Module: is a package used to group together and distribute Funambol Data Synchronization Server extensions. A Module contains sync connectors, synclets, configuration files, database scripts and so on.
Connectors: is a server extension that integrates Funambol Data Synchronization Server with an external source of data. It contains everything is required for the configuration and the runtime execution of the integration module. This includes basic configuration files, code, software interfaces and graphical user interfaces for the sync sources configuration. In addition, a sync connector defines the sync source types, which are the kind of sync sources an administrator or developer can create and configure.
Sync Source Type: represents a specific kind of sync source, such as file system sync source (to access the file system), exchange server contact sync source (to access a Microsoft Exchange account) and so on.
Sync Source: is the minimal synchronization unit. A sync source represents the entity a client can request to synchronize. A sync source is uniquely identified in the server through a source URI, which is the key the client must use to address it.
Given the above definitions, we can have another look at the Figure 4, which shows the standard Funambol Data Synchronization Server configuration. A standard Funambol Data Synchronization Server installation comes with two installed modules: Foundation version 3.0.0 and PDI version 3.0.0.
The Funambol Foundation Connector is a standard Funambol Connectors; it contains internal components used by the server itself and the Foundation Connector. This just defines a sync source type called FileSystem SyncSource that can be used to create new file system sync sources.
The PDI module includes the PDI connector and, again, gives the ability to create new PMI related sync sources. PDI states for Personal Data Interchange, thus this module is intended for easily testing Funambol Data Synchronization Server with mobile phones and PIM applications. By default, the PDI module brings the following preconfigured sync sources:
Source URI | Description |
./briefcase | A file system sync source able to synchronize binary files |
./contact | A file system sync source able to synchronize vCard data (used for example by mobile phones) |
./calendar | A file system sync source able to synchronize iCalendar data (used for example by mobile phones) |
./xcal | A file system sync source able to synchronize Funambol Interchange Format Event (SIF-E) data (used for example by the Funambol Outlook Plug-in) |
./xcard | A file system sync source able to synchronize Funambol Interchange Format Contact (SIF-C) data (used for example by the Funambol Outlook Plug-in) |
./xtask | A file system sync source able to synchronize Funambol Interchange Format Task (SIF-T) data (used for example by the Funambol Outlook Plug-in) |
./xnote | A file system sync source able to synchronize Funambol Interchange Format Note (SIF-N) data (used for example by the Funambol Outlook Plug-in) |
To edit a sync source click on its source URI in the Funambol Administration Tool. The configuration of a file system sync source is shown in Figure 11.
The fields have the following meaning:
URI: the source URI
Name: the source display name
Type: files content mime type
Source Directory: where files are stored and read
Supported types: comma separated list of the
supported mime types; they are sent in the server
capabilities packet
Supported versions: comma separated list of the
mime type versions; for each mime type specified in the
supported types, a version number must appear here
Encoded: when the files content must be Base64
encoded. Please note that encoding may not be supported
by clients (i.e. cell phones).