When to Use Reflection X Advantage

Reflection X Advantage is the Micro Focus go-forward X server. Reflection X Advantage is included in Reflection Desktop Pro, Reflection Desktop for X, Reflection X 2014, and Reflection Pro 2014. It is also available at no additional charge to maintained customers using Reflection X version 14.1. Reflection X Advantage includes features that are not in Reflection X 14.1, and future feature development will focus on the Reflection X Advantage product. This technical note describes new features and functions so that you can determine when it's best to use Reflection X Advantage.

Reflection X Advantage Features

Both Reflection X 14.x and Reflection X Advantage provide you with a reliable X server that enables you to run X client applications. Consider moving to Reflection X Advantage if you are interested in any of the following new features:

• Improved performance options: Using Reflection X Advantage, you can address problems with low bandwidth or high latency connections. When you configure distributed Reflection X sessions, only the protocol required to update the display is sent over the network. This results in dramatically improved performance where high latency is a problem. Where low bandwidth is a problem, Reflection X automatically compresses the protocol sent to remote X servers.
• Real-time collaboration: The session sharing and transfer features in Reflection X Advantage allow colleagues to look at the same applications concurrently, and even transfer control of the session from one user to another.
• Centralized session configuration: Reflection X domain features can help simplify session setup for end users. Administrators can create and maintain sessions in a single centralized location and provide users with access to these sessions. Users can get started quickly using these centrally configured sessions, and can also create and configure individual sessions on their own workstations.
• Flexible, instant access to an established session from the office, at home, or on the road: If you've configured a Reflection X Advantage domain, you can leave a running session from one location and rejoin the same session from another location. No time is spent on reestablishing the client connection.
• Session protection: The Reflection X Advantage fault tolerance feature provides a safeguard against losing your session. This option enables you to return to your work exactly where you left it, even after a network or hardware failure.
• Secure by default: Reflection X Advantage is configured to use secure settings by default. The default client connection method is Secure Shell.
• Multiple platform support: Using Reflection X Advantage, you can access X hosts and applications from a broad array of desktop environments, including Windows 7, Vista, and XP; Linux; Solaris; and HP-UX.
• Native IME support for input of double-byte characters: Native IME support lets you use your workstation's input method editor (IME) to compose characters, including Japanese, Korean, and Chinese. This means that you can work with varied X clients without having to learn new input techniques

Reflection X Advantage Requirements

Note the following requirements for Reflection X Advantage:

• Reflection X Advantage requires Java. (In versions earlier than 5.0, Java is always installed with Reflection X Advantage. Starting with version 5.0, Java is installed by default, but you can also choose not to install this feature and configure Reflection to use a separately installed Java instead.) Reflection X Advantage is supported on platforms capable of supporting an Oracle distribution of Java 1.7 (for versions 4.2 and 5.0) or Java 1.8 (for version 5.1).
• Many of the features in Reflection X Advantage are supported by use of a distributed execution model. To enable this model, Reflection X Advantage implements a proprietary Domain environment that supports the management of servers and user accounts. To support these features, you'll need to install Reflection X Advantage on multiple systems. Because Reflection X Advantage can be installed on UNIX systems, these additional systems can include the same host that runs your X client application. For additional information, see the Planning and Installation Guide, which is available from the Reflection X Advantage documentation page (https://support.microfocus.com/manuals/reflection.html?prod=RXA).

For tour of Reflection X Advantage features, see the Reflection X Advantage Evaluation Guide, available from the Reflection X Advantage documentation page (https://support.microfocus.com/manuals/reflection.html?prod=RXA).

Legacy KB ID

This document was originally published as Attachmate Technical Note 2235.