CommuniGate Pro_Product Introduction

 INTRODUCTION TO COMMUNIGATE PRO 655 Redwood Highway, Ste. 275 Mill Valley, Ca 94941 www.communigate.com 415.383.7164 fax 415.383.7461
Table of Contents
TABLE OF CONTENTS ................................................................................................................................... 2 1. ABSTRACT .............................................................................................................................................. 3 1 ABOUT COMMUNIGATE SYSTEMS........................................................................................ 5 1.1.1. COMPANY OVERVIEW ..................................................................................................................... 5 1.1.2. APPROACH TO CUSTOMERS ............................................................................................................. 5 1.1.3. LOCATIONS AND EMPLOYEES ........................................................................................................... 6 1.1.4. EXPANSION STRATEGY .................................................................................................................................6 2. SOLUTION OVERVIEW ........................................................................................................................ 8 2.1.1. INTRODUCTION TO COMMUNIGATE PRO ........................................................................................... 8 2.1.2. THE COMMUNIGATE PRO PLATFORM.............................................................................................. 11 2.1.3. KEY DIFFERENTIATORS .................................................................................................................. 12 2.1.4. COMMUNIGATE PRO IS A COMPLETE UNIFIED COMMUNICATION SOLUTION .......................................... 13 2.1.5. PRONTO! FLASH-­‐BASED INTERFACE FOR UNIFIED COMMUNICATIONS ................................................... 15 2.1.6. PRONTO! FILES TAB ..................................................................................................................... 22 2.1.7. COLLABORATION AND GROUPWARE FOR BUSINESS GRADE SAAS SOLUTION ........................................... 29 2.1.8. COMMUNIGATE PRO SIP FARM ..................................................................................................... 30 2.1.9. COMMUNIGATE PRO VOIP INFRASTRUCTURE AND APPLICATIONS ........................................................ 30 2.1.10. COMMUNIGATE PRO DYNAMIC CLUSTER TECHNOLOGY .................................................................... 32 2.1.11. COMMUNIGATE PRO SCALABILITY ...........................................................................................................35 655 Redwood Highway, Ste. 275 Mill Valley, Ca 94941 www.communigate.com 415.383.7164 fax 415.383.7461
1. Abstract
In the long run, the ability to protect profit streams from being eroded by competitors will separate winners and losers in the ISP market. As the demand to improve and expand ISP services grows, ISPs are under unrelenting pressure to manage an increasingly complex infrastructure while also controlling costs. Accomplishing these divergent goals requires the ISPs to take steps to transform how they operate. CommuniGate Systems has long-­‐established partnerships with the industry leading providers of technology for business and residential subscribers. The main features of our portfolio are: •
A fully integrated carrier class solution for VoIP, IP Centrix, Session Border Controller with Rich Media and “value add” applications to power Software as Service for Business and Consumer Subscribers. •
Next generation business and residential messaging systems offering integrated e-­‐mail, calendar, collaboration, instant messaging and storage with flexible multi-­‐gigabyte capacities. •
Complete financial portfolio featuring tiered reseller services expandable to cloud and pay-­‐per-­‐
use models. •
Integrated provisioning and service activation for complete automation of day-­‐to-­‐day operations with delegated user-­‐based administration capabilities. •
Powerful mobile operator Value Added Services such as our Virtualized “Mobile Office” targeted at Micro and small businesses. More can be found at this reference point www.communigate.com/mobile •
Our Web 2.0 client Pronto! is developed in Flash / Flex technology enabling providers to integrate modular services such as IPTV, or VOD. The benefits of CommuniGate Systems technology can be summarized as follows: •
More Efficient Use of IT Resources •
Lower & More Predictable TCO •
Flexible Deployment Options •
Rapid Deployment of New Services •
Most Current Capabilities or Features on the marketplace •
Very High Availability & SLA Commitments Commercial in Confidence, Page 3 of 36 The CommuniGate Pro solution is an end-­‐to-­‐end solution for SaaS delivery of Unified Communications. It provides all the components that ISPs need to rapidly and flexibly deploy and maintain advanced services in order to have lower TCO and higher ARPU while strengthening customer retention and lowering churn. Commercial in Confidence, Page 4 of 36 1
About CommuniGate Systems 1.1.1.
Company Overview For 19 years, CommuniGate Systems mission is to create the most scalable, feature-­‐rich solutions for Internet Communications based on open standards. We pride ourselves on maintaining the highest customer satisfaction in the industry, which is the direct result of company stability and, quality of products and services. Headquartered in Mill Valley, California, CommuniGate Systems has over 12,000 Customer sites worldwide, ranging from the largest broadband, wireless and wire line service providers, to enterprises and OEM partners. In fact, many industry SaaS solution providers turn to CommuniGate Systems to deliver quality the highest stability applications for their offerings. Over 130 million end users including 47 million voice Customers rely upon CommuniGate Systems products for their voice and data communication needs.
1.1.2.
Approach to Customers While focused on being the technological leader for Unified Communications, CommuniGate Systems is also committed to unparalleled customer satisfaction. We believe that we have achieved the highest customer satisfaction in the industry. This is borne out by the fact that none of our customers have moved to a competing solution, we have excellent customer references, we are a financially stable company, and many of our new customers come to us through references of quality by our existing customers. At CommuniGate Systems, this is our Reference Model, where the consistent stability and excellent reputation of CommuniGate Pro and the Company policies and stability generates new customer opportunities for new service/application offerings and new ideas, continually feeding back into a stronger product. CommuniGate Systems is very open with our customers, and with the industry; we do not enhance revenues with hidden licensing or support costs. All of our product history, bug fixes, and documentation are publicly available on the corporate Website. In fact, the product itself is available for free trial right on our website as well. This is normally un-­‐heard of for carrier class technologies, because most competitive solutions require complex services. When customers choose to move from one platform/operating system to another as business environments change, we do not charge additional license fees. CommuniGate Systems encourages our customers to explore all facets of CommuniGate Pro to ensure it meets their needs before they purchase. We offer fully functional trial versions for download (on all platforms) from the CommuniGate Systems Website. http://www.communigate.com/download Commercial in Confidence, Page 5 of 36 1.1.3.
Locations and Employees CommuniGate Systems headquarters are in Mill Valley, California, USA with regional offices in Moscow Russia; Munich Germany and Tokyo Japan. CommuniGate Systems employs nearly 130 employees around the world and has over 120 channel partners internationally.
CommuniGate Systems has development and QA labs in both Mill Valley, CA and Moscow, Russia. The labs contain a very wide variety of systems, many of which are provided to CommuniGate Systems by partners such as, Sun, HP, Intel, and IBM who strongly support CommuniGate Pro development, enhancement, and release on their platforms. As mentioned previously, the labs in Mill Valley and Moscow are available for testing and performance simulations. CommuniGate Systems also has an R&D center in Japan for local test scenarios. In addition, CommuniGate Systems has an incredible array of access to performance lab environments and testing centers throughout the world with excellent partners such as Sun, Ericsson, Alcatel-­‐Lucent, IBM, HP, NetApp, BlueArc, F5. We actively participate in industry benchmarking and refer you to the power and ease of the CommuniGate Pro Unified Communications platform awards. We have completed very large-­‐scale simulations and benchmarks; as an example with IBM, we profiled for a large wireless operator their 25 million subscribers using communications under extreme loads.
1.1.4.
Expansion Strategy CommuniGate Systems’ channel-­‐centric sales strategy helps us control operational costs and serve a very wide set of markets as our partners are global. Our growth strategy with channel and system integration partners has allowed CommuniGate Systems to avoid the heavy costs that have put many of our competitors out of business, have kept them from many international marketplaces, and restricted their product investments. In fact, most of the carrier-­‐class messaging systems remaining on the market today have had little to no improvements over the past 5 years. Whereas CommuniGate Pro has expanded to become a UC platform, with VoIP, Presence Services, a large suite of Mobile applications, and a client strategy called Pronto! CommuniGate Systems puts the majority of our resources and efforts into building and supporting one core product, CommuniGate Pro – and our top priorities are reliability, efficiency, and a steady stream of new features, with trust in the company stability.
Our core Development, QA, and Support departments have many team members with over 10 years employment at CommuniGate Systems, and most of the core Developers who started the company in 1991 are still with CommuniGate Systems today. These core or key people provide the continuing and consistent vision to create the most powerful Unified Communications platform in the world. This proven strategy has resulted in profitability for the past 10 years and a rate of growth over the past two years of over 70% per year. Our growth will continue to be TAM (total aggregate market expansion) and entry to media & entertainment market with Rich Media applications as operators launch new services in the Unified Communications and SaaS market.
Since all CommuniGate Pro APIs are published and documented, and voice applications and web skins are provided as open code & easily customizable, the overall CommuniGate Pro community is a vibrant one with many 3rd-­‐party and open-­‐source add-­‐ons. Commercial in Confidence, Page 6 of 36 The current product roadmap includes developing the product in the following main areas: •
•
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Mobile Communications – CommuniGate Pro strives to provide mobile access to messaging and other Value Added Services for as many devices types as possible, through data and syncing protocols, with one account for all forms of communication, on any network, with seamless transitions. Our carrier scale support of AirSync and supporting Blackberry via 3rd party partners are examples of the technology carriers will be able to offer CommuniGate Systems also provides Value Added Mobile agents for access of blogs, photos, and IP Centrex services, such as transfer of calls and other telephony management of the 3G or WLAN channels. Video – CommuniGate Pro can provide Value Added Services for video communications such as, video mail, video receptionist, video blogging, video conferencing with integration to Rich Media and communication applications for high productivity and mobility. With CommuniGate Pronto! 3.0, network operators can deliver high definition (H.264) video and HD Voice to subscribers' desktops. The range of media content supporting H.264 via our Flash framework (Pronto!) is only limited by the imagination. With our Adobe partnership, we have extended support for the Adobe FMS 3 server (Flash Media Server) to CommuniGate Pro's advanced server API's enabling Pronto! to help network providers deliver professional HD movies, TV, and other DRM protected content. As a result, operators can develop new models for media delivery and offer managed delivery of HD Television and movie content (VOD) over the Internet for “any screen access”. CommuniGate Pronto! 3.0 delivers a wide range of Video capability from simple “Video Mail” to integration to IPTV and VOD technologies providing the most unique client delivery platform in the world. Client Applications -­‐ CommuniGate Systems strategy for client technology is two fold; supporting open standards based clients such as Apple Mail, Thunderbird, or IM clients like Trillion. The CommuniGate Pronto! Flash Framework is our Unified Communications client technology and as such we control the possibilities for extension of unique modules for Value Added Service. Being Flash based, Pronto! allows ubiquitous support for any operating system or browser on the desktop. Pronto! also has the capability to support any device that runs Flash, like set-­‐top boxes, or Automobile infotainment systems. Flash provides the powerful Rich Media experience with Audio & Video while still bringing in the lightweight and fast features of Unified Communication in one client that is accessible anywhere. Commercial in Confidence, Page 7 of 36 2. Solution Overview
2.1.1.
Introduction to CommuniGate Pro The award-­‐winning CommuniGate Pro platform is the leader for Multi-­‐Tenant based Unified Communications, providing true 99.999% uptime in an Ultra Efficient, standards-­‐based software solution.
CommuniGate Pro is best suited for ISP’s and Network Operators deploying SaaS solutions for Unified Communications. CommuniGate Pro scales more efficiently, and to higher performance standards than any competitive solution on the market. Over 12,000 customers and 130 million users daily around the world use CommuniGate Pro.
CommuniGate Pro merges security, reliability, scalability and all voice and data communications into one cluster-­‐wide single image. Our client integration allows flexible choice serving Mac, Windows, or even Linux desktops. We support a variety of clients such as Microsoft products like Outlook and Windows Messenger, or Mac clients like Apple mail and iCal. We have broad support for open standards clients like Thunderbird and Lightening and provide the most powerful Web 2.0 client on the market; CommuniGate Pronto! Our compatibility with SIP phone devices allows CPE equipment to be as flexible as possible. CommuniGate Pro can be rolled out to a customer faster than any competitive solution because our Unified Communications client Pronto! is Web 2.0 delivered. Users simply point their browser to the URL and they immediately have VoIP, Messaging, and Media capabilities without any CPE devices.
CommuniGate Pro is a flexible and powerful solution, which enables providers to increase ARPU and keep their subscribers on the network with Rich Media applications and SaaS services. We have a broad experience helping our customers deliver solutions that match the demands today, in a world where free messaging and advertisement based providers draw in subscribers off the network where they get their broadband access. CommuniGate Pro can bridge networks, and when the subscriber has a namespace, or domain of their own, we can deliver services and applications that will keep them on the network. Some examples we could help Hellas online are shown below. We believe these services when delivered to subscribers will drive ARPU significantly.
•
Personal Domain services – allows the subscriber to have a personal spot to place their company or personal services for creation of web sites, blogs, and media sharing. We have found that the decline of usage of ISP “bundled” messaging can be mitigated when subscribers can build around a personalized domain and thus drive “stickiness” to that ISP for other service that can be monetized.
•
TV Integration – delivery of short messages, like “you have new email”, and presence info to see when buddies are online further brings the communications experience together, and Commercial in Confidence, Page 8 of 36 keeps the subscriber on the network. Voice capabilities and voicemail through the home entertainment system is a valuable application for power users. •
Mobility – providing clients on the mobile handset to access content and Rich Media communication is key in delivering a converged Communications experience. AirSync delivers push e-­‐mail and synchronization of calendar and contacts. •
Unified Interface for Telecom subscribers – We ship several webmail skins, and our Flash client Pronto! for desktop users. You will see more below in this document a section on Pronto! our Flash UI that was applauded at AdobeMAX 2006 and 2008 world developer event. We have produced some samples of the UI experience concepts that can be applied to the CUSTOMER Portal using Flash technology or AJAX. With Flash/Flex3 the components you see below are under 1.2MB in size, running memory space for added security, and provide Rich Media capability. Figure 2–1: Pronto! Unified Communication Client
Commercial in Confidence, Page 9 of 36 E-­‐Mail -­‐ Within the UI all sub-­‐components are tabbed, and capable to be class of service enabled. In this view the “E-­‐mail” tab, or service shows all standard functions, with rich client capabilities like drag and drop, but also integrated presence capabilities. The IM bar to the right is also modular, secure, and fast. The client communications to the platform are done via XML, providing a capability to serve very large subscriber populations, with integration to other clients like Outlook, Windows Messenger. Notice above how contact details and media communication options are show for the buddy hovered over. In this case the person is online, so the subscriber can chose to use IM, or another media type that does not require online presence, like Email. Placing a VoIP call to that buddy can initiate the B2BUA capabilities of CommuniGate Pro. If the subscriber clicks one of the numbers (or SIP URI) for that contact, a phone registered to the subscriber, desktop, or soft, will ring, and when the subscriber “picks up” the call to the buddy is bridged. Security is very strong using the Flash Component model and the XML API XIMSS. All of the files and content is on the server, and nothing has access to the OS or browser, unless the subscriber actually pulls down an attachment. My Stuff (Music) – in this tab the music component is seen playing a MP3 the subscriber has stored. By providing storage, and a domain space, the subscriber retention and stickiness to the applications is greatly enhanced. Having the capability to integrate media, like music, while working with the communication applications is a powerful value added service. Figure 2–2: Pronto! My Stuff (Music)
My Stuff (Photos) in this example of the photos application subscribers can store, print, and share images from their digital camera. The My Stuff component can also include the personal Website and Commercial in Confidence, Page 10 of 36 Blog applications as shown. Moving images to these applications are drag and drop, making the experiences of services complete for all forms of Internet Communications. Figure 2–3: Pronto! My Stuff (Photos)
As messaging has progressed from just email to a complex environment integrating a huge list of applications connected to an increasingly hostile Internet, CommuniGate Systems has applied security and administration principles learned from more than ten years of developing a secure and stable messaging platform in the carrier market. These principles are the foundation of CommuniGate Pro as it delivers converged communications with technologies such as presence, VoIP, and video delivery services. 2.1.2.
The CommuniGate Pro Platform CommuniGate Pro combines E-­‐mail, calendaring, VoIP and SIP, instant messaging, groupware collaboration, mailing lists, and Webmail into a single Unified Communications platform, and is designed and built as the critical foundation for messaging and collaboration infrastructure for business subscribers. “Internet Communications” or “IP Communications” describe the range of protocols and methods offered by CommuniGate Pro for communication by data transfer, voice, and video -­‐ where the Internet is the medium and the protocols are open standards which interoperate between many different servers, networks, and clients. All users now have access to e-­‐mail, instant messaging, and voicemail in the INBOX, call control, and collaboration in one address space with flexibility of clients. Commercial in Confidence, Page 11 of 36 The CommuniGate Pro 5.3 full suite of Internet Communications applications supports both IPv4 and IPv6 and includes: •
E-­‐mail, Collaboration, Instant Messaging (SIP and XMPP), and VoIP •
Pronto! flash client for secure, lightweight, and full-­‐featured Webmail and voicemail from anywhere with built in IP phone and Rich Media like HD Video and Audio •
Pronto! on AIR client for the desktop and local installation to benefit from Adobe Integrated Runtime with advanced drag & drop features and multi session window capabilities •
XMPP/SIP clustering and server-­‐side buddy-­‐
lists/presence with SIP Farm connecting to different networks like gtalk and msn
•
Complete PBX and Voicemail functionality including unified messaging, voice conferencing, unified voicemail, auto-­‐
attendant and call queuing/ACD •
Consolidated SIP infrastructure with built-­‐in SBC, NAT traversal, and scalable SIP proxy/registrar •
Customizable interfaces for hosted e-­‐mail/PBX services with the capacity to scale to many thousands of virtual domains CommuniGate Pro is an Internet Communications platform with applications and APIs that serve all of these needs. We develop carrier-­‐class Internet Communications software for broadband and mobile service providers, enterprises, universities and OEM partners worldwide. CommuniGate Systems provides unsurpassed scalability and an expansive feature set all with unique clustering technology for 99.999% uptime for building your Internet Communications with a solid and proven foundation. CommuniGate Systems is proud to be the most scalable platform with over 130-­‐million end users including 47-­‐million voice customers, with the highest customer satisfaction, and is constantly seeking out new emerging standards for IP Communications. 2.1.3.
Key Differentiators CommuniGate Pro is well known as the leader in scalability having demonstrated several times through awards and standards bodies its un-­‐challenged architecture. If your company has not deployed our products yet, we would like to outline the main factors placing us apart from competition: Commercial in Confidence, Page 12 of 36 •
Our business model is based on high quality software, resulting in high customer satisfaction and trust in the company. As a result, our monetary interest is in providing high-­‐quality products. No code within the product is dependent on open-­‐source licenses such as GPL, BSD License, CPL, etc.; however, applications and interfaces within the product are generally provided as “open” applications easily adapted to your requirements •
Our solutions are complete. We clearly specify what we do NOT provide (such as hardware, power equipment), and we take the full responsibility for the rest of the system. CommuniGate Pro does not require third-­‐party databases, services, or products to function. •
Our solutions are true carrier-­‐grade products that live up to reliability claims of 99.999% uptime. Unlike many other companies that start with office-­‐grade products and then try to “scale them up”, all CommuniGate Pro subsystems where designed for the highest scalability and reliability. Functionality was added later, only after ensuring that the new features do not jeopardize performance or scalability •
Our solutions are manageable with special features like “Rolling Updates” for ease of change management, and a set of API’s and CLI for flexibility to connect to management and provisioning systems. Multi-­‐level delegated administration provides a light, intuitive, and logical interface to all advanced product features. Self-­‐administration functions (Web, IVR, e-­‐
mail, IM) allow users to control their accounts themselves, greatly decreasing the number of support and service calls. A Certified CommuniGate Engineer is recommended for large (millions of accounts) Cluster installations •
Our solutions are fully integrated. CommuniGate Pro “store-­‐and-­‐forward” and “real-­‐time” functions all work in the same environment, complementing each other: a company Calendar can make an automatic phone call to all participants to invite them to a conference, an IM can be sent to notify a user about a specific e-­‐mail, etc., to provide a truly-­‐unified communications experience 2.1.4.
CommuniGate Pro is a Complete Unified Communication Solution CommuniGate Systems development goals deliver a platform that consolidates all IP Communications into one address space. Our platform makes the delivery of a single address for e-­‐mail, IM, VoIP, video calling, sharing, and more, a productive, portable, extremely scalable, extremely reliable and independent from the unnecessary extra components, tariffs, and tolls of closed network topologies. The CommuniGate Systems strategy will build and enable global change, one address, one network, always connected, and always portable. A single address space of user@domain will deliver true portability and flexibility of mediums and networks being used to communicate upon. We see all IP communications becoming accessible to multiple media types through one account, providing true portability of an "address" no matter where you access the Internet. Based on open standards, CommuniGate Pro provides an integrated platform for Real-­‐Time and asynchronous or "store-­‐and-­‐forward" communications. CommuniGate Pro runs as a portable communications operating system and delivers infrastructure applications for VoIP, Video, Instant Messaging, e-­‐mail, scheduling, and more – all in one multi tenant solution. Commercial in Confidence, Page 13 of 36 With an open service creation environment (with several default applications distributed as open source), CommuniGate Pro provides a reliable design that enables the rapid creation and deployment of feature specific communications applications. The CommuniGate Pro architecture is a multi-­‐node installation that clusters natively and scales incredibly. CommuniGate Pro also has a built-­‐in “Presence Server” supporting both PIDF and SIMPLE (largely for Instant Messaging) presence mechanisms. Presence Services can provide powerful application mashups, such as lighting up waiting message indicators on phones or showing you as on the phone in the IM client automatically. Presence information can be shared with other applications to indicate information about your status such as scheduling information controlling signaling (VoIP) and rules sets. Version 5.3 of CommuniGate Pro provides a Presence Management interface allowing users to view requests for their Presence, which secures the user in knowing they have control over their presence status, even when managing multiple devices. Clients and client applications can store server-­‐side Buddy Lists via HTTP, XIMSS XML API, ACAP/XCAP, and the server stores these server-­‐side Buddy Lists by default, along with personal call records per account for Attempted, Received, and Missed Calls. Instant Messaging applications can interact with CommuniGate Pro form either a SIP or XMPP protocol connection, allowing vast choices in client compatibilities from consumer and business markets. Many clients are supported by CommuniGate Pro; such as Windows Messenger 5.1 (business client w/SIP), GAIM, Trillian, Apple iChat, and others that are compliant to SIP/SIMPLE instant messaging or XMPP (Jabber). CommuniGate Pro allows has built-­‐in support for server to server Instant Messaging, as well as compatibility with Google’s gtalk. In addition CommuniGate Pro offers the Pronto! Flash based UI for Instant Messaging which is portable and accessible from any web browser. Pronto! is a perfect example of tight integration and the flexibility of the platform using the XML API to build client access points. CommuniGate can even bridge (transcode) between SIP and XMPP users, allowing valuable flexibility for subscribers to choose UIs and features, but remain compatible. Within IP Multimedia Subsystem (IMS) architecture, a complete Converged Communications Service Provider can develop and deliver an infinite number of relatively easy-­‐to-­‐deploy services that transparently switch between any networks to which the subscriber is connected. With both IPv6 and IPv4 support and the ability to bridge both networks as a CSCF SIP Proxy, CommuniGate Pro establishes a platform with great flexibility, very high performance SIP routing, and B2BUA and other applications that can be delivered directly as value-­‐add, revenue generating applications for business and consumer subscribers, or can be integrated as part of a larger IMS system. Commercial in Confidence, Page 14 of 36 Figure 2–4: CommuniGate Pro Unified Communication Architecture CommuniGate Pro provides access to one’s e-­‐mail account through many different methods, including but not limited to IMAP/S, POP/S, SMTP/TLS (including mailing lists), HTTP/S, XIMSS, XML, ACAP, MAPI, FTP, SIP/S, RTP, RPOP, RSS, and XMPP. CommuniGate Pro supports secure communications (SSL/TLS) for all its services where such specifications exist – SIP signaling and all other protocols such as SMTP, POP, IMAP, HTTP, LDAP, ACAP, POPPWD, and it is 100% compatible with all SSL-­‐enabled browsers and SIP devices. CommuniGate Pro also supports the secure authentication feature (APOP/SASL) for all its services -­‐ SIP, SMTP (SMTP AUTH), IMAP, POP, LDAP, ACAP, POPPWD. 2.1.5.
Pronto! Flash-­‐based Interface for Unified Communications Pronto! is CommuniGate Systems IP Communications user interface for the scalable and IETF RFC-­‐
based (standards-­‐based) and feature-­‐rich CommuniGate Pro’s Internet Communications Platform. Commercial in Confidence, Page 15 of 36 Pronto! delivers to users what CommuniGate Pro delivers to communications administrators, the most well fastened collection of standards-­‐based communications tools from a single manageable interface. Based on business and web proven Adobe Flash technology, Pronto! exchanges data with the communications infrastructure via the efficient XML Interface for Messaging Scheduling and Signaling (XIMSS) available from CommuniGate Pro. XIMSS enables Customers, Partners, and third-­‐party vendors to develop applications today for Unified Communications and IMS/Fixed-­‐Mobile-­‐Convergence without having to understand complex protocols such as SIP, RTP, IMAP, XMPP, and others. Instead, XIMSS allows developers to write full client and web applications and portals simply using the XML they are already likely very familiar with as part of a standard web application development environment, but with access to all of the many communications protocols that CommuniGate Pro supports. Figure 2–5: Pronto! Unified Communication GUI Commercial in Confidence, Page 16 of 36 Figure 2–6: Pronto! Ver 2.1 with Merging of Shared Calendars. Figure 2–7: Pronto! Ver 2.1 VoIP dialer with advanced capabilities to deal with NAT and multiple tier networks in remote or corporate environments Commercial in Confidence, Page 17 of 36 Figure 2–8: Pronto! My Stuff (Videos) Figure 2–9: Pronto! Ver. 2.1 Delivery of HD Quality Video in H.264 Format Commercial in Confidence, Page 18 of 36 Figure 2–10: Pronto! Instant Messaging Pronto! provides secure corporate Instant Messaging with the ability to add users from external servers of CommuniGate Pro or XMPP services like Google gtalk. Presence services for telephony are integrated. Example, a user picks up a Polycom SIP phone registered to CommuniGate Pro, and the buddies will all see that user as “on the phone” automatically. Commercial in Confidence, Page 19 of 36 Figure 2–11: Pronto! Customized Login Screen Commercial in Confidence, Page 20 of 36 Figure 2–12: Pronto! can be branded and color palette styled for operator differentiation Figure 2–13: Pronto! Games Module Figure 2–14: Pronto! Modules are extensible Flex applications that allow unlimited VAS Commercial in Confidence, Page 21 of 36 As you can see the possibilities for expansion of services are only limited to the imagination. The XIMSS API expedites in-­‐house value-­‐add efforts by removing the development obligation to include, integrate, and debug bloated source code for every needed IP communications protocol (e-­‐mail, calendar, IM using SIP and XMPP, click-­‐to-­‐call, etc.) that will benefit end users today. The result for Pronto! is a light and fast web-­‐based communications tool abstracted using native XML that offers greater value and a greater return on investment than many of the emerging products today that range from no dollar cost to high cost models with at-­‐your-­‐own-­‐risk features and integration methods included. 2.1.6.Pronto! Files Tab A unique feature found in the Pronto! interface is the ability to browse through uploaded files in your home directory. In essence, Pronto! can be used as a virtual hard-­‐drive. You can upload files to Pronto! and as long as you can access your Pronto! account, you have the ability to download them wherever you would like to. Clicking on the “files” tab will bring up all files that have been uploaded under the “files” tab on the “side-­‐bar.” Click on an individual file from this list to bring up and view relevant file information such as: date modified, file size, and extension type into the “main” window. To view the main directory of files you have uploaded, click on the “back” button and the main directory of files will appear in the “main window”. Figure 2–15: Pronto! My Files Using the Pronto! Files tab users can perform all typical file management actions such as upload, download, delete, rename files, as well as create, delete, rename, share privately and share publicly folders. Additionally, users can e-­‐mail links to their files that can be retrieved by the recipients regardless of mail quotas therefore enabling users to send unlimited size attachments. This is a unique functionality that enables users to use CommuniGate Pro as personal file storage and backup platform that can be charged per use in various pricing models. Finally, users can access this storage space using http(s) and (s)ftp based protocols allowing them to have direct access of their files on their desktop. Commercial in Confidence, Page 22 of 36 In the following figures you can see the functionality as described above: Delete button: Clicking on the “delete” button while highlighting a specific file or folder from the files list will bring up a deletion confirmation alert. Renamed Marked button: To rename one of the files or folders, click on the “renamed marked” button. These changes will not be visible until the next time you log into Pronto!. To close the “renamed marked” window, click on the [X] button found in the upper right hand side of the “renamed marked” window or the “cancel” button found in the lower right hand side of the “renamed marked” window. Create Folder button: To create a new folder to better organize the uploaded files click on the “create folder” button. To close the “create folder” window click on the [X] button found in the upper right hand side of the “create folder” window, or the “cancel” button found in the lower right hand side of the “create folder window.” Within the “create folder” window you will find the following options: Upload File button: To upload a file to your Pronto! account, click on the “upload file” button. When open you can then browse through the all of the files, and upload them. Download button: This button is hidden until you have uploaded a file. Once a file has been uploaded and selected, the download button should appear. To download a file from your Pronto! account, click on the “download” button. A browser-­‐specific file-­‐saving window will open, and you can then download the file. Drag and Drop Files (Pronto! on AIR only): A benefit of using Pronto! on AIR is the ability to drag and drop files from the desktop to your file space. To do this, select the file on the desktop, and drag it to the appropriate folder found under “Files.” To upload the file to your server, click on the “upload” button. Sharing button (Public) Files: To share a public file, select the appropriate file in the “main window” or in the “files tab” in the “side bar” and click on the “sharing” button. A window will appear with an http(s):// address. Commercial in Confidence, Page 23 of 36 Figure 2–16: Pronto! Unlimited size Attachments and File Sharing This is the address that can be distributed to the public so they may view the files: Copy Link Button: To copy the newly created URL address for the files, click on the “copy link” button. Now, the copied URL address can be pasted as need be. Sharing button (Private) Files: To share a private file that has been uploaded using the Pronto! interface, select the appropriate file from the Private folder in the “files tab” in the “side bar” and click on the “sharing” button. A window will appear with a secure http: address that will lead to the file that is stored on the server. Commercial in Confidence, Page 24 of 36 Figure 2–17: Pronto! Folder Sharing This is the address that can be distributed to the public so they may view the files, however access must be provided to allow a user to view the files: Copy Link Button: To copy the newly created URL address for the files, click on the “copy link” button. Now, the copied URL address can be pasted as required. Disable Sharing Button: To revoke access to the private files, and remove the URL link, click on the “disable sharing” button. The URL that was created for the files has been removed. To share this file again, click on the “share file” button – which replaces the “disable sharing” button when not sharing the file. Sharing button (Public) Folders: To share a public folder that you have uploaded using the Pronto! interface, select the appropriate file in the “main window” or in the “files tab” in the “side bar” and click on the “sharing” button: Commercial in Confidence, Page 25 of 36 Figure 2–18: Pronto! Folder Listing Attachments and Sharing Directory Window: This is where the URL to distribute where the folder will be visible. This is the address that can be distributed to the public so they can view the directory of files. Copy Link Button: To easily copy the newly created URL address for the folder, click on the “copy link” button. Now, the copied URL address can be pasted as required. File List Window: In this window you will find the URL to distribute to provide access to the list of files in the directory. This is the address that can be distributed to the public so they can view of the list of files. Copy Link Button: To easily copy the newly created URL address for the contents of the folder, click on the “copy link” button. Now, the copied URL address can be pasted as required Sharing button (Private) Folders: To share a private folder that you have uploaded using the Pronto! interface, select the appropriate file in the “main window” or in the “files tab” in the “side bar” and click on the “sharing” button. Commercial in Confidence, Page 26 of 36 Figure 2–19: Pronto! Folder Listing Attachments and Sharing Access must be provided to users so they may view the files. Directory Window: In this window you will find the secure URL to distribute where the folder will be shared. This is the address that can be distributed to the public so they can view the directory of files. Copy Link Button: To copy the newly created URL address for the folder, click on the “copy link” button. Now, the copied URL address can be pasted as required. File List Window: In this window you will find the secure URL to distribute where you to see the list of files in the directory. This is the address that can be distributed to the public so they can view of the list of files. Copy Link Button: To copy the newly created URL address for the contents of the folder, click on the “copy link” button. Now, the copied URL address can be pasted as required. Disable Sharing Button: To revoke access to the private folder, and remove the URL link, click on the “disable sharing” button. The URL will be removed. To share this file again, click on the “share file” button, which replaces the “disable sharing” button when you are not sharing the file. Commercial in Confidence, Page 27 of 36 E-­‐mail File button: To send the files to another user quickly via e-­‐mail, click on the appropriate file in the “files tab” in the “side bar” then click on the “e-­‐mail file” button. The e-­‐mail composer will open and it will contain the secure link to the file. Figure 2–20: Pronto! Folder Listing Attachments and Sharing Right Clicking a File or Folder under the “Files” Tab in the “Side-­‐Bar” Another unique feature found Pronto! is the ability to “right click” on a file or folder under the “files tab” in the “side bar.” This will allow for maintenance of the uploaded files and folders. A browser specific menu will appear next to the mouse-­‐pointer with the options to: create a folder, rename a marked file, share a file, e-­‐mail a file and remove a file. These options all work the same way as outlined above. Move into…: To move and categorize the files messages into specific folders, select the appropriate file under the “files” tab in the “side bar” right click on that file and select the “move into” option from the pull-­‐down menu. Copy into…: To copy and categorize the files into specific folders, while leaving the file in its current destination, select the appropriate file under the “files” tab in the “side bar” right click on that file and select the “copy into” option from the pull-­‐down menu. Within the “copy into” window, every file folder that you have created is available and listed. Commercial in Confidence, Page 28 of 36 2.1.7.
Collaboration and Groupware for Business grade SaaS Solution CommuniGate Pro supports collaboration or “Groupware” functionality enabling e-­‐mail, calendaring, file sharing, task management, and group scheduling using Pronto!, iCal, or Microsoft Outlook’s advanced functionality. CommuniGate Pro also provides an integrated Web client allowing users to access their e-­‐mail, calendaring, and scheduling information from any web browser. These features are key for hosting business services in the SaaS model. Groupware is a component within the overall CommuniGate Pro solution, just as the LDAP directory and IMAP module are components. The server stores all groupware data (i.e. calendars, tasks, contacts) and messaging data (i.e. E-­‐mails) in Internet-­‐standard formats, allowing users to access their information through a wide variety of client applications. Users have maximum flexibility when choosing clients: •
Pronto! Flash UI •
Apple iCAL ver3 with WebDAV and Apple Mail •
Outlook in “workgroup” mode, connecting via the MAPI interface, •
Access the same data via the full-­‐featured WebMail client, or •
Choose any application supporting e-­‐mail standards SMTP/POP/IMAP (such as Mozilla Thunderbird) and XMPP/SIP standards (such as Gaim) or calendaring standards iCAL/iTIP/iMIP (such as Mozilla Sunbird or Novell Evolution) The CommuniGate Pro Outlook Plug-­‐in (MAPI Connector) acts as a "MAPI provider". It accepts MAPI requests from Microsoft Outlook (Outlook 97, Outlook 2000, XP, Outlook 2003 and Outlook 2007) running in the Corporate Workgroup mode and from other Windows applications. The MAPI Connector then converts (translates) these requests into extended IMAP commands and sends them to the CommuniGate Pro Server. The CommuniGate Pro MAPI Connector contains two code parts (shared libraries). The main functionality is implemented on the server side. But, the second part of the Connector must be installed on the client, along with Outlook, to be able to effectively translate the data and connect to the CommuniGate Pro server. Utilizing Outlook in Corporate Workgroup mode against the CommuniGate Pro server requires the installation of the MAPI connector. This small piece of software translates the proprietary Microsoft language that Outlook uses to talk to Exchange (MAPI), into the language that CommuniGate Pro understands (IMAP). Additionally, the connection can be set to run in secure SSL mode (port 993) for sending and receiving mail in Outlook. This provides remote workers the flexibility to run Outlook without need of complex VPNs. CommuniGate Pro with Groupware allows users to access the server through their existing Outlook clients (via the MAPI Connector), providing the same groupware functionality for Outlook users as if they were connected to a legacy MS Exchange server, but with enhanced reliability, speed, and mailbox sharing abilities. Commercial in Confidence, Page 29 of 36 Figure 2–21: CommuniGate Pro MAPI Connector for Outlook 2.1.8.
CommuniGate Pro SIP Farm SIP Farm is CommuniGate Pro's technology for clustering voice-­‐over-­‐IP (VoIP) for 99.999% uptime, redundancy, and scalability. The CommuniGate Pro Dynamic Cluster maintains the information about all servers enabled for SIP Farm. Incoming SIP UDP packets and TCP connections are distributed to those servers using regular/simple load balancers. Packets not directed to a particular SIP Farm server are distributed to all SIP Farm members based on the CommuniGate Pro cluster algorithms and the currently available set of the active SIP Farm cluster members. In the case of the addition or loss of a SIP Farm member (such as a hardware failure), the traffic is redistributed to other SIP Farm members to maintain consistent signaling. 2.1.9.
CommuniGate Pro VoIP Infrastructure and Applications Commercial in Confidence, Page 30 of 36 While CommuniGate Pro version 4.3 introduced an advanced “VoIP Infrastructure” which enabled users to utilize SIP telephony anywhere in the world, CommuniGate Pro version 5.0 introduced “VoIP Applications”, while version 5.2 and 5.3 refined these applications and added more features and attributes. These voice applications enable users to communicate using true IP-­‐based telephony devices and applications as well as connect to the Publicly Switched Telephone Network (PSTN). Included in “VoIP Infrastructure” features are those which affect architecture, gateways, networks, and clustering: •
“SIP Farm” – all-­‐active clustering of SIP services •
“Just Add Nodes” – adding additional nodes to the live cluster adds capacity and redundancy •
CDR records creation and API for billing •
Complete NAT traversal/SBC/media proxy functionality •
“SIP Workaround Features” – runtime workarounds for non-­‐standard SIP soft-­‐switches and clients •
Multiple gateway support •
Advanced call digit routing control •
ParlayX API •
Radius API •
External Helper Routing for ENUM or number portability databases Included in “VoIP Applications” are a variety of CG/PL applications which run on the CommuniGate Pro platform. These applications are generally delivered in the CommuniGate Pro distribution package as “openly-­‐sourced” scripts, meaning they can be easily modified or customized by Customers and Partners for their own use, development, or site personalization. Included applications include: •
Conference Server •
Auto-­‐attendant/IVR •
Call queuing/Automatic Call Distribution (ACD) •
Voicemail and Self-­‐Service •
Call Parking, Pickup, & Transfer •
Included VoIP applications are easily extendable •
B2BUA functionality using the built-­‐in “GatewayCaller” application •
Open, documented “CG/PL” (CommuniGate Programming Language) for a powerful voice development platform With CommuniGate Pro’s standards-­‐based foundation and SIP infrastructure, all end users are provided the ability to instant message, video conference and make VoIP phone calls from any Internet location to any Internet location. In addition to its e-­‐mail, calendaring and groupware capabilities, CommuniGate Pro provides a advanced SIP infrastructure that requires no additional SBC hardware and Commercial in Confidence, Page 31 of 36 that offers near-­‐end and far-­‐end NAT traversal to seamlessly interoperate with any VPN or firewall. CommuniGate Pro’s foundation of identity management allows users to register with the same username, password, and profile that they already use for e-­‐mail and groupware. All users have access to their voicemail and call control directly from the desktop, including productivity improving features such as “click-­‐to-­‐call” from the address book in Outlook and WebMail. Figure 2–22: Click-­‐to-­‐Call from Outlook with CounterPath EyeBeam SIP Client 2.1.10.
CommuniGate Pro Dynamic Cluster Technology CommuniGate Pro is the only product on the market which is Dynamically Clustered for all-­‐active (“active-­‐active”) redundancy, meaning that Frontend and Backend nodes can be added and removed while the system is live without affecting customer service. The CommuniGate Pro Dynamic Cluster Commercial in Confidence, Page 32 of 36 requires no offline failover systems – all system hardware investments are actively deployed to add directly to the overall scalability and redundancy of the cluster. The Dynamic Cluster achieves true 99.999% availability by eliminating any single point of failure in the application infrastructure. The Dynamic Cluster is implemented with two different functional types of CommuniGate Pro servers -­‐ called "Frontend Servers" and "Backend Servers" -­‐ each of which is a different configuration of the same single software solution. When the Dynamic Cluster first comes online, one Backend Server is assigned the role of "Primary Cluster Controller", while a second is designated the "Backup Cluster Controller". All servers in a Dynamic Cluster are aware of which Backend Servers are the Primary and Backup Controllers at any point in time. Figure 2–23: CommuniGate Pro Dynamic Cluster Automatic Rollover All user client connections occur only to the Frontend Servers, allowing for a centralized and tightly controlled security approach. The Backend Servers handle all data requests for the Frontend Servers, including mailstore and account data, as well as other pages such as Webmail and web-­‐based Call Control and Voicemail access (which can be assigned per-­‐domain or site-­‐wide, and are currently provided in 25 languages). As new connections arrive via SIP and RTP (as well as IMAP, POP, SMTP, SIP, HTTP, iCAL, CalDAV and others) the Primary Cluster Controller directs all sessions for a specific user to the Backend Server currently handling that user's sessions. If a session for that user is not already currently established, then the new session is opened by the Frontend Server being instructed by the Commercial in Confidence, Page 33 of 36 Primary Cluster Controller to direct the session to the Backend Server currently handling the fewest number of active sessions. Only one Backend Server handles any one user account at any point in time. All members of the Dynamic Cluster use a proprietary inter-­‐server TCP-­‐based communication method called "Account-­‐Level Synchronization" to ensure a distribution of load across all Backend Servers, as well as to manage all session file handling of the Shared File System and to keep a status on the health of all servers in the cluster. Account-­‐Level Synchronization eliminates the need for high-­‐latency file system-­‐based file locking, and guarantees that no data integrity problems such as file corruption can occur. Figure 2–24: CommuniGate Pro Account-­‐Level Syncronization The most significant event in the Dynamic Cluster is the loss of the Primary Cluster Controller – in this event, the Backup Cluster Controller becomes the Primary Controller, and a new Backup is assigned. The new Primary Controller immediately begins querying the Cluster Members to retrieve the location and state of any stateful active user sessions, to ensure that sessions are continued without interruption. Real-­‐time SIP and media sessions are automatically assigned to other Frontend servers. This multi-­‐level, multi-­‐server design allows the system to survive failure of any member, providing access to all accounts as long as at least one front and one back end server survive. If the Cluster Controller server fails, some other cluster member assumes the role of the Controller. Such a “Dynamic Cluster” meets or exceeds 99.999% availability requirements. The Dynamic Cluster architecture provides both performance and stability by removing the inefficiencies associated with file access systems. A Dynamic Cluster solution implements “Account Level Synchronization” with a Cluster Controller, using a special inter-­‐server protocol to ensure that an account is used directly by only one cluster member at any given moment. The storage subsystem is the key component of the Dynamic Cluster architecture. While its performance is not as critical for real-­‐time (SIP/Signaling) operations as it is for e-­‐mail operations, still the performance and reliability of the entire Cluster depend on the storage subsystem. While performance of Frontend and Backend nodes can be easily increased by increasing the number of servers, by using multi-­‐CPU servers, and by using faster CPUs, upgrading storage systems is a much Commercial in Confidence, Page 34 of 36 more painful and complex process. As a result, we highly recommend deploying a high-­‐quality, high-­‐
performance storage subsystem from the very beginning. The CommuniGate Pro application server does not use file-­‐locking mechanisms and, as a result, can work with NAS 3-­‐5 times faster than other solutions. The software also provides real reliability over NFS, as NFS file locking has been known to cause performance problems in other large, dynamic systems. If cluster back-­‐end server A has opened the account X, and some other back-­‐end server B tries to open the same account, the Controller instructs it to connect to server A and use it as a “proxy” to access the account data. Synchronization within each cluster member is implemented using faster multi-­‐threading techniques, instead of file system locks. Released from file-­‐locking duties, the storage devices can now handle a much larger number of accounts, increasing stability and performance. Unlike unreliable file locks, Account Level Synchronization does not leave a trace in the file system, so no cleanup is needed if any server fails. 2.1.11.
CommuniGate Pro Scalability The CommuniGate Pro Dynamic Cluster maintains the information about all servers enabled. Incoming UDP packets and TCP connections are distributed to those servers using regular/simple load balancers. The following diagram depicts a "12x4" Dynamic Cluster (12 Frontends and 4 Backends), architected in a “simple” layout where all Frontends are part of the server Farm, and therefore all Frontends use the same configuration and provide all services: Commercial in Confidence, Page 35 of 36 Figure 2–25: CommuniGate Pro Dynamic Cluster with SIP Farm Commercial in Confidence, Page 36 of 36