InGrid

InGrid is an ideal solution for high performance conversion of XML to various print and electronic formats. InGrid is our second-generation formatting server. InGrid is an XEP "amplifier" — it controls XEP engines running on multiple computers in parallel (in grid). Their joint power is controlled through a single access point, configurable with a web browser. This architecture allows for scalability and flexibility to suit your business requirements (intelligent grid).

InGrid is a formatting server. It accepts documents locally or over the network and formats them with high throughput. Customers are those who print or deliver electronically customized documents in high volumes and various formats. The user installs the server and uses it with simple command-line or interactive tools. The users may but won't have to write code to use the server in their workflow. It is a potentially distributed solution, which consists of:

• XEP Engines, running locally and remotely, with simple monitoring interface over HTTP (a tiny HTTP server is embedded into each engine)
• XEP Access Point, a hub that accepts formatting queries and returns results using either hot folder or service-based interface.

The user either runs XEP Access Point as a separate application (serving network requests or monitoring folders) or embeds it into their code. InGrid's current implementation is written in Java. It runs on most modern computer platforms and operating systems, including various Unixes, Microsoft Windows, Linux, macOS, and Plan 9. A simple and flexible sockets-based protocol allows programs in any language to easily connect to InGrid, thus eliminating limitations imposed by any single environment.

Internally, InGrid distributes formatting jobs, records their activity to the log, and monitors the grid performance. Whatever the system around it is doing, the role of its core remains constant. For the user, InGrid provides a choice of ways to submit tasks and receive responses. The three current interfaces are:

• Active folder (Actinia)
• Network server (Toaster)
• SOAP and REST (Fairy)

Additional proxying interface Fork allows starting multiple interfaces simultaneously. It is especially useful for running multiple InGrid interfaces at the same time as Windows service.

InGrid is a direct replacement of EnMasse. It is completely backward compatible with EnMasse, i.e. it accepts the same configuration files and supports the same working modes while providing significantly better performance. Additionally, InGrid provides with REST API.

InGrid is a combination of sample code, components and support hours. With every purchase of an InGrid Kit, RenderX provides dedicated support hours to ensure you get all your questions answered. The InGrid Kit can be purchased standalone if needed. For XEP Server purchases that include Extended Support, one integration kit (either Connectivity, WinSuite or InGrid (and previously EnMasse) is provided free of charge.

The InGrid Kit is USD $1,300.00 if purchased separately. The InGrid Kit can be purchased from our online shop or contact sales for more information.

The bank prints statements, bills, invoices, personalized letters in high volume, uses a WYSIWYG or XML editor to design forms, a relational database to manipulate data, their own application to merge the forms and the data, and then needs a high performance formatting solution. InGrid Actinia, an "active folder" application, monitors the input folder, picks up documents in XSL FO (XSLFO), and puts formatted documents in PDF or PostScript into the printer queue.

A small office with several authors. The authors use an XML editor to create and edit documents and need a high performance formatting server to generate previews. The office uses EnMasse Toaster, the formatting service, which accepts requests other the local network via a simple network protocol, and sends back formatted documents in PDF or PostScript. The user's workstation then displays the formatted document.