About

Funambol project started in 2001 to create open source Java implementation of the SyncML (OMA DS) standard.

Currently funambol syncs this data with 1.5 billion mobile devices and with thousands of applications and online services. It support services like Gmail, Yahoo!, AOL, Hotmail, Outlook or Thunderbird.

Funambol Community Edition is released following the GNU Affero General Public License v3 (AGPLv3) free software license.

What is funambol

Funambol Core Project is a free and open source mobile synchronization server that provides:

• push email
• address book and calendar (PIM) data synchronization
• device management for wireless devices

It uses standard protocols such as SyncML. For users, this means BlackBerry-like capabilities on commodity handsets.

Funambol is also a development platform for mobile applications. It provides C++ and Java client APIs and server side Java APIs, and facilitates the development, deployment and management of any mobile project.

Components

Funambol consists of several components, including:

• Funambol Data Synchronization Server: A mobile application server providing synchronization services for wireless clients and PCs, including push email.
• Funambol Device Management: an OMA DM server to remotely manage mobile devices.
• Funambol Connectors: Gateways to file systems, databases, email systems, and applications for two-way synchronization with existing data assets.
• Funambol Client Plug-ins: Protocol extenders and clients for Microsoft Office Outlook, Mozilla Thunderbird (experimental and just for PIM), Mozilla Sunbird (experimental and just for PIM), Windows Mobile, BlackBerry, Palm and iPod and iPhone so users can synchronize their email messages and PIM data (address book, calendar, tasks and notes) with the server.
• Funambol Software Development Kit: Tools to develop sometimes-connected mobile applications on devices (in Java - J2SE and J2ME - and C++) and to add data sources to the server.

Typical uses

• Provisioning – Configuration of the device (including first time use), enabling and disabling features
• Configuration of Device – Allow changes to settings and parameters of the device
• Software Upgrades – Provide for new software and/or bug fixes to be loaded on the device, including applications and system software.
• Fault Management – Report errors from the device, query about status of device

All the above functions are supported by the OMA DM specification, and a device may optionally implement all or a subset of these features.

OMA Device Manager specification

OMA DM specification is designed for management of small mobile devices such as mobile phones, PDAs and palm top computers.

Since OMA DM specification is aimed at mobile devices, it is designed with sensitivity to the following:

• small foot-print devices, where memory and storage space may be limited
• bandwidth of communication could be constrained, such as in wireless connectivity
• tight security, as the devices are vulnerable to virus attacks and the like; authentication and challenges are made part of the specifications

Featured scenarios

• Ubuntu 9.10 server with funambol and netbook with moblin (sync mail and pim)
  • Installing, configuring and testing mail system and funambol server Funambol_-_Installing_and_testing
  • Creating a moblin developement environment Funambol_-_Creating_a_moblin_dev_env
  • Other problems Funambol_-_Problems

Funambol Company

Funambol is a company which follows a dual licensing business model (so it has both an open source community and commercial customers)

Funambol Company Home Page About Funambol Company

Sources

Funambol Home Wikipedia