The BackOffice Logo: What It Means

Is Your Product Qualified to Wear the Logo?

When you see the BackOffice logo on a product, Microsoft assures you that it meets certain criteria that indicate a standard of integration with the BackOffice family of products. All ISVs who develop client/server products are eligible to receive the BackOffice logo from Microsoft; however, their products must meet specific requirements. To use the logo, a product must go through a testing process, which is carried out by VeriTest, an independent testing lab in Santa Monica, California. VeriTest is the same lab that conducts the tests for the Windows 95- and Microsoft Office-compatible logos.

The Server Side
For server applications, the criteria are that the product must:

*Run as a service in Windows NT

*Use the NT unified logon

*Be network-independent (i.e., support both TCP/IP and IPX/SPX, via RPC, WinSock, Named Pipes, or OLE)

*Be deployable via Microsoft Systems Management Server (SMS) (i.e., write a .PDF and an .MIF and support silent install and uninstall)

The Client Side
For client applications, the criteria are that the product must:

*Be at least a 16-bit Windows version

*Support the appropriate APIs for the server application it uses

*Be deployable using SMS

Furthermore, each BackOffice logo-bearing client must meet the following requirements:

Messaging Client:

*Use MAPI or OLE Messaging for sending and posting messages to public folders

SQL Server Client:

*Use ODBC, DBLib, or Embedded SQL to store and access information in a SQL Server database

SNA Server Client:

*Use WOSA APIs (WinAPPC, WinCPIC, WinRUI, or WinSLI) or FMI

*Use SNA client APIs (support SNA Server user record)

*Use SNA Server compatibility APIs for IBM PC support or Client Access/4000

SMS Client:

*Access SMS database using SMS APIs or ODBC; extend data in the database using an .MIF file

Hardware on the Way
Testing hardware devices for the BackOffice logo will begin in 1996, according to Microsoft. Hardware requirements for the server are that it must:

*Be on the Windows NT Hardware Compatibility List (HCL)

*Have a minimum of an Intel Pentium 90 or compatible RISC processor with at least 32MB of RAM (extensible to 128MB of RAM)

*Support 32-bit bus architecture

*Support memory-parity-enabled or double-bit ECC memory

*Have a minimum 256KB of Level-2 (or equivalent off-chip) cache

*Not have an embedded single-FIFO or dual-channel IDE controller

In addition:

*PCI-based machines must properly report interrupts using the PCI bus and conform to the PCI 2.0 specification.

*MP machines must have separate Level-2 (or equivalent off-chip) cache per processor.

Components included with the system or embedded into the system board must pass the Hardware Compatibility Test (HCT). Drivers for these components must be available either from the manufacturer or included in Windows NT. Drivers tested via HCT will become part of the Windows NT driver library. Machines available in complete server configurations from the manufacturer must be tested in those configurations.

For more information on the BackOffice Logo program, contact Microsoft, 206-936-1995, or send email to [email protected].