Instant Team Sessions / Technical architecture

Tactical Persistent Chat for HCL Sametime

Live collaboration. Distributed persistence. Continuity across changing networks.

Instant Team Sessions is a distributed global chat and collaboration platform. Its client experience, server components, database layer, and background services work together to manage rooms, participants, conversations, history, and shared content across participating sites.

The platform brings together HCL Sametime's real-time community and place services with HCL Domino's security, replicated documents, and application design. A shared room identity connects the live collaboration experience to its persistent record.

Designed in 2003

Built for Mission-Critical Communication in Any Environment

The architecture was designed by Peyton McManus and Invitrix LLC in 2003 at the request of a defense organization. The requirement was secure group chat with shared awareness of participants and activity, image and document sharing, and persistent conversation history across fragile networks. Distributed teams needed to continue collaborating locally when external connectivity was intermittent, constrained, or unavailable, then synchronize retained history and content when connections returned.

The goal was responsive local collaboration despite constrained bandwidth, variable external-link latency, or periods without an external connection. The Sametime and Notes/Domino technologies used in the original design are identified here by their current HCL product names.

Servers operate on an internal local network, such as the LAN aboard a ship. Users on that network continue collaborating through their local HCL Sametime, Instant Team Sessions, and HCL Domino services even when the ship loses its external satellite, cellular, line-of-sight radio, or other over-the-air connection.

When the external connection to the broader regional or global network returns, the site coalesces back into the shared collaboration environment. Its locally retained history and content synchronize with the participating database replicas.

The central innovation was to combine two complementary capabilities: Sametime for live collaboration, and Domino for durable, replicated room configuration and content.

One collaboration platform, from client to persistent record

Instant Team Sessions provides the application layers that make distributed persistent chat usable: a full client experience, coordinated server components, ongoing background work, and the Instant Team Sessions Service Layer. These layers bring the underlying Sametime and Domino services together around a common room identity.

Instant Team Sessions is a distributed collaboration platform with client, server, background-service, and database layersThe Instant Team Sessions client provides rooms, chat, participants, history, and shared content. Its server manages rooms and captures activity; background services monitor rooms and process archive and retrieval work. The Instant Team Sessions Service Layer coordinates room identity, configuration, access controls, history, and content. The platform combines underlying HCL Sametime community and place services with HCL Domino security, document replication, and application design.Instant Team SessionsDistributed global chat platformClient experienceSametime plug-in UIRooms, chat + participantsHistory, files + contentServer componentsRoom management + captureUNID / place mappingRequests + coordinationBackground servicesRoom monitoringArchive + retrieval workersScheduled tasksInstant Team Sessions Service LayerRoom UNIDs, configuration, access controls, history, documents, and filesOne shared room identity connects the live place to its persistent record.Underlying core services brought together by the platformHCL SametimeCommunity + place servicesLive chat + participant awarenessCustom events + data channelsHCL DominoDocument persistence + replicationSecurity + access controls + UNIDsReplicated application designA complete client and server experience, built on complementary core services.Instant Team Sessions is a distributed collaboration platform with client, server, background-service, and database layersThe Instant Team Sessions client provides rooms, chat, participants, history, and shared content. Its server manages rooms and captures activity; background services monitor rooms and process archive and retrieval work. The Instant Team Sessions Service Layer coordinates room identity, configuration, access controls, history, and content. The platform combines underlying HCL Sametime community and place services with HCL Domino security, document replication, and application design.Instant Team SessionsDistributed global chat platformClient experienceSametime plug-in UIRooms, chat + participantsHistory, files + room contentServer componentsRoom management + captureRoom UNID / place mappingClient requests + coordinationBackground servicesRoom monitoringArchive + retrieval workersScheduled tasks + processingInstant Team SessionsService LayerRoom UNIDs + configurationAccess controls + historyDocuments + files + contentUnderlying core servicesHCL SametimeCommunity + place servicesLive chat + participant awarenessCustom events + data channelsHCL DominoDocument persistence + replicationSecurity + access controlsUNIDs retained across replicasReplicated application designShared room UNID joins chat and history.
01 / Platform architecture. Instant Team Sessions combines client, server, background-service, and database layers into a distributed collaboration platform, using HCL Sametime and HCL Domino as its underlying core services.

Client UI and experience

The Instant Team Sessions client gives users a room list, live chat, participant awareness, conversation history, and access to files and other room content. The Sametime plug-in brings that persistent-room experience into the desktop client.

Server components

Instant Team Sessions Java server components monitor and manage room participation, map room UNIDs to Sametime places, capture chat and activity, and handle requests for persistent content. Multiple sites can operate their own local server layer.

Background services

Java background workers and scheduled database agents support room monitoring, archive processing, retrieval, and periodic maintenance beyond any individual user session. These processes support ongoing capture and access to persistent room history; their schedules and behavior are configured for the deployment.

Instant Team Sessions Service Layer

The service layer brings room identity, configuration, access information, history, and shared content together. Its Domino application database maintains room definitions, files, and application design. Room documents retain their UNIDs across replicas, linking each distributed room to the corresponding Sametime place and persistent content.

Operate locally. Coalesce regionally or globally.

A ship or other site has its own internal network and service layer. Losing the external link separates that local environment from the wider network, not its users from their local services. When regional or global connectivity returns, the site rejoins the shared room environment and synchronizes its stored content.

Local ship networks continue operating, then coalesce when external connectivity returnsEach ship has an operational internal LAN, local chat services, and an ITS database replica. Regional or global links connect the sites. When an external link is lost, local networks continue operating and store activity independently. When the wider connection returns, sites coalesce into the shared room environment and synchronize stored history.01 ConnectedShip / local network AUsers + local chat servicesLocal ITS.NSF replicaRegional / global linkActivity + replicationShip / local network BUsers + local chat servicesLocal ITS.NSF replica02 External link lostShip / local network AUsers + local chat servicesLocal ITS.NSF replicaInternal LAN stays upExternal link unavailableShip / local network BUsers + local chat servicesLocal ITS.NSF replica03 CoalescedShip / local network AUsers + local chat servicesLocal ITS.NSF replicaRejoin wider networkSynchronize stored historyShip / local network BUsers + local chat servicesLocal ITS.NSF replicaRoom identity remains stable across all three states.Local ship networks continue operating, then coalesce when external connectivity returnsEach ship has an operational internal LAN, local chat services, and an ITS database replica. Regional or global links connect the sites. When an external link is lost, local networks continue operating and store activity independently. When the wider connection returns, sites coalesce into the shared room environment and synchronize stored history.01 ConnectedShip / local network AUsers + local chat servicesLocal ITS.NSF replicaRegional / global linkActivity + replicationShip / local network BUsers + local chat servicesLocal ITS.NSF replica02 External link lostShip / local network AUsers + local chat servicesLocal ITS.NSF replicaInternal LAN stays upExternal link unavailableShip / local network BUsers + local chat servicesLocal ITS.NSF replica03 CoalescedShip / local network AUsers + local chat servicesLocal ITS.NSF replicaRejoin wider networkSynchronize stored historyShip / local network BUsers + local chat servicesLocal ITS.NSF replica
02 / Separation and coalescence. Each ship or site retains its internal LAN and services. Only the external regional or global link is interrupted; stored documents synchronize as the sites rejoin the wider network.

  1. Connected

    Local networks participate in the common regional or global room environment. Local services capture activity, and database replicas exchange documents according to their replication and security settings.

  2. Externally separated

    The internal LAN remains operational. Shipboard or site users continue using their local rooms and services while the external link is unavailable. Chat and activity accumulate in the local persistent store.

  3. Coalesced

    The site rejoins the wider regional or global network. Configured replication synchronizes its stored chat history, activity, and content with the distributed environment, using the same room identifiers.

This is continuity with eventual synchronization, not instantaneous delivery across a disconnected link. Replication timing, conflict handling, and resumed live connectivity depend on the deployment configuration.

The underlying core services

HCL Sametime

  • Community and place services for live room participation.
  • Participant awareness within a place.
  • Place messages, custom events, and data channels.
  • A scalable real-time collaboration layer.

HCL Domino

  • Document-level replication and durable room configuration.
  • UNIDs that preserve document identity across replicas.
  • Database ACLs and document-level access controls.
  • Persistent messages, activity, images, files, and other room content.
  • Application design stored in the database and distributable through configured replication.

Instant Team Sessions integrates these core services into one client and server platform: Sametime carries live room activity, Domino provides durable distributed content and security, and the application layers coordinate the complete user experience.

Distributed by design, configured for the deployment

The architecture depends on more than connecting two servers. Replica relationships, room identity mapping, server permissions, capture coordination, and reconnection behavior must be configured and tested together.

  • Local availability: each isolated site needs the services and database access required to operate independently.
  • Replication policy: schedules, filters, server ACLs, deletion behavior, and design replication determine what synchronizes and when.
  • Capture coordination: logger configuration and election must avoid duplicate capture when multiple services participate in a room.
  • Recovery validation: exercise separation and reconnection, including document conflicts, history convergence, and access controls.

This page describes the architectural approach and its original design goals. Published Instant Team Sessions compatibility currently extends through Sametime 11; it does not establish support for later releases or certify every distributed deployment.

Tour overviewDownloads & deployment guides

Technical references

Original design background provided by Peyton McManus. Platform terminology and replication controls are documented by HCL: