Our Technology

Technical features:

• SQL server back end for all data storage
• Full source code disclosure
• Modular design allowing flexibility in configuration
• Well defined API for writing client applications

CONGO Components

Client

CONGO supports 2 different types of clients. The first is a direct-connect client that talks directly to the CONGO server. This system would need to format its requests into the XML-based form that the CONGO server expects, using the various API calls needed to access and manipulate the data stored in the server.

The second type of client works via the CONGO Web Client, a series of routines written in PHP inside a webserver, that can link a remote web browser to the CONGO server without requiring any additional software installed on the desktop client end. This configuration is commonly known as a "3 tier" service model. The 'client' is a web browser on a desktop, the 'application server' is the set of PHP scripts running on the webserver, and the 'data server' is where the CONGO processes run and the data is stored. (Technically, it can be a 4 tier system, seperating the CONGO server from the database server, but we digress.)

The first is web-based, using a standard web browser. This communicates to the CONGO server via a piece of software installed in the webserver, referred to as the CONGO web client.

Webserver

The CONGO Web client is a set of PHP scripts that runs on an Apache server with PHP installed. The Web Client communicates with the CONGO server via ConAPI, the spec for remote data calls to the CONGO server. These calls are standard XML-formatted requests, communicating over a standard TCP/IP socket.

Data server

The Data Server component consists of the CONGO server itself, which is a standard daemon accepting socket connections on a user-defined port, and a MySQL database used store the actual data. These two processes can happen on the same machine, or on seperate machines, it doesn't matter to CONGO.

The CONGO server communicates with its client(s) via ConAPI, a well-defined set of XML-structured commands that process and manipulate the data stored within the MySQL server, returning it in a form the client can use to generate badges, display information to the user, or run reports. Documentation for the API is available and is updated to the site periodically.

The MySQL server is a standard implementation of Monty Widenus's excellent MySQL opensource SQL server. This system has proven itself fast, flexible, and dependable time and time again.