At the center of an AppGate system is the AppGate security server. The AppGate security server acts as an access control gateway in the middle of a network. The users connect thorough different means, are authenticated and allowed access according to the AppGate configuration. The AppGate Security Server acts as an end-point for the encrypted tunnels from the client and as an access control filter which controls what resources each user may access under what circumstances.
The users experience of the Appgate system normally begins with one of the AppGate clients.
There are a couple of variants of the AppGate client. They share 90% of the code and can perform almost the same tasks. The reason they differ is that they are tuned for different scenarios.
AppGate Client - A full GUI, installed.
AppGate Connect - A minimal GUI, installed. The need for this special client has more or less disappeared since the regular client can be configured to also present a minimal GUI. The connect client is therefore deprecated and will disappear in the future.
AppGate Java Web Start clients - Java Web Start versions of the above AppGate clients. These clients are initially started from the browser and will be cached on the local system so they do not need to be downloaded each time. They can be available as icons on the desktop. Java Web Start clients have the advantage that they will automatically be updated from the AppGate Security Server when the server is upgraded.
AppGate Applet - An Applet variant of AppGate Connect. It requires very little from the host system but as a consequence it also has a very limited graphical user interface. This client will also be replaced by an applet version of the regular client in the future.
Clients for mobile devices - can be installed on most popular mobile phones. The clients can be downloaded and installed manually from the AppGate server or over the air provisioning can be used by the AppGate administrator to initiate the installation via SMS.
In addition, normal web browsers and their built-in SSL support can be used to access web based services from end systems without having to download or install any software on the client at all. This enables true client less access although the user is limited to web based applications offered by the system owner.
The AppGate Administration Console is actually also an AppGate client, but with a very specific GUI and a special purpose.
The main tasks of the AppGate clients are:
Handle the user interaction dialogs for connection, authentication, application usage and final disconnection.
Set up and handle the encrypted tunnel to the AppGate Security Server.
Handle traffic and interact with the client computer to make it possible for the applications to reach the application servers.