InnoKB - Innovative Web-based Knowledge Base Management Software

Introducing InnoKB

InnoKB is an innovative multi-user knowledge base software tool which helps create, manage and share a collection of full-text searchable databases by using web browsers over network. Each database consists of a collection of info items (namely articles), and each info item accepts HTML text as the article and a collection of files as attachments. You have the convenience of editing the articles within an integrated rich text editor, and uploading attachments effortlessly. Info items can be categorized with the customizable labels and sub labels which are tree structured. Searching databases is easy and fast, and you can combine labels into search criteria.

InnoKB consists of a server program running on Windows/Unix servers, and a set of javascript components which will load in web browsers at the client side. InnoKB is currently not a hosted web service, it will actually be running on your own server computers without complicated configurations, or running on your private desktop computers even without a network connection.


System Requirements

InnoKB server works with Windows NT and most of Unix systems, and a Javascript/Cookie enabled web browser is required at the client side. Here's the list of the OS platforms that InnoKB server works with, and we're trying to extend this list.

In order for the web interface to be best viewed, one of the following web browsers is recommended:

Screenshots

InnoKB provides three web interfaces respectively for viewers, editors and administrators. Below is a screenshot running the editor interface within Apple Safari web browser. Click here to see more screenshots .

Logic Structure of InnoKB Databases

The hierarchy chart below tries to illustrate how information is organized within InnoKB. It is virtually a freeform database and fully customizeable;

InnoKB repository (on server side)
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+--Databases (.xml data files)
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+--Label Tree (namely categories, tags, keywords)
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+--Label 1 (labeled info items...)
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+--Label 2 (labeled info items...)
|
+--More ...
|
+--Info Items (namely articles, contents)
|
+--HTML content (editable in-place)
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+--Attached/linked documents (.doc, .xls, .ppt, .pdf, etc.)
|
+--Attached/linked images (.jpg, .gif, .png, .bmp, etc.)
|
+--Related info items
|
+--Applied labels
|
+--Info Item Links
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+--Hyperlinks within contents
|
+--Index data (for fast find)

Architecture of InnoKB Software

The hierarchy chart below tries to illustrate the software architecture of InnoKB. This may help you have an idea of the way how InnoKB works, and how you manipulate databases with it.

InnoKB software ( server + client )
|
+--Server side (cross-platform: Windows/Unix)
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+--Inbuilt http server (no Apache/IIS required)
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+--Xml database/config File (no SQL backend required)
|
+--Database repository (file system as storage)
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+--Inbuilt search engine (full-text searchable)
|
+--Inbuilt index engine
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+--Inbuilt query engine
|
+--Inbuilt tokenizing
|
+--For western languages
|
+--For east asian languages (To-do)
|
+--More ...
|
+--File filters (parsing documents for indexing)
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+--Inbuilt filters (for .Htm, .Txt, .Rtf, etc.)
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+--Custom or third-party filters
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+--IFilter interface (Windows NT only)
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+--Filters inbuilt within Windows(MS-Office, etc.)
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+--PDF filters (third-party)
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+--More ...
|
+--Client side
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+--Web UI (cross-platform: Safari/Chrome/Firefox/Opera/IE, on Windows/Unix)
|
+--Adminstrator web interface
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+--Editor web interface
|
+--Viewer web interface
|
+--More ...
|
+--Utilities (helping build up databases)
|
+--WebCollect for InnoKB (to-do)
|
+--Database reporter (to-do)
|
+--Data import/export (to-do)
|
+--More ...
|
+--Native client program (Windows/Unix, to-do)

Key Features & Benefits

InnoKB is an easy to use web-based knowledge base management software. It is not a hosted web service, but actually runs on your own server computers. InnoKB has all the benefits in common with other web-based applications. You don't need to install any extra client programs but a familiar web browser is required at the client side, and upgrading the server suite did all the application upgrade tasks. Below is the brief list of key features & Benefits.

Easy to setup server

  1. Standalone cross-platform server packs available for Windows/Unix systems
  2. Running knowledge base on your own private servers or desktop computers
  3. Extremely easy to setup, no complicated configurations;
  4. No third-party web servers required, a web server inbuilt
  5. No backend database required, InnoKB utilizes file system as database repository
  6. No programming skills required, anyone can setup and run knowledge base
  7. Startup, shutdown, suspend and resume InnoKB server
  8. Install licenses, and append licenses

Easy to customize server

  1. Customize company name, application title, logo and URLs (registered version)
  2. Change repository directory in XML-based config file
  3. Accept multiple database repository directories
  4. Customize TCP port number
  5. Run as Unix Daemon or NT service as well as on Console

Easy to maintain databases

  1. Create and drop databases
  2. Backup databases, simply archive the repository directories
  3. View statistics and summary info of databases
  4. Clear outdated revision in history
  5. Clear and update index data
  6. Adjust database sequence to be listed

Easy to manage user/group privileges

  1. Create, delete, disable and enable user/group accounts
  2. Initialize and change login passwords
  3. Set owner groups for user accounts
  4. Grant privileges on databases to groups individually
  5. Turn On/Off the anonymous access option
  6. View currently active web sessions and forcedly close at administrator's discretion

Easy to manipulate info items

  1. Create, delete, categorize info items
  2. Replicate info items or copy across databases
  3. Change info item's title text
  4. Open info items in the integrated interface
  5. View info items in separate webpages
  6. Print item's content
  7. Sort info items by clicking on list headers
  8. Toggle columns of info items list
  9. Customize page size of info items list
  10. Seek previous/next or any pages of info items list
  11. Open previous/next or any info items on the lsit
  12. View history revisions and roll back revisions

Easy to edit contents

  1. Edit content within a WYSIWYG rich text editor
  2. Format text and set pargraph attributes
  3. Upload files as attachments of info items
  4. Upload and insert images into HTML content
  5. Make hyperlinks in HTML content
  6. Link with web resources, attachments as well as info items
  7. Create item links (related items)

Easy to categorize info items

  1. Add labels and sub labels
  2. Move labels up/down or to other branches
  3. Label/unlabel a collection of info items

Easy to link info items

  1. Make hyperlink to other info items
  2. Make hyperlink to attached documents
  3. Make item links (add related items)

Easy to run queries and fast search

  1. Run queries by labels by clicking labels in the label tree
  2. Fast search for words with the full-text index data
  3. Put labels into search criteria
  4. Search multiple or specified databases
  5. Highlight matches in resulting webpages

Easy to use web interfaces

  1. Well-thoughtout web-based interfaces with familiar popups, menus, tabs and dialog boxes
  2. Most of familiar web browsers supported e.g. Firefox, IE, Opera, Safari, Chrome
  3. Tree structured labels and sub labels
  4. Multilingal user interfaces and easy to localize and translate
  5. Familiar file icons available for attached files

Easy to audit event logs and user actions

  1. Logs for HTTP access and errors
  2. Logs for audit purpose specifically
  3. Customizable date-based log file names
  4. Server events, warnings and errors go into system events log (WinNT) or syslogd (Unix)

Easy to port data

  1. Portable XML-based and UTF-8 encoded database info files
  2. Exchange data with other programs

Able to extend file filters for indexing

  1. Extend file filters for parsing and indexing documents (via DLLs on windows or Shared Objects on Unix)
  2. Support of IFilter interface on Windows NT
  3. 3rd-party PDF IFilter available on Windows NT

Converting myBase .Nyf files into InnoKB databases

The Nyf2InnoKB add-on is a database converter which helps convert myBase .nyf files into InnoKB 2.x compatible databases. Since there're a few .Nyf specific converters and the webpage capturing tool available for importing data from other programs/sources (e.g. KeyNote, TreePad, Web browsers etc.) into myBase, so you can indirectly import those supported data sources into InnoKB by first converting into .nyf files and then into InnoKB repository. [ More info ] [ Download ]

Downloads for Free Trial

To download a 30-day free trial version of InnoKB Server, please visit our download site.