# Some architecture questions - need help **URL:** \ **Category:** Rails\ **Created:** [November 20, 2007, 1:28pm UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/some-architecture-questions-need-help/120764 "2007-11-20T13:28:16Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 2\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![garfild](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/g/6a8cbe/32.png) [@garfild](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/garfild)\ **Post date:** [November 20, 2007, 1:28pm UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/some-architecture-questions-need-help/120764/1 "2007-11-20T13:28:16Z")
Hi guys, I am a Java/J2ee programmer and just came across ruby & ruby on rails, played with it a bit and found it great. A new client/server project I need to be responsible of, contains the following: MVC architecture RMI - to send methods via tcp/ip to a third-party program written in C+ - that accepts the data and send it back manipulated. (We used rmi, stubs,jndi in our java/j2ee environment) Multithreading - My project will have many users creating many tasks that will need to go back & forth through the network from the ruby code to a C++ code (FastCGI???). In first glance I can see, ROR is great with data manipulation web sites, that most actions involve receiving data from user doing manipulation and sending it back. Can ROR ignite an asynchrony process that will interact with C++ dll’s using a wrapper of some sort? Can this be done by ruby on rails ? what kind of web server should I use (Apache,LightTPD?)I’m not locked on anything Should I use JRuby for that? Are there any plug-ins for that? Ths are many questions, I know ☹ But with few guidelines from someone who knows (and I know shit about ROR), I can build my environment. (my OS is Windows). Thanks a lot and waiting for HELP 🙂 Yossi ---
**Author:** ![garfild](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/g/6a8cbe/32.png) [@garfild](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/garfild)\ **Post date:** [November 20, 2007, 2:13pm UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/some-architecture-questions-need-help/120764/2 "2007-11-20T14:13:24Z")
On Nov 20, 2007 12:27 PM, garfild [removed\_email\_address@domain.invalid](mailto:removed_email_address@domain.invalid) wrote: > Hi guys, > > I am a Java/J2ee programmer and just came across ruby & ruby on rails, > played with it a bit and found it great. > A new client/server project I need to be responsible of, contains the > following: I would say that you are outside the sweet spot for Rails. Rails really expects to be sitting on a database, and expects you to interact with it in standard ways - via a web browser or other HTTP client, via e-mail etc. There are plugins for lots of things (BackgrounDRb comes to mind) that can help you, but you are doing most of your real work in pure Ruby then. > MVC architecture > RMI - to send methods via tcp/ip to a third-party program written in C+ > > - that accepts the data and send it back manipulated. > (We used rmi, stubs,jndi in our java/j2ee environment) > Multithreading - My project will have many users creating many tasks > that will need to go back & forth through the network from the ruby > code to a C++ code (FastCGI???). The Rails concurrency model is per-process not per thread. > In first glance I can see, ROR is great with data manipulation web > sites, that most actions involve receiving data from user doing > manipulation and sending it back. > Can ROR ignite an asynchrony process that will interact with C++ dll’s > using a wrapper of some sort? Yeah, you could probably make it work, but what value is it? You are barely using Rails then, except maybe its presentation elements. > Can this be done by ruby on rails ? what kind of web server should I > use (Apache,LightTPD?)I’m not locked on anything > Should I use JRuby for that? You have a lot of Java dependencies - I would almost certainly be using JRuby - those RMI dependencies would be tricky to use in Ruby. As for your web server, just use Mongrel for everything, unless you have a need for a more sophisticated web stack. Your web stack depends an awful lot on whether you are on the internet or off the internet (intranet apps). FYI: Mongrel is a kind of ubiquitous web app server in Ruby. It occupies the kind of role that Tomcat has historically played in the Java community. (However their architectures are significantly different - Mongrel draws a lot of inspiration from the Java Web Framework Simpleweb. > Are there any plug-ins for that? > > Ths are many questions, I know ☹ > > But with few guidelines from someone who knows (and I know shit about > ROR), > I can build my environment. (my OS is Windows). Some interesting options disappear when you deploy to windows. Typically many options that are a no-brainer on Unix environments, require consideration when you deploy to windows. This may not affect you. > Thanks a lot and waiting for HELP 🙂 > > Yossi I don’t know what your intent is, but it appears that your application depends on having a web UI on top of a lot of custom, binary messaging protocols, requires kernel threading and doesn’t have much of a data tier. You would probably be better served by some of the alternative Ruby Web frameworks like Merb instead, or even Sinatra or Camping. Or even just writing simple Mongrel handlers. You have considerably more freedom in these web frameworks with what goes at the back of your web UI, than in Rails. However the lack of available notes on these approaches might really hurt you. You would probably be better served by posting your response on the jruby mailing list, where there is likely to be a lot Java → Ruby/RoR members who might be more familiar with the type of app you are building. regards, Richard.