CollabWorx Meeting Engine
(CWME)
CollabWorx (CW) framework is built around a collaboration
engine. The first thing to understand about the CW Meeting
Engine is that it is not an HTTP server. Meeting Engine is
more like an IP router. It makes sure the messages get to
the intended receivers. Unlike a router, though, a collaboratory
Engine accepts permanent connections and it holds a considerable
amount of state. The Engine works together with all active
instances of CollabWorx Session Managers to keep and
manage the state of the collaboration.
In user terms, CWME is a meeting point in the cyberspace.
Each CWME can support one or more communities, and multiple
Engines can support branches of the same community.
On the communication level, each Meeting Engine accepts connections
from an arbitrary number of Session Managers. All events created
by application modules connected to active Session Managers
are sent to the Engine and are properly distributed. Meeting
Engine is like a spider in the center of the net.
Are all data the application uses going through the Engine?
Well, no. This would be a non-scaleable, low-performance design
with a system bottleneck. CW applications get data either
from various web servers, or use separate communication channels
to exchange high bit rate data streams (such as audio and
video). The Meeting Engine just tells the applications how
to set up these channels. Once the static bulk of the data
is received by an application module, the "changes"
to the application state (called “events") are distributed
by the Engine.
This architecture is extremely robust, and it has been designed
to make full use of the available Internet infrastructure.
CollabWorx is the first, and, so far, the only CSCW
system that is fully "Web-aware".
In order to transform the “virtual crowd" into
“electronic community", the users must possess electronic
identity. This is obviously needed for any business applications,
but is also helpful in recreational use of the Web-based communities.
CollabWorx Engines can access user data from repositories
such as flat files and database back ends. The Engines provide
services to Session Managers to retrieve user information
if necessary.
Another aspect of the community support is security and access
control. This is also handled by the Meeting Engine if the
community administrator decides that privacy and security
is important. CW clients can connect to the Engine across
firewall using SOCKS4 or SOCKS5 proxies.
In short, think about Meeting Engine as a house with rooms
in the virtual space, which provides you with various services
to find, meet, and communicate with other electronic users.
Behind the walls, there is a maze of pipes and wires, but
we don't want you to even think about this. Enjoy the company
and the view from the windows!
Basics of CollabWorx Meeting Engine Administration
CollabWorx Meeting Engine is one of the key components
of the CW system. The Engine communicates directly with the
CW Session Managers. The Engine handles several tasks critical
for system operation. It maintains the dynamic state of the
collaboration system i.e., the information about active users,
established sessions and running applications. Whenever the
state changes, appropriate updates are sent to all CW Session
Managers, which are currently connected to the Engine.
The Engine also provides communication channels for message
flow in the system. Using these channels, the collaborative
applications started by the active users can exchange data.
In addition, the Engine controls access to the system using
information retrieved from the user database. All system events,
such as a user login or start of a new application sessions,
are recorded in the Engine log.
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