Using Progress WebClient, STYLEman can be deployed in a thin client topology, giving global access to STYLEman over an intranet, extranet or Internet connection. However the user connects, they get a fully-functional graphical interface, with identical operation from wherever they access STYLEman.

WebClient gives the benefit of a typical client/server interface, yet requires less bandwidth to install and has a much smaller footprint than the traditional GUI client. It retains all of the system functionality, including UI triggers and formatting, while offering higher performance than typical HTML interfaces.

A WebClient deployment also simplifies the configuration of STYLEman, as the client interface is downloaded to the user's local PC as the software is accessed.A new PC is simply connected to the network and the browser pointed at the URLt. The user interface components of STYLEman are then downloaded and run from the user's PC automatically.

When software upgrades are made, WebClient's Intellistream technology downloads essential upgraded software the first time it is required.Software updatesmay be designated as essential or optional, the latter giving the user the opportunity to defer an upgrade to a convenient time.

As for security, the Progress WebClient can communicate with the Progress AppServer through firewalls using HTTP tunnelling. This is enabled by the AppServer Internet Adapter, which is a Java servlet that resides on a Web server. The AppServer Internet Adapter also supports HTTPS tunnelling to ensure secure communications by providing support for encrypted Secure Sockets Layer (SSL) connections.

For further information, see the WebClient Product description on the Progress web site, www.progress.com.