Data flow

Custom applications
Adobe Connect applications
Components of Adobe Connect

The data flows between client applications and Adobe Connect are shown in the following diagram. Custom applications that you write use paths 1 to 2 and A to B. Adobe Connect applications (such as Adobe Connect Meeting, Adobe Connect Training, or Adobe Connect Events) can use any of the data flow paths.

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The data flow between Adobe Connect and client applications

The data flow can be encrypted with SSL or unencrypted.

Unencrypted

If the data flow is unencrypted, connections are made over HTTP and Adobe Real Time Messaging Protocol (RTMP) and follow the paths described in the following table.

Diagram number	Description
1	The client web browser requests an Adobe Connect meeting or content URL over port HTTP:80 (connection paths may vary).
2	The web server responds with content transfer or provides the client browser with information to enter Adobe Connect.
3	Adobe Flash® Player requests a connection to Adobe Flash Media Server over RTMP:1935 and HTTP:80.
4	Flash Media Server responds, and a persistent connection is opened to stream meeting traffic to the browser.
3a (alternate)	In some cases, Flash Player requests a connection to the Flash Media Server, but can only obtain a tunneled connection over RTMPT:80.
4a (alternate)	Flash Media Server responds, and a tunneled connection is opened to stream meeting traffic to the browser.

Encrypted

If the data flow is encrypted, connections are made securely over HTTPS and RTMPS (Real Time Messaging Protocol over SSL), as follows.

Diagram number	Description
A	The client web browser requests a secure meeting or content URL over an encrypted connection on HTTPS:443 (connection paths may vary).
B	The web/application server responds with an encrypted content transfer or provides the client with information to make an encrypted connection to Adobe Connect.
C	Flash Player requests an encrypted connection to Flash Media Server over RTMPS:443.
D	Flash Media Server responds, and a persistent connection is opened to stream meeting traffic to the browser.

Custom applications

Adobe Connect Web Services provides an XML API, so your application must be able to communicate with Adobe Connect using XML over HTTP or XML over HTTPS. Your application calls the API by building a request URL and passing it one or more parameters, either as name/value pairs or as an XML document. Web Services returns an XML response, from which you can extract values.

Custom applications retrieve metadata from the Adobe Connect database. Metadata includes meeting or course names and times, meeting room URLs, content URLs, and report information.

The data flow for a custom application retrieving metadata from the database is from a client web browser, to the client web application server, to the XML API, the Adobe Connect web application server, and the SQL database—and then back again.

The data flow between a custom application and Adobe Connect works like this:

A user accesses your custom application from a web browser.
The application calls the XML API over HTTP:80 or HTTPS:443.
The Adobe Connect web application server authorizes the application and its users, retrieves metadata from the SQL database, and returns the metadata.
On the client side, your web or application server, XML parser, and software libraries handle the response and return it to your application.
The user continues to work in your custom application, and clicks a meeting or content URL. At this point, the user accesses a Adobe Connect application to enter a meeting room, and the typical data flow between a Adobe Connect application and the server begins.

Adobe Connect applications

Adobe Connect applications call the server using the same Web Services XML API that you use from a custom application.

In general, content is transported over HTTP port 80 or HTTPS port 443. Content includes slides, HTTP pages, SWF files, and files transferred through the FileShare pod. These are default port numbers that you can configure (see Migrating, Installing, and Configuring Adobe Connect Server for details).

Streamed, real-time communications from Flash Media Server are transported over RTMP port 1935. Streamed communications include audio, video (webcam and FLV), file share, and chat. Meeting state is also maintained over RTMP port 1935.

Components of Adobe Connect

Adobe Connect is architected with two server components, and each server uses a SQL database.

The web application server: The web application server is the brains of Adobe Connect. It contains and executes all of the business logic needed to deliver content to users. It handles access control, security, quotas, and licensing, as well as management functions such as clustering, failover, and replication.
The web application server also handles Adobe Connect Central, the application through which you view and manage your organization’s content and users—when you are not using a custom application or integrated third-party system. The metadata describing content and users can be stored in either single or multiple replicated SQL databases. The web application server is stateless, which means that scaling is near linear.
Flash Media Server: Flash Media Server is the muscle of Adobe Connect. Flash Media Server streams audio, video, and rich media content using RTMP. When a meeting is recorded and played back, audio and video are synchronized, or content is converted and packaged for real-time screen sharing, Flash Media Server does the job.
Flash Media Server also plays a vital role in reducing server load by caching frequently accessed web pages, streams, and shared data.
The SQL database: Adobe Connect uses the Microsoft SQL Server database for persistent storage of transactional and application metadata, including users, groups, content, and reporting information. The XML API retrieves metadata stored in the database. The database can be implemented with either the Microsoft SQL Server Desktop Engine (MSDE) or the full version of Microsoft SQL Server 2005.