Launch Chinese website www.segger.cn
SEGGER products are used worldwide for the development of microcontroller-based products. Access to product information and download of the latest drivers and program versions are essential for decision-makers and developers. Besides the USA and Europe, China is an important market for SEGGER.
For users in China, access to web content outside of China is regulated by the "Great Firewall." Due to filtering, websites and downloads from sites hosted outside of China are significantly slowed down.
To enable users in China to access the information more efficiently, www.segger.cn was established, hosted on systems in China.
| Client | SEGGER Microcontroller GmbH |
|---|---|
Project duration | 2021–2022 |
Discover the project from the perspective of:
Integration into the existing TYPO3 instance
The new website www.segger.cn was integrated as additional language into the existing TYPO3 system. This solution offers seamless integration, allowing editors to manage content directly within the existing system alongside the current English content without needing to log into a separate system. This saves time and increases efficiency.
By activating Chinese as an additional backend language, editorial additions and adjustments can be made directly by employees on-site in their native language. This minimizes training efforts and allows for faster and more precise content updates.
Additional plus: Integrating into the existing TYPO3 instance incurs no additional costs for maintenance and updates during ongoing operations.
Einrichtung in vorhandener TYPO3-Instanz
The additional website www.segger.cn is set up as a language overlay in TYPO3 without creating another page tree. All menus of the websites are thus automatically localized and, if a Chinese page title is specified, automatically displayed in the local language. This allows for efficient management and facilitates future expansions and adjustments.
Content adjustments based on feedback from Chinese authorities
To operate a website within the Chinese firewall, both an Internet Content Provider (ICP) license and a PSB registration are required. These must be applied for with the Chinese authorities, who will then review the website content. Together with SEGGER and our partner, weber.digital GmbH the necessary steps were prepared and the entire licensing process was successfully completed.
The SEGGER website is primarily aimed at professional users in the field of microcontroller development. Since the technical language is English, only the pages necessary for licensing were translated. Untranslated pages automatically display the English content.
Anpassung der Inhalte nach Feedback der chinesischen Behörden
The Chinese authorities have specific requirements for the content of the website. For example, instead of the main address in Monheim, the address of the Shanghai branch must be displayed in the footer, and the forum must not be linked. These adjustments were implemented as conditions in the HTML and TypoScript templates to ensure the website complies with legal requirements.
China-Hosting
For segger.cn, a copy of the website is created in a data center of our partner weber.digital GmbH in China. This copy is automatically updated with changes in the CMS. The additional server in China bypasses the Chinese firewall, speeding up the website.
China Proxy
To speed up content delivery in China, a proxy provided by weber.cloud in China behind the Great Firewall is used. This proxy works similarly to a reverse proxy and was integrated into the system settings accordingly. Changes made by editors trigger a special HTTP call that updates the proxy cache for the affected page in China, so the proxy automatically loads the new content from the origin server. This ensures that users always see the most current content.
Layer for visitors from China
Users from China are informed about the new, faster website through a layer that automatically appears on the first page a visitor from China opens on www.segger.com.
Layer für Besucher aus China
SEGGER already uses dynamic content on the website based on the GEO-IP database. To continue utilizing TYPO3's existing caching, an additional AJAX call checks if the user has a Chinese IP address, and then a modal layer is displayed.