uPortal 3 Overview

This content from the corresponding page on the uportal website.

uPortal 3.0 will achieve the following:

Terminology and Paradigm change: Channels replaced by Portlets

The main integration component between an application and a portal will change from a uPortal 2.x Channel to a JSR 168 Portlet. The domain objects within uPortal 3.0 will reflect this change. Terminology throughout the database and graphical user interfaces will also change. uPortal 3.0 will continue to use Apache Pluto, a Portlet Container, to manage the interaction with Portlets. A Portlet deployment tool will be provided.

Componentization of framework

uPortal will follow a component-based implementation strategy. Component configuration files will provide a transparent view of the overall architecture, facilitating further ehancements of the framework and long-term maintenance of the codebase.

Modular rendering pipeline

uPortal 3.0 will support the concept of multiple concurrent presentation Contexts. Each Context will be able to define a series of components used to make up the complete rendering pipeline. A default Context will be supplied that will emulate the SAX-based rendering pipeline with structure and theme transformations from uPortal 2.x.

Clean separation of business logic and persistence layer

Pure Data Access Objects (DAO) will be definied to meet uPortal 3.0's storage requirements. An implementation for each DAO interface will be supplied and will make use of Spring JDBC. The DAO implementations will be restricted to direct communication with the underlying database and will be free of business logic.

Full support for uPortal 2.X Channels

Channels based on the uPortal 2.x channel interfaces (IChannel, IMultithreadedchannel) will continue to run in uPortal 3.0. IPrivilegedChannels will be supported in a limited way, continuing to make available the HttpServletRequest and HttpServletResponse, but not allowing access to the internal portal control structures such as ChannelManager. A new Channel Adapter will be provided for this purpose. ChannelArchive (CAR) files will also be supported in uPortal 3.0.

Upgrade tools

Tools will include a database conversion tool and stylesheet converstion tool that will enable migration from an implementation of uPortal 2.x version to uPortal 3.0. Upgrading from uPortal 2.x to 3.0 will be possible without losing published channel and user layout information. Structure and theme XSLT stlyehseets will not need to be redesigned.

Overview material

Below is a set of links to whitepapers and presentations relevant to uPortal3 overview and high-level planning.

Development plan and features

The workplan document (workplan_public.pdf) outlines major goals of up3 development and some details on the development process.

Architecture slides from the September'04 developers meeting

The first slide set (sep04_dm1.ppt) illustrates up3 domain objects and rendering contexts. The second set (sep04_dm2.ppt) talks about persistance layer implementation approach.