uPortal 3.0 Overview

• 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 persistance 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 XXXXX.  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.