In a distributed client-server configuration, the OpenEdge client runs on a client machine (either in Windows or on UNIX) and accesses a remote server on a Windows server where the broker for the DataServer for ODBC is running. Multiple NameServers and/or brokers can be running simultaneously on one server machine. The DataServer client connects to a broker for the Progress Explorer either directly or through a controlling NameServer. (See the important caution that follows.) The DataServer client is then automatically reconnected to a DataServer established for it by the broker. Each executing broker can spawn a multitude of DataServer processes. A spawned DataServer process uses the ODBC driver to locate and connect to the data source. The actual target database might be either local or remote to the host machine. The schema holder can run on the client or you can locate it on any host that is accessible on your network. Each spawned DataServer can service database requests for the same database or for a different database than those of other spawned servers.

In remote DataServer configurations, OpenEdge handles the communication between the client and the server. The Progress Explorer supports only the TCP/IP network configuration.

For more information about configuring and connecting the DataServer, see:

For more information about the Unified Broker Framework, its elements, and how Unified Broker products such as the DataServer for ODBC work within the framework, see OpenEdge Getting Started: Installation and Configuration.