The TJ-II remote participation system was designed to follow the TJ-II discharge production, even allowing the physicist in charge of operations to be in a remote location. The system has been based on both Web servers and Java technology. These elements were chosen for their open character, security properties, platform independence, and technological maturity. Web pages and Java applications permit users to access experimental systems, data servers, and the operation logbook. Security resources are provided by the PAPI system, a distributed authentication and authorization system.

The TJ-II remote participation tools have allowed us to command and follow the stellarator operation from Cadarache. More than 1000 digitizer channels and more than 20 diagnostic control systems were remotely accessed from Web pages for monitoring/programming purposes. One Java application provided online information about the acquisition status of channels and acquisition cards. A second Java application showed temporal evolution signals that were refreshed in an automated way on the screen after each shot. A third Java application provided access to the operation logbook. In addition to these tools, we used the VRVS (virtual room videoconferencing system) (FUSION community, X-Point room) and the EFDA (European Fusion Development Agreement) Messenger Service for instant messaging (Jabber client).