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Accessing an SGD server - Part 1

As you may have read in this very blog or on Fat Bloke, Sun Secure Global Desktop 4.3 is now available. One of the most visible and exciting features of the new release is the integrated client. Before we get to what the integrated client does, let's cover the three ways you could connect to an SGD server in version 4.2:

The native client

The native client is a piece of software specific to each supported client platform (e.g., Windows, Solaris, Linux, Mac OS X) that the user manually downloads and installs on their machine. To connect to an SGD server, the user launches the native client, enters the server info (URL, user name, password, etc.) and is presented with the applications that are available to them. The native client is an excellent choice in places where you don't want the overhead associated with running a full web browser or Java runtime environment, but it does not support all of the latest features that the browser-based client (described below) does.

Download a Sun Secure Global Desktop Software native client.

The Java client

In situations where downloading software is prohibited (an airport kiosk, for example), the Java client allows you to connect to an SGD server without having to install anything. Simply enter the URL of an SGD server into your Java technology-enabled web browser and you're there. The Java client lives inside the web browser, so a user session is dependent on the lifespan of the web browser (i.e., you can't quit the web browser once you've launched an application), but it offers run anywhere convenience.

View the SGD demo server with the Java client.
This is an anonymous server, so just click "login" at the user name and password dialog without entering any information to gain access.

The browser-based client

Also known as the hybrid client, this connection method offers the best of both the native client and the Java client and was the preferred method of connecting to an SGD server in version 4.2. With the hybrid client, a user enters the URL of an SGD server (a slightly different URL than the one you would go to for the Java client) and OKs the download of a small piece of native code. Once that code is downloaded and launched, the user can login to the server and their available applications are displayed for them in the web browser. A small Java applet keeps the user's web browser updated as their session progresses (updating the user when an application shuts down, for example). When a user launches an application by clicking its URL, native code takes over and the application is displayed for the user. The native code (called the TCC and visible in the tray if running on a Windows client) is completely independent of the web browser, so closing the web browser does not impact running applications.

View the SGD demo server with the browser-based client.
This is an anonymous server, so just click "login" at the user name and password dialog without entering any information to gain access.

All three of these client architectures are still available for use with 4.3, so you can still use the version you prefer. However, the browser-based client has been extended so it can be used without the browser. Confused? Stay tuned for a discussion of the integrated client in part 2.

Posted at 01:00AM Dec 15, 2006 by Chris in Sun  |