Overview

SICS Live Desktop has six main parts:

• SICS Naming Service (SNS) web services
• SNS Administration web page
• SICS Live Desktop URL processing service (SUS)
• Auto-registration of SICS Workstation with SNS
• Automatic cleanup of dead sessions
• Web Service Endpoints (WSE) in SICS Workstation

SICS Naming Service is a web application that exposes a set of Web Services. It is the main “hub” in SICS Live Desktop. SNS keeps a register of all running SICS Workstations.

When SICS Workstation starts, it will find an available TCP/IP port and start listening for incoming Web Service calls on this port. Then, it will register its SICS user name, database name, database schema, OS user name, and port number with SNS (which must already be running). In the following, the two data fields ‘database name’ and ‘database schema’ are collectively called ‘database information’.

External applications may query the SNS for the IP address & port number of SICS Workstation for a given SICS user name & database information. The external application may then directly invoke a Web Service Endpoint at the user’s SICS Workstation; this will have the effect that the requested SICS screen is opened for the requested SICS object (for example, a claim identified by claim number or OBJECT_ID).

The SNS also allows external applications to call into SICS in an environment where the external application is running locally on the user’s PC and SICS is running centrally in a Terminal Services / Remote Desktop Services / Citrix session.

The communication between SICS Workstation and SNS, and between the external application and SICS Workstation, is based on Web Service technology. More specifically, it is based on JAX-WS 2.1.x.

Note:
The external application may have updated the relevant SICS object via SICS API Server before calling the corresponding Web Service Endpoint to view the object in SICS Workstation. In order to avoid potential “write lock” issues, SICS workstation will close all open windows and refresh its data before processing the endpoint request. If such a refresh is not wanted, it can be disabled by setting the appropriate SICS Workstation configuration option (please see the file \runtime\conf\sics.global.resource.registry.properties).

There is also an alternative way for the client of invoking the Web Service Endpoints at the user’s SICS Workstation: The client can send a HTTP(S) get-request to the SNS which will invoke the corresponding web service on the user’s SICS Workstation. This is done by the so-called SICS Live Desktop URL Service (SUS).

The SNS can be set up to automatically on regular intervals clean up dead sessions registered with the SNS, i.e. check all workstations and de-register those which no longer are alive. This functionality is automatically turned on, but can be turned off if not needed.