5.2 Products


5.2 Products

In order to have a better understanding of the entire solution and its components , each product will be briefly described.

The product used in this redbook is WebSphere Everyplace Access V4.2. This offering includes the following integrated products:

  • WebSphere Portal Server

  • WebSphere Application Server

  • WebSphere Personalization Server

  • Everyplace Intelligent Notification Services

  • Everyplace Synchronization Server

  • Domino Everyplace Enterprise Server (we did not use this product in our scenario in this redbook)

  • Device Manager

  • DB2

  • DB2 Everyplace

  • SecureWay Directory

  • Everyplace Client

  • Everyplace toolkit

  • WebSphere Studio Site Developer Advanced

WebSphere Everyplace Access V4.2

WebSphere Everyplace Access delivers the technology needed to give mobile access to productivity data and enterprise applications from virtually anywhere , at any time. It supports multiple pervasive devices such as PDAs and smartphones from a single platform. It helps move business-critical information throughout the organization more efficiently and without boundaries, whether to deliver customer information to field sales professionals, inventory information to warehouse pickers, or personal information management (PIM) data to managers on the move.

Everyplace Access allows customers to start small, then expand over time to a richer set of wireless application functions. It provides an entry level solution as a starting point, and lays the foundation of a scalable infrastructure.

WebSphere Everyplace Access is a platform for mobile applications that provides:

  • PIM and e-mail for Lotus Notes and Microsoft Exchange PDA clients (we did not use this function in our scenario in this redbook)

  • All of the components required to extend access to business processes and back-office data to mobile devices

  • Notification, synchronization and device management services

  • Offline content access services

  • A reliable, scalable infrastructure, based on open standards, that easily integrates into your existing IT infrastructure

  • The proven technologies of WebSphere Application Server and WebSphere Portal Server

  • An application development toolkit that includes samples and a set of plug-ins

The key functionality of Everyplace Access is the support to different devices accessing online and offline applications and content.

Online features

Online Portal content is available to users who are connected to a network, using either a wired or wireless network card. This gives users access to the most current information possible. Everyplace Access provides device-viewing enhancements that improve the mobile Portal experience by enhancing how the Portal looks on selected mobile devices.

Offline features

Since a wireless connection is not always possible or desirable, Everyplace Access makes a selected set of Portal content available for viewing offline as static content. You can also submit forms while offline. Each time you synchronize, offline content is refreshed and form data is submitted.

Everyplace Access also provides synchronization which utilizes industry standard SyncML technology. The synchronization services, provided with Everyplace Access, allow users to remain productive while offline. Disconnected and connected users can work with the same information and synchronize the information when all users are connected again.

For example, an employee can synchronize their calendar before leaving the office on a sales trip. While the employee is gone, someone else can schedule a meeting on the traveling employee's calendar. At the same time, the traveling employee can schedule a follow-up meeting with a customer on their calendar. When the traveling employee returns to the office and synchronizes again, both new calendar entries are updated on the server and the device.

The following applications and data can be synchronized:

  • Lotus Notes PIM and e-mail

  • Microsoft Exchange PIM and e-mail

  • Domino applications and data

  • Any JDBC compliant relational database data

Everyplace Access also provides a client, IBM Everyplace Client, that installs on a mobile device which provides a common interface that initiates synchronization requests .

The WebSphere Everyplace Access is composed of Server, Client and Application Development components.

Server components
  1. WebSphere Everyplace Access Basic Services

    Basic Services includes:

    • WebSphere Portal V4.1.4

      The IBM WebSphere Portal allows you to build your own custom portal Web site. Users can sign on to the portal and receive personalized Web pages providing access to the information, people and applications they need. This personalized single point of access to all necessary resources reduces information overload, accelerates productivity, and increases Web site usage. WebSphere Portal Server allows you to:

      • Build multiple types of portals on a single integrated infrastructure based on the WebSphere Portal Architecture.

      • Provide a scalable, single point of access for data, people, and applications.

      • Deliver an easy to use graphical interface suitable for both occasional and expert users.

      • Crawl and categorize intranet and Internet repositories.

      • Execute a federated search against all forms of data, structured and unstructured.

      • Aggregate and summarize content for users.

      • Customize the look and content of home page displays by user .

      • Build rules-based and collaborative filtering personalization using WebSphere Personalization server.

      • Integrate applications and workflow systems into the portal.

      • Add collaborative services such as e-mail, shared places, and instant messaging.

      • Add pervasive wireless device support for remote and mobile users.

      • Provide multiple levels of security and authentication services.

      • Leverage syndicated information from over 50,000 databases for news and research.

      • Add modules from Independent Software Vendors or custom developed modules.

      • Leverage Web site tools for JSP page building, performance monitoring, caching, etc.

      • Build next generation Web sites with standards such as XML, SOAP, CORBA, and LDAP.

      • Manage users as individuals or within groups.

      • Access control at the portlet level.

      • Access Lotus and Microsoft Office applications via portlets.

      • Implement a distributed, heterogeneous search across disparate data sources.

      • Use a flexible architecture that enables integration with your current directory, Database, and security infrastructure.

    • WebSphere Application Server Advanced Edition V4.0.4

      WebSphere Application Server enables Web transactions and interactions with a robust deployment environment for e-business applications. It provides a portable, Java-based Web application deployment platform focused on supporting and executing servlets, JavaBeans, JavaServer Pages (JSP) and enterprise beans. Some of the Synchronization Server logic is deployed as enterprise applications in WebSphere Application Server. WebSphere Application Server is the foundation component and is required for WebSphere Portal, Everyplace Synchronization Server, Device Manager and Everyplace Intelligent Notifications Services

    • DB2 V7.2

      DB2 Universal Database is a Web-enabled relational database management system supporting many levels of complexity in database environments. The DB2 is used to support the persistence requirements of all the components of the solution. The Synchronization Server stores user information such as user authentication, device profile preferences, adapter information such as adapter authentication, server monitoring lists and configuration information. The notification stores privacy policies, context data and subscriptions. The device manager stores device management information. The personalization server stores users profile informations and content information.

    • SecureWay Directory V3.2.2

      Secureway directory is a Lightweight Directory Access Protocol (LDAP) directory that runs as a stand-alone daemon. It is based on a client/server model that provides client access to an LDAP server. SecureWay Directory provides an easy way to maintain directory information in a central location for storage, updating, retrieval, and exchange. WebSphere Portal uses LDAP to store user-specific information. It is an important component when providing a Single Sign-On functionality, working as a centralized authentication information directory.

  2. Everyplace Synchronization Server V1.2

    Everyplace Synchronization Server is a scalable solution for synchronizing personal information management (PIM) data to back-end databases. The Synchronization Server also provides a powerful relational database synchronization solution using DB2 Everyplace. The Synchronization Server provides a single synchronization point. Clients synchronize to the central Synchronization Server which then synchronizes with back-end databases. This enables clients to share data through the Synchronization Server and get concurrent updates to the same data. Clients can also simultaneously synchronize with multiple databases.

    In an enterprise environment, the Synchronization Server provides adapters to support synchronization with databases such as Lotus Notes, Microsoft Exchange and DB2 (or other JDBC compliant databases). One adapter serves many back-end databases, for a scalable solution.

    To support multiple platforms, Synchronization Server uses the Java 2 platform (J2EE) and SyncML 1.0 protocol between the server and client devices. Mobile devices can establish either a wireless or wired connection to synchronize data over the Internet, a Wireless network, intranet, local area network (LAN) or wide area network (WAN) using TCP/IP.

    It includes an optional, high-performance cache for systems with heavy workloads. When caching is enabled, the Synchronization Server replicates the back-end data in order to respond to client synchronization requests quickly.

    The Everyplace Synchronization Server adapters provide a neutral interface for accessing different enterprise databases like Lotus Domino, Microsoft Exchange Server or DB2. The adapters convert data to a common format in order to synchronize the data between clients and back-end databases. The Synchronization Server provides the following adapters.

    • Lotus Domino Adapter - provides an interface for the Synchronization Server to access enterprise Lotus Domino databases. The Lotus Domino Adapter supports e-mail, journal, to-dos, address book and calendar data.

    • Microsoft Exchange Adapter - provides an interface for the Synchronization Server to access Microsoft Exchange databases. The Microsoft Exchange Adapter supports e-mail, tasks , notes, calendar and contacts.

    • Relational database adapter using DB2 Everyplace - uses DB2 Everyplace to provide an interface for the Synchronization Server to access DB2 databases or other JDBC compliant relational databases.

    The Synchronization Server uses the WebSphere Portal architecture to provide an administration interface using portlets for the Synchronization Server and adapters. The Synchronization Server user and group management is handled through the WebSphere Portal Users and Groups portlet. Setting synchronization preferences for individual users is handled through the WebSphere Everyplace Access PIM portlets.

    Synchronization Server also includes:

    • DB2 Everyplace V8.1

      DB2 Everyplace is a relational database and enterprise synchronization system for mobile and embedded devices. DB2 Everyplace enables enterprise application functionality and enterprise data to be extended to mobile devices such as personal digital assistants (PDAs).

  3. Everyplace Intelligent Notification Services V2.0

    Intelligent Notification Services allows users to subscribe to services, define the delivery method and specify rules for how and when the information will be delivered. Intelligent Notification Services delivers messages to users based on the users' preferences and subscriptions. For example, users can tell Intelligent Notification Services to send them the URL of any Web-based news article published with "computing technology" in the headline. Users can also specify message-sending behaviors based on the urgency of the message. For example, if the message is marked FYI, send it to e-mail. If the message is marked urgent, send it to Sametime instant message.

    In order to understand better how the Intelligent Notification Services works, some concepts and components knowledge are required.

    • Notification

      A notification is a message sent to the subscriber by Intelligent Notification Services. Intelligent Notification Services supports the following types of notifications.

      • Simple notifications - messages, such as personal messages or reminders, that originate from other users or applications. Intelligent Notification users can send simple notifications to one another using the Message Center portlet.

      • Subscription-based notifications - messages that are triggered by events to which the user subscribes. For instance, the subscriber is monitoring stock prices for a certain company and has specified that Intelligent Notification Services notify her when the stock for company XYZ has gone above 90. Another subscriber is watching the activity of company ABC in producing wireless widgets and has specified that Intelligent Notification Services notify him when any articles are published to the Associated Press that relate to company ABC and wireless widgets. Intelligent Notification users can set up subscriptions using the My Subscriptions portlet.

      Intelligent Notification Services supports context-aware delivery of these messages. Context-aware delivery enables the delivery method to be based on a user's context, such as a user's online availability or location. Context parameters that possibly affect the delivery method include a user's location, online presence, and availability.

    • Delivery channels

      Delivery channels are the mechanisms via which users of Intelligent Notification receive messages. Intelligent Notification Services supports the following types of delivery channels.

      • Message Center portlet - an Intelligent Notification user portlet with which users view messages, delete messages, and send simple notifications to other Intelligent Notification users.

      • Lotus Sametime - an instant messaging server and client pair.

      • Simple Mail Transfer Protocol (SMTP) - a protocol for sending e-mail messages between servers.

      • Short Message Service (SMS) - a service for sending short text messages to mobile devices. SMS requires a Wireless Gateway (WebSphere Everyplace Connection Manager), which is not provided as part of the WebSphere Everyplace Access package.

    • Components

      • Administrative portlets - the administrator of Intelligent Notification Services uses administrative portlets to manage servers, configure gateway adapters, remove preferences for deleted users, and configure e-mail subscriptions.

      • User portlets - a user of Intelligent Notification Services uses portlets to manage delivery channels, manage his or her notification groups, specify rules for message delivery, manage notifications, and subscribe to content sources.

      • Content adapters - a content adapter is an application that captures data from an information source and converts that data into a format that the Trigger Manager can read. After converting the data to the correct format, the content adapter publishes the data to the Trigger Manager for matching against user subscriptions. Several content adapters are provided with Intelligent Notification Services, including content adapters for XML, RSS News, Lotus Notes e-mail, and Microsoft Exchange e-mail.

      • Gateway adapters - connect the Universal Notification Dispatcher to supported delivery channels. Each gateway adapter is responsible for delivering messages to the delivery channel that it supports. Each gateway adapter includes transcoding support for converting a notification into a format appropriate for the recipient's device. Intelligent Notification Services provides gateway adapters for the following types of delivery channels.

        • Message Center portlet

        • Lotus Sametime

        • Simple Mail Transfer Protocol (SMTP)

        • Short Message Service (SMS)

      • Trigger Manager - a component of Intelligent Notification Services that accepts content from content adapters and subscriptions from Intelligent Notification users. The subscriptions contain criteria for matching content from the content adapters. The Trigger Manager matches the content against subscription criteria. When a match occurs, the Trigger Manager uses a trigger handler to determine how to handle the match and notify the appropriate user via the Universal Notification Dispatcher.

      • Universal Notification Dispatcher - a component of Intelligent Notification Services that delivers notifications to users based on their preferences and context. Messages may originate as simple notifications from other users or applications, or they may result from subscriptions. Messages resulting from subscriptions are generated and sent to the Universal Notification Dispatcher by trigger handlers. Simple notifications are sent directly to the Universal Notification Dispatcher from an application using the sendMessage() method of the NotificationService class.

      • Secure Context Server - a component of Intelligent Notification Services that enables context-aware notifications by providing context information such as a user's location or Sametime availability. This information may be used to determine where and when to send notifications, based on the user's context preferences. Context information is provided by context drivers. There is a context driver for each specific category of context information. Intelligent Notification Services currently supports a Sametime context driver that provides information about whether a user is online in a Sametime environment.

  4. Device Manager V1.3

    Device Manager is a device management technology that helps to manage personal digital assistants (PDAs), handheld PCs, smartphones, wireless access protocol (WAP) devices, in-vehicle information systems, or other, emerging devices for pervasive computing. Integrated with a service provider enrollment application or enterprise user database, Device Manager can be used to identify, configure, inventory, and distribute software to any device supported by the service provider or enterprise.

  5. Lotus Domino Everyplace Enterprise Server V2.7

    Lotus Domino Everyplace Enterprise Server (DEES) is packaged with Everyplace Access to provide the access to existing Domino databases.

Client components
  1. Everyplace Client V4.2

    Everyplace Client provides a common interface that supports synchronization, security, device management, offline Portal browsing, offline Domino applications, and DB2 Everyplace database replication. Everyplace Client provides a single user control interface for the following client agents and applications:

    • Lotus Mobile Notes

    • e-mail and PIM function (SyncML Client)

    • Database (DB2 Everyplace)

    • Offline Portal Browsing

    • Offline Form submission

    • IBM device agent

  2. TrueSync Plus V3.1

    This is a multi-point synchronization engine that provides synchronization of calendar, address book, to do list, and memo between multiple information sources including mobile devices, organizer applications, and servers. This single-step process overcomes the fundamental inefficiency of traditional point-to-point synchronization technology that requires users to perform a sequential device-to-desktop, desktop-to-server, and desktop-to-device synchronization.

Application development components
  1. Everyplace Toolkit V4.2

    The Everyplace Toolkit provides a comprehensive toolkit for the development of portlet applications. The toolkit is implemented as a plug-in to WebSphere Studio Site Developer Advanced or WebSphere Studio Application Developer. In this release, Everyplace Toolkit provides:

    • Portlet Projects, in which you can create Abstract portlets, JSP portlets, Servlet Invoker portlets, XML/XSL portlets, and Multi-Device/View portlets.

    • Portlet application samples for enterprise applications.

  2. WebSphere Studio Site Developer Advanced V4.0.3

    Studio Site Developer is an easy-to-use tool set that minimizes the time and effort required to create, manage, and debug multi-platform Web sites. It is designed to the J2EE specifications and delivers integrated support for open Web standards, including Java, JSP, servlets, XML, full HTML, DHTML, JavaScript, rich media and Web services tools. It includes an advanced Java IDE and tools for developing images and animated GIFs. It also allows you to use your favorite content creation tools in conjunction with its built-in local and remote publishing capabilities.




Patterns. Pervasive Portals
Patterns: Pervasive Portals Patterns for E-Business Series
ISBN: 0738427772
EAN: 2147483647
Year: 2002
Pages: 83
Authors: IBM Redbooks

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