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SWITCH
Financial Transaction System Requirements
Transaction processing systems generally are expected to support a large traffic volume. That is, they must have high throughput in order to keep down the cost of servicing a transaction.
A related requirement is timeliness. Each transaction must be serviced quickly, with a reasonable upper bound on the service time. Excessive delays impose poor quality of service on the end customer. Delay may also cause cancellation of a transaction if some other party to the transaction interprets the delay as a system failure. The resulting workload required to reverse a partially completed transaction only contributes to system load and degrades performance further, which can sometimes cause a cascade effect of delays and cancellations.
A transaction system must also be reliable. Aside from the obvious requirements of correctness and accuracy, such a system must have high availability. Down time is very costly, so a computer "crash" or "lockup" is an expensive event.
To keep operating costs down, a transaction processing system should offer its operators ease of management. Because different staff members may have different levels of authority to examine or change information, they need reliable security and authentication methods to easily access appropriate system functions.
While not an essential feature, a transaction processing system should have scalability. It should be possible to install a system of minimal size and cost, appropriate to the expected workload. As workload grows with time, the system should be able to grow with it incrementally. Ideally, this should be done by simply adding additional processors to carry the new load rather than undertaking an expensive replacement of the entire system.
INTERPRO Technology, Inc. has gone with the leader, QNX Software Systems, Ltd., who provides an impressive track record of technological innovation. Microkernel architecture, distributed processing for PCs, and built-in fault-tolerant networking, and award-winning Photon microGUI, a full-feature windowing system.
System Requirements
Reliable
Available
High Performance
Robust
Modular
Scalable
System Architecture and Design
Client/server technology
Modular
POSIX (IEEE 1003)
Key Features
ATM/POS/Kiosk Terminal Driving
Shared Branching
Credit Card Transactions Processing System
Chip Card Support
Network Management
Event Notification System
Voice Mail Notification
TAS Browser Handheld
Network and Host Interfaces
Full Authorization Services
Automated Settlement and Reporting
Key Benefits
High Capacity Transaction Throughput
ISO-Standard Internal Messages to ensure compliance
Advanced Function ATM Driving Support
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