Omniscope Online

Using Java Web Start deployment to deliver the free Viewer

Omniscope Online is an additional free Viewer deployment option which uses the standard features of Java Web Start, which is supported on almost all computers that have Java installed.

Benefits

• Zero footprint: Users can start Omniscope Viewer and view a payload file without any installation rights...no administrative install  privileges needed
• Free Viewer is cached locally on first download, but data files are not saved, and must be retrieved from the Publishers web site button each time.
• Publishers can create links to Omniscope Online which automatically opens the publisher's IOK files, using the link builder service.
• Cross-platform: works on Windows, Mac and UNIX.

Requirements

• The users' PCs must have Java 5 or later installed. Most PCs already have much later versions installed, but if not the user will be prompted to automatically install the latest version of Java.
• The recipient organisation's firewall must permit download of Java Web Start files (JNLP files) and the JAR files they reference. If these files are blocked, ask the network administrator to permit access to JNLP files from tc.visokio.com and JAR files from download.visokio.com.

Limitations

• Omniscope Online only deploys the free Viewer, which can only be used to explore existing IOK files. To create .IOK files for deployment, you must have an activated version; Enterprise, DataManager or Professional edition.
• Due to the cross-platform nature of Omniscope Online, when deploying files via Omniscope Online, the Web View and DataPlayer View/Workspace is unavailable.  So are export in Excel format (though CSV is supported) in empowered IOK files, and exporting screen captures in PPT files.
• Memory allocation is fixed by default. Large files may not open without using a higher memory limit than is configured by default. Use the link builder service to configure a higher memory limit - up to 75% of physically installed memory is recommended.

How it works

• When the user clicks the launch button on the Publisher's web page, the Java Web Start software already installed on most PCs (Java 5 or later) opens a JNLP file.
• This JNLP file references the Omniscope free Viewer, and behind the scenes, Java Web Start downloads the Omniscope Viewer files and caches them locally for quick startup on subsequent occasions.
• Unless the Publisher maintains a private version, the JNLP file will normally reference the cross-platform JAR file available from Visokio signed to verify its origin.
• When everything is downloaded, Java Web Start asks for the users' approval to launch Omniscope.

Publishing from Web Page

• Publishers can configure their own launch buttons to launch Omniscope Online and open an .IOK file of their choosing, automatically. See the link builder service for more information.

User Help

• If the Launch button does not work, please check that the user has Java 5 or later installed. If possible, visit java.com and install the latest version of Java.
• If when you click the Launch button you get a file download, you must open the file, instead of saving it to disk.
• If you still cannot get Omniscope Online to start, please submit a bug report. For other feedback, please submit a support query.

Troubleshooting

• You have restricted access to the internet. Your PC (or your company network) has a firewall or proxy server preventing access to the Visokio website.
  Solution: Change your firewall configuration to permit access to the host specified in the error message (in this case "download.visokio.com").
• Your Java installation needs manual proxy server configuration. When launching Java Web Start applications, your browser's proxy settings should be passed automatically to Java. In some situations Java is unable to correctly obtain proxy settings from the browser.
  Solution: manually configure proxy settings in the Java Control Panel, or contact your network administrator.
• Java is not properly installed or deployed. Web Start became bundled with Java from version 5 of Java onwards. Prior to that, it was provided as a separate application, Web Start version 1.2. Older versions of Web Start had instabilities and glitches, which may result in the proxy settings not being obtained correctly from the browser, resulting in this error.
  Solution: re-install Java (version 1.5 recommended, or 5 as a minimum) or contact your system administrator who should re-deploy a Java 1.5 / 5 installation with Web Start working and tested.