What should I use the Java Console or the Web Console? : A rant for users new to CommVault


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The web console was created to solve a number of issues imposed by the Java console.

It also slots right into the paradigm of web and rest api communication. 

That said the early console was… bad… like really bad.

But over the years it has gotten better and it keeps getting better.

So my suggestion for people who are new to commvault is to use the webconsole as it is intended to replace the java gui, the Java GUI has to drag along the all the cruft from the inception of the product, making it so that some things don’t even make any logical sense as presented in the Java GUI, also many new features simply do not get back ported to the java GUI.

 

At one point, the Webconsole was a poor substitute for the Java GUI, but I would strongly suggest that you foster the habit of using the web console.

 

There will always be the graybeards that stick to the old ways, and while there are definite benefits to doing but there are also downsides, the graybeards are often not aware of the new functionality being added, and while they may be exceptionally good at using the Java GUI in its current form the new things are passing them by.

 

Technology has a life-cycle that looks very much like a human life.

 

Infancy → growth → maturity → old age → death

 

The Java Console is somewhere between maturity and old age.

The Web Console is somewhere between growth and maturity.

 

In the next few years the Java console will simply get old and then die.

The Web Console during that same time tired will reach maturity. 

Think about all those Pascal programmers you know. Don’t know any? Exactly.

 

 


11 replies

Userlevel 7
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Hi @christopherlecky. Not sure if you have a question or that you are marketing the web UI console version, but I assume you are referring to Command Center and not to the web console. The current web console will most likely be decommissioned in the near future as they are porting over more and more into Command Center. As for the future of the Java console. They haven't made any decision if the Java console is really going to be decommissioned as there are many options in that console that allow a lot of tweaking and tuning. Personally I hope it will be gone within 2-3 years and hope that they in the meantime also enhance the current Command Center experience by introducing a generic protection overview page that shows all managed assets in one page. 

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That is correct, I have a bad habit of mixing up the names of the CommVault web services.

It doesn’t help that the name has changed a few times, I am still calling the command center the admin console.

 

That said, I seriously hope that CommVault ports all the missing java functionality to the Command Center and deprecates Java. 

 

there are too many downsides to the Java GUI.

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For those of a certain age this is the word vs word perfect argument and everyone has an opinion based on what they started out with and their associated experiences :-) 

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The one thing that I can say seems like a mistake just from the point of view of human usability is inability to traverse the structure of a client. 

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The one thing that I can say seems like a mistake just from the point of view of human usability is inability to traverse the structure of a client. 

@chrisknows Well I'm not sure if this is what I would like to see coming Command Center but I think you also referring to the fact that you have to perform a lot of clicking around in the product to get some form of overview. I brought up some other ideas but just like you I'm also still struggling with the usability. 

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Chris, the cool cats use the agent.

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Chris, the cool cats use the agent.

😎

Userlevel 6
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As a long time Java user, I’m enjoying CC more and more lately.

Thanks,
Scott
 

Userlevel 3
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The one thing that I can say seems like a mistake just from the point of view of human usability is inability to traverse the structure of a client. 

@chrisknows Well I'm not sure if this is what I would like to see coming Command Center but I think you also referring to the fact that you have to perform a lot of clicking around in the product to get some form of overview. I brought up some other ideas but just like you I'm also still struggling with the usability. 

I guess I only mention it because I am comparing the new functionality to the Java console, and the usability just is not there in some instances and so it just makes it more difficult to use the command center for certain operations.

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Chris, the cool cats use the agent.

Agent?

Userlevel 5
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The one thing that I can say seems like a mistake just from the point of view of human usability is inability to traverse the structure of a client. 

@chrisknows Well I'm not sure if this is what I would like to see coming Command Center but I think you also referring to the fact that you have to perform a lot of clicking around in the product to get some form of overview. I brought up some other ideas but just like you I'm also still struggling with the usability. 

This is exactly the issue. 

Things work, but different agents have different methods of traversal, universal search ain’t universal. 

It definitely needs some work.

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