InternetCafe
The image placed below shows a particular context of cybercafe's network. InternetCafe is a client-server application, in this section we will describe the main roles of both client and server side.
We will provide a web based "captive" redirection of connection trough a not yet defined component (look at the "To Do" section for more details on what we need) to the server authentication module. This is a well known pattern to avoid installation of any client application on network workstations and to avoid frequent updates on that machines granting also the service to the mobile community. Every client workstation will need only an internet browser to work with that system and no other configuration will be need (the cybercafe's network administrator will only set few platform's dependent security settings like applications that the end-user can use or not). For each browser request (eg. www.sourceforge.net, www.google.com, etc...), in the case that the user is not yet authenticated with the server, the browser will be redirected to a login authentication page where will be asked for a nickname and a password. As soon as the server authenticates the user, he will be free to navigate and to use network applications. The authentication procedure will create server side a new "session" associated to the user that has been authenticated, to the machine and to the time when the new session is started. In order to grant to the system the availability of the session's end time, the user (also to prevent paying more then used) must do a logout from the same web page where he provided his authentication's data or, if not, a timeout on the service (provided by the maximum duration of a service) will automatically logout the user and close the relative session. This will grant consistency to the system. A must will be the logging of page visited by the user, this is well described in the above "server side" paragraph. From the client side it will be also possible to communicate with the Cybercafe's manager for ordering something to drink or, as well, something to eat. It is not excluded in future the possibility to interface InternetCafe with PALMS and SMART CARDS once the application has reached a "stabile" release point.
It is placed here the application's core. On the cybercafe's single server (for now we are working without server redundancy, its possible that in future release we will have more than one server) the main "swing like" management interface will be available. Trough the server application's interface the cybercafe's manager or as well the network administrator will be able to obtain the system and network maintenance. The server will provide a module to authenticate users and machines (every user is identified by his account and every workstation is identified from its IP and MAC address). In addition there will be available a "logger" component to perform advanced user's visited pages logging, everything is associated in the system to a particular user's session. The server side application offers also a smart solution to manage the Cybercafe's database on witch will be stored all data (users, sessions, logs, network machines etc...) and its backups. In future releases we will try to eliminate the need for specific cybercafe's inventory and price listing applications, providing an amazing way to manage everything using direct ordering methods.