Plugins
The Universal Messaging realm server supports the concept of plugins within the context of the NHP or NHPS protocol. The plugins are initiated when the underlying Universal Messaging driver receives an HTTP/S packet that is not part of the standard Universal Messaging protocol. At this point, it passes the request over to the plugin manager to see if there is any registered plugin interested in the packet's URL. If there is such a plugin, the request is forwarded to this plugin for processing. Universal Messaging supports several plugins.
Note: The following server plugins are deprecated in Universal Messaging v10.2 and will be removed in a future version of the product: Graphics, XML, Proxy passthrough, Servlet.
Configuring a Plugin
You can configure a plugin using both the Administration API and the Enterprise Manager.
Before adding a plugin, you must create the nhp or nhps interface that will use the plugin on the realm where you want to run the plugin. For more information, see
Creating Interfaces.
After you create the interface, proceed as follows to add a plugin using the Enterprise Manager:
1. In the navigation frame, select the realm where you want to add the plugin.
2. In the Realm Details frame, navigate to the list of defined interfaces for the realm, using Comms > Interfaces.
3. Select the interface from the table of configured interfaces.
4. Select the tab Plugins from the interface configuration panel.
5. Click Add Plugin. This displays the plugin configuration dialog, which enables you to choose which plugin you want to add.
The URL Path
When you configure a plugin, you are required to add a URL path. The URL path is what the realm server uses to determine if the request is destined for a plugin. If the server name and path within the URL supplied in the plugin configuration dialog match the server name and path within the request to a configured plugin, the request is passed to the correct configured plugin for processing.
For example, if a request with a URL of http://realmServer/pluginpath/index.html is made to the server, the file path will be extracted, i.e. pluginpath/index.html, and the configured plugins will be scanned for a match. If there is a file plugin configured with a URL path pluginpath, then this plugin will get a request for index.html.
Similarly, if a request with a URL of http://realmServer/pluginpath/pictures/pic1.jpg is received, then the same file plugin will get a request for pictures/pic1.jpg.