2 replies to this topic

[svante]

Hi.

I am developing a client-server application in my spare time. Can anyone help me with suggestions:

• What implementation platform/language to use.
  
• How to authenticate the users.

About me

• I am from Sweden :-)
  
• I prefer a Linux server.
  
• I know Apache, Perl, some RubyOnRails, C/C++, C#, JavaSE, Java Servlets, JavaEE (some old knowledge), MySQL, XML.
  
• I don't know so much about: SOAP, AJAX, Spring, WebServices, Microsoft products (except Visual Studio and Windows)

The server
Needed actions:

• add/remove users: [name, password, access-rights, user details, current status]
  
• authenticate user
  
• change user record details
  
• receive files: store in users area, and commit. 3-100 files in a named "file-collection"
  
• send user his own user-details
  
• send user a listing of file-collections (own or other users)
  
• send user a file-collection
  
• report to admin e.g. "bad behavior"
  
• report to user e.g. weekly activity or mail confirmations
  
• scalable up to 500 users

Suggestions:

• LDAP.
  
• MySQL for users data.
  
• MySQL for files uploaded by user (too much probably).
  
• User records in files.
  
• Uploaded user files stored as files.
  
• Client-server communication with SOAP.
  
• RubyOnRails for server implementation.
  
• Java Servlets for server implementation.
  
• JaveEE, ejb 3.0 for server implementation (user records as entity beans).
  
• Apache and mod_perl.

The clients
Today no client has any network interface. List of clients:

• Windows client, in C# and C++ (ready)
  
• iPhone client, in Objective-C and C++ (started)
  
• Mac OS X client, in Objective-C and C++ (future goal)
  
• Android client, in Java (future goal)

/Svante

[liamzebedee]

For authentication of users you should use some sort of digital signature (like an RSA signature). The program should contact the server by HTTPS as it is more secure.

[N4G]

Platform: Linux is prefered. Most of people running on Linux. Windows Server 2008 license price is around 800usd so Linux platform can help somebody to save some money.
However there is a luck of good IDEs for Linux ( as for me ) so I would like to start on Windows and then port the things to Linux after have server working.

Lenguage: C++

Authtification: it depends on your product, under what kind of license are you going to disrtribute etc. There is OpenSSL lib - but again it makes you GPL. If you are willing to ellaborate and be independent (which is important) you can implement some key exchange protocol , hook encription and signatures.