Building a Reliable Messaging System for an Unreliable (and Diverse) World

Rob Terpilowski, Lead Java Developer, Lynden, Inc.

Hear how Lynden, Inc. architected, built, and deployed their freight tracking system using ActiveMQ in an environment of disparate systems which needed to communicate with each other including Java Server side applications, C# applications running on Windows CE devices as well as green-screen legacy Basic applications. Unreliable Wi-Fi connections at remote locations in Alaska where IT staff is minimal to non-existent proved to be a major challenge which was met with the assistance of FuseSource consultants. By developing a server side application using the Apache Mina framework to act as a proxy between the wireless devices and the ActiveMQ broker they were able to buffer the server from the frequent disconnections the wireless clients experienced and improve the overall reliability of the system.