system was experiencing problems. DDS Mail messages from the FEP Server are routed to a POP3 server, where they can then be read by a client PC as a part of an overall High Availability demo in the EBC.

Back to Top (of Recent Projects Page)

Copyright David Paul McLure.
Last revised: June 16, 1998.