The Sybase product line includes servers and tools for building servers:
Sybase Adaptive Server is a database server. Adaptive Server manages information stored in one or more databases.
Sybase Open Server provides the tools and interfaces needed to create a custom server, also called an “Open Server application.”
An Open Server application can be any type of server. For example, an Open Server application can perform specialized calculations, provide access to real time data, or interface with services such as electronic mail. An Open Server application is created individually, using the building blocks provided by the Open Server Server-Library.
Adaptive Server and Open Server applications are similar in some ways:
Adaptive Server and Open Server applications are both servers, responding to client requests.
Clients communicate with both Adaptive Server and Open Server applications through Open Client products.
But they also differ:
An application programmer must create an Open Server application using Server-Library’s building blocks and supplying custom code. Adaptive Server is complete and does not require custom code.
An Open Server application can be any kind of server, and can be written to understand any language. Adaptive Server is a database server, and understands only Transact-SQL.
An Open Server can communicate with “foreign” applications and servers that are not based on the TDS protocol, as well as Sybase applications and servers. Adaptive Server can communicate directly only with Sybase applications and servers, although Adaptive Server can communicate with foreign applications and servers by using an Open Server gateway application as an intermediary.
