XStream RapidShare V1.0
XStream
RapidShare™
v1.0
Technical Brief
December 2004
2
Contents
XStream RapidShare Overview .................................................................................... 4
Introduction ............................................................................................................................................. 4
Organization Hierarchy in XStream RapidShare ................................................................................. 5
Administration of XStream RapidShare ............................................................................................... 6
XStream RapidShare Project ................................................................................................................. 7
Welcome............................................................................................................................................... 8
Discussion ............................................................................................................................................ 8
Chat ...................................................................................................................................................... 9
Calendar ............................................................................................................................................... 9
Notifications ........................................................................................................................................ 10
Recycle Bin......................................................................................................................................... 11
XStream RapidShare Objects .............................................................................................................. 11
Electronic Mail Facility........................................................................................................................ 11
Folders................................................................................................................................................ 12
Files/Documents................................................................................................................................. 12
Notes .................................................................................................................................................. 13
Links ................................................................................................................................................... 13
Other XStream RapidShare Features ................................................................................................. 13
Self-Registration Capabilities ............................................................................................................. 13
Reporting Capabilities ........................................................................................................................ 13
Customize User Interface Elements................................................................................................... 13
Notify Me ............................................................................................................................................ 13
Read/Unread Status ........................................................................................................................... 14
Comments .......................................................................................................................................... 14
Change Icon ....................................................................................................................................... 14
Cut/Copy/Paste Objects ..................................................................................................................... 14
Search Capabilities............................................................................................................................. 14
Archiving Capabilities ......................................................................................................................... 14
Project Backup Capability .................................................................................................................. 14
Section 508 Compliance .................................................................................................................... 15
Unicode Support................................................................................................................................. 15
Multi-Language Support ..................................................................................................................... 15
XStream RapidShare Technical Overview ................................................................ 15
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XStream RapidShare Client Requirements ........................................................................................ 15
Components of XStream RapidShare................................................................................................. 15
Objects ............................................................................................................................................... 15
Properties and Values ........................................................................................................................ 15
XStream RapidShare Objects .............................................................................................................. 16
Root Object......................................................................................................................................... 16
Container Objects............................................................................................................................... 16
Leaf Objects ....................................................................................................................................... 17
XStream RapidShare Tree Structure .................................................................................................. 17
The Role of the XStream RapidShare Tree ....................................................................................... 17
XStream RapidShare Object Rights.................................................................................................... 17
Supervisor Object Right ..................................................................................................................... 17
Browse Object Right........................................................................................................................... 17
Create Object Right ............................................................................................................................ 18
Delete Object Right ............................................................................................................................ 18
Modify Rights...................................................................................................................................... 18
XStream RapidShare Tree Right Inheritance ..................................................................................... 18
Summary...................................................................................................................... 18
Contact Information .................................................................................................... 19
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XStream RapidShare Overview
Introduction
XStream RapidShare v1.0 is XStream’s secure, hosted web environment and digital workspace. This
powerful web-based system provides secure, interactive shared spaces on the web for advanced
communication, collaboration, resource sharing, and conferencing. XStream RapidShare focuses the
power of the web to bring together information, people, and tools – regardless of time or distance.
Figure 1: XStream RapidShare Interface
With this technology, companies large and small reap the rewards and benefits of connecting employees,
customers, prospects and partners – anywhere, anytime – so they can work together more effectively and
efficiently.
Whether the need is to collaborate and work on tasks/projects at hand, share files/documents for
knowledge transfer, or conduct ad hoc meetings, demonstrations, events, training sessions or classes,
seminars, support sessions or company wide-broadcasts, XStream RapidShare meets the mark by
providing powerful yet easy-to-use capabilities and features.
XStream RapidShare provides access to the following modules:
• Communication and Collaboration Module – This module enables clients to use a project-based
methodology to have distributed or global teams of people access, organize and work jointly on
projects 24/7. Each project created consists of powerful capabilities that enable users to instantly
share files and documents (of all types), participate in real-time discussions and chat sessions,
exchange e-mail, post messages and notifications, and much more.
• Learning Management System (LMS) Module – This module enables management of all types of
online learning content and offline scheduled events with optional capabilities for web-based
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communication and collaboration as part of the LMS. For more information on the XStream
RapidShare LMS technology and the specific learning management and communication/collaboration
capabilities provided, consult the “XStream RapidShare LMS v1.0 Technical Brief” document. This
document may be downloaded (in .PDF format) from XStream’s web site at
http://www.xstreamsoftware.com/downloads.htm, or it may be acquired by contacting XStream at
613-731-9443 or by e-mail at info@xstreamsoftware.com.
This technical document focuses on the capabilities provided by the Communication and Collaboration
module within XStream RapidShare.
Organization Hierarchy in XStream RapidShare
Using a Hierarchical Project-based methodology, XStream RapidShare users can easily organize and
control access to their communication and information sharing sessions by defining and working with
“shared resources” organized in hierarchical projects. Everyone within an organization can use the same
secure system to communicate and collaborate on projects and manage/access any type of content or
files that may be used within the organization. XStream RapidShare represents each Resource in a
project as an Object.
XStream RapidShare is capable of hosting multiple Organizations with complete security for the
data/content within each Organization. It allows each Organization to be divided into multiple
Organization Units (referred to as OUs in this document), and each OU may be divided into multiple Sub-
Organization Units (Sub-OUs). A Sub-OU may itself be divided into multiple Sub-OUs. XStream
RapidShare supports up to 4 OU levels (i.e., OU level plus three Sub-OU levels).
XStream RapidShare allows users to create Project workspaces in al levels of the hierarchy.
XStream RapidShare hides the list of currently hosted Organizations from not only Internet users but also
users of the subscribed Organizations.
Figure 2 on the following page shows the typical Organization Hierarchy of XStream RapidShare.
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Organization – 1
Organization – 2
Security
Layer
Org.
Org.
Org.
Project-1
Project - N
Unit – 1
Unit – 2
Unit – N
Sub-Org.
Sub-Org.
Sub-Org.
Unit – 1
Unit – 2
Unit – N
Project-1
Project - N
Project-1
Project - N
Figure 2: Organization Hierarchy of XStream
RapidShare
Administration of XStream RapidShare
A single Root Administrator is responsible for managing all the Organizations that are hosted in XStream
RapidShare. The Root Administrator’s administrative capabilities are limited to creating Organizations and
setting their licensing attributes/parameters. The data/content of the Projects within the hosted
Organizations are visible/accessible to the Root Administrator. The Root Administrator can only
see/manage the users and groups within the hosted Organizations, OUs, and/or Sub-OUs.
Each Organization Administrator is completely responsible for managing the respective Organization’s
OUs and Sub-OUs, the Projects created directly under the root Organization, and the Projects created
under each OU and Sub-OU.
Each Organization Unit (OU) Administrator has limited responsibility for managing the respective OU and
the Projects under it. This is also the case for each Sub-Organization Unit (Sub-OU) Administrator.
Project Managers are solely responsible for all Project-related activities.
Figure 3 on the following page shows the typical Administration Topology of XStream RapidShare.
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Root Administrator
Organization-1
Organization -N
Org. Unit
Project
PM
Sub-Org.
Unit
PM
Project
PM
Project
Sub-Organization Unit Administrator
Organization Unit Administrator
Organization Administrator
Figure 3: Administration Topology of XStream RapidShare
XStream RapidShare Project
A Project provides a shared, secure workplace on the web. It is a shared space for distributed teams to
discuss ideas, share information, and make decisions. A member list is associated with each object so
that access to the data may be restricted. The person who creates an object is the object’s owner by
default. The owner has the ability to modify the object’s user list by adding or removing members and
assigning privileges to those members.
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Each project in XStream RapidShare can be made accessible using either the HTTP or HTTPS protocol.
The HTTPS protocol provides SSL security using 128-bit encryption, providing a completely secure
environment for all transactions, including file uploads/downloads.
A Project object has the following default objects associated with it:
Welcome
The Welcome object enables developers to create Project Welcome Pages that can be used for a variety
of purposes, such as to welcome project members to projects, provide an overview and description of the
project, include project milestones and deadlines, and more.
Figure 4: Project Welcome Page
Discussion
Threaded discussion forums enable any project member to initiate a one-on-one discussion with another
member, multiple selected members, or all members of the project.
Figure 5: Project Discussion
Within each topic-based forum, users can post messages, view messages posted by others, and reply to
posted messages. These asynchronous discussions are saved as part of the project and can be
accessed by any authorized project member at any time.
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Chat
Project members can initiate synchronous text-based chat sessions with other users on demand. Chat
sessions are an excellent electronic medium for enabling project members to share information and ideas
pertaining to subject matters that are directly or indirectly related to the project.
Figure 6: Chat Session
Administrators or users (with appropriate rights) have the capability to create chat rooms where one or
more invited internal users or external users may join the chat. Internal users invited for a chat may be
notified via animated marquee to join a chat in progress. External users (i.e., any user who is or is not a
user of XStream RapidShare) may participate in chatting by receiving a URL that they can use.
Each chat session can be saved and made available to other users.
Calendar
The Calendar provides a mechanism for project members to keep track of upcoming events or activities.
Events in the calendar can be organized and viewed by day, week, month, or year.
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Figure 7: Event Calendar (by Month)
Figure 8: Event Calendar (by Week and by Day)
Notifications
The Notifications object is used for providing important information to project members, including project
changes and enhancements, upcoming meetings and chat sessions, and more.
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Figure 9: Project Notifications
Recycle Bin
The Recycle Bin object is a repository for files and other items that have been deleted/removed from the
project by authorized members.
Figure 10: Recycle Bin
Items stored in the Recycle Bin may be deleted permanently or restored to their previous locations within
the project.
XStream RapidShare Objects
In addition to the default Project Objects (described above), there are several other objects that may be
optionally added to a project. These objects include the following:
Electronic Mail Facility
Users may compose, send, receive, and store e-mail messages. Since anyone can send e-mail to the
project mailbox, it is particularly useful for receiving e-mail from people outside of the project or
organization.
The project mailbox can also be used to create an archive of a project's correspondence by sending
copies of all e-mails to this mailbox. This mailbox maintains read/unread status for individual users of the
project.
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Folders
Project members can organize documents and files that are part of a project in folders and sub-folders.
Project members can control access to each folder that they have created.
Files/Documents
Files and documents (created using any application) can be easily uploaded to the project and then
shared with project members to facilitate transfer of knowledge, sharing of training content, and exchange
of ideas, best practices, methodologies, and other types of information.
A project member may upload files/documents to the project (or a folder that is part of the project) using
either of the following methods:
• Normal Method − The file is uploaded from a local or LAN/WAN drive using a standard “Choose File”
dialog box.
• ActiveX Method − The file or folder is uploaded over the web using the ActiveX component. Using
this method, the user may upload a single file or a folder containing multiple files and subfolders.
The files/documents that are added to a project have built-in capabilities for File Locking and Version
Tracking. This makes it easier for participants to work on and access the latest versions of files or
documents that are part of the project.
There are a number of unique features and capabilities provided for File objects:
1. Ownership
The file is by default owned by the person who initially created it. This means that only the owner can
edit this file by default. However, the owner can assign rights (read and/or modify) to other project
members as required.
2. Version Tracking
Project Members can keep track of the different versions of the files that are created.
3. File Read Access
When a project member views a file (i.e. reads a file), other project members can stil access it.
Reading a file does not prevent the file from being accessed by others for reading or editing
purposes.
4. File Edit Access
When a project member edits a file, they reserve the file, which prevents other project members from
editing the same file. However, it does not prevent project members from accessing the file for
reading/viewing purposes. The “automatic” reservation placed on the file (when a project member
opens the file for editing) is released when the file is replaced or the changes are abandoned. Once
the file has been updated, an unread mark is placed on the file as a visual indicator letting others
know that the file has been modified.
NOTE: If necessary, the Project Manager can release a reservation on any file in the Project so that
others can edit it.
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5. Manual
Reservation
If a project member wishes to hold a file for future editing, a manual reservation can be placed on the
file. This prevents other members from editing the file until the Project Member has finished editing
the file and released the reservation.
Notes
Project members can post general notes pertaining to the project.
Links
Project members can create shared links or shortcuts to Web URLs.
A link is a shortcut to a Web site. It al ows you to specify whether a web page referred to by the link
should be opened in a new window or not.
Other XStream RapidShare Features
XStream RapidShare also includes the following features and capabilities:
Self-Registration Capabilities
Users without accounts are able to self-register in the system by creating their own accounts online. An
account creation confirmation e-mail (containing login credentials) is automatically sent to a user after
he/she registers.
Reporting Capabilities
XStream RapidShare enables administrators and users (with appropriate rights) to generate various types
of project reports (for tracking account usage, traffic summary, etc.). Reports may be viewed online,
printed, and exported to other formats (including Excel).
Customize User Interface Elements
Customized welcome pages and banner images may be specified for the organization and each
individual organization unit and project within the organization. A welcome page can be used for a variety
of purposes, such as welcoming members to the organization/project, providing an overview and
description of the organization/project, specifying milestones and deadlines, and more. A banner image
may be used to show the organization's logo, a website advertisement, a headline, a combination of a
logo and other text (e.g., guidelines), etc.
Other interface elements (such as fonts, colors, etc.) may also be customized via Cascading Style Sheets
(CSS).
Notify Me
XStream RapidShare’s “Notify Me” feature enables project members to be kept informed about changes
made within the project. Each user is given the capability and the rights to enable “Notify Me” at the
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project level or at any node level. A project member may choose to be automatically notified (by e-mail)
as soon as a change occurs in a selected project component, or he/she may choose to receive a regular
nightly summary of all changes made to a selected project component or all changes made to the
complete project.
Read/Unread Status
XStream RapidShare automatically displays an unread mark (an envelope symbol) next to each item that
has been added, changed or modified since the user last visited or worked with that item. The item can
represent an object that doesn’t contain any other items under it (such as a file, a link, a note, etc.) or a
folder that contains at least one item that has been added, changed or modified.
As soon as the user has visited the unread item, the system automatically removes the unread mark and
displays the item with Read Status. In order for the system to remove the Unread Mark next to a folder,
there should be no items with Unread Status in that folder.
Comments
Project members may add comments to any project object. Comments are user-defined annotations or
notes that provide extra details, recommendations, hints, tips, or other general information to any user
accessing the project object.
Change Icon
XStream RapidShare enables project members to customize the icons that are displayed in the
Navigation Tree. Members may import custom icon images to replace the default icons used for different
project objects in the tree.
Cut/Copy/Paste Objects
XStream RapidShare includes facilities for cutting/copying and pasting files and other objects between
folders and between projects.
Search Capabilities
Project members may use the built-in search engines to search for and locate specific objects/items
within the project, including files, folders, calendar events, discussions, e-mails, notifications, etc.
Archiving Capabilities
The system can automatically store deleted project objects and associated data in an archived location.
The archived content may be subsequently restored to the project or permanently removed.
Project Backup Capability
In XStream RapidShare, an administrator can export the contents of a project for storage in another
location. Exporting capability enables the administrator to generate and store a backup copy of the project
while the original project still remains in XStream RapidShare and can be accessed and edited as normal.
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At any time, the exported project can be imported back into XStream RapidShare (either to its original
organization or to a different organization).
Section 508 Compliance
XStream RapidShare includes full support for the accessibility requirements specified in Section 508 of
the U.S Rehabilitation Act. XStream RapidShare is a 508-compliant technology that may be fully
accessed by users with physical disabilities or limited mobility.
Unicode Support
XStream RapidShare includes support for the Unicode character set (for encoding multiple written
languages).
Multi-Language Support
XStream RapidShare supports English, French, Danish, and Norwegian (with upcoming support for
additional languages).
XStream RapidShare Technical Overview
XStream RapidShare Client Requirements
The following are the minimum system requirements for a client using XStream RapidShare:
• Windows 98, 2000, ME, XP, or NT (with Service Pack 6 or higher)
• Microsoft Internet Explorer 6 Service Pack 1
• Minimum 64 MB RAM (128 MB is recommended)
• Minimum 100 MB of free hard disk space
Components of XStream RapidShare
XStream RapidShare consists of objects, properties, and values.
Objects
XStream RapidShare represents each shared resource as an object. Hence, an object is a unit of
information about a resource (comparable to a record in a conventional database).
Properties and Values
Each object in XStream RapidShare consists of categories of information (known as properties) that can
be recorded about a resource. The same type of object has the same properties; different types of objects
may or may not have the same properties. A value is the data within a property.
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Consider the following example:
Object:
USER
Property:
Login Name
Value: John
XStream RapidShare Objects
XStream RapidShare objects can be divided into three (3) types: Root, Container, and Leaf.
Root Object
The Root object represents the highest level in the XStream RapidShare Tree. It provides access to
different Organization objects.
The XStream RapidShare Administrator can grant rights to the entire XStream RapidShare Tree from the
Root. Each RS System can have only one Root.
NOTE: The Root object is a placeholder. It cannot be deleted or moved.
Container Objects
Container objects hold (or contain) leaf objects or other container objects. They logically group and
organize the objects within the XStream RapidShare Tree. Containers can be used to represent
companies, departments, workgroups, and shared resources.
The following types of container objects are available:
• Organization
• Organization Unit
• Project
• Threaded Discussion Forums
• Calendar
• Folder
• Group
• Project Mailbox
• Chat Rooms
• Recycle Bin
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Leaf Objects
Leaf objects represent shared resources, such as users, files, notes, etc.
The following types of leaf objects are available:
A. Users
B. Notes
C. Files/Documents
D. Links
XStream RapidShare Tree Structure
The XStream RapidShare Tree is a hierarchical structure that stores and organizes objects. It is similar to
the structure found in the DOS file system.
The top of the tree is called the Root. Container objects (analogous to directories) are placed in the Root
or within other containers. Leaf objects (analogous to files) are placed within containers.
NOTE: There is an important difference between the XStream RapidShare Tree structure and the DOS
file system structure. In the XStream RapidShare Tree, different container objects have restrictions on
where they can be placed and what can be placed in them.
The Role of the XStream RapidShare Tree
To access an XStream RapidShare resource (such as a USER object), a user requests the object by
name. XStream RapidShare then locates the resource in the database and verifies that the user is a valid
user and that he/she has rights to use the object.
NOTE: Because objects are not stored in a single container, XStream RapidShare does not have to
search the entire tree to find an object.
XStream RapidShare Object Rights
Object rights, which are assigned to an object in the XStream RapidShare Tree, control the operations
that can be performed on the object as a whole. The various object rights are listed and described below.
Supervisor Object Right
The Supervisor object right grants all possible rights to the user object. An object with Supervisor rights
has full access to the information inside the object, and it also has the capability to define the list of users
who have access to this object and the rights assigned to the users on the objects.
Browse Object Right
The Browse object right grants the right to view objects in the XStream RapidShare Tree.
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Create Object Right
The Create object right grants the right to create a new object below the current object in the XStream
RapidShare Tree. Note that this right is only available for container objects.
Delete Object Right
The Delete object right grants the right to delete the current object from the XStream RapidShare Tree.
Modify Rights
The Modify object rights grant the rights to read, add, change, or remove information contained in the
current object.
XStream RapidShare Tree Right Inheritance
XStream RapidShare Tree rights flow downward from a container to sub-containers. In other words,
object rights can be inherited. However, a user may block the inheritance of rights by making new
assignments at a lower level in the XStream RapidShare Tree.
Summary
XStream RapidShare is a web-based collaboration tool used to provide intelligent, effective, and
personalized interactions with customers on any touch point. The XStream RapidShare technology al ows
distributed teams to access and organize information, manage documents, and collaborate more
effectively on various types of projects, including the following:
• New product development and delivery
• Client engagements
• Program management
• Supplier and channel management
• Global sales and marketing campaigns
• E-learning
XStream RapidShare’s web architecture can be easily customized to meet specific project demands.
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Contact Information
For more information on XStream RapidShare v1.0, please contact our sales team either by phone at
(613) 731-9443 or by e-mail at salessupport@xstreamsoftware.com.
XStream Software Inc.
2280 St. Laurent Blvd., Suite 200
Ottawa, Ontario, CANADA
K1G 4K1
www.xstreamsoftware.com
info@xstreamsoftware.com (Information)
salessupport@xstreamsoftware.com (Sales)
techsupport@xstreamsoftware.com (Support)
Telephone: (613) 731-9443
Fax: (613) 731-9615
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