This book describes how to use Funambol to perform mobile cloud sync and push email for a number of devices.


In Detail

Funambol is a free and open source mobile synchronization server that provides push email, address book and calendar (PIM) data synchronization, and device management for wireless devices. Are you looking to sync your email and other data with mobile devices for easy access? This book will show you how to do that via the Internet cloud.

With the help of this complete, practical guide you will learn how to access your email, calendar, contacts, important notes a lot more easily and quickly using Funambol. You will be able to sync a large number of online applications with your mobile devices. You will also be able to develop, deploy, and manage any mobile project.

This book will show you how to provide a full-featured PIM synchronization and push email service with Funambol.
You will start by installing Funambol on a personal computer, and then move on to acquire detailed information on the Funambol architecture and the network requirements for deploying it. You will cover several components of Funambol such as Data Synchronization Server, Device Management, Client Plugins, and more.
As you reach the end of the book, you will delve deeper to explore the wide range of possibilities of the Funambol platform beyond the immediate needs of personal data synchronization and mobile email. The book is also a great starting point for anyone who aims to extend Funambol. This book was targeted at version 7.1 of Funambol, but is also applicable to version 8.


What you will learn from this book

* Install the server on both Linux and Windows environment, and learn how to start/stop Funambol services
* Sync your data with other devices and get notified of new emails or other personal data changes
* Start synchronization automatically to receive changes made with another application or device using push synchronization
* Connect to the Data Synchronization Service using Funambol administration tool
* Synchronize all different devices with a central PIM database and email system using the different push mechanisms
* Access a database on a separate machine instead of the local database by configuring Funambol
* Restrict access to specific users, add new users, and track registered users using the Funambol Administration Tool
* Set up and start the PIM Connector and PIM Listener Service, and learn how it works in a complex scenario using a Windows Mobile phone
* Develop a custom connector to access an external data source by following a simple tutorial-styled example

Approach

The book is composed of two parts. The first part will take you through the steps required to fully understand and deploy Funambol to provide PIM synchronization and push email solution to your mobile users. This is done step-by-step, starting from a simple personal usage scenario to a more complex environment that must serve thousands of users. All components of the platform are smoothly introduced and explained, starting from the functionality they provide. The second part of the book is more informative and will assist you in building Funambol extensions. In particular, it contains an easy-to-follow tutorial that will allow you to write a Funambol connector in a few easy steps.

Who this book is written for

If you are looking forward to install and get started with Funambol, this book is for you. You need to have a technical background and be confident with a bit of code tweaking, but not a developer.

General server administration skills are assumed and familiarity with Java will be a benefit in places.