System Overview

The FIT server binds to a public port where it can interact with clients using the HTTP protocol. It acts as a webserver by accepting client connections and handling page requests (much like IIS or Apache). Unlike many other tracking systems, FIT is a standalone application, which means that no additional product installation is necessary. There is no complicated installation or maintenance of any additional products.

The most appealing feature of FIT is that it is entirely web-based. There is no installation, maintenance, or upgrading of client software. This means that clients can use a regular web-browser to log into the system from anywhere.

Added functionality (Secure Messaging/simplified URL) can also be achieved by forwarding all communication through a web server, as outlined in the FAQ. Common uses for web servers include secure messaging, simplified URLs and firewall issues.

Access

Direct logins are the most obvious type of connection to the system. However, there are actually three ways to access the system:

Direct Logins allow a user to login to the system directly and access all system features. Direct Users can be designated as Admin/Normal/Read-Only. When they login, they are assigned a Session ID, which allows them to access system information. This Session ID allows the client to re-connect and begin making system requests. Clients see a system menu with links to all available features.

Web Forms allow anonymous users to enter and query data using external web pages that can be set up and configured manually. This allows administrators to keep their system completely separate and set up different page looks for different groups of people. Web Forms are external to the system and can reside anywhere.

Email Retrieval allows users to enter data in to the system using a normal SMTP email account. Users simply send an email to a support address that is polled for new issues (Help Desk idea). New issues are entered into the system and the users are returned a notification and ticket number.

Design

FIT is written in Java which means that it can be run on any platform. The synchronization feature of Java allows the FIT server to handle all of its clients simultaneously by locking access to its core data routines. This simply means that FBT is not vulnerable to any corrupted data due to conflicting client threads that are manipulating the same information.

All data is stored in flat files on the machine where it is installed, using a proprietary format. Today's technology includes fast reliable hardware and ample memory. FBT takes advantage of this by storing all essential data in memory so that queries and searches can be done quickly and efficiently.