The Dashboard Data Server and Display Server can each serve as the gateway through which dashboards can access your applications running on the correlator. Use of these Servers provides scalability by obviating client management on the part of the correlator, and provides security by not exposing the correlator directly to clients.

The Data Server mediates correlator access for Web Start, and local deployments; the Display Server mediates correlator access for simple thin-client, web-page deployments.

The Data Server delivers raw data from which deployed dashboards construct the visualization objects that they display. The Display Server, in contrast, delivers already-constructed visualization objects in the form of image files and image maps, and therefore no Java plug-in is required on clients of the Display Server.

The Display Server's minimum refresh latency (5 seconds) is greater than that of the Data Server. Use the Data Server for applications that require high-frequency screen updates.

Managing the Data Server and Display Server is covered in Managing the Dashboard Data Server and Display Server.