Why AggreGate?

AggreGate software offers an improved approach to providing simultaneous remote configuration, controlling, and monitoring of a large number of geographically distributed and disparate machines or devices over the Internet. It also solves the problems associated with controlling devices that have unstable or periodic connection to the network and the server. Finally, AggreGate reduces the cost of maintaining a data connection to each device in the system by eliminating the need for real static IP address and firewall reconfiguration for each node.

AggreGate provides an improved system for simultaneous configuration, control, and monitoring of a large number of geographically distributed and disparate machines or devices over computer networks from one or more locations using a central server and one or more instances of client software.

Examples of devices and machines which can be controlled using AggreGate:

See Real-World Solutions, where we explore a couple of actual scenarios.

In AggreGate, the server works as a central coordinating element, as well as a central depository of data.

In contrast with prior solutions that either require repetitive individual configuration of each device, or rely on proprietary closed systems designed to support specific devices whose hardware and firmware must match exactly to what the central server software expects, AggreGate offers a unifying platform that allows the user to combine devices of different types into a single system without the need for extensive programming or development effort on the server and client software side.

The server and client portions of the system are implemented as JAVA software running under any Java-enabled operating system. This opens the possibility to run the server portion of the system on various platforms, such as Microsoft Windows, Linux, FreeBSD, or any other operating system for which a port of JAVA virtual machine exists. The same equally applies to the client software portion of the system, but in case of the client the list of potentially supported platforms and operating systems is even wider and includes devices such as PDAs and smartphones, for which a special version of the client software can be created.

Vehicle Monitoring System Example Revisited

When implemented in AggreGate , the vehicle monitoring system is freed from all limitations described in the previous article. Synchronization of data between the devices and the server will be performed each time the connection is available. The user can make changes to the configuration of the vehicle and user permissions at any time, not just when the vehicle is on site and the wireless connection to this vehicle is available. Actual changes to the configuration of the vehicle’s monitoring device are made as soon as it connects to the server. In a similar fashion, the user can review the list of events on the server at any time. Each time a particular vehicle’s monitoring device connects to the server, newly queued events are uploaded from the device onto the server. Various vehicles in the fleet can also carry different versions of the monitoring device and still be managed as a group, thus dramatically reducing management overhead per vehicle. Finally, since the monitoring devices on vehicles connect to the server and not the other way around, these devices do not need a real static IP and can utilize any kind of a wireless connection, including GPRS, etc.