Components and technologies

Experience Services - Core (CRX) is the core technology in ADEP used to provide content management and rich internet application capabilities for web applications. Experience Services - Core (CRX) is central to Experience Server and contains a Java™ Content Repository (JCR), an OSGi Container for business logic (Apache Felix), and a Web framework used to process HTTP requests in a RESTful way. Experience Server also provides Data Services used to aid integration with 3rd party data sources (such as SQL databases and CRM systems).

Experience Services - Core (CRX) provides the Content Repository, Web framework, and Java™ runtime container for your applications through a combination of:

JCR-compliant content repository:

Apache Jackrabbit is a fully conforming implementation of the Content Repository for Java Technology API (JCR, specified in JSR 170 and 283). This is a highly scalable content repository that can be used to store and manage unstructured content such as documents, media, user-generated content, and application metadata. Apache Jackrabbit does not rely on a relational database (RDBMS). Instead, Apache Jackrabbit stores the content in a highly optimized manner within the JCR content model.

Apache Felix:

Apache Felix is an implementation of the OSGi R4 Service Platform and related subprojects that implement specific parts of OSGi and related technologies.

Apache Sling:

Apache Sling is a Web framework that uses the Java Content Repository and Felix OSGi framework to build RESTful applications with support for scripting within the server, including JSP, server-side JavaScript, and Scala.

Composite Application Framework aggregates HTML and Flex-based user interface components into a single application view that provides an intuitive user interface in the context of the user's current task. Composite Application Framework also provides and manages a context (a set of attributes). Views with their context can be persisted on the server and shared with other users. Composite applications are dynamically instantiated during run time on the client and display content according to the current context.

The dynamic composition allows developers to decouple the implementation of individuals parts of the application, which simplifies change management (that is, isolated changes, adding additional components) and hence supports the management of large implementation projects. Another aspect of dynamic composition is that the user's role and entitlements are applied before the application is sent to the client and the code gets loaded. This allows, for example, to hide parts of the application that the user is not entitled to see.

Composite Application Framework takes care of loading modules, provides the infrastructure for inter-tile communication and services, and managing assets and applications on the server.

Composite Application Services can also easily leverage Document Services capabilities around documents.

Data Services provides Remoting (RPC), Messaging (publish/subscribe and push, and Data Management capabilities for the creation of rich Internet application (RIA's) as well as multiscreen, mobile, or occasionally-connected applications.

Data Services also provides a highly productive set of Model-Driven Development capabilities that enable developers to focus on application and business logic. Data Services also includes a wide variety of back-office data connectivity options including connectivity to server-side Java™ code, SAP, RDBMS, Hibernate, JMS, and others.

Data Services is included as part of Experience Services, providing the capabilities required to develop Customer Experience Management Solutions. Data Services is a core framework within ADEP used by all Solutions.

In addition to being integrated with Experience Services, Data Services also continues to ship separately in its current JEE form.

For more information, see Data Services in Developing for ADEP Experience Services.

ADEP provides a framework for authentication and single sign-on needed by Web applications (Flash and HTML) as well as the ability to integrate with Document Server to centralize Identity Management configuration.

For more information see Developing for ADEP Experience Services.

Task Management is a framework in Experience Server that provides support for two styles of User Task Management:

• Manage User Tasks in an ad-hoc fashion, with data stored in the Content Repository.

• Manage Business Process Management (BPM) tasks generated on Document Server.

Task Management framework provides solution developers with a common interface and common UX components for both styles of User Task Management depending on what the solution requires.

Experience Server is integrated with Document Server in two ways:

• Uses Document Server as the Identity Provider for authentication and group membership of users who authenticate to Experience Server. This is achieved by enabling a CRX Login Module supplied with ADEP that performs authentication using a separately deployed Document Server. An Enterprise Domain on Document Server controls authentication based on LDAP or locally administered users.

• Invokes Document Services and processes running on Document Server by way of the Document Services SDK. This SDK can be used within an OSGi Bundle or using scripting in a JSP.

Document Services provides a set of modules for building applications that process documents and forms. For information about individual modules, click the links below.

For more information about the architecture and capabilities of Document Services, see ADEP Document Services Overview.

UX components are reusable Flex components. The appearance and behavior of a UX component can be tailored to the final application, while retaining high levels of core functionality. The component can be inherited for specialization, and because its skin is separated from the component, the appearance of the component can be efficiently or easily tailored to the final application. UX components are available for use by developers within Flash Builder after installing the Flash Builder Extensions for Experience Services.

For more information, see Developing for ADEP Experience Services.

Multiple instances of Experience Server can be deployed to assist with throughput and failover concerns in the Web tier for a solution. Experience Server employs a "shared nothing" approach to clustering such that each instance contains its own Content Repository but the contents of that repository are synchronized in a "master / slave" topology.

For more information, see Experience Services Clustering.

Applications built on ADEP can be packaged for transportation and re-deployment on another system as Experience Packages. Experience Packages can be uploaded and shared on Adobe Package Share. The Experience Package is a type of ZIP archive with additional metadata.

Experience Server does not require deployment on a JEE Application Server and can instead be launched as a stand-alone server accessed behind a typical Web Server such as an Apache HTTP Server. However, it is also possible to deploy Experience Server as a WAR-based JEE application on a variety of JEE Application Servers for cases where an Enterprise has already standardized on such a deployment.

Document Server does require deployment on a JEE Application Server and is it is typically not deployed within the same network zone as Experience Server(s) used to handle interactions with end users through web and mobile channels.