There are 3 ways in which you can configure access to Asset Guardian V4, also see Figure 1, Network Topology, below.
- Local Area Network: The SQL database, Asset Guardian V4 Application and File Server are held on a separate dedicated server PC on the local network. Access is through the desktop client.
- Wide Area Network - Desktop Client: The SQL database, Asset Guardian V4 Application and File Server are held on a separate dedicated server PC located in a dedicated hosting environment. Access is through a desktop client via a Firewall.
- Wide Area Network – Web Client: The SQL database, Asset Guardian V4 Application and File Server are held on a separate dedicated server PC located in a dedicated hosting environment. Access is through a web client via a Firewall.
Figure 1: Network Topology
Source: Elite Controls, 2009
In the above Network Topology diagram the servers can all be combined on the same physical server or else kept separate for larger systems. The Asset Guardian V4 Server also acts as the Web Server and is the server to which the clients connect. The Asset Guardian V4 Server then connects to the SQL Database Server and the File Server. The SQL Database Server stores all the database data. This can be any SQL Database Server including Microsoft SQL Server, Oracle, MySQL, etc.
The SQL Database licensing is not included as part of Asset Guardian V4 and must be purchased separately. However, only the Asset Guardian V4 Server connects directly to the SQL Database Server, so a single client license is all that is required. Also, Asset Guardian V4 can use a database on an existing SQL Server you may already have installed and can also use license free SQL Databases such as Microsoft SQL Server Express.
The File Server is used to securely store all the backup files for your Process Critical Application Software records. The Asset Guardian V4 Server manages the File Server and uploads/downloads the files to/from the Clients. Clients have no direct access to the File Server.