How Instantiation Works

When an application is instantiated, the Instantiation URL replicates the application template and makes it available to a Team Workspace through links on the Team Workspace Outlook Bar. Replication includes copying application files but may also include creating database tables, configuring accounts and permissions, and completing any other tasks the application requires to function correctly. The application instance can actually reside anywhere on the same network. The Instantiation URL informs the Team Productivity Update where the application is located and what team capabilities it supports through the Team Workspace interfaces.

The following diagram represents a server computer on which three Team Workspaces have been created.

An application can be instantiated once it has made its call to TeamAppManager::RegisterAppFactory(). The application setup registers the application with the Team Productivity Update and provides it with the information it needs to create new application instances.

The following diagram illustrates how the Instantiation URL specifies that the application instances available to each Team Workspace be installed on a different computer.

Instantiation happens in the following steps:

1. The owner of a Team Workspace that exists on Server A requests a new instance of an application from the Team Productivity Update.
2. The Team Productivity Update invokes the Instantiation URL, which resides on Server B. The Instantiation URL deploys and configures new application instances, which also reside on Server B. Team Workspaces access the application's team capabilities through the Team Workspace interfaces.
3. The Instantiation URL returns an XML stream to the Team Productivity Update specifying the locations of the Team Workspace interfaces the application supports. The Team Productivity Update stores these URLs in its database.