Air Freight Container Firm Tracks 12 Million Moves a Year with Appfabric Solution

Windows Server AppFabric Customer Solution Case Study

Air Freight Container Firm Tracks 12 Million Moves a Year with AppFabric Solution

Overview “Without Windows Server App Fabric we would not have Country or Region: Germany been able to use a service-oriented architecture … Industry: Transportation and Logistics AppFabric was the enabler of the service-oriented solution Customer Profile Jettainer was founded in 2003 as a joint we needed to create.” venture between Lufthansa Cargo AG Dr. Ralf Hoelper, Director IT, Jettainer and TrenStar to specialize in the management of freight containers and Whenever a jetliner takes off, its luggage and other cargo is pallets, known as unit load devices stored in specially constructed containers called unit load (ULDs). devices (ULDs). Jettainer, based in Raunheim, Germany, manages Business Situation 80,000 ULDs for a customer base that includes some of the The company needed a solution that provided a deeper view into its largest airlines in the world. The logistics of getting the right operations that involve managing its ULDs located at optimal levels at more than 500 airports around 80,000 ULDs through some 12 million moves a year. the globe are challenging. Jettainer, working with Microsoft Gold Certified partner Daenet, created a solution for managing the Solution Working with Microsoft Gold Certified company’s 12 million ULD moves a year. The solution uses Partner Daenet, Jettainer created a ULD Windows Server AppFabric, a set of application services focused management solution using Windows Server AppFabric and related technology on improving the performance and management of Web and including Windows Communication composite applications. AppFabric gave Jettainer the services Foundation. hosting solution it needed, helped the company cut Benefits development time significantly, and linked back-end systems to Better view into its operations Hosting of services enable a better view into operations. Ease of monitoring Faster application development Situation manage the logistics process from data The employees of Jettainer help keep the collection and consolidation, to analysis world flying. The company, based in and reporting. The BI data warehouse Raunheim, near Frankfurt Airport in proved so efficient in providing Jettainer Germany, claims the world’s largest pool of employees—referred to as controllers— the specialized containers and pallets— with logistic information, that the company called unit load devices (ULDs) —that wanted to provide the same type of planes require to carry luggage and cargo. unification and usability to other applications and data feeds its controllers Working from 5 operational centers around use in their work. the world, each day Jettainer coordinates ULD availability for 5,000 flights across a For Jettainer, logistics is everything. network of 500 airports. ULDs come in Company success requires a complete and dozens of shapes and sizes, as they are accurate tracking of all ULDs within a global customized to fit within the fuselage curves transportation network of airlines, and spaces of each type of aircraft. forwarders, airports, and other Whether an airline needs a set of ULDs to stakeholders. The challenge includes hold luggage in an Airbus A321, or a seamlessly interfacing with various specialized ULD to transport a horse in a organizations in order to receive and Boeing 747 freighter, Jettainer makes sure process all relevant tracking information. the ULDs are ready wherever they may be Moreover, managing the ULD supply chain needed around the world. involves integrating seamlessly into the airline processes as well as alerting and Jettainer, whose 11 airline customers escalating in case of deviations from include global carriers such as Air Canada, transport plan or station stock. Air Astana, Alitalia, Condor, Lufthansa Cargo, Swiss World Cargo, United, and US “We need to optimize our use of the ULDs, Airways, manages more than 80,000 ULDs, which means identifying airports where we and tracks more than 12 million ULD moves have too many ULDs and finding the most a year. A comprehensive visibility of its efficient methods of redistributing them to ULDs is so mission-critical to the company’s airports with higher demands for ULDs,” success that it created a business says Andreas Seitz, Director Operations at intelligence (BI) data warehouse that holds Jettainer. “Continuously finding the more than 10 billion records. optimum distribution of our ULDs and quickly identifying and solving distribution The data warehouse was created and problems requires a deep view into our deployed using the Microsoft Application operations for our controllers, and we Platform, including Microsoft SQL Server wanted to create similar visibility for our 2005, since upgraded to SQL Server 2008 customers.” Enterprise (64-bit), and Microsoft BizTalk Server 2009. The result was an integrated Solution information and data management Jettainer worked with Daenet, a Microsoft platform that helps Jettainer track and Gold Certified partner based in Frankfurt

28 that specializes in agile implementation of at Jettainer. “Now with our AppFabric innovative enterprise applications. Working solution our customers can access their up- together, the companies created a set of to-date information 24 hours a day.” composite solutions taking advantage of Windows Server AppFabric, a set of The company sees its new solutions as a application services focused on improving competitive advantage. “Gaining improved the performance and management of Web transparency into operations is a critical and composite applications. success factor for our business,” says Alexander Plümacher, Managing Director at The new solutions, called ULD Control Jettainer. “The visualization provided by the Center and Management Cockpit give users ULD Control Center for our controllers, and immediate access to the integrated set of the Management Cockpit for our applications, services, and workflows customers, enable Jettainer to improve required to keep ULDs optimally stocked process control, which enhances overall around the world. operations and strengthens our long-term relationship with customers.” ULD Control Center is used by Jettainer controllers, providing a composite of the Architectural Notes data feeds and applications required to The solutions—built on top of Silverlight perform their work. It ideally supports the and Windows Mobile technology—were user by serving context-based information created using service-oriented architecture and thus ensuring the right decision is (SOA), with Windows Server AppFabric made to solve a specific business issue. hosting the services. “Our architectural Additionally, it enables tracking and focus was on integration of already running coordinating corrective actions, such as the highly heterogeneous applications and reduction of an overstock, and improves data sources, in new solutions based on the collaboration between the controllers, innovative technologies like Windows who are located at different sites Server AppFabric, and to achieve this in a worldwide. very short time.” says Damir Dobric, Managing Director and Lead Architect at Management Cockpit provides a similar Daenet. “Across different layers, we built up composite application for customers, to 50 applications.” including key performance indicators to monitor their own Jettainer ULD Using ULD Control Center, an employee information. The center screen includes a might check on the number of ULDs an world map, which overlays relevant airline has in Los Angeles, decide there was business data corresponding to airport an overstock of a particular ULD type, and locations and ULD needs and supplies. take actions to correct inventory levels by Users click on a site to dive into more identifying locations that were detailed information. understocked.

“Our customers used to receive monthly “One application would alert the employee reports,” says Dr. Ralf Hoelper, Director IT of the overstock,” says Dobric. A second

38 application would help solve the problem Jettainer’s SOA solution, deployed on HP by analyzing flight data to determine where and Dell multiprocessor servers, includes a it should go, and which flight would cost number of design elements, including: the least for the movement. A third Services hosting. Jettainer’s application set application manages escalations to ensure is based on more than 20 services. that the workflow is proceeding in a timely Windows Server AppFabric Hosting manner so that requested ULDs arrive when Services enhances the hosting of WCF and where needed.” and WF services in the Windows Process Activation Service (WAS), part of While BizTalk Server is used on what Dobric Windows Internet Information Services refers to as the integration layer, the SOA (IIS) 7.5. Windows Server AppFabric workflow in the application layer was Hosting Services provides a number of created using the Windows Communication capabilities, including simplified Foundation (WCF), an application deployment and management of WCF programming interface in the Microsoft and WF services hosted in WAS, .NET Framework for building connected simplified configuration of persistence SOA-based enterprise applications, and for durable workflows, and customizable Windows Workflow Foundation (WF), a monitoring of hosted services. Microsoft technology for defining, Application monitoring. In addition to executing, and managing long running simplifying the deployment, business processes. The developers used management, and configuration of the Microsoft .NET Framework 4.0. hosted services, Windows Server AppFabric Hosting Services makes it The user interface for the solution was easier to monitor applications by mainly created using Microsoft Silverlight capturing tracing information emitted at 4.0, a development platform for creating runtime and storing it in the monitoring engaging, interactive user experiences for database. Once captured, this Web, desktop, and mobile applications, for information is then available in the use online or offline. Silverlight has been an Dashboard feature in the IIS 7.0 asset in creating the rich visual displays, Management Console, or directly from including a dashboard map of the world the monitoring database. Dobric notes, which places a green, yellow, or red dot “Without AppFabric, monitoring would beside each airport that Jettainer services, be very difficult.” so controllers can see at a glance where Caching. Windows Server AppFabric attention is needed. Clicking on an airport Caching Services fuses memory across drills down into more detailed information. multiple computers to provide Moreover, the solution also provides distributed in-memory middle-tier support for Windows Mobile devices, caching that gives a single unified cache automates stocktaking and integrates view to applications. Scalability can be critical ULD location data discovered by achieved by simply adding more GPS and GPRS. computers on demand. AppFabric Caching Services also allows for copies of data to be stored across a cluster,

48 protecting data against failures. Jettainer Better View into its Operations likes the performance boost that caching Jettainer’s ULD Control Center, created as a provides. composition of services that unite Persistence. To simplify the configuration information from separate applications, of workflow persistence and to support provides a better view into its operations server farm configurations, Windows for the controllers and other employees Server AppFabric Hosting Services tasked with managing the company’s provides a SQL Server-based persistence global supply of ULDs. store and a SQL persistence provider that can be leveraged by any durable “Our controllers always had the information workflow hosted within WAS. Jettainer they needed, but they had to pull the plans to use persistence to support long- pieces together by opening separate span workflows, such as tracking special- applications and data stores,” says Bastian order ULDs. Mueller, Manager of IT Development at Data warehouse. Historical data on ULD Jettainer. “We bring in real-time data on movements and flight information are some 15,000 flight events a day from one gathered in a BI Data warehouse hosted source, and we have historical information on Microsoft SQL Server 2008 Enterprise from our data warehouse, and overstock database software and running on the and understock information from Windows Server 2008 Enterprise for 64- additional applications. Using AppFabric Bit Systems operating system. SQL Server we’ve brought all of these data sources 2008 Integration Services is used to together into a unified workspace with create extract, transform, and load Silverlight chart displays so that a controller packages to import disparate data can immediately spot an overstock or sources into the data warehouse. SQL understock situation, see the historic Server 2008 Analysis Services is used to information for the station [airport] to see if create multidimensional data cubes to the issue is cyclical, and access real-time support analytics. SQL Server 2008 Data flight data to determine the most efficient Mining algorithms are used to predict manner of moving ULDs into or out of the optimal logistics. station.”

Benefits The better view into the business Jettainer The suite of SOA solutions created using has gained is especially helpful because so Windows Server AppFabric has helped much of the value the company provides to Jettainer gain a better view into its its customers is based on spotting potential operations. The company values Windows problems early enough to prevent them Server AppFabric for the hosting of services from adversely impacting an airline’s it enables and the ease of monitoring its operations. If the proper ULDs aren’t ready, applications. Jettainer and partner Daenet a plane can’t take off with luggage or enjoyed faster application development cargo. “The solution automates critical than they have found with other business processes and provides within a development tools they have used. second valuable information, which previously was virtually lost within a huge

58 amount of data shared across many Hoelper says. “Without a hosting systems,” Dobric says. environment, the services are also difficult to administer and to monitor. Windows “Much of what we do is exceptions Server AppFabric was the enabler of the management,” Dr. Hoelper says. “If service-oriented solution we needed to everything always ran smoothly and the create.” containers were always being used in an optimal manner so there were never Dobric, who has created custom hosting damaged ULDs, nor stock imbalances, there solutions, ranks Services Hosting as wouldn't be a lot for Jettainer to do. But the AppFabric’s most important feature. real world is different and in the real world “Creating your own custom host for an SOA you frequently end up with too many solution is very time-consuming and containers in one location, and not enough complicated,” Dobric says. “The in another, and with 500 stations to balance complications become even more involved inventories across, a lot of effort goes into when dealing with workflows and the need determining the most efficient means for for persistence to maintain state while moving a ULD from point A to point B. The waiting for replies that are being generated visibility we’ve gained from our AppFabric in a human timeframe of hours or days, solution makes it far easier to manage rather than the relative instant responses of exceptions before they can become automated systems. With Windows Server problems. We’re giving our controllers the AppFabric we have out-of-the-box hosting, decision-support they need with our which tremendously simplifies unified SOA solution.” development, deployment, and ongoing systems administration.” Hosting of Services SOA application design has enabled a new Ease of Monitoring generation of solutions composed of The ease with which Jettainer can monitor services that simplify integration of the services of its application has emerged otherwise disparate applications, data as a major benefit. Windows Server stores, and workflows. Windows Server AppFabric makes it easier to monitor AppFabric Hosting Services, working in applications by capturing tracing conjunction with WAS—which enhances information at runtime and storing it in a and extends IIS hosting technologies— monitoring database. The information can provides an efficient and simple-to-deploy be accessed either directly from the services hosting environment, much database or by using the Dashboard appreciated by Jettainer because the feature of the IIS Management console. company didn’t need to create its own hosting solution. “Windows Server AppFabric monitoring helps us to see exactly what is happening “Without Windows Server App Fabric we with our services,” Mueller says. “We can would not have been able to use a service- see the state of all services. We can track oriented architecture because there wasn’t information based on tracing levels and dig a cost-effective hosting alternative,” Dr. into error messages. We can immediately

68 see if a service stops running, and take from sources such as Oracle and POP3. This whatever actions are required to get it is very important for us because we are going again.” processing a lot of information from different airlines and we also have to push Faster Application Development that information back to the airlines. We Jettainer and Daenet have enjoyed faster have to do a tremendous amount of application development than the communication in our business and organizations had found with any of the AppFabric helps us to do this.” other application tools they have used. Dobric credits a combination of Silverlight, Dobric notes that the Windows Server WCF, WF, and AppFabric features including AppFabric Routing Service and the Hosting Services with reducing application Application Auto Start feature saved development by half, compared to Java and development time in creating the Jettainer other development tools he has used. solution because of the efficient services it provides. “Routing Service represents “Daenet is encouraged to find the right functionality that would have required technology set which helps us and our considerable time and effort to create,” customers to achieve earlier time to Dobric says. “Routing gives us the ability— market,” says Dobric. without having to create new code or implement anything special—to define and Dr. Hoelper praises the reusability of the configure filters for routing. It gives us a code, offering the example of the ease with constantly running service that examines which services have been deployed on a messages and decides this message is handheld device for checking ULD responsible for endpoint #1, and another inventory in a process the company refers message is responsible for endpoint #2. to as stocktaking. The AppFabric Routing Service, right out of the box, provides the correct routing to any “We have our solution suite running on endpoint you define.” desktop and notebook computers, but we also have a mobile stocktaking application Summary deployed on hand-held devices equipped In summary, Jettainer and Daenet used with barcode scanners for tracking ULDs in Windows Server AppFabric and related the field,” Dr. Hoelper says. “The handheld Microsoft technology to create an SOA devices are using the same interface and solution suite that helps the company the same services as we use on our desktop better manage its global ULD operations. applications, which provides a very big advantage. Working with Windows Server AppFabric and the rest of the Microsoft technology we’ve found much higher reusability for code than we’ve ever seen before. This also translates into the ability to connect to third-parties, including JAVA- based applications and to collect the data

78 Windows Server 2008 The Windows Server AppFabric is a set of application services focused on improving the performance and management of Web and composite applications. To deliver these benefits, Windows Server AppFabric provides distributed caching technology and pre-built management and monitoring infrastructure that utilize familiar Microsoft .NET Framework skills. Windows Server AppFabric enhances the Application Server role in Windows Server and is available as a free download. Moving forward, Windows Server AppFabric will help developers take advantage of the scale and performance of the cloud, how and when they choose.

For more information about Windows Server AppFabric, please visit: www.microsoft.com/windowsserver2008/en /us/app-main.aspx