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Technical info

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Technical info

Mobile Data Now is a 3-tier Java application that works on most ODBC/JDBC compliant databases, including the likes of: MS SQL, Oracle, PostgreSQL, MySQL, DB2, MS Access, Sybase, and others. Additionally, Mobile Data Now will soon work with web services using the SOAP protocol.


Please see the pre-installation guide to determine the requirements for running Mobile Data Now (84 kb PDF).



Compatibility

Mobile Data Now can be deployed on any operating system that supports a Java Virtual Machine and is running Java 6.0 or later.


Mobile Data Now is tested for and supported on:

  • Windows 2000 Pro and Server, Windows XP Pro (32 and 64 bit), Windows 2003 Server (32 and 64 bit), Windows Vista (32 and 64 bit)



The following deployments are in development:

  • Linux


Mobile Data Now supports the following data access technologies:

  • JDBC
  • ODBC
  • Web services via SOAP (coming soon)



Mobile Data Now uses JDBC / ODBC to access the customer's databases. This means that the customer may simply use a standard ODBC driver to provide MDN access to their data, or provide a 3rd party JDBC driver. Most commercial databases provide a JDBC driver as part of their product and others may be purchased from the Internet to provide quicker/better data access.



Component Overview for Administration




All configuration is done behind the company firewall. The only services exposed are to the end user ie. email, instant messaging and sms, for which access is tightly controlled.



Components

Mobile Data Now has the following components:


1. MDN Server
2. Tomcat Server
3. MDN Mail Service
4. MDN Instant Messaging Service
5. SMS Messaging Service



MDN Server

MDN Server is a non-graphical database server module. This is the application that communicates with your databases, handling remote data access, the RMI registry, notifications and messages and provides a common point of access to all data (including internal and external databases) for the other components in the MDN system. It is expected that this component will run on a database server machine.
This module must be able to connect to the MDN configuration database using the supplied or 3rd party JDBC drivers.
This module needs to connect to all databases that you wish to publish data from, using the JDBC-ODBC bridge or 3rd party JDBC drivers.



Tomcat Server

The Tomcat server houses the graphical administration module and uses a flash based configuration tool inside a web browser. This component uses http to communicate to the Tomcat server, which in turn communicates with the MDN Server to configure MDN.



Messaging Services

The other services handle the receipt and sending of messages from email, instant message or SMS.

  • MDN Mail Service

    The Mail Service connects to your IMAP mail server and sends and receives email.

  • MDN Instant Messaging Service

    The instant messaging service connects to various instant messaging services to send and receive instant messages.

  • MDN SMS Service

    The SMS service connects to a GSM modem for sending and receiving SMS messages.



These messaging services can only be stopped and started by the server administrator.



Technical Component Diagram

mobile data now component diagram



MDN Configuration Database

This is where all the configuration data to run Mobile Data Now is kept. As supplied, this database is Apache Derby. The customer is able to specify that MDN use another database (say Oracle or SQL Server) for the local configuration. This may be preferable to some clients as this may be their internal database standard. MDN database issues are only supported on the default supplied databases.

Why Mobile Data Now is better!

Here's 15 great reasons why Mobile Data Now does things better!


  • It's completely free for one user, download and just start using it!
  • It's quicker than other ways to get data (its instant) so staff and customers can do their jobs more efficiently. Additionally, users don't need to remember passwords, use logon screens or navigate menus.
  • Save time and $$$ No custom development required. Just install, configure and you're ready to give mobile access to users.
  • 2 way interaction to retrieve, edit or add data to really extend user productivity.
  • Future Proof: Works with any of today's or tomorrow's mobile devices from all manufacturers so you can be confident it will work with any old or new phone.
  • Requires no user training as it uses email, SMS or instant messaging which everyone is familiar with
  • Works with any messaging device such as your Blackberry, PDA, smart phone, mobile phone, computer & laptop.
  • Connect to and get information from any database or web service.
  • No additional software to install on the mobile device or end users computer thereby eliminating compatibility issues, crashes and complicated installation.
  • Very easy to setup and maintain without any coding. Get up and running in 20 minutes and even non technical staff can easily make changes. Add new functionality in minutes as your needs evolve.
  • Scalable software to grow with your needs, from a single user to thousands of users.
  • Reduce costs by easily delivering interactive, on demand services to customers and end users. Plus it's simply messaging, so you save time and money on bandwidth.
  • Secure with user access controls and identity management for authorized users.
  • No need to remember retrieved information, it's right there stored in your phone after you've requested it.
  • Reliable and stable software with fail safe mechanisms