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This is the canonical reference for everything you need to know before deploying Syteca: how to size the Application Server, Management Tool, and database for your workload; which operating systems are supported; which network ports must be open; and what kind of CPU, bandwidth, and storage each Client generates. Use it during planning, during procurement, and as a sanity check during installation.

Deployment sizing

Sizing depends on the number of concurrent Client sessions you’ll be recording. Syteca recognizes four tiers — PoC, Small, Medium, and Large.

Application Server, Management Tool, and Database

For deployments with 1,000+ Clients, install multiple Application Servers in High Availability / load balancing mode to avoid performance issues. The Strongly Recommended designation in the Large column reflects this — single-AS deployments at that scale will struggle.

Database support

All deployment sizes support the same database engines: For the differences between PostgreSQL and MS SQL Server in a Syteca deployment, see Comparison of database types.

Storage sizing

Storage requirements scale with the number of concurrent Client sessions and the work pattern (24/7 always-on vs. 8/5 business hours). The values below assume 1 Client session generates an average of ~300 MB per 8-hour day (see Performance numbers below).
Store binary data in a shared or local folder, not in the SQL database itself. The SQL Database binary storage option is only recommended for the smallest deployments — for anything beyond PoC, the data volumes accumulate too quickly. See Configure binary storage for the options including filesystem, network share, and Amazon S3-compatible storage.

Client requirements

Syteca Clients are lightweight endpoint agents. The performance impact on each monitored endpoint is minimal — see Performance numbers below for the specifics.

Windows Clients

macOS Clients

Linux Desktop Clients (with X Window System GUI)

Hardware: CPU 2.4 GHz or higher, RAM 4 GB (35 MB per session), Ethernet 100 Mbps / 1 Gbps, Linux Kernel 2.6.32 or higher.

Linux Server Clients (as a Terminal Server)

Network requirements

Open these TCP ports in Windows Firewall (or your equivalent firewall product) for Syteca to operate correctly. The exact set depends on your deployment topology.
In SaaS only: TCP/443 plays a dual role — it’s the Management Tool browser port, but it also handles certificate-update checks for all Client OSes, and is the data channel for macOS and Linux Clients (replacing TCP/9447 used by Windows Clients).
The Windows Firewall configuration for the Application Server is normally automated during installation — see Install the Application Server for the manual configuration procedure if needed.

Performance numbers

The metrics below describe per-Client resource usage. They drive the storage sizing calculations above and help you plan bandwidth and disk capacity.

Per-Client resource usage

Windows Client data volume

Linux Client data volume

X Window System sessions only — remote SSH sessions often generate more data.
Performance measured with one session using Full HD display resolution and the default screen capture and color settings. Real-world numbers vary with monitor count, screen activity, color depth, and Client configuration.
Reduce data volume by tuning recording settings. Default settings are tuned for visibility — most deployments can significantly reduce data volume without losing the recording fidelity they actually need. Adjustable parameters live on the Windows Clients, macOS Clients, and Linux Clients configuration pages, including user activity recording parameters, monitoring filters, and (for Linux) per-command output limits.

Architecture overview

The component structure of a Syteca deployment.

Install Application Server

Fresh installation with database, certificate, and firewall setup.

High Availability

Scale-out with multiple Application Server instances, load balancing, and disaster recovery.

VDI Monitoring

Citrix, VMware Horizon, Microsoft AVD, Amazon WorkSpaces — with floating licensing.