ZimWeb Connection Architecture

Web applications can be implemented in Zim, using a Java Servlet program called ZIIServlet, provided as part of ZimWeb. A Java Servlet must be executed on a Java Servlet Container, such as Apache’s Jakarta Tomcat.

ZIIServlet works together with Zim Server to process requests from the client, whose interaction with the end user occurs through a web browser. In particular, request parameters (e.g. HTML form field values) are passed as parameters to a Zim program that is executed on Zim Server. That program is responsible for processing the request and constructing the response. Although the response can be sent directly back to the client, ZimWeb includes a variety of options for processing it.

ZimWeb communicates with Zim Server using TCP/IP. Zim Server and ZimWeb, can run on the same or different systems, provided that there is a network connection between the them.

The following diagram shows the basic components of a Web application using ZimWeb:

ZimWeb Components

ZimWeb is composed of four components: the ZIIServlet, the Java Servlet Container, the Zim Database Agent and a web browser.

Java Servlet Container

Also known as a Java Servlet Engine. An environment in which Java Servlets can be executed. Tests were done with Apache’s Tomcat, which is the official reference platform for Java Servlet Containers. A Java Servlet Container can be run independently, or it can be integrated with a Web Server. The ZimWeb Reference Platform includes Tomcat, but a variety of alternatives are available.

ZIIServlet

ZIIServlet is a Java Servlet. It can be loaded automatically by the Java Servlet Container when the first request is received, or alternatively it can be loaded in advance so that it is ready beforehand.

Zim Database Agent

The Zim Database Agent is part of Zim Server. It is a process that runs on a specific machine and accesses a specific database. ZimWeb can communicate with any number of databases on any number of database machines. However, a Zim Database Agent is always connected to a specific database.

Web Browser

Typical web browsers include Microsoft Internet Explorer on Windows, Safari on MacOSX and iOS, Chrome, Firefox and Opera on serveral platforms, from desktops to tablets and smartphones. The web browser is not supplied with ZimWeb. End users will connect to ZimWeb using any available web browser in their machines