Platform Architecture and Features for Thin-Client Application and Tool Delivery and Integration in Internet Based Distance Education

Platform Architecture and Featuresfor Thin-Client Application and ToolDelivery and Integration in InternetBased Distance Education

Samuel Conn, Asst. Professor

Regis University MSCIT Program

Denver, Colorado

ISECON 2002

November 3, 2002

Agenda

Introduction

Problem Definition

Three Part Solution

Architectures & Technologies

Next Stage of Evolution

Introduction

Regis University inDenver, ColoradoMSCIT programareas of emphasisin DatabaseTechnology,NetworkEngineering, e-Commerce, andSoftwareEngineering

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Problem Definition

Maintenance &support of labenvironment

Lab environmentfor distanceeducation students

Integration of labenvironment withcontent delivery

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Three Part Solution

Merge classroombased courses &online courses intoone “virtual lab” orv-Labenvironment.

Create globaldelivery system forvirtual lab thatworks with contentdelivery

Utilize graduatestudents as aresource tosupport andmaintain theplatform via anInformationSystems Practicum

Selection of thin-clienttechnology

OS Independent

Small footprint client

Emulation via pixel streaming

Success at low bandwidth

Server side administration

Expansion to portal technologies

Affordable

Citrix Independent Computing Architecture (ICA)

Network evolution

LAN

WAN

Internet

Citrix Server(s)

Oracle Servers

Application Servers

Storage Arrays

Simplified Diagram

“ARN Architecture”

Network Operations Center (NOC)

Lowell Campus

Distance Education Student

at Home

Distance Education Student

at Work

Land-based MSCIT

Student on Campus

Land-based MSCIT

Student at Home

Land-based MSCIT

Student at Work

ARN Administrators

Faculty & SPS Users

Academic Research Network

(Virtual) V-Lab environment

Support Model

Student Practicums

Database and Network Engineering

•6 months in length

•Graduate Student Capstone

•Support for infrastructure

•Support for virtual lab

•Support for applications

•Support for Oracle accounts

Denver

Los Angeles

Student

Frankfurt, Germany

Student DBA

Logs Support Request

Resolves Problem

Service Restored

Student logon

Student portal interface

Content delivery system & virtuallab merged environment

Student toggles between environments

Portal Integration

Content

System

Virtual

Lab

Services/

Applications

CRM

Outlook Express

WebCT

BlackBoard

eCollege

Database

OS environments

Tools

Workflow

Utilities

Custom Dev

Libraries

Student Profile

Outbound direct

Administration

MSCIT

Portal

MSIS

Portal

Corp

Partners

Collaborative Portals

Students

Faculty

Administrators

Partners

(Sun, IBM…)

Evolution of e-Learning Platform

Content

Delivery

System

Virtual

Lab

Portal

Integration,

Workflow

& CRM

Audio

Enhancement

To Content

Video

Enhancement

To Content

Integration w/

External Digital

& Virtual

Knowledge

Bases / Content

Repositories

Academic Infomediary

•Outlook Express

(total asynchronous)

•WebCT

•BlackBoard

•eCollege

•Thin-client

technology

•Middleware

services

•Profile schema

•Application SW

•Broadband Backbone

•Infrastructure

•Managed Bandwidth

•QoS

•Compression/Streaming

Software

•Proxy Services

•Enterprise Application

Integration

•Access Protocols

Technology Migration Path

Academic Delivery Migration Path

Thank you…..

Questions or Comments?

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