Synchronous Web Collaboratory

Functions and Features

Web Server :
Services client request to fetch applet and foils. No additional functionality is required from standard web server for insecure transactions. In case of secure transactions, secure web-server is used

Reflective Servers:
In this application collaborative clients load a URL which downloads an applet. The applet loadds the first foils and sets up a control panel for navigation among foils. The applet also sets up the a connection to the reflective server. All clients that connect to the specified URL get connected to the collaboration. If any client, or possibly a master client, uses the control panel to navigate ti the next foil, the html page corresponding to that page is automatically loaded on all participants in the collaboration. The Reflective Servers broadcast the URL address to all the clients(applet) and each client individually loads the URl. This is done by reflecting the navigation request to the applets running on all the participating clients.

WhiteBoard Servers:

  • The whiteboard allows clients to share graphics information among themselves. Its a distributed whiteboard where clients can draw pixel,line,rectangle and write text and it gets broadcasted to all connected clients. Each event is marshalled at client site as a distributed object. This object is then transmitted over the network to the server. The server urmarshalled the object, perform some local action and broadcat this object to all currently connected clients

    Chat Servers:
    Uses IRC model