FTL Introduction and Components

TIBCO FTL® is a messaging infrastructure middleware product. It features high speed and reliable structured data message exchange. There are clearly defined roles for application developers and application administrators. TIBCO FTL has the flexibility to achieve low transfer latency, high delivery reliability, or a customized balance of these.

To get started working in FTL, see the Getting Started activities.

The main components of TIBCO FTL are:

  • FTL Server: The FTL server is a multi-purpose executable component that consolidates several services into one server process. These services include:

    • Realm Service: Used as a unified communication fabric within and across networks which supplies application programs with communication configuration data.

    • Transport Bridge Service: Used to forward messages among multiple transport types.

    • Persistence Service: Used to manage stores and durable subscriptions (durables).

    • Group Service: Used to coordinate operating roles among application processes and fault-tolerant operation to ensure continuated operation when one or more components fail.

    • Authentication Service: Used to authenticate the identity of, then authorize, client programs, administrative tools, and affiliated servers, typically as a prerequisite to allowing access or communication.

    • eFTL Service: Used to integrate mobile and browser platforms into an enterprise messaging solution.

  • Application Programming Interface (API): Developers use the API to build applications that interface with TIBCO FTL.

  • User Interface: Administrators will find the FTL server's graphical user interface (GUI) useful for monitoring the state of FTL services and clients.

These tutorial lessons are meant for experienced application developers, using Linux operating systems. The goal is to provides a full picture of TIBCO FTL software and its capabilities. The lessons begin with a simplified view of TIBCO FTL® messaging, and adds details and features with requirements they satisfy or the problems they solve.

The terms we define along the way are basic concepts, and not necessarily complete functional descriptions. For details about the concepts, see TIBCO FTL Product Documentation, TIBCO FTL Development and TIBCO FTL Administration.