Architecture
Deployment Considerations
Ongoing Operations
Architecture
On what architecture is the front-end
based?
Our front-end is front end is apache/php based, using smarty templates
which provides for a separation of form and content, which means
that the formatting or layout is managed separately from the data
itself.
This means that you are in total control of the look-and-feel
of the site, without ever having to worry about where the data comes
from. As a concrete example of this, with Nearly There, you'll never
be concerned with retrieving data, and in particular, certainly
not with how to program.
Is this a peer-to-peer system?
First, just to make sure we're talking about the same thing: A
peer-to-peer system is one in which two computers send data back-and-forth
without using a central computer (or server) as a go between.
Our system is not peer-to-peer. A performer does not directly
send or receive information with other clients. All information
sent between users goes through our servers.
This provides total anonymity from user to user. At no time is
any information revealed that might be considered a security breach
such as a user's IP address.
In addition, it meets our requirements for scalability in the
following way. Under a peer-to-peer arrangement, video and text
from a performer must be sent to each peer. Since a performer's
Internet connection normally can't carry as much bandwidth as a
servers', a performer can only accommodate a few clients before
a slowdown is noticeable. On the other hand, with a centralized
system like ours, a performer can have any number of clients without
degradation.
Finally, consider the issues of control. In software, the more
that we control, the more that the experience will mirror our minimum
requirements. By placing the responsibility for this transmission
on the server, the software is able to track variations and to adjust
to them on-the-fly.
Do you use an SQL database?
Sidekick does use a database. Data that Sidekick needs to retain
is stored in the file system. Eliminating the database requirement
means that Sidekick is even easier to install and maintain.
If there is information that you wish to store in a database,
Sidekick provides full access to it so you can retrieve it and store
it in your own database.
Deployment Considerations
What server should I deploy Nearly
There on?
- *Must* be at least dual core, if running SK and FK on same server.
- At least 2G memory
- At least 80G hard disk - fast... scsi preferred or at least fast
SATA disk
- Current Red Hat Linux or exact clone (Enterprise, centos, fedora)
- freebsd works *great* and handle much better the load.
- Current servlet engine such as Tomcat 5
- Sun JDK *must* be installed , not the diablo port
- Java: 1.5 required. Java 6 WILL NOT WORK - java 1.5. not 1.4,
not 1.6
- Apache 2.0 with mod_rewrite module
- MySql 5
- PHP 5.0 or 5.1 with GD library and curl library support
- ioncube php init extension is needed
- eaccelerator *MUST* be installed for performance improvement
- SSH shell access
- ports available:
- port 80 (for http communications)
- ports 2224-2230 (one of these is used by Sidekick for video/audio
communication)
- dedicated IP address We can only provide support for installations
that use these standard components.
Do you handle billing?
You have to have your own billing account. Sidekick itself does
not handle billing, meaning that you are responsible for contracting
with a billing company and all financial transactions. But that
said, there are several ways that a revenue-producing site can be
built with Frontkick Enterprise and the following paragraphs explain
several ways.
If you are building a membership site, you would use industry-standard
billing systems, such as paycom or ccbill. These systems will automatically
restrict access to a members directory. With this protected directory,
Sidekick can be easily configured to keep only members from seeing
your shows.
Second, we have Frontkick Enterprise, a Per View option, which
allows Sidekick to be used with sites that wish to manage a client's
time in a show. With this option, if you want a simple pay per view
site, we also have Perl scripts that work with common billing companies
that allow for your members to charge time. With these scripts,
you'll be able to display a "buy time" page to your clients and
issue them time. They can then use this time in various shows.
Finally, the basic Sidekick system will work if you have another
way to handle billing and allow the performers to manage their clients.
Sidekick has a "lock show" and "kick off" features that allow the
performer to ensure an exclusive one-to-one with the client of her
choosing. This feature lets you have a revenue-producing site without
any complexity.
Ongoing Operations
What do I do with customer complaints?
If you suspect that a customer issue is related
to Sidekick, you'll find Sidekick provides a number of ways to isolate,
define and resolve a issue. First, in our administrative area, we
provide many queries and reports which should help you understand
the context in which the customer had a problem. Second, Sidekick
logs significant events so that they can be later reviewed. Third,
we provide unlimited technical support to you (not your clients!)
to help you resolve tough issues. And finally, if an issue is determined
to be within Sidekick, we will immediately devote resources to resolving
this issue and releasing an update within a short timeframe.
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