The Net::Z3950::SimpleServer module is a tool for constructing Z39.50
"Information Retrieval" servers in Perl. The module is easy to use, but it does
help to have an understanding of the Z39.50 query structure and the
construction of structured retrieval records.
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Z39.50 is a network protocol for searching remote databases and
retrieving the results in the form of structured "records". It is widely
used in libraries around the world, as well as in the US Federal Government.
In addition, it is generally useful whenever you wish to integrate a number
of different database systems around a shared, asbtract data model.
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The model of the module is simple: It implements a "generic" Z39.50
server, which invokes callback functions supplied by you to search
for content in your database. You can use any tools available in
Perl to supply the content, including modules like DBI and
WWW::Search.
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The server will take care of managing the network connections for
you, and it will spawn a new process (or thread, in some
environments) whenever a new connection is received.
