Overview:
- Introduction to the Byosphere Virtual and Desktop Clients and what are they used for.
- Discuss similarities and differences between the Virtual and Desktop Client.
- Guidance for when to use the Virtual vs. Desktop Client.
This article was last updated based on Byosphere v5.7. Some content may not be correct for other Byosphere versions.
Clarification Note: New Byosphere users can sometimes mix up the following important Byosphere tools: Byosphere Web Client, Byosphere Virtual Client, and Byosphere Desktop Client. Please see the Byos to Byosphere User Transition Guide for brief explanations of each.
Introduction:
The Byosphere Desktop and Virtual Clients look and operate like Byos. They include essential tools, functions, and visualizations for analysis and reporting of MS data using Byosphere.
Unlike Byos, both the Byopshere Desktop and Virtual Client access the Byosphere server and submit jobs to the analysis server for project creation.
Comparison of the Virtual and Desktop Clients:
For the most part, the Byosphere Desktop and Virtual Clients perform similar functions and serve the same purpose. However, there are key functionality differences and tradeoffs associated with using an aws instance virtual computer client (Byosphere Virtual Client) compared to a desktop application client (Byosphere Desktop Client). Users may use either or both the Byosphere Virtual Client and Desktop Client, depending on their needs. The sections and tables below highlight similarities, differences, and advantages comparing the Byosphere Virtual and Desktop Clients.
Similarities:
Both the Virtual and Desktop Client provide the same data analysis and reporting capabilities in Byos, and include access to the Byosphere ENT Server and Analysis Server.
Desktop Client | Virtual Client | |
Can you create projects? | Yes, project creation jobs are submitted to the Analysis Server for processing. | |
Can you access raw MS datafiles saved to the Byosphere Server for project creation? | Yes | |
Project creation speed? | Project creation speed is the same. The Virtual and Desktop Client submit project creation jobs to the same Analysis Server Job Queue. | |
Can you open, view, edit, and save project files saved on the Byosphere server? (.blgc, .ntms, .bmap, .olms, etc.) | Yes, to access the project file it must first be downloaded from the Byosphere Server to the "local" directory of the Client. | |
Can you open, load, edit, and save other Byos related files? (workflows, report templates, layouts, label scripts, filters, etc.) | Yes |
Byosphere Virtual Client Advantages:
Typically, the biggest advantage of the Virtual Client is direct and efficient connection to the Byosphere ENT Server, providing very fast upload and download speed. Projects and sometimes their associated raw MS datafiles need to be download from the Byosphere ENT Server to the Client local directory before users can view and edit the project. Likewise, edited projects need to be uploaded back to the Byosphere ENT Server to save the project edits to the Byosphere ENT Server (see Opening, Editing, and Saving Byosphere Projects for details). The faster upload and download speed of the Byosphere Virtual Client often makes it more efficient compared to the Byoshere Desktop Client.
Post-project creation processing is also independent of the local computer specs, allowing users with less powerful desktops to complete computationally demanding post-project creation processing more efficiently.
Desktop Client | Virtual Client | |
Do users need to install and upgrade the Client? | The Desktop Client and upgrades must be downloaded and installed on your local computer, similar to Byos. | The Virtual Client is configured and upgraded by Protein Metrics. |
Where does post-project creation processing happen? (Like Add Missing Via Existing or recomputing deconvolutions) | On your local computer. Processing speed is dependent on your local system. | On an aws instance (Virtual Computer). The Virtual Client aws instance is configured for fast processing. |
Download/Upload speed between the Byosphere ENT Server and Client Local directory? |
Download/upload speed is usually much slower than the Virtual Client and depends on the local system and network connection. |
Download/upload speed is much faster than the Desktop Client. This can make the Virtual Client significantly more efficient, and is often reason enough to use Virtual Client. |
Advantages of the Byosphere Desktop Client:
As a desktop application that runs on a local computer, the Byosphere Desktop Client includes functionalities and features unavailable to the Virtual Client. One of the biggest advantages of the Byosphere Desktop Client is access to local files (raw MS datafiles, Byos projects, CSV files, etc.) saved to or accessible by the local computer running the Byosphere Desktop Client.
Desktop Client | Virtual Client | |
Access to old Byos files that are not uploaded to the server (projects, wflw, rptc, etc.)? | Yes, Byos files (projects, wflws, etc.) can be opened and edited just as you would with Byos. Changes to Byos project files are saved automatically to the local file (same as Byos) or can be uploaded to the Byosphere ENT server. | No, the Virtual Client cannot access files outside of the Byosphere Server (ENT). |
Upload of Local Byos files (projects, wflw, rptc, etc.) to the Byosphere Server? | Yes, the Desktop Client can upload old Byos files to the Byosphere Server (File>Upload). All files within a folder (and sub folders) can be uploaded at once. After upload, the old Byos files are accessible using the Virtual Client. |
No, the Virtual Client cannot access files outside of the Byosphere Server (ENT). *** |
Upload of raw MS datafiles to the Byosphere Server? |
Yes, the Desktop Client can upload raw MS datafiles to the Byosphere Server (File>Upload). All files within a folder (and sub folders) can be uploaded at once. NOTE: The Data Uploader is usually recommended for uploading raw MS datafiles to the server, not the Byosphere Desktop Client. |
No, the Virtual Client cannot access files outside of the Byosphere Server (ENT) *** |
Can you copy tables and figures directly from the Client to other programs, like PowerPoint or Excel? | Yes, this works the same as Byos. You can right-click on a figure/table and select Copy to Clipboard or Copy Rows. | Yes, but pictures and tables must be exported to the Byosphere ENT Server, downloaded, and then can be added to external programs like Excel or PowerPoint. This can be less efficient, especially if many tables/figures need to be copied. |
Can a single user open multiple windows at the same time? | Yes, just like in Byos users can open multiple and separate windows of the Desktop Client at the same time on a single local computer. This can be useful for viewing and editing multiple projects at the same time. One window could be used to execute processing (like Add Missing Via Existing or Deconvolution) while continuing to view and edit other projects on a separate window. | The Virtual Client is limited to a single window. Many projects can be opened at the same time as separate tabs in a single window. |
*** The web based Byosphere Web Client can be used to add files to the Byosphere server. This can be a useful solution for adding a couple files to the Byosphere Server quickly. Currently this option is not recommended for batch upload, as files need to be added one at a time.