Q: I'm planning my deployment of OnTime and I'm trying to decide between the Windows and Web Clients for my end users. What are the major differences, what should I consider? Where does the OnTime Remote Server play into all of this?
A: Both the Windows and the Web Client have the same core functionality and will allow users to perform the same tasks (with only a few small exceptions, more on that later), but there are things to consider when deciding which client you should use.
The OnTime Windows Client:
The Windows Client offers the most options to OnTime users. Its interface is very simple and easy to use, it runs fast on your PC and you won't need to worry about setting up and maintaining a web server for it. Keep in mind however that it was designed to access your SQL database in a LAN environment. If you have a distributed team located in different parts of the country or even different parts of the world, you may notice that pulling SQL data from Florida to your desktop in California over VPN is not quite as quick as you'd like it to be. You'll also want to take into account administration for a large user base. If you have a couple hundred machines to install OnTime to, this can be a major consideration, a good place to start would be THIS Faq post and THIS podcast, but you could also look at deploying the OnTime Web Client.
The OnTime Web Client:
The Web Client has almost as many features as OnTime Windows and runs in a browser. The interface is very similar to the Windows Client, it runs fast on most modern browsers and is ideal for situations where bandwidth from the server to the end-user is at a premium. We usually recommend installing OnTime to a webserver on the same gigabit LAN as the SQL server but this is not required. Since the end user doesn't need a direct connection to the SQL server, the question of SQL security never comes up. OnTime Web is also much easier to distribute to large teams since you only need to install it to one Web Server rather than multiple workstations. The place where OnTime Web truly shines however is using it for distributed teams as OnTime Web uses much less bandwidth between the Server environment and the End User environment than the Windows Client.
Differences between the two:
There are a few differences between the two clients in terms of what's available. OnTime Web Users will not be able to use the Source Control Management plugins and will also be unable to create custom reports.
The Remote Server:
So let's say you really like the Windows Client but you've been relocated out of state and your IT department doesn't like the thought of allowing the SQL server to be exposed to the internet. You can use VPN, but you may not be a fan of the performance you'll see out of that as your still using a SQL connection designed for a LAN environment. In this situation we recommend the Remote Server. The Remote Server is a web interface that OnTime Windows can use to relay data to and from the SQL server without actually connecting to the SQL server itself. The Remote Server will compress the data before transport making a more efficient use of your bandwidth.The Remote Server is handy for enterprise environments where the SQL server cannot be accessed by the end-user's PC at all.One thing to keep in mind is that the Remote Server will not allow you to create custom reports as the report designer requires a separate SQL connection of its own, you'll also want to remember that even though the Remote Server compresses data before sending it to the client, the Web Client is still most effective when bandwidth to the end user is a concern.
Regards,
Sean McHugh
Axosoft Support
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