3.1. Introduction to Jemboss

Jemboss is a graphical user interface (GUI) for the EMBOSS package. It can be configured to be a client/server GUI or run as a standalone GUI on a workstation or home PC. It is written in Java.

3.1.1. Jemboss as a Client/Server

In this mode of operation, Jemboss and EMBOSS are installed on a server machine. All the EMBOSS applications will run on this server. The server must be a UNIX machine. Other computers on the network can request a copy of the GUI from the server. The GUI is self-contained: it comprises not only the user interface but also all the communication software for contacting the server and running EMBOSS applications. The client machines can be running any operating system for which there is Java support.

The server can be configured to allow anyone to run the EMBOSS applications (non-authenticating) or require that a GUI user must have an account on the server and that a username and password is typed at the start of the GUI session (authenticating).

The Jemboss server can also be configured to communicate with clients either via standard ASCII or to use automatic encryption (SSL) for security.

3.1.2. Jemboss as a standalone GUI

This mode of operation is used on self-contained EMBOSS installations. These will typically be a home PC, a lab PC or a laptop. The Jemboss GUI and EMBOSS itself are installed on the same machine.