Architecture

Scalability, interoperability, and reliability are the hallmarks of our system architecture.

To streamline the customization and integration process, SDL Structured Content Technologies provides access to the full functionality of our SDL Contenta and SDL XPP systems via documented APIs. These APIs include support for CORBA, Java, COM and Web Services-based APIs:

• APIs, designed for both UNIX and Microsoft platforms (Solaris, AIX, 2000, 2003, XP), enable you and your and business partners to create unique solutions based on individual implementation, integration and production requirements.
• APIs significantly expand the use and functionality of our products as standard platforms or as integrated components of a larger content-creation and delivery solution
• All SDL Structured Content Technologies application interfaces and tools are integrated with SDL Contenta via the same, standard APIs we provide to our customers demonstrating the power and functionality of these open interfaces. SDL Structured Content Technologies or customer-developed applications leveraging these APIs are assured of long-term compatibility and supportability.
• Via the API, our users can design their own client applications, custom navigation, role- based interfaces and system-to-system integration functions

SDL Contenta APIs (both server and client) provide the following benefits:

• The APIs are documented, easy to understand, and easy to use for application development while encapsulating the underlying content management system.
• The APIs have an integrated high-level architecture that supports both server and client functionality. They provide for and promote programming consistency and reuse.
• They improve the efficiency of client and custom tool development by enabling a common, object oriented, reusable code set.
• They allow you to easily design and develop custom applications in the programming language of your choice, including Perl, Visual Basic, .NET, Java, and C++, to name a few.
• The APIs provide access to all SDL Contenta functions, allowing power users or integrators to easily develop custom applications, extensions, or interfaces.

SDL XPP (XML Professional Publisher) Web Services supports direct interactions with other software applications using XML-based messages via internet-based protocols, an API, or a set of remote procedure calls. Web service technology is an increasingly popular standard that is being adopted industry-wide as an open and robust protocol for application interoperability. The technology itself is a combination of XML-based industry standards applied as a unit to bring powerful new capabilities to products like XPP.

At the heart of Web Services are the following technology standards:

• HTTP/HTTPS. The underlying communication protocol used by the Web, which provides for secure machine-to-machine conversations.
• SOAP. Simple Object Access Protocol is an object-based standard for supporting a conversation between two machines using XML as the transaction language. The SDL XPP Web Services architecture is designed to create an application in any programming language that supports SOAP. At this point, due to its generic applicability, all popular languages support SOAP including C/C++, VB, .NET, PERL, JAVA, and JSP.
• WSDL. Web Service Description Language is an XML-based standard for describing the Web services (calls, inputs, and outputs) that are currently available and supported from a Web service provider.

At the core of our technology is a multi-tiered architecture that allows for maximum scalability enterprise-wide. Within any tier, the components may be scaled to meet the production needs of an environment. In addition, each tier can be duplicated and distributed to accommodate increased volume and system redundancy.

• Tier 1: Data
  Supports both Oracle 10g and Informix database engines through native high-performance communication methodologies.
• Tier 2: Server
  A multi-process based portal which acts as a central gateway from client applications to the database. The server supports multiple server platforms (Solaris, AIX, Windows 2000, Windows 2003) and can be run in virtually any type of configuration to meet the needs of the environment. Also integrated into this tier is a complete set of CORBA, Java, and COM-based APIs. Separate, customized server-based processing handles the centralized “power scriptingÓ that typically occurs in a content management and publishing infrastructure.
• Tier 3: Client Layer
  This layer can reside on the client or another server, as is typically the case for the Web-server interface to the system. Tier 3 supports any number of client or API connects.
• Tier 4: Presentation Layer
  This tier includes a wide range of interfaces to the product, ranging from Web clients to rich clients, to editor-specific plug-in interfaces and custom wizards. Any number or combination of these presentation methods may be employed simultaneously with SDL Contenta, providing alternate means for system interaction to meet the needs of the overall organization or specific user profiles.

SDL Contenta fits well into standard IT administration environments and supports the Lightweight Directory Application Protocol (LDAP). Accounts for SDL Contenta users can be created, deleted, and modified via centralized LDAP servers. SDL Contenta uses the LDAP server to perform authentication and user administration allowing system managers to control user accounts through a single, unified, and standard process for users across a department or enterprise.

SDL Structured Content Technologies products run cross-platform, supporting popular versions of UNIX (Red Hat Enterprise Linux 5 and Solaris) and WINDOWS (Windows Server 2003 and 2008, Windows XP and Vista for clients).

Through development partnerships with some of the world’s top hardware and software companies we continue to drive technological innovation throughout our product line. Chosen for their complementary technologies, we enjoy developer relationships with industry leaders Adobe, Microsoft, Oracle, Sun Microsystems, and Autonomy. As technology evolves we will continue to form partnerships that strengthen our product offering and provide value-added services to meet our customers’ needs.