Offline option for cached client
The offline option allows the Host On-Demand cached client to run using the run-time code
that has been previously downloaded to the client machines, even though the Web server
is offline (or not available).
Usually, the Web server is needed to serve the HTML files that start the Host On-Demand
applets.
When this option is enabled, users start Host On-Demand using a bookmark
in their browser that points to an HTML file installed locally on their
machines.
This HTML file launches a local applet that tests to see if the Web server
is available. When this applet runs, one of two things occur:
-
If the Web server is available, this local applet redirects the client's browser to the Web server and the
applet functions just as though the user pointed directly to the Web server, for example, checks for
updates to the Host On-Demand server or downloads additional components.
-
If the local applet detects that the Web server is not available, the local applet starts the
Host On-Demand run-time code using the current client code that is already
on the user's machine.
When running in this mode, no additional components can be downloaded from the Web server
and the online help is not available.
The following occurs the first time a client points a browser to
an HTML file configured to run in offline mode (if the
cached client is not already installed):
-
The cached client support applet detects that the cached client is not currently installed
and Host On-Demand asks the user if he wants to install it.
- If the user clicks OK, the support applet downloads and installs the Host
On-Demand run-time code on the client machine.
- After the installation is complete, the support applet downloads an additional archive
file and HTML files to launch the local Web server detection applet.
- The support applet then redirects the Web browser to the HTML file on the local machine
and the user is prompted to use the Bookmark (or Favorites) function of the browser
to bookmark this local HTML file.
- Subsequently, when the user wants to use Host On-Demand to launch emulator sessions, he starts a
browser and uses this bookmark to the local HTML file.
- The local applet detects whether the Web server is available and either
accesses the Web server or runs locally, as appropriate.
In addition to enabling or disabling the offline support, you can provide a URL that
the client is redirected to if the Web server is available.
This field is optional.
It is designed to help administrators who want their users to access
a more generic file containing helpful information and links, rather than directly accessing a
Host On-Demand file.
If you do not provide a URL, the local applet simply uses the URL for the HTML file that initially
was used to install the cached client.
If the Web server is available, the local applet redirects the browser to this same HTML file.
If a URL to a generic or startup file is provided,
the local applet redirects the browser to this starting pfile when the Web server is available.
Do not use the offline option in the following environments that depend on the Web
server being available:
-
Environments utilizing Host On-Demand as a portlet in a Portal Server
-
Environments that depend on HTML overrides to override session properties for individual users
-
Environments utilizing the Session Manager Java Script API since the Java Script support is not available locally