What Is a Groove Server?
Microsoft produces Groove Server as part of Microsoft Office. Microsoft Office is a “productivity suite” that includes all the applications needed for office work, including a word processor and a spreadsheet. Groove Server coordinates changes to Groove Workspace documents. Groove is a collaboration application that enables groups of people to access and edit the same files.
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History
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Microsoft acquired Groove Virtual Office in 2005, when it bought Groove Networks, the program's creator. Microsoft integrated the application into Microsoft Office as a collaboration suite called Groove 2007. The company changed the name of the application to SharePoint Workspace 2010 with the release of Office 2010.
Groove Format
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A Groove workspace can be customized by adding or removing certain elements. Each copy of the Workspace is local, however, those invited to be part of the workspace group all have their local copy to the same format. This flexibility allows for the different needs of different types of projects. So, the application presents a desktop environment for a team. The elements that can form a part of the workspace include a browser, chat window, notepad and a sketch pad and file-sharing.
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Architecture
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Groove is based on a peer-to-peer model where each member contacts the other members in the group directly. This means there is no need for a central server. Groove can exist without Groove Server. If the server is included in the group, it coordinates updates of documents and notifies others in the group when a member comes online.
Groove Server Functions
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Groove server includes three elements: Office Groove Server Manager, Office Groove Server Relay and Office Groove Server Data Bridge. The Manager element enables the control of membership of the group and allocates and stores usernames and passwords. The relay element routes messages around the group. Its functions are mainly needed when members of the group lay outside a home network, which has its own security requirements. Relay acts as a message proxy, behaving like a mail server to distribute messages around the group. Data Bridge is able to pull in information from a business's other data gathering systems, like its Enterprise Resource Planning or Customer Relationship Management systems. The data is brought into Groove in a customized format and held on a centralized server where all members of the collaborating team can access it. This is the only source of centralized data in Groove as all other information is distributed among members.
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References
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