## MS BackOffice Unleashed

- Value of Certification
- The Certification Process
- Requirements for Certification
- Summary

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BackOffice Logo Requirements

Logo requirements? This sounds like something that should be in a marketing book rather than a technical computer book. One of the things that I have often observed in the computer industry is that many of the growing software firms out there are composed of a group of techies who get together with a good idea, a little money, and a lot of energy. They tend not to have huge marketing or legal departments, so they make their own decisions on licensing agreements, product literature, and other such issues. I thought that these people would benefit from a brief discussion of the BackOffice logo program that Microsoft runs.

Even if you are a regular user, developer, or system administrator, you might want to understand a little more about what the logo means. You see hundreds of product logos every year as you read materials and install new software. Most are designed strictly for their artistic and marketing appeal. They want to make you run right out and buy the product. There are several key differences with the BackOffice logo program that actually provide benefits to the consumer rather than to the sales organization.

This chapter is designed to cover what is required to get the BackOffice logo. It also focuses on what benefits this logo can provide to the developers, resellers, and consumers.

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Value of Certification

With the rapid pace of change in the computer industry, a problem arose for the larger companies such as Microsoft and Novell. People started making products that claimed to work perfectly with Windows or Netware. Many of these did work well; however, a number did not. Perhaps they worked correctly with an old version of Netware or Windows, but caused serious problems with the current versions. This led to a lot of fussing over whether the problem was with the operating system or with the third-party product.

No one was really happy with this situation. The operating system vendors were made to look bad because products were difficult to integrate. Application vendors were under pressure to say that they were compatible with the operating system, because all their competitors were making the same claim. Information systems shops had to perform a lot of inhouse testing to see whether a product actually lived up to its claims. It was tough because there was no one definition of what "compatible" actually meant.

The larger companies came up with a brilliant use of the trademark laws to settle this issue. Anyone can write applications to run on these operating systems. Anyone can say the words "works with Windows NT." Microsoft has implemented a trademark logo, however, that has some graphics and the words "Designed for Microsoft BackOffice." It has gone out to the users and said that it has successfully tested the products that are licensed to use this logo. Users want tested products, so this is a big selling point for products. Because the logo is trademarked, you cannot display this logo unless you let Microsoft test the product.

The concept of Microsoft logo testing is easy enough to understand. Vendors send a copy of their product to Microsoft. The folks in Redmond put the product through a standard series of tests against a published list of requirements. If everything works well, the product is authorized to use the logo, which is shown in Figure 45.1.

FIGURE 45.1. The Designed for Microsoft BackOffice logo.

It is important to understand what this list of requirements is in order to understand the value of the logo program. If these tests merely showed that the application could execute in some form under the Windows NT operating system, they would be pretty meaningless. There is a big difference between having an application able to run and having it run well and fit in with other applications. Most of the requirements for the BackOffice logo are actually focused on using the standard technologies, discussed earlier in this book, that build a tightly integrated environment.

This logo certification process was actually a bit of a fuss when it came to the Windows 95 operating system. Windows 95 implemented a number of changes to the standard Windows client interface. Microsoft had issued the Windows logo for years based on the technologies of the older Windows 3.1 product. It had to face the fact that many application developers did not want to spend the time to implement all the new technologies, such as 32-bit operations and the registry that are a part of the Windows 95 environment. If this wasn't a part of the certification process, however, you would have a number of applications that executed under Windows 95, but did not implement the advanced features that Microsoft spent so much time implementing and that increased user productivity. Microsoft decided to make these technologies part of the requirement for the logo in this environment, although it gave developers a little time to implement the new technologies.

BackOffice takes a similar position when it comes to its technologies. One of the key requirements for a server application to get BackOffice certification, for example, is that it run as a Windows NT service. This actually requires a bit of work by the software developers, who have to deal with the fact that services run in a much different environment than regular user processes. If the server applications did not run as services, however, you would not be able to use standard Windows NT commands to start and stop the server application. This is just one example of how developers are asked to put up with a little pain to make applications more standard and easy to use.

What are the benefits of this program for application developers and those of us who consume the products that wear this logo? My list of advantages includes the following:

- These products have been tested to function with the latest versions of the BackOffice family. Note that this is not a quality assurance test from Microsoft that every function on every menu will work as advertised. Instead, Microsoft tests the key interface technologies that relate to the application’s capability of working in the BackOffice environment.
- These products incorporate the key technologies on which Microsoft is betting its future. A lot of engineers sit around and argue about which object model is the best. Microsoft builds operating systems that outsell the competition. If you want to use and develop products that work in this environment and with other products designed for this environment, you have to use the technologies that are standards in this environment. A lot of DOS developers built their own printer schemes and security schemes, but in the end everyone flocked to products that implemented the new Windows standards because they were common across a wide range of applications.
- These vendors have shown a fair commitment to standards that exist in the BackOffice environment. It takes time to implement all these standard technologies. This time translates into development costs, which can be substantial—especially for smaller companies. This willingness to spend the time and money is a good sign that this vendor does not have the mindset of some of the early PC companies (and mainframe companies) who firmly believed in standards, as long as the standards were the ones that they made up.
- These products incorporate key interoperability features that make integrating them into a BackOffice environment easier. Many of the requirements relate to the product's capability of interfacing with the applicable components of BackOffice, especially those of the Windows NT operating system. Interoperability makes the programmer's and user's jobs so much easier.
- These products incorporate technologies that make them easier to maintain. Another significant feature of these standards is that they emphasize using standard operating system utilities (such as the Windows NT unified logon) as opposed to having vendors make up their own administrative schemes. Other requirements facilitate remote administration of the system, which means that the poor system administrators no longer have to sit at the console in the data center or communications closet, neither of which is as comfortable or productive as their desks.
- The logo reduces the research burden for overloaded information systems organizations. It would be nice if you could run a thorough, full-scale test of every application that you bring into your environment. However, in the real world, most of us have limited time and budget for these purposes. Therefore, every bit of third-party data, such as the logo certification, can be helpful in making your product decisions.

Perhaps many of us get a little nervous every time we see license agreements and all those legal terms. We see all the trademarks and know that there are a bevy of lawyers just waiting to enforce potential violations. Many will remember how Apple computer started suing people, saying that the image of a garbage can was Apple's and that no one else could use it. (I’m not sure what the trash pickup services would have done.) In this case, however, all the legal controls do have a purpose. They designate products that meet a certain set of published criteria that you can review. If you want products that meet these standards, you look for the logo. If you do not care about these standards, you are free to buy whatever product you like.

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The Certification Process

This section documents the current certification process for those of you who are developers considering trying to get the logo and for regular users who are curious about what this logo really means. I want to emphasize that I am documenting the current process as of this writing, as downloaded from the Microsoft Web. Microsoft reserves the right to change the process as BackOffice and operating systems evolve. Certainly the requirements continue to evolve as more BackOffice products and application programming interfaces come into being. If you want to apply for the logo, go straight to the Microsoft Web page, then to the BackOffice page, and look for the current logo requirements and applications.

With that legalistic caveat out of the way, let's plunge right into the certification process as it currently exists. When you visit the Microsoft Web page and go to the current page on the BackOffice logo program (see Figure 45.2), you will notice that there are several tracks of certification. The current tracks are as follows:

- Reseller. This final track is designed to help people who are not making the products, but want to use the logo when selling products that have been certified for the logo. This is a set of guidelines as to what is legal and what is not with which the reseller needs to comply.
- Publisher. This track is designed for authors and publishers who want to place the logos on their publications. There is no formal set of requirements here; rather, it takes the form of a survey (to determine applicability) and license agreement.
- ISV. ISV stands for independent software vendor. This is the track that you pursue if you have an application that is designed to work in the BackOffice environment and you want to obtain the right to use the logo.
- OEM. OEM stands for original equipment manufacturer. This is the track that you pursue if you have a piece of hardware that you want to have certified as working in the BackOffice environment.

FIGURE 45.2. Designed for BackOffice Logo Program Web page.

The process for each of these tracks is slightly different. Let's start first with the reseller track because it is the simplest. Resellers do not have to license the BackOffice logo for themselves. Instead, they have to follow the guidelines provided by Microsoft for the use of the logo. Basically, this boils down to using it only to market products that are in the BackOffice family or have been licensed to use the logo by the independent software vendor. Microsoft also asks that you get the artwork directly from Microsoft so that it is sure that it has not been altered in any way. You can get this artwork by sending an e-mail message to Microsoft.

The next track that you might consider is that for publishers. This is actually not very hard, because you have only three pieces of paper to submit. The first is a survey that Microsoft uses to determine the applicability of this publication for the logo and also captures key contact information. (I suppose it would look stupid to have a BackOffice logo on a book about Oracle.) The next piece of paper is a formal license agreement that commits the publisher to using the logo properly. The final requirement is that Microsoft wants a copy of the table of contents or an introductory chapter. You send these materials to Microsoft and it gets back to you within three weeks or so.

Now you come to some of the more challenging certification processes (which are not really all that difficult). The first one that I want to cover is the five-step certification process for independent software developers:

1. Fill out the software testing questionnaire.
2. Fill out the license agreement.
3. 3. Pay the the testing fees.
4. 4. Send a completed package with the materials mentioned and a copy of your software.
5. 5. Microsoft conducts the test and sends you the results.

The first two steps are basic paperwork. The license agreement is pretty simple to understand and is designed to legally bind you to using the logo properly. The survey is designed to provide Microsoft with the information that it needs to contact you and know what features need to be tested (for example, applicants do not necessarily need to be able to execute jobs on the mainframe as a part of their applications).

The testing fees are the next step in the process. They are not really all that high (ranging from $400 to $3,600 at the current time). Microsoft probably wants to keep people who are not really serious about marketing major commercial applications from sending in products. Imagine if it had to certify every little tool that midnight programmers came up with.) The key here is to look up what the current fees are (server applications are different from client applications, and you have to pay more for non-English products). Then send the money.

In the fourth part of this process, you send Microsoft a copy of your software product. It may require you to send specialized hardware (for example, a mainframe connection if you are testing a package that works with a corresponding product on a mainframe). Typically, however, all it needs is your software. It will test only release versions or final beta versions. It expects that they be fully functional and that no features that affect logo certification will be added after the test process.

After Microsoft has all the information, it conducts the tests. If it finds that you are a wonderful addition to the logo program, it sends you information about using the logo. If you have problems, it will also contact you within 10 days (that is the current schedule as of this writing—again check the Microsoft Web page for current schedules). It does conduct random retests of products to verify that the final versions still meet the logo requirements.

The process is similar for the Original Equipment Manufacturers, but is slightly more controlled. The six-step OEM log certification process is designed for companies that manufacture entire computer systems as opposed to the folks who just make tape drives:

1. 1. Complete the Windows NT Hardware Compatibility Test.
2. 2. Schedule a test appointments.
3. 3. Complete the hardware test questionnaire.
4. 4. Complete the logo license agreement.
5. 5. Pay the testing fee.
6. 6. Send the system to Microsoft.
7. 7. Microsoft completes the testing.

An interesting prerequisite to this test process is that your system has to have completed the Windows NT Hardware Compatibility Test. This makes sense because all BackOffice components are based on NT. It does enable vendors to complete a lower level of certification if all they want to do is state that they can run NT. The requirements for BackOffice in terms of system configuration are much greater (and therefore the systems are more expensive) than those of the NT certification.

A major difference in the OEM certification process is that you have to schedule an appointment to get your system tested. You can request your appointment via e-mail. Microsoft suggests that you allow 45 days for testing at the current time, so do not wait until the week before you release the new server line on which you want to place the logo.

The next two steps involve filling out the applicable questionnaires and license agreements. As with the ISV program, the questions are relatively straight forward. I like the fact that these are more direct, short answers as opposed to essay questions.

After you finish with the paperwork, your next task is to write a check for the testing and send a system to Microsoft for the actual testing. Again, there are requirements that you have to pay careful attention to that ensure that Microsoft is testing a representative sample of your product. If you offer multiple configurations, you have to send copies of those configurations to Microsoft. If you ship systems that do not contain certain standard components (you let users choose their video cards, for example), Microsoft will include standard cards to fill these configurations. If everything goes well, you will receive the kit that contains the logo and all the stuff that your graphics and marketing departments have been screaming for in a relatively short period of time.

I’m not going to leave this section without once again repeating my caveat. The process that I described is the process as it currently exists. Microsoft will probably have to evolve this process as it evolves the BackOffice product family. You really need to check the Microsoft Web page for the current logo requirements when you are about to start the certification process.

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Requirements for Certification

So far, you have explored the benefits of the logo program and the basic steps that vendors have to go through to obtain certification. It is useful at this point to go over some of the current requirements for the logo. These requirements will also continue to change, but they give you a feel for what the logo means. As with the certification process, the requirements are divided into four tracks.

The first set of requirements applies to the resellers of BackOffice products:

- The logo may be used in advertising, displays, and other materials that help sell BackOffice components and products licensed to use the BackOffice logo.
- You have to use the logo exactly as it is supplied to you (you cannot cut up pieces or add your own words).
- You need to obtain the artwork (free) from Microsoft directly, rather than getting it from the product vendors.
- You cannot imply that Microsoft is providing endorsements.
- You cannot imply that you are affiliated with or part of Microsoft as part of this logo program.

The next set of requirements applies to the publishers who wish to use the BackOffice logo:

- This is not exactly clear in the program materials, but the implication is that the publication has to contain information on products that work with the BackOffice suite.
- The third set of requirements is used to certify software applications produced by ISVs.
- Server applications must run as a service.
- Server applications must support both IPX/SPX and TCP/IP. They must support RPC, OLE, named pipes, or Winsock.
- Server applications must use the unified logon that is the basis of Windows NT security.
- Server applications must be installable using SMS.
- If your server application works with Internet Information Server, you must support the ISAPI programming interface.
- Client applications must meet the requirements for SNA Server, Exchange Server (or Mail), Systems Management Server, SQL Server, or Internet Information Server).
- Client applications must have a 16-bit Windows architecture.
- Client applications must use the application programming interfaces for the products with which they interface (MAPI for messaging, for example).
- SNA client applications must use the WOSA APIs, SNA Server client APIs, and SNA Server compatibility APIs.
- Messaging client applications must use MAPI, OLE/Messaging, or OLE/Scheduling.
- SQL Server client applications must use ODBC, DBLib, or embedded SQL to interface with an SQL Server database.
- SMS client applications must use SMS APIs or ODBC. They must also provide an MIF file.
- Internet Information Server client applications must support keep-alive processing and NT challenge response.

The final set of requirements is used to certify servers produced by OEMs. The servers must

- Be on the Windows NT Hardware Compatibility List
- Have a Pentium-90 (or equivalent RISC processor) or better processor
- Have a minimum of 32M of RAM per processor
- Be expandable to 128M of RAM per system
- Support a 32-bit bus
- Have 256K or greater of level-2 CPU cache memory
- Support at least VGA video resolutions
- Have only components that pass the Windows NT Hardware Compatibility Testing program
- Have only components that have Windows NT drivers
- Have, certified by you, the configuration or configurations that you will be delivering (you cannot just certify your high-end machine), including all configuration utilities.

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Summary

This chapter provided you with an appreciation of what the BackOffice logo program is. You learned the basics of the certification process and the current list of requirements to help give you an appreciation of what this process means to you. This chapter also presented a few reasons why you might want to consider looking for this logo when shopping for components to add to your server. The Microsoft BackOffice Web page contains a link to the current program requirements if you are curious.