In addition to all the new features listed in the "New Features" tab, this release of the product also includes:

• Enhanced Infrastructure: In addition to all the enhancements made to the infrastructure of the product for Alero 2006 release 2, including the SOA foundation and the server virtualization (failover based on multiple active servers), this release will also include enhancements in the communications, database pools, and product license management. Communications can now be configured to limit the amount of TCP/IP sockets used by the product, preventing the product from using more sockets than the number of sockets allowed by the operating system. The database pool management capabilities of the product have been enhanced to support schemas and use a different user than 'dba' or 'sa' to access database information. Accessing index information in any Alero repository can now be configured to use 'Prepared Statements'. Finally, the product license management has been rewritten to secure the investments made by Alero and our partners.  
• Enhanced EMC Centera Interface: The interface with EMC Centera has been improved for better speed and management. These enhancements allow Alero to transfer files via the multithread-based, buffer-based method, rather than the standard file-based method, and manage the EMC transfer repository by deleting files following user specified settings. Also, the pools to the Centera device are opened once the agent is started and are not terminated until the Alero service is terminated. The pools are reused for all read/write/delete requests. Centera's SDK's FPFileInputStream protocol is now used for the PUT operations for non-buffer-based transfer. A containerization functionality has also been implemented, which allows all the files to be batched into one large file, which is sliced and stored as slices into one blob through the multithreading mechanism.
• Enhanced Large Files Handling: Alero is now able to manage full or partial large file downloads. Partial downloads are able to download 4.0GB+ files in segments, but it depends on the amount of available memory the Java virtual machine has access to. Alero's handling of a 4.0GB+ segment on the same Alero server transfers the file in smaller chunks. This is true when working with import, migration and archive agents on the same Alero server. When the import, migration and archive agents are on separate Alero servers, the 4.0GB+ file is read into memory before it is sent to the remote Alero server.
• Enhanced Migration: Alero migration has been enhanced to optimize performance in environments with very large quantities of files. The enhancements to the migration enable Alero to search for and move smaller groups of documents through user-specified settings defined in the configuration file. No more than twenty thousand files will be evaluated at one given time.
• Enhanced Volume Management: The volume configuration associated with an archive or storage has been enhanced to support a "Block Size". This enhancement allows Alero to calculate more accurately the actual size utilized by a volume in a specific device. The Alero Administration application has been enhanced to display this new field. In addition, enhancements were made to the "Space Left" and the "Recover Space" in a farming or server virtualization environment (multiple active servers).
• Enhanced Database Schema: This version of the product allows customers executing common functions dynamically or through "Prepared Statements", which allow for single compilation of a statement and multiple executions of the statement with different parameters. This new feature is optional (configurable). In addition, a new optional parameter (tableprefix) for the database pool entry in the configuration file has been added (i.e. tableprefix="."). By adding the tableprefix info, non-dba users can access and maintain the schema holding the Alero tables and stored procedures.
• Enhanced Storage (Archive): A new optional parameter, dateformat, is available for the DeviceIF section of the Archive module. It will create a new directory level, with the current date as its name, one level above the hash directories. So, the path to an image would be basepath/volume/date/hashdir/. The format of the date is configurable (i.e. dateformat='yyyyMMdd', dateformat='yyyy-MM-dd'). Physical files can then be grouped together by the day they were written so they can be more readily managable at a later date. If the parameter is blank or is not present, the storage hierarchy will work as it always has with the hash directories directly below the volume folder.
• Enhanced High Performance Import: The existing HPI module has been enhanced to provide more flexibility for existing customers. Customers can now define stored procedures in order to capture desired information that they can use for informational or reporting purposes. Business Activity Monitoring capabilities have also been added. Customers can now see statistical information about an import process in real time using AJAX web technology.
• Enhanced Alero Process Services and Applications: Alero Process Services, which implement the Business Process Management (BPM) capabilities of the product, were enhanced to meet customer and market requirements. The Alero Process Designer application has been enhanced to facilitate even more the design, configuration, administration, and deployment of simple to complex processes. Both the Alero Process Monitor and Trace applications have been enhanced to be more configurable so customers can have more alternatives when monitoring their business process graphically. Finally, a new Alero Process Simulator was developed to provide our customers with better understanding of their processes before these processes are deployed in production.
• Enhanced WebDAV: The WebDAV interface allows users and applications to see an Alero System as a WebDAV repository. This interface has been enhanced to support not only customized data structures (folder structures) but also specific documents that may or may not be in a data structure. Users will be able to use common desktop office applications to access and manage content in Alero. In addition, the new Alero Web Client application will be completely integrated with Microsoft desktop office applications, allowing users to search, retrieve, and edit documents (replace or add revisions) seamlessly and transparently from the application without any additional software installed on the client computer.
• Backward compatibility with Xtorm: As explained previously in this document, customers currently using Xtorm or considering to use Xtorm will be able to upgrade to, or use, Alero seamlessly and transparently, without migrations, data conversions or expensive integration projects. Every effort has been made to ensure backward compatibility with Xtorm.