Java Power Tools

Chapter 9. Setting Up an Instant Messaging Platform with Openfire

Instant Messaging in a Development Project

Today, communication by chat and instant messaging is almost ubiquitous. There is little need to introduce these technologies. However, they are often seen as purely recreational software tools, and their potential as a team communication tool is often ignored. Indeed, chat and instant messaging can be a useful complement to face-to-face meetings, telephones, and emails, without eliminating the need for any of these other communication techniques.

This is especially true when team members are scattered across different countries or continents because telephone communications are expensive, and IP telephone is not always feasible because of variable network quality.

One solution is to use one of the countless public messaging servers. There are many available, and they work well. However, this approach may be frowned upon by system administrators and/or management who do not wish to see potentially sensitive information circulating outside of the company.

The other solution is to install a private messaging server within your organization.

This is where Openfire can help. Openfire (formerly known as Wildfire) is a powerful open source Java chat and instant messaging server based on the XMPP (Jabber) protocol. It is simple to install and configure, administration is easy via a slick web console, and it offers an extremely rich range of features.

Installing Openfire

Installing Openfire ...