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Administration Guide
This manual is designed for IT administrators to install, configure, and deploy the UniBrows add-on. For more information about UniBrows or to contact support, please visit http://www.browsium.com.
Table of Contents
1. Introduction .............................................................................................................................................. 6 1.1. UniBrows Add-on for Internet Explorer ............................................................................................. 7 1.2. UniBrows Explained ........................................................................................................................... 8 1.2.1. Browser Engines .......................................................................................................................... 8 1.2.2. Profiles ........................................................................................................................................ 9 1.2.3. Rules ............................................................................................................................................ 9 1.3. UniBrows Configuration Manager ................................................................................................... 10 1.4. UniBrows Integration with Internet Explorer .................................................................................. 11 2. Installation .............................................................................................................................................. 13 2.1. UniBrows Components .................................................................................................................... 14 2.2. Software Requirements ................................................................................................................... 15 2.3. Running the UniBrows Client Preparation Tool ............................................................................... 16 2.4. Installing the Client Package ............................................................................................................ 20 2.5. Installing UniBrows Configuration Manager .................................................................................... 21 2.6. Available Command Line Switches for the Installer ........................................................................ 26 2.6.1. Installation Options ................................................................................................................... 26 2.6.2. Display Options ......................................................................................................................... 26 2.6.3. Restart Options ......................................................................................................................... 26 2.6.4. Logging Options ........................................................................................................................ 27 2.6.5. Update Options ......................................................................................................................... 27 2.6.6. Repair Options .......................................................................................................................... 27 3. UniBrows Configuration Manager .......................................................................................................... 29 3.1. File Tab ............................................................................................................................................. 30 3.1.1. Project ....................................................................................................................................... 30
3 3.1.2. Local Settings ............................................................................................................................ 31 3.1.3. Group Policy .............................................................................................................................. 31 3.1.4. Controller .................................................................................................................................. 32 3.1.5. Application ................................................................................................................................ 32 3.2. The Rules Tab ................................................................................................................................... 33 3.2.1. The Rules Editor ........................................................................................................................ 34 3.2.2. The RegEx (Regular Expression) Builder.................................................................................... 40 3.3. The Profiles Tab................................................................................................................................ 41 3.3.1. Profiles List ................................................................................................................................ 41 3.3.2. Settings Editor ........................................................................................................................... 46 3.4. Settings Tab ...................................................................................................................................... 59 3.4.1. Settings Editor ........................................................................................................................... 60 4. Configuration Tutorial ............................................................................................................................. 66 4.1. How to create a rule ........................................................................................................................ 67 4.2. How to remove a rule ...................................................................................................................... 76 4.3. How to create a Profile .................................................................................................................... 77 4.4. Working with Custom Files, Registry Settings and ActiveX Controls ............................................... 80 4.5. Working with Custom Environment Variables................................................................................. 86 4.6. Working with Content Handlers ...................................................................................................... 89 4.6.1. Content Handler Editor ............................................................................................................. 90 4.7. Understanding Security Level options ............................................................................................. 92 5. Rule Writing Basics .................................................................................................................................. 95 5.1. Recommendations for writing rules that work well ........................................................................ 96 5.2. Working with Web Application Assessment Tools .......................................................................... 97 5.3. Using Test Mode .............................................................................................................................. 98 6. Managing UniBrows in the Enterprise .................................................................................................. 100 6.1. UniBrows rules behavior ................................................................................................................ 101 6.2. Export rules to deploy using Group Policy ..................................................................................... 102 6.3. Exporting rules for Flat File distribution ........................................................................................ 104 6.4. Why users cant create their own rules ......................................................................................... 106 A. Appendix A Troubleshooting ............................................................................................................ 108 A.1. UniBrows Rule and/or Test Mode Fails To Engage ........................................................................ 108
4 A.2. UniBrows not rendering/Title says Loading ............................................................................ 110 A.3. Correct Profile Does Not Load for a Web Site ............................................................................... 110 A.4. Browser window doesnt get focus automatically ........................................................................ 111 A.5. Some keyboard shortcuts dont work ........................................................................................... 111 A.6. Additional tabs are created with little to no content .................................................................... 112 A.7. UniBrows not working properly in other versions of IE ................................................................ 112 A.8. UniBrows renders content in IE6, but there are still layout or scripting issues with the page ..... 112
Section One
Introduction
In this section you will learn:
Why UniBrows is your one-stop Web Application Continuity framework What components make up the UniBrows system How you can seamlessly integrate UniBrows into your enterprise
1. Introduction
Many organizations would like to upgrade to Internet Explorer (IE) 8 or 9 and Windows 7, but cant. Thats because they depend upon web applications which were designed for IE6, and the various changes in layout, rendering, scripting and security designs of IE8 and IE9 prohibit those applications from functioning properly without extensive and expensive modifications or upgrades. UniBrows allows enterprises to upgrade to modern technologies like Windows 7 and IE8 or IE9 while maintaining compatibility with existing IE6 dependent web applications all without changing a single line of code. But UniBrows provides more than just IE6 compatibility for the web applications you are running today its a solution to help ensure Web Application Continuity as your business moves forward. Web Application Continuity provides solutions to manage, maintain, and operate your web applications regardless of the underlying Browser lifecycle. Your web applications are built to serve the business for years, and the rate of Browser innovation has accelerated to the point it outpaces the standard IT technology system lifecycle. UniBrows lets you decouple the Browser/web application dependency people understand and use today, and enables your organization to deploy the technologies you want (or need) when you want, without breaking existing line of business applications. More importantly, UniBrows is seamless to users, integrated into the Browser and is more easily managed than using any virtualization solution.
1.2.2. Profiles
Profiles are groups of settings and configurations for a browser engine. UniBrows includes a built-in Default IE Edge Mode Profile which is the engine for the default browser installed on your PC for this release it would be IE8 or IE9, but future releases of UniBrows will support other versions of Internet Explorer when they are released by Microsoft. The "Default IE6 Profile leverages the settings, ActiveX controls and browser extensions already installed on the system - perfect when you simply need the rendering behavior of IE6. However if a web page or web application needs more accommodations, like the ability to run a previous version of an ActiveX control (e.g. legacy JVMs, Siebel, JInitiator, or Flash controls, etc), you can create a Profile to provide that older control whenever a user visits that page or runs that web application. The Default IE8 Standards Mode Profile provides the same capabilities and customization options, while delivering the IE8 rendering behavior. Custom Profiles can be created based on either browser engine, and the same options would apply to both the IE6 and IE8 engines. Similarly, the Default Emulate IE7 Mode Profile provides IE8s IE7 Mode rendering behavior, which you can bind to specific settings as needed to ensure Web Application Continuity for your environment. More information on the specifics of each Browser engine available in UniBrows 1.2 can be found in the Profiles List section.
1.2.3. Rules
Rules are actions to take based on a pattern match. Rules provide very granular control over the conditions which bring them into play, and can work broadly against entire zones or target specific elements on a page. See 3.2 The Rules Tab on creating rules to learn more about all of the URL components and conditionals available for rulemaking.
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Section Two
Installation
In this section you will learn:
About the UniBrows Client Preparation Tool to build local installation files About the UniBrows System Components Software Requirements for UniBrows How to install UniBrows How to configure command line switches for network distribution
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2. Installation
The UniBrows setup process requires an Administrator to first create a set of Client installation files for their environment. This process only needs to be done once for an entire organization the UniBrows Client Preparation Tool (Prep Tool) outputs the Client installation files that can be deployed across every user or machine in your organization. To ensure customers have control over the software running in their network, the Prep Tool process can be repeated as often as desired and the Prep Tool will direct you to download any updates or files necessary for the desired client engine. Note The list of files may include additional pieces or downloads that appear unrelated to your selection but please download all files listed even if they appear incorrect. You need only download the files as instructed do not open any installers or run executables, the Prep Tool will handle everything using the files as they are downloaded. Simply place the downloaded files on your system (or a network share that you can access during the Prep Tool building process) and enter the location of the file(s) as directed by the Prep Tool. After the installation files are created, you can delete the downloaded files as they are no longer needed for the UniBrows system or processes.
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The UbConfig-Setup.msi package installs the UniBrows Configuration Manager. The UbClientPrep.exe application allows you to create the client installation files for the UniBrows add-on, giving
15 you total control over updating the subsystem elements. Local administrator rights are required to run both of these tools.
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3. The following screen you see contains the End User License Agreement (EULA) for the UniBrows software. You will need to read and agree to the terms of the EULA in order to proceed and create the Client installation components. The EULA is not displayed during Client installations.
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3.2 This page contains the list of prerequisite files to download and save to your local machine or network location. Next to the names and descriptions of the files is a button that will launch your browser and take you to the appropriate location to download the necessary file(s). You will need to download and save all of the files in the list before continuing. Depending on the speed of your Internet connection this process can take several minutes to complete all necessary downloads. When all file downloads have completed, click Next.
Note Browsium recommends downloading all of the required prerequisites to the same folder or location. While the packages are downloaded and their contents will be extracted, they are not installed directly on any system. You may delete the packages after the Prep Tool completes building the Client installation files.
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4. With all of the prerequisite files downloaded, you will need to identify the file and location where you saved each of the items. In addition to the prerequisites, you will need to provide the location of your license file. The license file can be found in the folder with the UniBrows installation files you received from Browsium. The license will be packaged into the Client addon MSI files. To specify the location of the prerequisite files, click the Open File button and navigate to the file location using the dialog box. If your organization does not have a license file for UniBrows, you may obtain a 60-day evaluation license from http://www.browsium.com.
5. Now you are ready to build the Client installation files. Simply click Build and the UniBrows Client Preparation Tool will do the rest.
19 This process can take from several minutes to an hour depending on the speed of your PC and available memory. During the process you will see a progress bar:
The build process is resource intensive so it may appear to update slowly. The application will notify you when the process is complete.
When the UniBrows Client Preparation Tool has finished building the MSI files you will see this screen and need to specify the placement of the output MSI files.
Click the Set Location button to choose where to save each file. Click Finish when all locations are entered. The UniBrows Client Preparation Tool will save the files to the specified locations and close the tool. Note The default file save location for Client MSIs is the user desktop.
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Note Since the MSI files created by the UniBrows Client Preparation Tool are unsigned, Windows may display a UAC prompt to complete the installation.
2. The Client add-on installation is silent, so there will be no dialog indicating completion. To check that UniBrows installation has completed. Launch IE, and look under Tools->Manage Add-ons, and look to ensure the UniBrows Plugin for Internet Explorer is listed and Enabled.
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2. Confirm you have read, and agreed to the End-User License Agreement (EULA) by clicking I agree to the terms in the License Agreement and Next to continue with installation.
22 3. Select the installation type, either single user or for all users. The Configuration Manager should only be accessible to network and system administrators, so Browsium recommends setting the installation type to Only for me on most systems.
Note Customers installing the Configuration Manager on a remote desktop/terminal services or other shared resource configurations should select Only for me. The UniBrows Configuration Manager is designed for use only by system or network administrators, selecting Everybody will install the and for all users. While all users would have access to the application, the UniBrows Configuration Manager requires Administrator rights to run properly and standard users may create support tickets when they experience issues or error messages from the application.
23 If the installation type is set to Only for me then by default the installer places the required files in "%userprofile%\AppData\Local\Programs\Browsium\UniBrows Manager\"
If the installation type is set to Everybody then by default the installer places the required files in "\Program Files\Browsium\UniBrows Manager" (32-bit systems) or "\Program Files (x86)\Browsium\UniBrows Manager" (64-bit systems) on the system drive.
24 4. Now youre ready to install the UniBrows Configuration Manager. Click Install.
Note The UniBrows Configuration Manager requires Administrator rights so the installer will generate a UAC prompt before installing. 5. During the installation process you will see a progress window
25 6. This screen will be displayed when the installation is complete and all necessary files have been configured. Click Finish and you are ready to begin working with the UniBrows system.
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/help
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/log <LogFile>
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Section Three
What the UniBrows Configuration Manager is Where to find settings in the UniBrows Configuration Manager How to navigate the screens, settings and options in the UniBrows Configuration Manager
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3.1.1. Project
On this window you can create new projects, load previously saved project files as well as save project files for later use or flat file distribution.
A project file (.UBP file extension) is the standard file format containing information about UniBrows configurations, rules, Profile values and settings.
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To aid in configuration testing and tuning, the UniBrows Configuration Manager provides administrators the ability to work directly with settings in the local system registry. This option helps avoid delays and overhead of exporting settings to Group Policy, applying those settings and forcing the local machine to reload policy values.
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3.1.4. Controller
In this tab you can find the buttons to manage the UniBrows controller process on the local machine. Primarily used for debug and testing purposes, this screen includes buttons to start, stop or restart the UniBrows controller.
3.1.5. Application
In this tab you can find the button for exiting the UniBrows Configuration Manager application as well as the link to online help for UniBrows.
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The Rules Editor interface contains the following parts: 1. Rule Manager Window This window shows the hierarchical rules list that UniBrows uses to determine how to handle web application rendering. The heading for each column in this window refers to the specific rule element (e.g. Rule Name, Security Level, Scope, etc.) for a given rule. 2. New To create a new rule, click the New button to bring up the Rule Editor window. Section 3.2.1.1 Rule Editor Window provides details on the options and values in the Rule Editor window. See Section 4.1 How to create a rule for details on creating rules. 3. Delete To delete a rule, select it from the Rules Manager Window, then click the Delete button.
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Note If you prefer to simply disable a rule rather than removing it, click the checkbox next to the rule name 4. Clone Some web applications or systems may require several related rules to function properly. The Clone rule function is designed to aid in quickly creating rules that are largely similar to previously created rules. The Clone rule function can also help avoid having to copy/paste or manually retype a rule that contains a long or complex URL. 5. Edit URLs and rule definitions can be complex, and complexity may lead to typographical errors. In the event you make a mistake or need to revise a rule, simply double click the line to edit (or highlight the line and click the Edit button) to make the necessary changes. Note When you have completed the desired changes, remember to click the Save button to include the newly revised rule. 6. Up and Down By default, rules are ordered in the sequence they are added. Since rules are evaluated in the order they are stored, the sequence of rules can be critical to the proper functionality of your web application in UniBrows. To manually adjust the order of a rule, simply highlight the rule and use the Up and Down buttons to move it to the proper placement.
36 3.2.1.1. Rule Editor Window This window is used for creating and editing the specific rule parameters. In general you will only need to complete the items under the Basic Settings section, but a complete list of all items is included here.
The Rule Editor Window is comprised of the following parts: 1. Name You can name a rule using any characters without restriction or character count limit. Rule names are for your use and identification only, and have no impact on functionality. We recommend you name a rule to best describe what the rule does so you can tell by the name how you mean it to work. 2. Element This table contains a brief explanation of the various types of rules you can create. Type Description The entire canonical URI, including protocol scheme, username, password, hostname, domain, port, path, query, extension and fragment. Example
Absolute URI
http://www.browsium.com/
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Authority
Display URI
Domain
Extension
Fragment
Scheme Name
Username, password, hostname, domain, and port. The protocol scheme, hostname, domain, port, path, query, and optionally, fragment. The domain, (including top level domain) only. Not for use for intranet sites. (Use Host instead.) The file extension of the resource. The information following a fragment marker (#), including the marker itself. This can refer to named anchors found within a document. The fully qualified domain name or plain hostname. The password, as parsed from the URI. The path and resource name. The path, resource name and query string. The query string. (All text following a ? in a URI) The entire URI as entered, including characters represented as %61 The protocol scheme name. (The text preceding :// in an URI.) The username and password, as parsed from the URI The username as parsed from the URI. The type of host The port number. The scheme of the URI
user@host.browsium.com:9001
http://www.browsium.com
browsium.com
.html
#top
browsium.com or filestore Password /animals/birds /animals/birds?robin ?robin http://username:password@hostn %61me.browsium.com http or ftp
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Zone
(INTRANET), 3 (INTERNET).
3. Operator This table contains a brief explanation of each operator available. Conditional Is Is Not Less Than Description Exactly matches the value field Does not match the value field Is less than and not equal to the value field. This conditional is especially useful with the Host, Port, Scheme, and Zone rule types. Is more than and not equal to the value field. This conditional is especially useful with the Host, Port, Scheme, and Zone rule types. Starts with the string in the value field Ends with the string in the value field Does not contain the value field Contains the value field Is determined by the regular expression in the value field
4. Query The Value field contains the string or integer to conditionally match to the website attribute you selected as the rule type. 5. Profile The Profile selection determines which browser Profile UniBrows uses to load the matching website. Any configured Profiles will be listed in this dropdown. In a standard configuration the initial options are Default IE6 Profile, Default IE6 Legacy Profile, Default IE7 Standards Mode Profile, Default Emulate IE7 Profile and Default IE8 Standards Mode Profile, Default Emulate IE8 Mode Profile, Default IE9 Standards Mode Profile, Default Emulate IE9 Mode Profile, and Default IE Edge Mode Profile. Additional Client Engines may be added later. 6. Rule Output
39 The Rule Output window displays a friendlier, readable version of the rule specifics. This window is for display only and cannot be edited directly. 7. Scope Rules can be set for either the User or Machine scope. 8. Enabled All rules are enabled by default when they are created. Some rules may contain complex parameters or complex paths and it may be more practical to simply disable a rule rather than remove it if the rule is not needed for some reason or to test other rule ordering patterns, etc. In addition, some users may choose to keep only a single rule set and want to disable a rule for some given period of time. To disable a rule, simply select No from the dropdown list. Note In addition to disabling the rule using the dropdown list, you can manage the Enabled/Disabled value by using the checkbox next to the rule name in the main Rules Manager window. 9. Security Level UniBrows is designed to isolate content rendering and provides content loading behaviors in a secure manner. The default behavior for UniBrows to render only content matched by a rule all unmatched content navigations/loading will be either cancelled or displayed in a new tab (see Section 3.4.1 Settings Editor for more information on this behavior). Some organizations may have web applications that do not work correctly with such a strict security model. To help resolve those issues UniBrows offers a Medium and Low Security Level in addition to the default/recommended High setting value. More information on Security Levels can be found in Section 4.7 Understanding Security Level options.
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The RegEx Builder provides a simple integrated tool for writing and testing Regular Expressions before using them as rules evaluation criteria to help avoid errors in pattern matching. For more information on the RegEx Builder, including a step by step example, please read the Using regular expressions in UniBrows rules document in the Knowledge Base section of http://support.browsium.com.
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42 The following features of the Profiles List allow you to create, edit, and manage profiles: 1. Profiles Manager List This list shows all available Profiles for a given Project file or Local System settings. The list contains the name of the Profile, which browser engine it will load and a textual description of the Profile. The Features description field can be used to document what the Profile is used for as well as details about what settings it provides. Profiles can be enabled or disabled by selecting/deselecting the checkbox next to the Name value in the Profiles Manager Window. Note For better default resource and memory management behavior, UniBrows will not load Profiles for which there are no rules requiring that Profile. In addition, Profiles can be disabled manually to ensure they will never be loaded. Since it is possible to manually disable a Profile that will later be needed by a rule, administrators are advised to avoid disabling Profiles unless absolutely required.
This chart provides a list of the Profiles included by default with a standard UniBrows client installation: Profile Default IE6 Profile Description Renders content as if were displayed by Internet Explorer 6 as shipped in Windows XP SP2 Engine - Internet Explorer: IE6 Similar to IE6 Profile with additional support for legacy ActiveX controls (for many ERP/CRM applications). Engine - Internet Explorer: IE6 Legacy Note: This Profile is not supported in IE9. Default IE7 Standards Mode Profile Renders content as if it were displayed in standards mode by Internet Explorer 7. This Profile can be modified to enable scenarios where a web application renders properly using the IE8s IE7 Mode but the given line of business application may require granular setting configurations that are not possible or appropriate changes to make globally to the IE8 browser configuration Engine- Internet Explorer: IE7 Standards Mode
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Standards mode directives are displayed in Internet Explorer 7 standards mode and quirks mode directives are displayed in IE5 mode Engine- Internet Explorer: Emulate IE7 Mode Renders content as if it were displayed in standards mode by Internet Explorer 8 Engine - Internet Explorer: IE8 Standards Mode Standards mode directives are displayed in Internet Explorer 8 standards mode and quirks mode directives are displayed in IE5 mode Engine - Internet Explorer: Emulate IE8 Mode Renders content as if it were displayed in standards mode by Internet Explorer 9. Engine - Internet Explorer: IE9 Standards Mode Note: This Profile will default to the IE8 Standards Mode engine on systems that are not running IE9. Standards mode directives are displayed in Internet Explorer 9 standards mode and quirks mode directives are displayed in IE5 mode Engine - Internet Explorer: IE9 Standards Mode Note: This Profile will default to the IE8 Standards Mode engine on systems that are not running IE9. To plan for future browser version continuity, UniBrows includes the Default IE Edge Mode Profile to enable rules to always use the default (latest) browser engine installed on the system. While most customers are deploying IE8 at this time, UniBrows is supported for installation with IE8 and IE9 and there are important differences for rules using this Profile. Engine Internet Explorer: Edge Mode
All Profiles can be modified to suit the needs of your organization, or you can create a new Profile, based on any supported rendering engine, to customize for specific web application compatibility needs. For example, UniBrows makes it possible to specify different versions of the JRE on a per-Profile basis, whereas changing the JRE version for IE8 globally would only allow for a single version to be loaded at a time.
44 For the Default IE Edge Mode Profile and both IE9 Profiles, care should be used when creating Rules as the rendering engines, and therefore rendering behavior, will be very different when the Profile is invoked on systems running IE8 as compared with systems running IE9. 2. Open Profile To edit a Profile, double click on the Profile to open the Profile editor window or highlight the desired Profile and click Open Profile. 3. Create Profile To create a new Profile, simply click the Create Profile button in the right column. 4. Remove Profile Profiles can be deleted by selecting the Profile and clicking the Remove Profile button.
45 3.3.1.1. Profile Editor Window This window is used for creating and editing Profiles. As a general rule, you will only need to complete the items under the Basic Settings section, but a complete list of both Basic and Advanced items is included here.
The Profile Editor Window consists of the following features: 1. Name The Profile name is a friendly name for your reference, and can be modified to suit your organization. 2. Description The description field provides a place to include a more complete explanation of the Profile. 3. Browser Engine The browser engine value determines the core engine used for the Profile. 4. Scope The scope field determines whether the Profile is applied to the User or Machine scope. 5. Enabled Profiles are enabled by default when they are created. To disable a Profile simply set the value on this element to No. Note To help conserve resources and memory, UniBrows is designed by default not to load Profiles for which there are no rules requiring that Profile. Since it is possible to manually disable a Profile that will later be needed by a rule, administrators are advised to avoid disabling Profiles unless absolutely required.
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Note Content Handlers are only available in Profiles using the IE6 based rendering engine. The Settings Editor consists of the following features: 1. Current Profile Dropdown List Use this dropdown list to quickly change between selected Profiles. 2. Settings Editor Tab Window This tab window provides access to create, delete or edit Profile values. More information on each tab section item is included in Section 3.3.2.1 Basic Settings Tab through Section 3.3.2.6 Content Handlers Tab.
47 3.3.2.1. Basic Settings Tab The options in this tab allow you to edit the core settings for a Profile. This section reviews each option.
The following settings are available through the Basic Settings Tab: 1. Name The Profile name is a friendly name for you reference, and can be modified to suit your organization. 2. Description The description field provides a place to include a more complete explanation of the Profile. 3. Browser Engine The browser engine value determines the core engine used for the Profile. 4. Scope The scope field determines whether the Profile is applied to the User or Machine scope. 5. User Agent String The User Agent (UA) string field lets you specify the value passed by the browser for a given Profile. For example, the default value for the IE6 engine is that of a Windows XP Service Pack 2
48 system, but the values can be changed at any time to any desired setting. To edit these values, click the Edit button to open the User Agent String Editor window:
More information on the User Agent string elements and potential values can be found at http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/ms537503%28v=vs.85%29.aspx. 6. File Download Timeout To help ensure proper document handling, UniBrows uses the header information provided by a server to determine if the content type matches a type specified in the Content Handlers list or if the content should be rendered using the Profile browser engine. The default value for this setting is 5 seconds, but some network delays may require an increase to this value in order to provide the header information from slow servers. By design, browsers use stateless HTTP connections (connections are used and then closed rather than held open) and must use a new connection for each subsequent request made to the server. A typical web application will involve data interactions over several pages, so the web application tracks user state in sessions to create a linkage of requests for a given client or else every users client connections and data would be comingled and the application would be unusable. With the introduction of tabbed browsing, session management became more complex as most web browsers are designed to share session data across all tabs. Sharing sessions across tabs makes the user experience better when switching tabs and the application still works. Problems arise for many business users where they need to access multiple records
49 from the same web application. The default session handling behavior makes it impossible to access different records simultaneously. 7. Window Session Mode UniBrows provides the ability to directly manage session behavior for a given Profile, making it simple to ensure users can take advantage of a tabbed browsing experience while still accessing the applications they need, in the way they want. Session mode can be configured for each Profile as either Unique or Shared (default) in the UniBrows Configuration Manager. When Window Session Mode is set to either Shared (default), where each tab that invokes that profile does so through a shared process which, in turn, shares cookies and session information, or Unique, where each tab that invokes that profile does so through a separate process.
Unique mode uses a dynamic algorithm that preloads new instances of browser engines that can be invoked as needed by new windows. When a tab is closed, the process that contains the engine is closed to conserve system resources. Note Since each tab will use a separate process, setting the Window Session Mode to Unique will cause UniBrows to consume more memory than Shared mode. Unique mode should only be used for Profiles and web applications where shared session data causes errors with the application or issues with user experience.
8. Context Menu Handler A context menu is the menu which appears when the user right-clicks on a given object. Internet Explorer has a specific context menu for each version of the program, and many 3rd party web applications replace that context menu to provide extra functionality or application interactivity points for the user. By default, UniBrows replaces the default Internet Explorer context menu, as well as any 3rd party web application context menus. UniBrows replaces the context menu to provide certain functionality and a consistent experience regardless of the browser engine being invoked. This feature enables control over whether to display the UniBrows context menu or to defer to the browser for display of the built in context menu or a 3rd party web application custom context menu. 9. Windows Execution Options
50 UniBrows allows you to modify the default Windows process behavior for certain browser settings, offering the ability to customize how the browser interacts with the operating system to ensure proper web application functionality. Enabled by default on IE8, DEP/NX support enhances security by preventing an application or service from executing code from a non-executable memory region. UniBrows provides the ability to manage enhanced security settings for the DEP/NX feature. To disable DEP/NX support for the specific Profile, simply click the checkbox. Note The Default IE6 Profile has DEP/NX disabled by default to help ensure line of business application compatibility. DEP/NX can be turned on for the Default IE6 Profile (or any other Profile) by simply deselecting the checkbox. By design, UniBrows implements a sandboxed approach to loading and rendering content where content is written to memory as opposed to being committed directly to the system. When the UniBrows process is closed, the memory is cleared and the content is no longer available. Using this design UniBrows is able to increase browser security by reducing the ability for content to be written directly (and permanently) to the underlying operating system. UniBrows tries to ensure that web applications will continue to work properly in a sandboxed environment while mitigating potential security issues if the end user ends up loading malicious content that tries to harm their system. There are some instances where a web application may require certain data to be committed to the operating system or file system rather than deleted when the process is closed. This feature can be disabled by selecting the checkbox, but administrators are strongly encouraged not to use this feature unless it is absolutely necessary.
51 3.3.2.2. Custom Files Tab This tab allows you to create specific file system entries as well as define custom ActiveX controls for a Profile. UniBrows provides an environment to host these items internally, so nothing is applied or modified on the system. Any required file system entries or ActiveX controls should be defined here. Some web applications may require dozens (or more) of custom file system and ActiveX values so UniBrows provides an import mechanism to avoid entering values one by one.
The following features are available in the Custom Files Tab: 1. Custom Files List This list displays all configured Custom File and Custom ActiveX mappings. To add a value, or import a group of values from a .UBF file, use the buttons on the right hand side or simply right click inside this window select the desired option from the context menu. 2. Create File To create a new Custom File mapping, click the Create File button. More information on this feature and an example of creating a Custom File mapping can be found in Section 4.4 Working with Custom Files, Registry Settings and ActiveX Controls. 3. Edit File Button To edit a Custom File mapping, highlight the item and use the right click context menu or click the Edit File button on the right hand side.
52 4. Remove File Button To remove a Custom File mapping, either highlight the item and use the right-click context menu or click the Remove File button on the right hand side. Since many customers require the same sets of ActiveX controls (JRE, Flash, etc.) in Profiles to ensure Web Application Continuity, Browsium will make some of the most common file system rules (in .UBF format) available at our support site at http://support.browsium.com. 3.3.2.3. Custom Registry Window This window allows you to create specific registry entries for a Profile. UniBrows provides an environment to host these items internally, so nothing is applied or modified on the system. Any required registry entries should be defined here. Some web applications may require dozens (or more) of custom Registry values, so UniBrows provides an import mechanism to avoid entering values one by one. To add a value, or import a group of values from a .UBR file, simply right click on the Registry pane and select your option from the context menu. Microsoft supported Feature Control Keys may be set using this interface. For a full list of supported keys, please see http://msdn.microsoft.com/enus/library/ms537184(VS.85).aspx. For more information on working with Custom Registry settings, see Section 4.4 Working with Custom Files, Registry Settings and ActiveX Controls.
The Custom Registry Tab contains the following features: 1. Custom Registry List
UniBrows Administration Guide 1.2 2011 Browsium Inc.
53 This list shows all configured Custom Registry mappings. To add a value, or import a group of values from a .UBR file, use the buttons on the right hand side or simply right click inside this window select the desired option from the context menu. 2. Create Value To create a new Custom Registry mapping, click the Create Value button. More information on this feature and an example of creating a Custom File mapping can be found in Section 4.4 Working with Custom Files, Registry Settings and ActiveX Controls. 3. Edit Value To edit a Custom Registry mapping, highlight the item and use the right click context menu or click the Edit Value button on the right hand side. 4. Remove Value To remove a Custom Registry mapping, either highlight the item and use the right click context menu or click the Remove Value button on the right hand side.
54 3.3.2.4. Variables Tab This tab allows you to create specific variables entries for a Profile. UniBrows includes the ability to utilize system and user variables for referencing file location pathnames. Variables can be helpful to reference long or complicated file pathname locations, as well as providing an easier method for changing the location of ActiveX controls without needing to modify the settings on the Registry Editor or Files Editor tabs. In addition to accessing global system and user defined variables, UniBrows enables an administrator to create custom local variables within the UniBrows environment.
The Variables Tab consists of the following features: 1. Variables List This list displays all configured variables mappings. To add, edit or remove a value, use the buttons on the right hand side or simply right click inside this window select the desired option from the context menu. 2. Create Variable To create a new variable mapping, click the Create Variable button. More information on this feature and an example of creating a Custom Variable mapping can be found in Section 4.5 Working with Custom Environment Variables. 3. Edit Variable To edit a variable mapping, highlight the item and use the right click context menu or click the Edit Variable button on the right hand side.
55 4. Remove Variable To remove a variable mapping, either highlight the item and use the right-click context menu or click the Remove Variable button on the right hand side. 3.3.2.5. Scripts Tab This tab allows you to create custom JavaScript functions or commands for a Profile. UniBrows provides the ability to inject these scripts directly into a page, overriding any page-defined JavaScript behavior with this replacement version. As new versions of Internet Explorer include different versions of the JavaScript engine, it may be necessary to modify a JavaScript function to ensure application compatibility for a given web application. For example, a site designed for IE6 may be able to run in a later version of Internet Explorer with only a few scripting tweaks. The JavaScript defined here is injected in the <head> tag of the document after the page loads and before the OnLoad event of the <body> tag is triggered.
The Scripts tab contains the following features: 1. List of Scripts This list shows all configured custom scripts for the profile. To add a value, use the buttons on the right-hand side or simply right-click inside this window select the Create from the context menu. 2. Create To create a new script, click the Create button. A popup window will appear that will allow you to enter the script code and give the script a name.
56 3. Edit To edit a script, highlight the item and use the right-click context menu or click the Edit button on the right-hand side. 4. Remove To remove a script, either highlight the item and use the right-click context menu or click the Remove button on the right hand side. This basic example of the Scripts override feature provides an illustration of how to use the feature to replace a function. Here is a simple HTML page with a function (DisplayMessage) that displays an alert when the OnLoad event is triggered. <html> <head> <script type=text/javascript> function DisplayMessage(message) { alert(message); } </script> </head> <body OnLoad=DisplayMessage(Hello world)> Page body. </body> </html>
57 To override the DisplayMessage function each time this page is loaded by a given Profile, simply click the Create button to open the Script editor window. Provide a name for your script this name is for your reference purposes only; it is not part of the function or script itself. Enter the entire JavaScript in the Script window. This example shows a single function, but the Script can contain any number of functions or statements (up to an object size limit of 2MB).
This script will now be injected into any page loaded by the associated Profile. Note Syntax validation is NOT performed on content entered in the Script editor window, so any malformed JavaScript may cause script errors or other unexpected behaviors.
58 3.3.2.6. Content Handlers Tab UniBrows will attempt to load content using the system defaults for specific content types or content marked with a specific MIME type. In order to provide the ability to override default behaviors as well as include the ability to define custom actions based on certain content types, UniBrows includes the ability to define Content Handlers. Note Please be advised that the Content Handlers tab is only available on Profiles based on the IE6 rendering engine.
The Content Handlers Tab consists of the following features: 1. Content Handlers List This list displays all configured Content Handler mappings. To add, edit or remove a Content Handler mapping, use the buttons on the right hand side or simply right click inside this window select the desired option from the context menu. 2. Create Handler To create a new Content Handler mapping, click the Create Handler button. More information on this feature and an example of creating a Content Handler can be found in Section 4.6 Working with Content Handlers. 3. Edit Handler To edit a Content Handler mapping, highlight the item and use the right click context menu or click the Edit Handler button on the right hand side. 4. Remove Handler To remove a Content Handler mapping, either highlight the item and use the right click context menu or click the Remove Handler button on the right hand side.
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The Settings Editor can be used to configure the following items: 1. Test Mode Settings The Test Mode option allows an administrator to instantly render a site using UniBrows and the preferred Profile, simply by entering the ub: prefix before any address in the Address Bar. Test Mode will only work on systems with the UniBrows Configuration Manager installed so end users cannot bypass rule settings or manually load pages using UniBrows. 2. Unmatched Rule Content Behavior The IFrame/Subpage behavior option lets you control the behavior for handling how UniBrows will render content on pages where certain items are from websites that do not match a rule (for example, when pages display content from other domains). The options allow you to either cancel the rendering (UniBrows default behavior) or have the unmatched rule content opened in a new tab (one tab for each content item, which could result in many tabs being opened).
61 3. Configuration Loading Behavior Since UniBrows is a client side solution with no server component, getting the configuration settings to the client is critical for proper operation. Just like the rest of the UniBrows system, configuration management is extremely flexible and can be tailored to meet the design and requirements of your environment. By default UniBrows will look first in Group Policy for configurations, then Local Machine, then Current User. This table provides a hierarchy of precedence for how configuration values are evaluated and the locations being read:
HLKM (Software\Policies\Browsium\UniBrows)
HKLM (Software\Browsium\UniBrows)
HKCU (Software\Policies\Browsium\UniBrows)
HKCU (Software\Browsium\UniBrows)
UniBrows will not look for a flat file configuration by default. In order to instruct UniBrows to load a flat file configuration instead of the registry or policy values, you must use the Configuration loading behavior fields on the Settings tab.
To start, simply click the checkbox labeled Enable flat file configuration, then select a path location where the file can be found. The path location value can be hardcoded or set to use a variable (using the $(variable) format notation). If no path location is specified, UniBrows will look in the install directory. Enter the filename for the flat file in the next textbox. If no
62 filename is provided, UniBrows will call the Windows GetFiles() method and use the first .UBP file returned. In addition to these settings, you must instruct UniBrows to bypass the normal configuration hierarchy search process noted above by configuring the client system with certain registry settings. For 64-bit systems, set the following registry values: [HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Wow6432Node\Browsium\UniBrows\Settings] "LocalMachineOnly"=dword:00000000 "LoadFromFileEnabled"=dword:00000001 "LoadFromFilePath"="" "LoadFromFileName"=""
For 32-bit systems, set the following registry values: [HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Browsium\UniBrows\Settings] "LocalMachineOnly"=dword:00000000 "LoadFromFileEnabled"=dword:00000001 "LoadFromFilePath"="" "LoadFromFileName"=""
In both cases, LoadFromFilePath is the network or file system location where the .UBP file is located and LoadFromFileName is the specific filename for the .UBP file you wish to load. If the selection for Enable flat file configuration is checked, the settings loaded from the file will take precedence over all other settings, regardless of where they are loaded from in the registry. 4. Minimum Logging Level UniBrows records logging information to the standard Windows event log under an Application level source named UniBrows. The Logging Level setting option determines the amount and type of data collected in the Windows event log. This table summarizes the various levels and data collected:
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Description Writes Trace, Info, Warn, and Error entries Writes Info, Warn and Error entries
Warnings Writes Warn and Error entries Errors None Writes Error entries Logging is disabled
5. Hang Prevention Timeout The Hang Prevention Timeout value enables an organization to automatically terminate a browser engine process if it goes longer than a predefined number of seconds without a response to the UniBrows Controller. The Controller will automatically re-launch the stopped process. A value of 0 or lower will turn off hang prevention. The default setting for this feature is 0. 6. Profile Idle Reset Timer The Profile Idle Reset Timer feature was introduced in order to provide administrators with additional mechanisms for managing memory and system resources when the browser is not being used. To reduce memory consumption over time, UniBrows can be configured to reset idle Profiles when certain conditions are met. Profile memory consumption may increase during long browsing sessions as the local storage cache grows (when Sandboxing is enabled) or because of memory leaks present in the browser engines themselves. UniBrows works to ensure proper memory management but the underlying browser engines may consume resources in a manner that UniBrows is unable to purge effectively. Select a value (in minutes) greater than 0 to enable the Engine Idle Reset Timer feature. A value of 0 or lower will disable the Engine Idle Reset Timer feature. A profile is considered idle when the mouse has not moved and the keyboard has not been activated for the specified idle time and there are no running instances of Internet Explorer in the user session. When the specified idle time is reached and there are no open instances of Internet Explorer in the user session, UniBrows restarts all running profiles.
64 Restarting a profile clears session information, including cookies and cache. UniBrows does not restart profiles if there are open instances of Internet Explorer in the users session. 7. Show Loading Page On older systems, slower network connections or systems with limited memory, users may experience a moment of delay while UniBrows loads content and attaches to the Internet Explorer frame. This option allows administrators to control the display of the UniBrows loading page to users while content is loaded.
Note The hyperlinks on the loading page will always update to reference the requested URL, but the remainder of the text on this loading page cannot be edited.
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Section Four
Configuration Tutorial
In this section you will learn:
How to create rules in UniBrows How to remove rules in UniBrows How to create a Profile How to work with Custom Files and Registry Editor options How to work with Variables How to work with Custom File Handlers
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4. Configuration Tutorial
Once the UniBrows Configuration Manager installation is complete, you can begin configuring which sites to display with the UniBrows add-on using the UniBrows Configuration Manager. The UniBrows Configuration Manager is provided as a simple interface to create, delete, and manage UniBrows behavior. As a security design, by default UniBrows only renders sites explicitly identified in the rule set, so you must create a rule or series of rules in order to use UniBrows. Note A system must have the UniBrows Client add-on for the appropriate version of Windows installed in order to use the rules and configurations created in the UniBrows Configuration Manager.
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68 2. With your Project loaded, you can now begin to create a rule. Click the Rules tab, and then click the New button to bring up the Rule Editor window.
69 3. Using the Rule Editor, enter a name for the rule. Rule names are friendly names for organizational and identification purposes only and have no effect on the behavior of a rule. For this example, we will choose UniBrows Demo Site.
70 4. Under the Conditions and Target section, select an element type from the dropdown menu. For this example, we will choose the most common and granular type of rules used by customers, Absolute URI. An Absolute URI is the exact text you would see in the browsers address bar when you are at a site excluding any fragments. A table with a list of all rule types and a brief description of each is located in Section 3.2.1.1 Rule Editor Window.
71 5. The next step is to choose an operator from the next dropdown menu. For this example, we will choose Is. The operator Is allows UniBrows to open the website only if the value in the rule matches the value in the browsers address bar exactly. Since the condition matches only for the root directory, named pages and sub-sites will not render using UniBrows, but rather with the installed browsers normal rendering behavior.
72 6. Enter a value to check for in the Query text box. For this example we will use the URI of our application - http://www.aggrid.com/.
Note The trailing forward slash is critical for this particular rule since an Absolute URI must match the text you would see in a browsers address bar when paired with the Is condition.
Most rules would not require any of the Advanced Settings, but some organizations may choose to modify these values for internal requirements or design policies. To view the Advanced Settings simply click the Advanced button. 8. The first option under the Advanced Settings is to set the rule scope. Rules can be set for either Machine or User scope. For this rule we will set the Scope to Machine.
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9. When you are done creating the rule (or changing a setting), remember to click the Save button.
You can continue to add rules until you have completed all the desired entries.
75 10. Rules and configurations can be saved either as Local Settings or Project files. Note You must save the rules and configuration or all work will be lost.
Saving as Local Settings will apply the rules and configuration to the machine instantly, whereas saving the Project file would not apply those rules now but enable you to load them later or pass them to another machine. For this example, well use the Save Local Settings option under the File tab.
In order to save the UniBrows configuration files to the local system, the user may need to click Allow on the process elevation request. 11. Once the settings are saved, simply open your browser (IE8/IE9) and browse to the site that satisfies the rule you have just created. The URL is prefixed by ub: so you know it is rendered by the UniBrows rendering agent.
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2. Select the rule you wish to remove from the list of rules.
3. Click Delete. Note Remember to save the rules using the File tab (either as a Project File or Local Settings) before closing the Configuration Manager to ensure the deleted rule is actually removed from your configuration. For organizations using Group Policy to manage configurations, you will need to export the new settings and push out the changes to ensure clients are updated.
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If IE8 is installed
IE6 IE6 Legacy
If IE9 is installed
IE6
Internet Explorer: IE7 Standards Mode Internet Explorer: Emulate IE7 Mode Internet Explorer: IE8 Standards Mode Internet Explorer: Emulate IE8 Mode Internet Explorer: IE9 Standards Mode Internet Explorer: Emulate IE9 Mode Internet Explorer: Edge Mode
The following steps demonstrate how to create a Profile based on the IE6 browser engine to render sites using an older version of Java. By design, Internet Explorer can only load the latest version of Java installed on the machine. This design is ideal for security purposes, but it impedes the ability to ensure
78 web application compatibility. This example will illustrate how to create a Profile to load Java 1.4.2 update 19 (1.4.2_19) instead of the newer Java 1.6 update 25 (1.6.0_25) version installed on the system. Note More information on this topic, including information on running other combinations of Java or how to run the MSJVM can be found online at http://support.browsium.com in the Managing Java with UniBrows document.
1) Open the UniBrows Configuration Manager and click the Profiles tab, then click the Create Profile button to open the New Profile screen:
2) Enter a name and description for the new Profile. The name and description fields are for reference purposes only and can be anything useful or meaningful to your organization and environment.
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Note The names and descriptions fields cannot be changed once the Profile is created.
3) Select Internet Explorer: IE6 from the browser engine dropdown list. For this example leave the scope set to Machine and enabled set to Yes.
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4.4. Working with Custom Files, Registry Settings and ActiveX Controls
One of the most powerful features of UniBrows is that it lets you use files and settings other than those traditionally installed on the PC. This is accomplished, in part, by creating additional UniBrows profiles. To illustrate how this feature works, we have identified an example website, aggrid.com, which not only requires IE6, but is also incompatible with the latest version of Java. To accommodate this site, we need to create a Custom ActiveX control setting for the Profile created in section 4.3 How to create a Profile to load the specific older, compatible version of the Java Runtime Environment. The example used here (requiring Java 1.4.2_19) shows an ActiveX control setting that requires only one file, but it is important to understand that many Custom ActiveX controls may be comprised of several files (either .OCXs and/or .DLLs) as well as a range of registry entries. UniBrows includes an Import and Export feature to facilitate creating these more complex configurations. Note Please visit the UniBrows support site (http://support.browsium.com) for more information on Settings and guidance for many of the most commonly requested controls. The following steps demonstrate how to create the configuration needed to solve the Java compatibility issues on the aggrid.com site: 1) Select the newly created Profile (Java 1.4.2_19 & IE6 Profile) from the Profiles list and click Open Profile. With the Profile loaded, click on the Custom Files tab, then click the Create File button.
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2) This will bring up the Custom File and ActiveX Editor window where you need to identify the source and target files for UniBrows to manage.
3) The Source File is the item needed for your application in this case the Java 1.4 file (NPJPI142_19.dll). Either manually enter the path and location of the file or select it by clicking the button to open the file dialog. The required .dll can be found under the bin directory where Java was installed.
The location and filename will be entered in the Source File text box. 4) The Target File is the file to be overridden in this case Java 1.6 file (JP2IEXP.DLL). Either manually enter the path and location of the file or select it by clicking the button to open the file dialog. The Target File can be found under the bin directory where Java 1.6 was installed.
5) Leave the Register ActiveX Control/COM Library? unchecked and select OK. 6) Your Profile should now show something like this:
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Note By design, UniBrows will not load Profiles into memory if there are no rules referencing that Profile. Now you need to create a rule to instruct UniBrows to automatically render the aggrid.com site using this Profile. To get started, click the Rules tab on the left side of the UniBrows Configuration Manager to bring up the list of rules.
84 1) Select New from the buttons on the right to add a new rule:
2) Give the rule a friendly name (e.g. Java 1.4 at Aggrid.com) and enter aggrid.com in the Query field. Finally, select the profile we previously created from the Profile dropdown:
4) Your rule and profile are now ready to use. Select File from the menu on the left, then Local Settings and finally click Save Local Settings. Note On Windows 7, Windows Vista, and Windows Server 2008 you should see an administrative elevation (UAC) prompt (if enabled on your system). Note that this will close any open IE windows.
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87 2. First,create the variable in this dialog. Any variables defined here can be used in the Registry Editor and Files Editor tabs for more flexibility in pathname declarations. For example, to override the system windir value:
3. Profile-defined variables can be used to override a system variable by simply redefining the desired variable on this tab. Now references to windir will use the new value when referenced in any UniBrows setting or configuration:
88 UniBrows loads and recognizes Variable values and locations using the following order of precedence:
Profile-defined Variables
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Note Removing a Content Handler requires completely rebuilding it later should it be needed in the future. Content Handlers can be disabled instead, making it easy to ensure they are not loaded into a configuration but they can be restored at any time. To disable a Content Handler, simply click the checkbox next to the Type Class value.
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This editor offers you the ability to configure the following properties of a Content Handler: 1. Type Class There are two possible values for Type Class: File Type and MIME Type. For File Type, UniBrows will trigger on all files with the specified file type. For MIME Type, UniBrows will trigger on all files with the given MIME type. MIME types are specified in the response headers from the remote web server. 2. Type Name Values for the Type Name field depend on what was selected for the Type Class value. For File Type, specify the file extension (e.g. .pdf) in the Type Name field. For MIME Type, specify the MIME type (e.g. application/pdf) in the Type Name field. A complete listing of possible MIME types can be found at http://reference.sitepoint.com/html/mime-types-full. 3. Enabled All Content Handlers are enabled by default when they are created. To disable a Content Handler, simply change the value of this field to No.
91 4. Action This setting determines what action the UniBrows Client will take when a download covered by a Content Handler is encountered. Possible options for this setting are: Prompt for Download The Content Handler will prompt the user to save the file that is being downloaded. Open Default Program The Content Handler will download the file to temporary storage location and attempt to launch the file in the default application. Run Command The Content Handler will download the file to a temporary storage location and run the custom command specified in the Command field. To insert the name of the file in the custom command, use the "%1" macro. Do Nothing The Content Handler will ignore the content and cease processing the request.
5. Command If the Action setting value is set to Run Command, the Content Handler will download the file to a temporary storage location and execute the text. To insert the full path and file name of the downloaded file, use the "%1" macro.
92 The following screenshot of a Handler Editor instance outlines an example scenario where files of MIME type "application/pdf" are downloaded to a temporary location and passed to an application via a command line. The downloaded file is passed to the command line via the "%1" variable.
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Medium Security Once the user navigates to a page matching a UniBrows rule with a Medium Security Level, any page content (IFrames, scripts, etc.) will be loaded using the same rule Profile regardless of whether the URL for the element also matches a rule. When clicking on any links, normal rule evaluation will apply before loading the page. When navigating to a new page by entering a URL directly, standard UniBrows rule processing applies. Note Use this setting when you are having difficulty creating rules to match all page content for a site.
Low Security When a user navigates to a page matching a UniBrows rule with a Low Security Level, any page content will be loaded regardless of whether the URL for the element also matches a rule. Additionally, clicking on any links in the page will keep the user in the UniBrows engine, regardless of whether the target page matches a rule. However, when navigating to a new page by entering a URL directly, standard UniBrows rule processing applies. Note This setting may expose a system to content that was not intended to be rendered using the loaded browser engine Profile, administrators should avoid using it if at all possible.
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Section Five
Recommendations for rule writing Using Test Mode for instant testing
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Test Mode is only available for users on a system with the Configuration Manager installed; it cannot be used or deployed to all users via the Client add-on. Attempts to manually enter the ub: prefix without the Configuration Manager installed will simply be ignored and the URL will be processed using the installed browser standard rendering mode. Customers are advised to use caution when loading sites located in the Internet Zone, as the Test Mode feature works regardless of what Zone the content is in and content could be rendered using a lower security context than intended. Note Enabling Test Mode will cause UniBrows to render rule matching sites to be rendered using the Test Mode Profile selection instead of the Profile listed in the defined Rule. In addition, when the ub: prefix is manually entered, all navigations (even clicking on links for a different URL) in that session will be rendered using the Test Mode Profile selection.
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Section Six
How rules and settings are applied with UniBrows Using UniBrows with Group Policy Using UniBrows with Flat File Configurations How UniBrows keeps users secure through Admin-only configurations
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103 3. After exporting the rules and configurations into an ADM/ADMX file, simply import them to your Group Policy environment. Some organizations may have a need to export only portions of the settings rather than the entire configuration. The Advanced ADMX Export provides the ability to select which elements, or groups of elements, to be exported in ADMX formatting. Use the following steps to selectively export Group Policy information for one or more UniBrows objects. 1. Begin by clicking the Advanced ADMX Export button on the Group Policy tab.
3. Select the checkbox(es) next to the item(s) to export, and only those elements will be exported.
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3. (Optional) You can open your project file using Notepad or other text editors.
Note While you can view and edit files using Notepad or other text editors, Browsium does not recommend using anything other than the UniBrows Configuration Manager for editing rules and configurations. 4. Use your preferred method of software distribution to propagate the flat files to the end user machines, but be sure to follow the process outlined in Section 3.4.1 Settings Editor to ensure proper management of UniBrows with flat files.
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Appendix A
Appendix A: Troubleshooting
In this section you will learn:
How to recognize issues with a UniBrows configuration What to do when UniBrows is not working as expected
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A. Appendix A Troubleshooting
A.1. UniBrows Rule and/or Test Mode Fails To Engage
You may encounter a scenario in which UniBrows fails to engage on one or web sites based on rules youve created or based on your Test Mode settings. The following points may help guide you to a resolution: Review System Prerequisites o Check to see that the target computer meets the performance and storage requirements to run UniBrows o Confirm that .NET 2.0 Service Pack 2 is installed on the computer running the UniBrows Client installation. UniBrows requires the .NET 2.0 Service Pack 2 Framework. Allow UniBrows to finish loading o UniBrows loads many components when started and it may take up to 10 seconds for all UniBrows components to start and load properly. o If you are seeing page titles that say Loading and no other behavior, it is possible Internet Explorer was started before UniBrows finished loading all the necessary files. Since this only needs to be done once, simply shutdown Internet Explorer, restart the UniBrows controller/processes and wait a few seconds before restarting Internet Explorer. Verify the UniBrows Installation Files o If you are using a computer where both the Configuration Manager and Client Package are present, ensure that they are installed and running o If you are using a computer where only the Client Package is installed, verify that it is correctly installed and running Ensure Matching Versions of the Configuration Manager and Client Package are Installed o If you installed previous versions of UniBrows, make sure that you are using the Configuring Manager whose Major, Minor, and Update numbers match that of the Client Package currently installed on a target machine Confirm that the UniBrows Executable Files are Running o Check to see that the UniBrows Controller (Browsium.Continuity.Controller.exe) is running on the target machine o Verify that the Browser Engine/Profile executable files (Browsium.Continuity.InternetExplorer*.exe) are running
109 Please note that these files will only be running if they are being used by an rule that is enabled or if Test Mode is both enabled and set to use a specific Profile
Ensure that the UniBrows Plugin is Enabled and Running o See if the UniBrows Internet Explorer Add-On (part of the UniBrows Client Package) is being both seen and loaded by Internet Explorer Open Internet Explorer and open the Manage Add-Ons dialog . Do you see the UniBrows client installed? Is it enabled? An Internet Explorer instance that correctly sees and loads the UniBrows Client Package Add-On will display the following information in the Manage Add-Ons dialog:
Try Using Test Mode o If you do not have Test Mode running already, or if Test Mode is working when rules are not, turn Test Mode on. To enable Test Mode, open the Configuration Manager, click the Settings tab and select the checkbox next to Enable Test Mode. Select the Profile you wish Test Mode to use when evaluating pages Turn on Test Mode and apply the configuration to your system by running Save Local Settings in the Local Settings portion of the File tab o Test your pages simply prepend the protocol ub: to the URL or URLs in question to instantly load a given web page or application using the specified Profile. o If Test Mode works when a rule does not: Review the rule(s) for errors Try using alternate Element or Condition settings for the rule(s) Note Test Mode is only available for users on a system with the Configuration Manager installed, it cannot be used or deployed to all users via the UniBrows Client add-on.
Re-Register UniBrows Components o Use the UniBrows Support Toolkit to ensure the UniBrows core components are properly registered with Windows. o Launch the Browsium.Continuity.Tools.exe application and click the Registration tab, then follow the directions to register the components:
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Visit the Forums/Contact Support o If all of these steps fail, consider posting a question on the Browsium Support Forums. o If you have a support evaluation or contract, contact your service integrator, the Browsium Support team for one-on-one guidance
111 3. In Internet Explorer, open the Manage Add-Ons window, and check that the UniBrows Plugin for Internet Explorer is enabled. Your configuration should match the configuration in the screenshot below:
4. If the Configuration Manager is installed on the machine, try to load the site using the Test Mode with the appropriate Profile by entering ub: at the start of your target URL or URLs
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A.8. UniBrows renders content in IE6, but there are still layout or scripting issues with the page
UniBrows is able to replicate the vast majority of IE6 behaviors and bugs (rendering, layout, and script), however there may be cases where IE6 running through UniBrows differs in these areas when compared to IE6 on Windows 2000 or Windows XP. If you believe that your web application may be experiencing this problem, the following steps can help you perform an initial investigation and possibly find the root cause: 1. Determine whether this is an issue with IE6 or with UniBrows. To start, open the page using a standalone, complete installation of IE6 and see if the same issues exist. If they do, it is a core IE6 issue that UniBrows may not be able to resolve. Since UniBrows provides granular controls over most IE features, please contact your system integrator or Browsium support to determine if other options would help resolve your web application issues.
113 2. If native IE6 renders the page correctly but UniBrows does not, check that your rules cover all the content delivered to the page. Common mistakes include: a. This site may load content from other domains. Be sure all included domains are covered by rules b. This site may load content via an ActiveX control that the current profile does not manage. Be sure that all controls are accounted for in the current profile 3. If you can determine that your rules and profile are correct, please follow up with your local support organization to escalate the issue.