We need to make our enterprise ASP.NET/NHibernate browser-based application able to function when connected to or disconnected from the customer’s server. Has anyone done this? If so, how did you do it? (Technology, architecture, etc.)
Background:
We develop and sell an enterprise browser-based application used by construction field personnel to enter timesheet information. Currently, it requires a connection to the server back in the customer’s office and we’d like to build an occasionally-connected version of the application for those clients without wireless Internet availability.
Our application is an ASP.NET application using NHibernate for O/R mapping. Being a Microsoft shop, the Microsoft Sync Framework is attractive, but we don’t know whether it ‘plays well’ with NHibernate.
Any insight would be greatly appreciated.
Dave T
Maybe you could operate some kind of offline version using a small version database (I hear good things about vistadb – http://www.vistadb.net/ which I believe does play well with NHibernate). With a syncing tool to copy data in when they are back on line. A click-once launcher could handle installation and integration.
Want to be careful with anything involving syncing though – if it is just single user timesheets that might be OK – but if there are any chances of conflicts in the online-offline data you might be better considering the problem from a different angle for pain-avoidance…