Introducing the xServer family

[James <james@xxxxxxx>]

Hi,

I have just uploaded the initial release of an application called
xServer as well as 3 xServer clients to www.mi4.biz .What the xServer
does is a little technical but how it does it and how to use it are
really simple, and the results can be quite powerful.

What is the xServer
The xServer is a way of connecting remote xAP devices over the internet
to your xAP network. Think of it as an intelligent router. The current
xServer supports up to 20 concurrent connections, each operating totally
independently. Any connection to the xServer requires a code, without
this code nothing is sent out to the remote application. When a valid
code is received it is linked to a security policy that gives to precise
control of what can be sent or received over the link. Any breech of the
security policy or an invalid code causes the connection to be dropped
and the ip address banned for 30 minutes. All events,logins and logouts
are logged to a text file. Management of the security policies is done
through a simple gui and you can define as many policies as you need.

What is the xServer  (in English!)
On its own the xServer does nothing, it simply waits for connections.
When paired with an xServer client, however, you get a working system..
There are 3 released clients, each with totally different functions.One
of the advantages of xServer is that it can support 20 totally different
clients concurrently, each doing a totally different function. The
current clients are;

1, RemoteView
This simply lets to view and optionally save xAP traffic on your network
2, BSC Fader
This lets you control and get status from a BSCv1.3 dimmable device
3, xRouter
Using the xRouter connecting to your xServer you can connect multiple
xAP networks together. The router has 5 modes of operation; Disabled,
Local to remote only, Remote to local only, Full Routing and Full
Bridging. In the routing modes the UIDs are changed as needed, but in
bridging mode they remain unchanged. Management of message hops is
always used to prevent messages looping.

Remember these client applications can be used from anywhere on the
internet and connections are protected by the xServer's security policy.
The first two are simply examples of what is possible with the xServer.
xRouter, however, is a very powerful tool letting you link multiple xAP
networks, anywhere on the internet, together.All the clients will auto
connect and reconnect with link errors. Expect more xServer clients in
the future.

How it works
xServer clients communicate to the xServer over TCP and port 9996.
Assuming no firewalls get in the way you should be able to connect from
anywhere. After connection a valid code is required before any data is
sent. Once the code is accepted communications will happen according to
a preset security policy, with any breeches causing the connection to be
dropped and ip banned.  Once the xServer is setup you should port
forward port 9996(TCP) on your router to the pc running the xServer in
order to allow connections from the internet.

More info and releases will follow. Please remember these are all
initial releases and should be used as such however they have all been
used for quite a while and have been stable and very functional! The
next xServer client will be xAP Desktop Beta3 which will be out shortly,
more on this soon but xServer and Desktop together will be a very useful
system ;-)


Happy Christmas to all

James