Release 10.1A: OpenEdge Deployment:
WebClient Applications

Selecting a communication protocol for codebase downloads

This section applies only if you use IntelliStream.

When WebClient downloads application components from the server, the download uses a communication protocol based on the server’s type. Recall that the codebase can reside on an Internet-based server (which can be a Web server or a file server) or on an AppServer.

Table 4–2 lists the communication protocols for each server type.

Table 4–2: Communication protocols for codebase downloads

Server type	Protocol
Web	HTTP or HTTPS
File	File
AppServer	HTTP, HTTPS; or AppServer, AppServerDC, AppServerS, or AppServerDCS

If application components reside on a Web server, downloads can use the HTTP or HTTPS protocol. To choose between them, consider the following:

The HTTPS protocol encrypts the download, which increases security.
The HTTP protocol does not encrypt the download, but is faster.

If application components reside on a file server, downloads use the File protocol.

If application components reside on an AppServer, downloads can use the HTTP, HTTPS, or any of the four variations of AppServer protocol. The URL you enter in the Application Assembler’s Codebase Locator window tells WebClient which protocol to use for codebase downloads. To choose among these protocols, consider the following:

Using the HTTP or HTTPS protocol with an AppServer requires using the AIA.
The HTTPS protocol encrypts downloads over the Internet, which increases security.
The HTTP protocol does not encrypt downloads, but is faster than HTTPS.
The AppServer protocols do not use the AIA.
The AppServerS and AppServerDCS protocols use SSL tunneling to encrypt downloads over an intranet, which increases security.
The AppServer and AppServerDC protocols do not encrypt downloads, but are faster than their SSL-based counterparts.

For more information on URLs and communication protocols, see OpenEdge Application Server: Developing AppServer Applications .