Java SE (Java Platform, Standard Edition)

Hello everyone,

I'm the product manager for DeployDirector at Sitraka (now owned by Quest Software) and I'm posting here to clear up some confusion about the differences between Web Start and DeployDirector. I'm not in sales, but occasionally I go on sales calls, and yesterday I had some questions about our "secret proprietary protocol". So I'm going to reveal it to you.

DeployDirector's "proprietary" communication protocol revealed

Communication protocol used between the DD Client and the DD Server: HTTP. If desired, HTTPs. What do we send over HTTP? XML.

Let's compare this with Web Start for a second: Web Start communicates over HTTP and interprets XML. Same protocols.

What's the difference? Java Web Start's XML is written using the Sun's publicly published JNLP DTD. We use our own XML DTD. Ours isn't a secret, but it's not publicly published either.

So if it's so similar, why don't we just use JNLP?

Well, we had customers using DeployDirector before JNLP existed. Any changes we make have to weighed against that. And in fact, we pass a lot more information than what JNLP allows, which in turn gives us the ability to handle complex deployment scenarios with greater flexibility. So we continue to use our own XML DTD.

DeployDirector's Architecture Explained

The DD Server piece consists of servlets and JSPs -- same technology as what you might use to implement the version-based protocol for Web Start. To make things easier for evaluators, the server piece comes pre-installed into a stripped-down Tomcat, but we also provide a .war file if you wanted to use this in your own servlet engine.

The DD Client piese consists of 600 Kb of compiled Java that communicates with the server and manages your application. Like Web Start, it updates and launches your application. Unlike Web Start, it doesn't change your application's files into its own cache format; your files are unchanged.

If fears of proprietary protocols were stopping you from evaluating DeployDirector, I'd just like to reassure you; the only thing proprietary about it is our XML DTD. We use the same technologies as Web Start, we just use them differently. We believe these differences give us greater flexibility and better handling of complex scenarios.

Feel free to email me if you have questions.
Thanks.
Sonal Champsee

sonal.champsee@sitraka.com
http://www.sitraka.com/software/deploydirector/