IPlanet
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
- The correct title of this article is iPlanet. The initial letter is shown capitalized due to technical restrictions.
iPlanet is the name of a computer software company. iPlanet was formed when AOL acquired Netscape Communications Corporation, makers both of the Netscape browser and of a variety of computer server software products. Technology analysts believed that AOL's major interest in the Netscape properties was the netscape.com portal website, and to a lesser extent the Netscape Communicator suite. AOL entered into an agreement with server maker Sun Microsystems, under which the server-side software formerly made by Netscape would be sold by iPlanet inc., a corporation jointly owned by Sun and AOL.
The name is likely derived from an earlier web portal remote access technology, i-Planet. Sun acquired i-Planet in 1998.
The suite of iPlanet offerings included:
- iPlanet Directory Server (an LDAP server)
- iPlanet Web Server (an HTTP and HTTPS web server), renamed to Sun Java System Web Server
- iPlanet Web Proxy Server, renamed to Sun Java System Web Proxy Server
- iPlanet Portal Server
- iPlanet Portal Search (formerly Netscape Compass)
- iPlanet Application Server (a Java EE application server system, based on the Netscape Application Server and NetDynamics Application Server)
- iPlanet Messaging Server (a SMTP, IMAP, POP3 and webmail mail server)
- iPlanet Calendar Server
- iPlanet Meta Directory
- iPlanet Instant Messaging Server
The suite also included a number of server-side infrastructure components, including distributed event management and tools for managing large populations of iPlanet server instances.
Additionally, iPlanet sold "iPlanet E-Commerce Applications", a suite of software tools intended for building e-commerce websites:
- iPlanet ECXpert
- iPlanet TradingXpert
- iPlanet BuyerXpert (for business to business procurement software)
- iPlanet SellerXpert (for implementing b2b and b2c sales websites)
- iPlanet MerchantXpert
- Netscape PublishingXpert
- iPlanet BillerXpert (for handling billing and related financial processing activities)
In 2002 AOL sold the remaining portion of its interest in iPlanet to Sun (reportedly for a nominal sum), and the former Netscape employees were either laid off or transferred to Sun (mostly at its campuses in Santa Clara, California and Bangalore). Sun continues to sell the software, and much of it formed the basis of Sun's Sun ONE network software solution, which as of 2003 is marketed as Sun's Java Enterprise System. AOL also continued to market the directory and certificate server products under the Netscape brand.
In 2004 AOL sold the directory and certificate server products to Red Hat, which plans to integrate them into its Red Hat Enterprise Server product.
