2. LAMS 2.0 Architecture

3. Agenda LAMS 2.0: Technical Aims Architecture Technologies LAMS Core
LAMS Tool Contract
External Tools

4. LAMS 2.0 Aims Improve scalability Modular Architecture (tool plug-ins)
Interoperability
Internationalisation

5. LAMS 2.0 Features “Tech Stuff”
Scalability
Multiple authentication mechanism
LAMS Tools Contract
Easy add/import new activity tools
Support for multiple databases
External Tool Wrapper

6. LAMS 1.0.x vs LAMS 2.0 Architecture Comparison

7. LAMS 1.0.x vs LAMS 2.0 Architecture Comparison

8. Core Functions and Services
LAMS Technologies
JBoss Appserver
LAMS 2.0
Tool A
Core Functions and Services
Webserver
(Apache, IIS)
Users
Web
Browser
Tool B
HTML
(JSPs)
and XML
over
HTTP
Tool C
Hibernate
Oracle

9. Frameworks and Class Libraries: The Biggies
Spring: The glue holding LAMS together. Handles transactions, accesses the service bean in the tool and core modules, etc.
Hibernate: Database Layer. Service caching is done using Hibernate and JBOSS.
Struts: Web Layer

10. Frameworks and Class Libraries: Some More
Too many to name them all, but to a few:
Axis for Webservices
Jakarta Commons
JFreeChat for Charts
Quartz for Scheduling
Log4J for Logging
WDDX: XML based Flash to Java Communication

11. LAMS Scalability DB Cluster JBoss Cluster Jboss 1 Jboss 2 Webserver
Oracle
Jboss 2
Webserver
Load balancer
Oracle
Jboss 3
Jboss 4

12. LAMS Core
Common: Common services and data structures, common css files and images.
lams.jar, lams-central.war
Admin: Group and User Administration, System Administration
lams-admin.jar, lams-admin.war
Author: Supports Authoring Client – saving, opening designs, import and export of designs.
lams-central.war
Monitor: Supports Add Lesson and Monitor Clients
lams- monitoring.jar, lams- monitoring.war
Learner: Supports Learner Client. Includes the progress engine.
lams-learning.jar, lams-learning.war

13. Questions on Architecture?

14. Tools & Tools Contract Manage its own content My LAMS Tool LAMS Core
LAMS is one EAR, with the tools as “almost” independent web applications within the EAR.
Set of expected behaviours, registered URLs and API calls that a LAMS Tool has to implement to "talk" to LAMS Core.
Clear separation between Design and Tool Content.
Stores and manages Designs
My LAMS Tool
Manage its own content
LAMS Core
Author
Admin
Tool Contract
Learner
Monitor
Services

15. My LAMS Tool Author Admin Learner Monitor Services Author Contract/API
Admin Contract/API
Learner Contract/API
Monitor Contract/API
Services API
Author
Admin
Learner
Monitor
Services

16. My LAMS Tool Author Contract/API
Authoring URL <lams base path>/<tool's authoringurl>&toolContentID=123&contentFolderID=123A...D123
Default Tool content
Author environment must have three mandatory tabs: Basic, Advanced and Instructions
Preview URL <lams base path>/<tool's preview url>&toolSessionID=123 Often the same as learning with a mode=author flag
Import/Export: supply an object which is converted to/from XML
Author Contract/API
Author Contract/API
Author

17. My LAMS Tool Monitor Contract/API Monitor Monitor URL Learner Progress
<lams base path>/<tool's monitor url>&toolContentID=123&contentFolderID=11A..D2
Implement Summary, Instructions, Edit Activity and Statistics tabs.
Allow edit and hide entries (when required).
Learner Progress
“Looking over the learner’s shoulder”
<lams base path>/<tool's learner progress url>&userID=<learners user id>&toolSessionID=123
Export Portfolio URL
Export all of the lesson data: <lams base path>/<tool's export portfolio url>&mode=teacher&toolContentID=123
Export as if you were a learner: <lams base path>/<tool's export portfolio url>&mode=learner&toolSessionID=231&userID=10
Monitor Contract/API
Monitor Contract/API
Monitor

18. My LAMS Tool Learner Contract/API Learners URL Export Portfolio URL
<lams base path>/<tool's learner url>&toolSessionID=123
Handles Define later, Lock on Finish, Run offline
Notify Sequencing Engine of users’ completion
Export Portfolio URL
<lams base path>/<tool's export portfolio url>&mode=learner&toolSessionID=231
Learner Contract/API
Learner Contract/API
Learner

19. My LAMS Tool Admin Contract/API Future: Administration URL Admin
Edit “Default Tool Content”
Reuses authoring url, with the tool content id = default tool content id.
Future: Administration URL
Provide statistics about Tool usage
General view of Tools metadata (tool version, etc)
Admin Contract/API
Admin Contract/API
Admin

20. My LAMS Tool Services API Services Chat/IM server Journal and notes
Potentially any Jabber server, currently using Wildfire.
Journal and notes
In authoring the author selects whether or not to display a notebook entry screen at the end of the tool’s screens. The notebook entries are stored centrally, not in the tool.
Content repository
Add/Remove content
Add new versions of content
Stream content to users
Services API
Services API
Services

21. Tool Writer’s Helps
Rename Utility: Start by copying an existing tool and modifying. Needs more work!
Custom Tags for common buttons, fields, controlling stylesheets, etc
Automatic Internationalisation and Localisation via LocaleFilter. Just use the standard JSTL tags.

22. Questions on the Tool Contract?

23. External Tool Wrappers
An external tool can be used as normal LAMS Tools using the tool wrapper. Effectively, Moodle, .LRN or Sakai tools can be used as native LAMS tools (including advanced features as groupings, branching, define in monitor, etc). We hope to develop a generic tool wrapper that tool writers can use to wrap up other tools.
External Tool Wrapper
Author
External
Tool
Admin
Learner
Tool Contract
Tool Contract
Monitor
Stays the same
Customise
Services

24. External Tool Wrapper (Sakai Example)
The LAMS/Sakai wrapper provides another level of abstraction to bundle Sakai activities as LAMS native tools that you can drag and drop create learning sequences just like any other tool
Author
External Tool Wrapper
(provided by LAMS)
Test Engine
Admin
WS/Sakai API
Learner
Tool Contract
Monitor
Services

25. Core Functions and Services
LAMS External Tool
JBoss Appserver
LAMS 2.0
Tool A
Core Functions and Services
Webserver
Users
Web
Browser
Tool B
Tool Adapter
HTML
(JSPs)
and XML
over
HTTP
Web Services
& URL Calls
Hibernate
Test Engine
Oracle

26. LAMS External Tool

27. Questions? http://wiki.lamsfoundation.org/ Online Help: LAMS Documents
Developer Doc: LAMS 2.0