Configurable Network Computing or CNC is JD Edwards's (JDE) client-server proprietary architecture and methodology that implements its highly-scalable enterprise-wide business solutions software that can run on a wide variety of hardware, operating systems (OS) and hardware platforms.

Now a division of the Oracle Corporation, Oracle continues to sponsor ongoing development the JDEdwards Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) system.

While highly flexible, the CNC architecture is proprietary and, as such, it cannot be exported to any other systems. While the CNC architecture's chief claim to fame, insulation of applications from the underlying database and operating systems, was largely superseded by modern web-based technology, nevertheless CNC technology continues to be at the heart of both JDEdwards' OneWorld and EnterpriseOne architecture and will play a significant role Oracle's developing fusion architecture initiative.

While a proprietary architecture, CNC is neither an Oracle nor JDE product offering. The term CNC also refers to the systems analysts who install, maintain, manage and enhance this architecture.

CNCs are also one of the three technical areas of expertise in the JDEdwards Enterprise Resource Planning ERP which include developer/report writer and functional/business analysts.

Oracle is continuing to develop the CNC technology and will incorporate key elements of the CNC technology into its Oracle Fusion project which will pull together "best of breed" technologies from JDE, PeopleSoft and its own application software technologies.

In the CNC architecture, a company's JDEdwards (JDE) business software applications run transparently insulated from both the database where the business data is stored as well as from the client computer's underlying operating system and all other intervening JDE business applications servers.

In layman's terms, the business programs don't "care" where the data is or which operating system is being used on any of the end user computers. Neither do the applications servers on which business programs run need to directly "know" what database systems are being called on the data end or back end.

The CNC architecture keeps track of this through various database tables that point the business applications to the servers that run or execute the business applications and also include database connection tools called database drivers that tell the system also where the database servers are and what specific databases to do lookups, data inserts and data extracts from.

Because of the key nature of the underlying architecture, a sound CNC infrastructure is critical to the success of a JD Edwards OneWorld installation or implementation.

The back-end databases that are supported include Oracle, Microsoft SQL Server, and IBM DB2 databases. The application server can run on Windows platforms, Unix/Linux, and the IBM System i (formerly known as iSeries and AS/400). The Web server can be IBM WebSphere (on Windows, Unix/Llinux, or System i), or the Oracle Transaction Server.

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