SUMMARY
Pathlore Content BridgeTM is a patent-pending technology that allows an organization to manage distributed content (i.e., content residing anywhere - content that has traditionally been required to reside in the same location, if not the same machine, as the LMS). Organizations with the following characteristics will find great value in the Pathlore Content Bridge.
- Organizations that have content residing in multiple locations (e.g., different divisions/departments).
- Organizations that want to integrate content that is being hosted by the content vendor.
- Organizations that want to access content from various locations and content vendors over the Internet.
This is extremely beneficial for several reasons. Pathlore Content Bridge allows an organization to access content that resides anywhere, thus increasing the choices of content. It also provides customers with options - distributed content, centralized content or both. Finally, this will result in simplifying the task of managing content and lowering administrative costs associated with content management.
Prior to developing the content bridge functionality, when a user attempted to access content or data via their web browser that resides anywhere other than in the same environment as their LMS, the web browser generated a "permission denied" error. This error occurs because the browser is attempting to prevent the communication and exchange of data between two (2) different web servers. This restriction was developed by Microsoft and Netscape and is enforced by web browsers to prevent malicious code from manipulating the content of a web page in another Web domain. This is an issue with all internet applications and is not unique to the e-Learning industry or Pathlore.
DETAILS
What is the Pathlore Content Bridge?
Enabling technology within the LMS that allows an organization to integrate content that resides on a domain outside of its LMS web server domain. This is useful if:
- Your organization has content residing in multiple locations
- You want to integrate content that resides on a content vendor's site
- You want to access content from various locations on the Internet
Why is it important?
- Allows an organization to access content that resides anywhere, thus increasing their choices of content
- Allows the organization put the content closer to the user, yet have centralized access and management
- Provides customers an option - distributed content, centralized content or both
- Simpler to manage content (lowers administrative costs of content management)
- Does not require the LMS server to be outside the firewall. The server on which the Content Bridge runs need only have access to the Internet as a client, exactly like a typical workstation with a web browser.
- Does not require content vendors to install special software on their servers.
What happens if an organization tries to manage distributed content without Pathlore Content Bridge?
- The browser generates a "permission denied" error when the LMS and the content are mapped to different web domains. This restriction is enforced by web browsers to prevent malicious code from manipulating the content of a Web page in another Web domain.
- This error occurs if the communication occurs on the client within the browser security model.
- Security restrictions built into the browser (Microsoft and Netscape) prohibits access to content that resides on a domain different than the LMS
How does Pathlore Content Bridge work?
- Pathlore Content Bridge acts as a gateway between the browser client and the content. Without the Pathlore Content Bridge, the browser client attempts to directly contact the content but is not permitted to (i.e., receives a "permission denied error"). With the Pathlore Content Bridge, the browser client communicates the Content Bridge directly, which then acts as a gateway (or bridge) to the content. Because of this, the LMS and the content are able to communicate the needed information (e.g., user data, scoring, bookmarking etc.) with each other.
What data is passed back during the communication?
- Only information and statistics about the student and the course is communicated back to LMS. Additional features accessed from the 3rd party content site or portal (i.e. mentoring) will not be communicated back to LMS.
How have some content vendors addressed this?
- Some content vendors are attempting to address this issue in a proprietary way. If an organization uses the proprietary method of the content vendor, they will be required to implement each vendor's approach separately - a very costly and hard to maintain proposition.
ADDITIONAL RESOURCES
Microsoft Support Knowledgebase
Search on "Cross domain Security" with resulting article, "PRB: Permission Denied Error Message When Scripting Across Frames (Q167796)"
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