TeamWox SaaS Agent

In the summer of 2011 the new version of TeamWox SaaS Agent which allows to build free of charge SaaS of a farm with hundreds of copies of the systems of group work of TeamWox both to providers, and independent suppliers now was published.

To experience all problems which providers at installation and service of our software product face we decided to begin to provide services to SaaS independently.

Right at the beginning we had to experience all delights of work of hosters — preparation and setup of the computer, setup of a firewall, registration of domains, selection and prolongation of SSL of certificates, installation of the TeamWox servers for clients, testing of their availability after installation, monitoring of their status, TeamWox uninstallation.

If to do all specified transactions manually, every time repeating them again and again, then it is possible to make a mistake, and the client "will guess" that everything is not so simple as it is described by marketing specialists.

As well as any software developed by our company, the solution for management of a hosting of TeamWox had to be simple, effective, work for the administrator, forcing to execute a necessary minimum of transactions and to warn about dangers and errors. The result of work is TeamWox SaaS Agent.

In order that the computer with MS Windows Server 2008 turned into the house for ten systems of group work of TeamWox, one minute — 10 seconds for loading of an installer of TeamWox SaaS Agent (1.5 MB) and 50 seconds for its installation and opening of the web page with the offer to enter the login and the password suffices.

The web browser into which the user will enter the address of the favourite corporate application is necessary for the user for work with TeamWox. That to provide such address to the user, it is necessary to select the domain.

Provide the unique domain for each application option costly both for a hoster, and for the client. Nobody likes to pay for services which the ordinary person does not even guess.

Simple and elegant option — to provide access to the application using the domain of the third level. Service of such domains can be undertaken — the client does not even learn that "something should be selected there".

Organizing own farm of SaaS, we arrived quite so. TeamWox SaaS Agent implemented integration into popular DNS servers by means of their HTTP API. The domain for the new application is selected automatically, it is enough to specify the address and these authorizations of the HTTP API DNS server in settings.

Security is a key moment for SaaS. The provider is responsible for safety of data storage of users. Ensure safety of access to them — its task. Use the open HTTP protocol for corporate of SaaS of applications is a top of irresponsibility. For this reason access to TeamWox can be only on the protected HTTPS protocol.

For work of HTTPS on the server SSL the certificate which causes trust in web browsers should be set. It is possible to receive it at such companies as Thawte, Comodo or any other similar.

Before the order of SSL of certificates for one hundred applications it is worth remembering one feature of the HTTPS protocol — one IP address/port can service only one server SSL the certificate. At the same time it will be necessary or to select tens of the IP addresses on each of farm computers, or to torment the user with exotic additives in the address in the form of ports.

But neither the first, nor second idea of delight do not cause. The solution which was applied by us it is wildcard SSL the certificate. One wildcard SSL the certificate services the applications installed on our farm all SaaS. The user safely for himself and without torments uses TeamWox.

It is impossible to set the certificate in Windows for the first time without knowledge of the principles of work of storage of certificates. To simplify and make this process clear, in TeamWox SaaS Agent we made a user-friendly and simple interface for service of server certificates.

Via the web interface we set and we update the certificate, we can generate a request for receiving new, load the set certificate in the form of the file. For the period of testing of a farm of SaaS it is possible to generate the temporary certificate self-signed by wildcard SSL without search of the console utility.

After the main routine transactions were automated, time to organize SaaS farm — to integrate among themselves a set of servers came. The solution which we use for the organization of own farm SaaS, very simple and effective.

Each of servers of a farm is equivalent, it performs only one function — TeamWox hosting. For turning on of the new computer in a farm of SaaS it is enough to set on it TeamWox SaaS Agent. And it as I wrote above to make very simply and quickly.

Tasks which rise at the organization of several servers in a farm:

• load distribution between servers;
• the choice of the server for installation of the new application;
• control of operation of applications on a set of servers.

For their solution we expanded functionality of TeamWox SaaS Agent, having turned it in the manager of the SaaS servers. One to which functions of the managing director were assigned was selected from all servers of a farm.

He collects information from all servers of a farm and proceeding from the received statistics automatically selects on what server the new copy of TeamWox will be installed. It allows to follow a concept of justice and to load each of SaaS farm servers with work evenly.

It is convenient to manage SaaS farm from one place. The simple and clear TeamWox SaaS Agent interface made possible to hand over the reins SaaS farm to normal users — our managers.

The new application can be installed literally in 2-3 minutes, without distracting for this purpose technical specialists. It is also simple to manage and control work of already set hundreds of applications of TeamWox.

TeamWox has the built-in selfcheck facilities and monitoring — it helps to ensure its stable functioning. TeamWox SaaS Agent, using these data, allows to achieve stability of work of all farm of SaaS. Monitoring of work of all applications on the page of the managing server allows to protect users from dangers which they should not guess.

Organize from scratch the farm of SaaS using TeamWox SaaS Agent'a simply and quickly. Hosters with experience have the developed infrastructure of control of servers and to break it or nobody is going to refuse it. Also I will quote myself — it is convenient to manage a farm of SaaS from one place. Integration of our software and software of provider was necessary. And as experience, integration of two independent products — process usually painful prompts.

We suffered all delights of process of integration. For carrying out an experiment it was selected popular by software for providers of Parallels company.

The clear and well structured HTTP API TeamWox SaaS Agent'a and the packet certified according to version 1.2 of the APS standard which is available in app store both on the website, and via the web interface of the products Parallels became result of the work done by us.

If you already provide services of a hosting on the basis of Parallels Business Automation or Parallels Plesk Panel, then you will manage lifecycle of applications of TeamWox using the user interface, usual for you.

Integration with another the software, usual for you, should not cause difficulties and can be executed in any popular programming language which has tools for work with HTTP and JSON. In a packet of APS, for example, scripts are written for PHP.

For those to whom else the fascinating adventure on certification of your packet of APS is necessary we will confirm a number of already read facts and we will add to them several new.

Documentation provided by Parallels company so official as far as it does not open all subtleties of process of packaging — materials catastrophically is not enough.

The lack of necessary information is filled by employees of technical support service of the company. They will advise that needs to be corrected in packet description, and will point to appreciable errors. Process of testing for compliance to the APS standards is automated, but not for the applications extending as external SaaS.

We began the way as beginners, and completed it, having constructed a full-fledged farm of SaaS which services hundreds of applications. The experience got in problem solving which we faced was realized in TeamWox SaaS Agent.

Using our tool, it is possible to construct SaaS farm from scratch or to expand the range of the offered services without excess costs. You will feel the drive in process, pleasure from the received result and will hear the words of gratitude of happy users.