What was Aptrix / LWWCM?...

Aptrix Content Server, before it was rebranded as IBM Lotus Workplace Web Content Management (LWWCM), was originally developed by Presence Online and was written for the Domino Notes environment. When the Java Platform Edition (JPE) was released, the two versions combined meant that it could be run on almost any platform.

In July 2003, IBM purchased Presence Online (trading as Aptrix), and released:

• LWWCM 1.0 in September 2003
• LWWCM 1.1 on November 5, 2003.
• LWWCM 1.1.1 in January 2004.
• LWWCM 2.0 in July 2004.
• IWWCM 2.5 / 5.1 in December 2004 - Lotus brand was dropped
• IWWCM 6.0 in August 2006

Version 2.5 and 5.1 were split slightly to satisfy both WebSphere Application Server (WAS 5.0.2 - Java 1.3 engine) users and WebSphere Portal (WPS 5.1 - Java 1.4 engine) users respectively. For the Java Edition, major improvements were made with a much closer integration with IBM Portal Server. Improved user management was also provided through WebSphere Member Manager, removing the need to "create separate users" in LWWCM. FileSystem storage was also dropped in favour of the more reliable IBM Content Manager or JDBC databases such as Cloudscape or DB2. It is installed as part of WPS 5.1 but not enabled.

IBM Workplace Web Content Management (IWWCM) 6.0 is another major improvement in the product. Support for a JCR (Java Content Repository) database and lots of changes to the User Interface are some of the more noticable changes.

As a Content Management Software package, IWWCM contains many advanced features. Some of which are described below.

Workflows

IWWCM allows fully configurable workflows to be easily created using multiple customisable stages - with multiple individuals or groups assigned to each stage.

Security

In the Domino version of Content Server, the Domino Access Control List (ACL) is used to restrict access to web functionality (including page level security on web pages) and authoring functionality (including creating, editing, deleting, archiving and approving content).

In the Java version security is object based, meaning that every component can have security applied to it - Templates, Page Designs, Sites, Site Areas, Content... even the components on each page.

Personalisation and Trackers

By identifying individual or types of users, the correct information can be delivered to the right person at the right time. Once an individual user has been to a section a specified number of times (such as an on-line Help section), a customised page can be inserted to target that user (suggesting a computer based training session instead).

Authoring

The Web-based publishing feature allows individuals to use a template or a set of templates approved by the organisation and other tools to create or modify Web content (controlled through access levels).

Aggregation of Content

Data can be merged from multiple remote systems.

Revision Control

The revision control feature allows content to be updated to a newer version or restored to a previous version. Revision control also tracks any changes made to files by individuals.

Indexing / Searching

An additional feature is indexing, search, and retrieval. Using dynamic menus and navigators, IWWCM indexes all data within an organisation. Individuals can then access this information profiled by site area (the finance section), document type (forms and policies) or even document category (home insurance, mortgages).¹

Caching

By pre-generating pagestyles, IWWCM can deliver up to a 1000% performance increase over uncached pages.

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Unlike some "off-the-shelf" packages, additional features can be developed and "bolted" on to the overall product. I have been directly involved in the improvement and development of IWWCM (and Aptrix) and can assist in tailoring IWWCM to suit your needs.

¹ -- I have developed an improved searching facility for the Domino version of IWWCM - both in accuracy of results, and performance compared with the standard Aptrix Search Agent. Contact me directly for more information.