Adobe® Connect™ Technical Overview Table of contents Adobe Connect is a rich web communication system that provides secure online meet- ings, training, and presentations that anyone can access through any web browser. 1. Modular architecture Adobe Connect allows nontechnical subject matter experts to easily create online meet- 2. Adobe Connect Server components ings and web communications that include voice, video, animations, and interactive mul- 3. Hosted and licensed solutions timedia that participants view using Adobe Flash® Player, already installed on over 98% 4. Enterprise integration of Internet-connected desktops worldwide, so there’s no extra software to download. 5. Audio video integration 6. Extensibility and custom integration 7. Adobe Connect Edge Server Adobe Connect 8. Reverse Proxy settings for the Edge API & SDK server Adobe Connect Adobe Connect Adobe Connect Adobe 9. Deploying servers in a cluster Meeting Training Events Presenter 10. Recommended hardware 11. VMWare deployments Adobe Connect Server or Hosted 12. Planning for usage (concurrent ver- sus named) 13. Sizing considerations Modular Architecture 14. Security 15. Bandwidth requirements The foundation for Adobe Connect is the Adobe Connect Server. The Adobe Connect Server uses a highly scalable, secure, and flexible architecture that enables people to col- laborate in real time no matter where they are. It also allows people to access marketing, sales, and training materials at their own convenience through on-demand presenta- tions. The Adobe Connect Server offers enterprise-class scalability, with support for single- server or clustered environments, and it provides reliable redundant deployment that can support thousands of concurrent users. Furthermore, it is designed to be an open platform and can be extended and integrated with other systems through a comprehen- sive set of APIs. Adobe Connect Server Access control Reporting User management • Authentication • Permission-based access • User profile management • Role-based permissions • Dashboard reports • Group management • Group management • Customizable reports • Session management • Multi-tiered access • Manager and group reports • Directory service integration • Permissions • Cost center reports Scalability Delivery Integration • Clustering • Rapid publishing • Web services • Failover • Real-time data, voice, • Provisioning • Load-balancer support • Audio streaming • Application management • Backup storage support • Progressive downloads • Single sign-on • Edge servers • HTTP tunneling • Database-level reporting views Security Compliance Extensibility • Flash technology • Administrator control • Flash • TSL/SSL security • Disable functionality • Collaboration builder SDK • Hashed passwords • Data recording and retention • LDAP • Privacy certifications • Rule-based access controls • Web services Adobe Connect Technical Overview 1 Application suite Adobe Connect Server Components The Adobe Connect Server offers a suite of applications that can be Application Server combined to meet your needs. It also The Adobe Connect application server includes a web-based interface that is built on J2EE, using Apache Tomcat. lets you manage content, create cur- Adobe Connect Server Apache Tomcat provides the founda- riculums, enroll in courses, schedule tion that the application layer is built on. events, and start meetings. Apache HTTP Server provides the web Adobe Connect Server has four ap- The Apache Web Server server functionality. The server contains plications with features for meetings, Software Foundation and executes all the business logic neces- training, events, and presentations. sary for delivering content to users. You can also extend Adobe Connect Server and integrate it with other The Adobe Connect application server systems through its web services API Application Server manages users, groups, on-demand and available SDKs. content, and client sessions, among other tasks. Adobe Connect Meeting Database lets users conduct online meetings Some of the application server’s specific and seminars in which presenters duties include access control, security, can show multimedia presentations, compliance, quotas, licensing, and audit- share their screen, and broadcast live Transcoding Engines ing and management functions such as audio and video to participants in real clustering, failover, and replication. The time. Adobe Connect application server also transcodes media, which includes Micro- Adobe Connect Training Streaming soft PowerPoint and audio conversion to lets users create, manage, deploy, and Communication Server Flash as well as to other associated media track eLearning courses and curricu- files. lums, complete with enrollment, as- sessments, surveys, learner manage- The Adobe Connect application server is ment, and robust reporting. stateless and follows a service-oriented architecture (SOA). Because the applica- Adobe Connect Events tion server is stateless, scaling is near lets users manage the full life cycle of linear. The transactional and application large- and small-scale events, such Windows Server metadata that the application server as attendee qualification, registration manages can be stored in either single or management, reporting, and notifica- TM multiple replicated SQL databases. tion management. Adobe Presenter is a plug-in application for Microsoft Streaming Communication Server PowerPoint that lets users rapidly Adobe Connect Server includes an embedded instance of Adobe Flash Media Server create eLearning content and high- software. In the context of Adobe Connect, Flash Media Server technology is referred to quality multimedia on-demand pre- as the meeting server. This component handles all of the real-time streaming of audio sentations. Finished presentations are and video, synchronization of data, and delivery of rich-media content, including Adobe Flash Player compatible SWF files and Connect meeting interactions. Flash Media Server software also plays a vital role in re- are SCORM and AICC compliant. ducing server load and latency by caching frequently accessed streams and shared data. Adobe Connect Central Flash Media Server software streams audio, video, and accompanying meeting data is a web-based application that lets using the Adobe Real-Time Messaging Protocol (RTMP). Flash Media Server software users and administrators manage can also be configured to secure Adobe Connect through software Secure Sockets Layer account-related information and (SSL). content. Use adobe Connect Central to create meetings, manage presenta- Flash Media Server software and Adobe Connect application server components work tions, create curriculums and events, together on the same computer to deliver the Adobe Connect solution. view and download reports, and more. Adobe Connect Technical Overview 2 Database The Adobe Connect Server database is used for persistent storage of transactional and application metadata, including user, group, content, and reporting information. Adobe Connect Server can use either the embedded database engine (Microsoft SQL Server Express) or the full version of Microsoft SQL Server. Check the Adobe Connect system requirements for the most up-to-date information. The embedded database engine is included with Adobe Connect Server and must be installed on the same com- puter as Adobe Connect Server. SQL Server can reside on the same computer as Adobe Connect Server, or you can deploy it on a different computer or in a cluster (a configura- tion with multiple computers) for scalability and redundancy. When Adobe Connect Server is deployed in a cluster, or with multiprocessor comput- ers with Hyper-Threading Technology (HTT), you must use SQL Server, and it cannot be installed on the same computer as Adobe Connect Server Data flow Adobe Connect Server uses the following communication protocols: HTTP, HTTPS, RTMP, and RTMPS. RTMP is optimized to deliver real-time, high-impact streams. RTMPS is the secure implementation of RTMP. CLIENT APPLICATION ADOBE CONNECT SERVER WWW 1 HTTP:80 2 Web Web/ A HTTPS:443 B services application Web broswer API server C RTMPS:443 authority D 3 RTMP:1935 4 Flash Media Server Flash Player 3a RTMPT:443 4a SQL database Depending on whether communications are encrypted, the connection paths vary. Unencrypted connections are made over HTTP and RTMP and follow the paths de- scribed in the table. The numbers in the table correspond to the numbers in the data flow diagram. Encrypted connections are made over HTTPS and RTMPS, and follow the paths described in the table. The letters in the table correspond to the letters in the data flow diagram. A client initiates the first connection to the application server. These con- nections, such as for login requests, file publishing, or content and event management, are made through HTTP or HTTPS. After the client engages in real-time communication, a connection to Flash Media Server is started, and the Adobe Connect Server uses either RTMP or RTMPS to deliver streamed content. Adobe Connect Technical Overview 3 Number Description 1 The client web browser requests a meeting or content URL over HTTP:80. 2 The web server responds and transfers the content or provides the client with information to connect to the meeting. 3 The client Flash Player requests a connection to the meeting over RTMP:1935. 4 Flash Media Server responds and opens a persistent connection for Adobe Connect streaming traffic. 3a The client Flash Player requests a connection to the meeting but can only connect over RTMPT:443.