Windchill System Administrator's Guide

JDBC (frequently referred to as Java database connectivity) enables Java clients
to interact with databases. You use JDBC to open and close connections, query
metadata, issue SQL queries, get result sets, and more. JDBC can use native
drives to access any type of data store, but the most common type is relational.
The Java VM implements a security system, called the sandbox model, for
running code. As specified by this model, Java code can generally access data
only within this secure sandbox. Desktop Integration and other functionality that
interact with the user's local file go outside the sandbox, but require user
permission.
Internationalization is the process of designing and developing an application that
can be adapted to the culture and language of a locale other than the one for which
it was originally developed. Java facilitates this task by providing classes that
convert dates and numbers to formats conforming to local conventions, and
providing facilities to load localized resource bundles that contain text visible to
users.
Three-Tier Architecture
The Windchill runtime architecture, illustrated below, is a three-tier application
designed and optimized for the deployment of business information applications.
The client tier is the presentation layer of the architecture. This tier uses
commercial Web browsers executing a combination of HTML, JavaScript, and
Java applets to accomplish discrete user tasks.
The next tier, the application server tier, provides the business logic that supports
business transactions processing. Commercial HTTP servers, such as Apache or
SunONE, and the Windchill method servers provide these functions.
The third tier provides a persistence function. The persistence tier uses an Object
Relational Database Management System (ORDBMS) to store structured and
unstructured data.
Windchill Runtime Environment A-3