Whitepaper - Addovation Go - V3

Last Updated: 2025-02-14

Introduction

Addovation Go is a low code, native mobile application for Android and iOS, built using Addovation Mobile Framework and Microsoft .Net MAUI. The mobile application depends on the Addovation Cloud application for communication and configuration.

Addovation Go mobile application supports:

  • Customer specific colors and branding options (theme)
  • Working with any business object in IFS Cloud o Including customizations
  • Your phone or tablet’s features such as camera/photos, barcode and QR code scanning, GPS, etc.
  • Your own translations
  • Multiple user interface languages
  • And much more

To communicate with IFS Cloud, the solution requires an instance of the Addovation Cloud and Addovation Uplink applications.

Figure 1 : High Level Architecture

Addovation Go Mobile Application

Addovation Go offers functionality covering most aspects of IFS Cloud. Addovation Go uses standard components from our library to configure solutions for customer need. Our platform generates interfaces for different mobile clients such as iOS & Android. It enables secure and efficient transfer of any type and quantity of data. It will eliminate inefficiencies and deliver your workforce with the information they need, when and where they need it.

Mobility is not only a matter of mobile application. Selection of the mobile hardware, over-the-air connectivity technologies, device security should be considered in a mobile project. Depending on your area of business, and the level of security your company requires, Addovation will be able to tailor apps to suite your needs, regardless of the technology you want to use.

An SQLite database is used by the Addovation Go client to store the information related to the application configurations that are requested from the Addovation Cloud. The applications can be configured using the Addovation Go Designer web application.

Addovation Go Designer application

Addovation Go Designer is a web application for configuring the mobile applications. It supports maintaining the Customers, Users, Themes, Document Management, Applications, Pages, Risk Libraries, and Presentation Objects.

Users can create many applications and each application can have several pages. Also, each page can have several rows but Maximum two columns for each row. After adding a row or column to the application, users can drag tools (columns, textboxes, labels, buttons or panels) to each row or column.

Figure 2 : Application Configuration Flow

Addovation Cloud

Addovation Cloud/Addovation Uplink WCF services will be replaced by secure Azure .Net Web API(s)

Addovation provides a cloud service integration platform that is located either in a professional hosted environment, located within the borders of Norway or Sweden, Microsoft Azure or in your local in-house environment. All that is required is an Internet Information Server and an SQL Server database (2008+). All communication is done via REST-based interfaces; hence it is perfect for enabling collaboration between IFS and the outside world. No passwords are stored in Addovation Cloud, and all communication through the Cloud is encrypted.

Addovation Cloud can work as self-hosted service or as Windows service.

The cloud solution requires that TCP-connections is allowed on port 8080 on full duplex towards:

  • cloud.addovation.com o IP: 217.65.228.
  • testcloud.addovation.com o IP: 217.65.228.

Client Service

Client service is a WCF REST service, which receives all the mobile clients’ requests. It uses HTTP binding with transport-level security (HTTPS communication provides confidentiality and integrity protection for the messages that are transmitted over the wire). It will be available on address https://server:48081/Addovation.Cloud/ClientService/ by default.

Data Service

Data service is a WCF service, which provides possibility to perform requests to IFS databases. It uses NET TCP binding (socket endpoints) and NET HTTPS binding (websocket endpoints) with both transport and message security configured and duplex communication (duplex contracts are supported) with Uplink service. It will be by default available on address “net.tcp://server:48080/Addovation.Cloud/DataService/” for NET TCP binding and on address “wss://server:48079/Addovation.Cloud/DataServiceWss/” for NET HTTPS binding.

Addovation Cloud/Addovation Uplink WCF services will be replaced by secure Azure .Net Web API(s)

Addovation Uplink is a WCF service installed on the client side. The uplink service initiates connection to the Cloud service, so no ports on client side need to be opened. Uplink service securely connects with IFS Cloud though HTTPS projection calls with authentication headers.

The communication is being illustrated in the following picture:

Figure 3 : Communication among Mobile Client, Addovation Cloud, Addovation Uplink, & IFS Cloud

Every instance of the Uplink service must provide certificate generated for the specific Customer/SystemID. Duplex connection will be established only if correct certificate is provided.

Mobile clients are to request the public key of generated certificate from the Addovation Cloud. This key is used to encrypt all the messages to send to the Cloud service.

Note that in the case of using proxy, the Data service should use WebSocket connection type. The proxy server should have SSL termination switched off. This needs to be handled via the customer proxy configuration (these settings vary between different proxy software). Important! The cloud uplink uses local Internet Explorer proxy configuration so it’s possible that the following setting needs to be enabled and configured:

Figure 4 : Proxy Configuration

The security communication can be illustrated by the following drawing:

Figure 5 : Secure Communication

Authentication Mechanism

Addovation Go supports IFS Cloud authentication. IAM Client should be created in IFS. Following values should be configured in the Addovation Go designer.

  • Authentication Type
  • Client Id
  • Client Secret
  • Scopes
  • Authorize Url
  • Callback Url

Addovation Go mobile will open the IFS Cloud login page and acquire the authentication tokens from IFS.

Communication with IFS Cloud

Addovation Go supports both standard and custom projections with IFS Cloud. Relevant projections are defined when creating the app configurations in the Addovation Go designer. All projection calls will include the secure authentication headers, and IFS Cloud will validate all communication.

Logging and Diagnostics

Microsoft Azure Application Insights

Addovation Go mobile client uses Microsoft Azure Application Insights for monitoring the application health. It uses the Analytics and the Crashes information for the application logging and diagnostic purposes.

Windows Event Viewer can be used to monitor the issues in the Addovation Cloud and the Addovation Uplink applications.

Addovation Cloud related logs can be found in Event Viewer → Windows Logs → Application. Logs can be filtered using “Addovation.Cloud” in the Source.

Logs related to the Addovation Uplink can be found in Event Viewer → Applications and Services Logs → .

Technologies

Application Technologies/Frameworks Version(s)
Addovation Go Mobile Application .NET MAUI .NET MAUI 8
Addovation Go Designer ASP.NET Core MVC .NET Core 8
Addovation Cloud/Uplink Windows Communication Foundation (WCF) .NET Framework 4.6.2
Addovation Go Configuration DACPAC (Data-tier application Package) DACPAC 2.11.0.0
IFS Cloud Standard/Custom projections IFS Cloud 24R1

Network Analysis and Scanning

Wireshark (https://www.wireshark.org/) is one of the best network protocol analyzers. It supports checking everything that is going on within a network, troubleshoot different problems, analyze and filter your network traffic using various tools, etc.

Wireshark can be utilized to capture the network traffic among different components in Addovation Go application setup. The Addovation Uplink communicates with Addovation Cloud via ether Net TCP or Web Socket while the Mobile Application communicates with the Addovation Cloud via a Web Socket. Filters can be defined in Wireshark with the configured port numbers in Addovation Go.

Compatibility matrix

Addovation Go Mobile Application

Operating systems:

  • Minimum Android version supported: Android 13 (API level 33 )
  • Target Android version supported: Android 1 4 (API level 34 )
  • Minimum iOS version support: iOS 9

IFS Cloud

  • Tested with IFS Cloud 24R
Supports/Requires Version/Bitness Cloud/Uplink
WINDOWS SERVER 2019 32 and 64 ✓
WINDOWS SERVER 2022 32 and 64 ✓
WINDOWS 10 32 and 64 ✓
WINDOWS 11 32 and 64 ✓
IFS CLOUD 24R1 ✓

Limitations

  • Addovation Go does not support automatic device font size adjustments
    • Font size is controlled in the configuration stored in the Addovation Cloud app’s database
  • Working offline is not supported, a working network connection is required
  • Barcode scanning on colored backgrounds is not supported or recommended
    • High contrast gives better results
  • App linking
    • The root of the link (URL) must always start with https://applink.addovation.com/
    • In iOS, Email Sending is only allowed with the iOS default mail app
    • On android you need to add the applink base url in App Info.

GDPR compliance

Addovation Go is built with GDPR regulations in mind and communicates in the same way as IFS Cloud 24R1. The Addovation Go client uses Microsoft Azure Application Insights. The only information that is stored in the Application Insights logs is cloud server URL, environment name (system id), and username. This log information enables Addovation to track crashes and warnings for specific sessions and to analyze the relevant stack trace. The information is automatically erased after 90 days.

Contact

Visit http://www.addovation.com for further information.