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Local Browser Support
The NC Series network computer supports two different local versions of the Netscape NC Navigator browser:
Both binary versions of the browser are shipped on the NCBridge media. However, each version must be authorized to run. A minimum of one version of the browser is authorized to run on each network computer.
To identify which version of the browser may run on your network computer, select from your local setup screen, Statistics, followed by Options. Scroll to see what options are available.
Version 3.0
Navio (Netscape NC Navigator 3.0) will run with a minimum of 24MB of memory installed in your network computer. Depending on the type of Web pages accessed, more memory may be required. A total of 40MB of memory is recommended when Navio is used along with other local clients.
Version 4.0
There are two versions of Netscape NC Navigator 4 provided on the NCBridge media:
The NCD version of Netscape 4 includes all features of the Netscape Navigator 4 Solaris version. It requires a minimum of 40MB of memory to run on the network computer. A total of 48MB is recommended for most Netscape Navigator 4 applications, especially when Java applets are executed.
The Netscape_lite binary version of the browser includes all Netscape 4 features except email and news. Netscape_lite is offered so customers with XP200 products, which hold a maximum memory of 36MB, may run version 4 of the browser.
Launching and Exiting Local Netscape Browser
The following feature is available for users of Netscape (not Navio) who start the browser using the xpsh command.
To prevent file corruption in the event a user powers down the network computer too quickly during a browser exit, a window pops up to remind the user to wait until Netscape has finished saving files. The popup window appears only if the environment variable PAUSE_FOR_EXIT has been set. This variable can be set from xpsh using one of the following commands, depending on the browser used:
Even if this environment variable is not set, the browser saves files before destroying the windows. Consequently, with NCBridge 3.2 or higher, the windows will remain longer upon exit than in previous versions.
WinDD ICA Client Plug-in for Web Browser
The Netscape browser supports an ICA plug-in. This allows users to create a web page that uses the WinDD ICA client to run Windows applications directly within the browser.
For example, suppose your group of users on mixed Unix and PC workstations uses Microsoft Word to create and update documents. You might wish to have a web page that lists all the documents created or supported by your group, allowing the user to select a document and edit that document within the browser. The user could create a web page that provides a Navigator or other list of your documents, supports selection of a document, and initiates the WinDD ICA client plug-in to open that document in Microsoft Word.
The supported browser is either the Navio NC Navigator (3.0) or the Netscape NC Navigator (4.x) browser.
Using the WinDD ICA client plug-in in a web page requires:
Installation of NCBridge on a Unix or NT Server
The installation of NCBridge onto a Unix or Windows NT host automatically installs both the NC Navio Navigator and the Netscape NC Navigator browsers. Each browser is configured at this time to define a MIME type/sub-type, application/x-ica which is associated with the WinDD ICA client plug-in client provided with this release. This association ensures that the browser knows to invoke the WinDD ICA client upon trying to read a file of MIME type/sub-type application/x-ica.
Typically, to run the local browser from your network computer, the network computer must be connected to the Unix or Windows NT host on which NCBridge was installed and the network computer must be authorized. Once you are running the browser, you can check that the WinDD ICA client plug-in is installed in the browser's plug-in table.
Setting a Kiosk Browser to Start the WinDD Plug-in for .ica Files
To set a kiosk browser so it can initiate the WinDD plug-in for .ica files:
Note: Files will be saved to memory, but are lost when you exit the browser. Web Server Setup to Allow Application Launching
Note: This step is only required if you are creating a web page that uses the WinDD ICA client plug-in as an embedded plug-in (see the next section). Basically, using the WinDD ICA client as an embedded plug-in of a web page requires that you specify to the browser the data stream on which the WinDD ICA client is to act (the ICA input file which specifies the Windows NT Terminal Server host starting parameters).
The browser must be configured so that files with file extension ica are handled by the WinDD ICA client plug-in. This is done by associating the file extension ica with the MIME type/sub-type application/x-ica, which the browser already knows (from install) will be handled by the WinDD ICA client plug-in.
This is done by including the following line in the UNIX browser setup file, (usually named mime.types--your system administrator will know the location and name of the mime.types file on your server):
Creation of a Web Page Invoking a Windows Application
Browser plug-ins can be "embedded" plug-ins, meaning that they appear as visible, rectangular windows integrated into your web page, or they can be "full-screen" plug-ins, which take over the entire current browser window to display the plug-in contents.
Both the following methods of invoking the WinDD ICA client plug-in from a web page for the local browser requires that you create a web page and an ICA file from which the WinDD ICA client will take its starting parameters. Two different methods to do this are described in the following sections.
WinDD ICA Client Embedded Plug-in
Web Page
Specifying an embedded plug-in requires including the EMBED html tag in the html source for the web page. An example follows:
In this example, the EMBED tag format uses the keywords "EMBED", "SRC=", "HEIGHT=", and "WIDTH=". The "SRC=" tag specifies the URL for the file which is to be read as input to the WinDD ICA client plug-in. In this example, the file word.ica is located in the web server's public root directory. The "HEIGHT=" and "WIDTH=" parameters specify the dimensions of the embedded application, in this case, the WinDD ICA client window dimensions.
ICA File
The data in the ICA file tells the WinDD ICA client which Windows NT terminal server to connect to and which application to launch when connected (for example, Microsoft Word). Make sure that the application you want to run is installed on your Windows NT server.
You can use a simple text editor such as Notepad to create the ICA file. Put the following information into the ICA file:
- The IP address or DNS name of the Windows NT server.
- The full path name of the program to be run in your WinDD ICA client session. This information is optional. If you leave this information out of your ICA file, a full WinDD client session will start Program Manager.
- The working directory (optional).
- The logon user name and password (optional).
The following is an example ICA file. Lines preceded with ";" are comments to explain the contents. Lines encased in "[ ]" are section headers.
; The [ApplicationServers] section must contain as its value the name
; of the application server entry used to describe the connection. The
; entry is simply the name of the next section (the application section)
; followed by an equal sign.
; The value /name given (in this example, Access) will appear in the
; titlebar of the client window.
; The application name in the square brackets must match the name
; given as the value to the [ApplicationServers] section above.
; The Address value is the TCP/IP address of the Windows NT server.
; It can be either a DNS name or an IP address.
; The Username, Domain, and Password fields are optional. The
; Username is the user name of a valid WinDD ICA client user. The
; Domain is the Windows NT domain the user belongs to, and the
; Password is the logon password for the user. The password, if used,
; must be encrypted.
; To enter an encrypted password into the ICA file, use the WinFrame
; Client Remote Application Manager New Entry Wizard to create a
; remote application entry. When you are prompted for the username and
; password, enter the password that you want to use in the ICA file.
; Finish the New Entry wizard.
; Open the file APPSRV. INI in the Windows directory and locate the
; entry you just created. Copy the password value and paste it into
; your ICA file. Note that the APPSRV.INI file looks a lot like the ICA
; file you are creating.
; The ICA file is, in fact, a subset of the
; APPSRV.INI file. You can use the entries in this file to help you
; create new ICA files.
;The InitialProgram value specifies the path, on the Windows NT server,
; of the application to be automatically launched when the
; connection is made. Include any command-line options.
; The ScreenPercent sets the horizontal and vertical pixel resolution
; based on client desktop size.
; Alternately, use either ScreenPercent or DesiredHRES and DesiredVRES
; to specify the size of the client window in pixel resolution.
; NOTE: If both ScreenPercent and DesiredHRES and DesiredVRES
; are specified, only ScreenPercent is used. ScreenPercent is not
; available with the WinFrame 1.6 Client, only the Web Client.
; DesiredColor sets the color palette depth. Use "1" for 16-color and
; "2" for 256-color. The default is 2 (256-color).
WinDD ICA Client Configuration GUI as Full-Screen Plug-In
NCD provides an HTML form and CGI script (Bourne shell) with the WinDD ICA client plug-in binary. This example shows you a way to create a web page such that the entire web page contents are a GUI form that configures a WinDD ICA client session and brings up a user-specified Windows application using the WinDD ICA client plug-in.
The form includes input areas for the Windows NT host name, user name, domain, password, initial program path, and working directory path. Some, all, or none of the input fields can be entered. The input fields correspond to the WinDD ICA client command-line arguments. Input in a GUI field is the same as starting the WinDD ICA client with that command-line parameter. An input field with no input is the same as not using the command-line argument.
The form also contains a button to start the WinDD ICA client. This button creates an ICA file whose contents are determined by the values you set in the input fields of the form.
The HTML form and CGI script can be found after Navio installation at:
Copy the CGI script to a CGI script directory on the web server host (example path: X/Y/Z). Use the HTML form as the source for your web page. Open that source and change the value of the ACTION field to be the path to the new location X/Y/Z of the CGI script.
You could use the web page you just created to give your users an automatic method of invoking Microsoft Word by specifying Word as the default initial program in the HTML form.
Here is the HTML code for the WinDD ICA client configuration form:
<HTML>
<HEAD>
< TITLE>WinDD ICA client Configuration</TITLE>
<HEAD>
<BODY>
<H2>WinDD ICA client Configurationc/H2>
<! change the path below to your directory structure >
<FORM METHOD="POST" ACTION="/cgi-bin/windd.bsh">
<PRE> WinDD host: <INPUT TYPE="TEXT" NAME="Address" SIZE=40>
Login username: <INPUT TYPE="TEXT" NAME ="Username" SIZE=40>
Domain Name: <INPUT TYPE="TEXT" NAME ="Domain" SIZE =40>
Password: <INPUT TYPE="password" NAME ="Password" SIZE =40>
Initial Program: <INPUT TYPE="TEXT" NAME="InitialProgram"SIZE=40>
Work Directory:<INPUT TYPE="TEXT" NAME ="Workdirectory" SIZE=40>
<P>
<INPUT TYPE="submit" VALUE="Start WinDD">
<INPUT TYPE="reset" VALUE="CLEAR">
<PRE>
<FORM>
<BODY>
<HTML>
Here is the Bourne shell script that creates an ICA file for the WinDD ICA client to read:
#!/bin/sh
#
# Use this script to see what comes back from a FORM submission
# with method="GETf"
#
read my_data
echo Content-type: application/x-ica
#echo Content-type: text/plain
echo
my_data=`echo $my_data | tr '\015' \&`
my_data=`echo $my_data | sed -e 's/Address=&//g'`
my_data=`echo $my_data | sed -e 's/Domain=&//g'`
my_data=`echo $my_data | sed -e 's/Password=&//g'`
my_data=`echo $my_data | sed -e 's/InitialProgram=&//g'`
my_data=`echo $my_data | sed -e 's/Workdirectory=&//g'`
my_data=`echo $my_data | sed -e 's/Username=&//g'`
my_data=`echo $my_data | tr \+ '\ '`
my_data=`echo $my_data | sed -e 's/\%3A/:/g'`
my_data=`echo $my_data | sed -e 's/\%5C/\\\\/g'`
Local Browser Kiosk Support
The local browser kiosk mode provides:
Local browser kiosk support applies to all network computers that can run the browser, including:
The browser is not available for:
Although this section applies primarily to NC200, NC400, and NC900 network computers with either the 12MB or 16MB flash card, you can still take advantage of most of these features with older network computer models.
Browser-Related Features
Prior to the NCBridge 3.1 release, the only way to launch the browser was to use the xpsh command from a host login account, using xpsh's file access mechanism to read and write browser preference settings and history data into the user's home directory. While this might remain the preferred method for many users, there are some circumstances--for example, using a network computer as an information kiosk--where it is either impossible or undesirable to log in to launch a browser. To support using the browser in such an environment, there are two other methods of launching the browser.
Due to xpsh limitations in VAX VMS environments, the browser would not run when the network computer booted from a VMS host. With NCBridge 3.1 or higher, it is possible to boot a network computer from a VMS host using the MOP boot protocol and start the browser with the Launcher or the xp.cnf file. When operating this way, the browser will use DAP file access to read the configuration files from the .navio directory for Navio and .netscape directory for Netscape or Netscape_Lite under the boot directory.
The 12MB flash memory option in the NC200 and NC400 allows you to store all the Navio or Netscape_Lite browser files in flash memory so that the network computer can operate as a stand-alone kiosk. The 16MB flash memory option allows you to store all of the full Netscape browser files in flash memory so that the network computer can operate as a stand-alone kiosk. With the browser in flash, the network computer doesn't need a boot host, and users don't need login accounts. The network computer can be configured to start the browser upon power-up and immediately connect to a web server home page.
Starting Navio NC Navigator
Prior to the NCBridge 3.1 release, the only way to start the local browser was with the xpsh command:
With NCBridge 3.1 or higher, there are two other methods for starting the local browser, the simplest being through the Launcher, as shown in Figure 4-1. A default menu item for the Navio browser has been added at the top of Launcher's Host Connections pull-down menu. (See the NCBridge Installation Manual for instructions on how to modify this menu.)
Another way to start the browser is to add a start command to your xp.cnf file. The following are three example start commands that may be used to start the three different binary versions of the browser:
Note: Only one version of the browser may be run at one time. It is also possible to pass command-line parameters and environment variable settings with this command. The following examples start the browser with a default geometry and override the proxy auto configuration URL with a different one:
start NETSCAPE_LITE YES -args "-geometry 860x900+80+60" -envs "AUTOCONF_URL=http://proxy.mydomain.com"
Note that all the parameters must be specified on the same line in the xp.cnf file.
Configuring the Browser for Kiosks
An easy way to configure the browser for kiosk operation is to invoke it in non-kiosk mode (with the xpsh command) and then make changes with the Preferences menu. Once the browser is configured, copy the essential configuration files from either the .navio directory for Navio or the .netscape for Netscape/Netscape_Lite created in your home directory to the .navio directory for Navio and .netscape directory for Netscape/Netscape_Lite under the boot directory. (Use the configuration files listed in Table 4-1, Navio Browser Configuration Files, on page 4-14 as a guide.) If you choose this method to configure the browser, be aware that you may have to modify some of the entries in the files, to remove references to .signature, .mailcap, or other personal files. Sometimes you can make the necessary changes by editing the configuration files directly, although these database files are not generally editable.
Note: Navio writes preferences to the preferences file. Netscape writes preferences to the preferences.js file, a Javascipt file. Table 4-1 lists the Navio browser configuration files and their purposes.
Table 4-2 lists the Netscape browser configuration files and their purposes
.
Because kiosk administrators don't want their carefully configured browser environments altered by casual users, browser configuration files in kiosk mode, by default, are not writable. So users can change browser settings in the Preferences menu, but the changes will not be saved. The same restriction applies to bookmarks and history data. While this behavior may be desirable when operating a kiosk, it means you'll have an extra step when setting up the browser for kiosk operation.
Environment Variables Used by the Browser
The Navio browser uses certain environment variables for setting certain parameters (see Table 4-3). The -envs parameter of the xp.cnf preload and start commands can be used to alter the value of environment variables passed into the browser.
Navio and Netscape use the same type of environment variables but they are contained in different directories, .navio for Navio, and .netscape for Netscape.
Sets the URL for obtaining the proxy auto configuration file.
Locates the .navio or .netscape configuration directory if NULL kiosk mode settings are used.
Preferences File Entries
For Navio browsers, it is generally best to create a .navio/preferences file by running the browser in non-kiosk mode and using the Preferences menu to make changes. The resulting .navio/preferences in your home directory can then be copied to the .navio directory in the boot directory. Sometimes it is only necessary to make a minor change, in which case you might want to edit the preferences file directly. Table 4-4 explains a few commonly edited items in the preferences file.
Netscape browsers keep configuration information in a Javascript file called preferences.js. This file is modified by the Netscape browser preference menu, accessed after launching Netscape.
Note: To get updated browser configuration files onto flash, you'll need to reflash. See "Flashing the Local Browser into Memory" in Chapter 2 of the NCBridge Reference Manual. Proxy Host Configuration
By default, the Navio NC Navigator browser is configured to use the boot host as an HTTP server that provides the proxy autoconfiguration file. (This is the same file format used to configure standard Netscape browsers.) If you receive an error pop-up when the browser is started in kiosk mode, it will be necessary to change the proxy autoconfiguration setting.
When running in kiosk mode, the browser reads configuration files from the .navio or .netscape directory under the boot directory. By default the .navio or .netscape directory contains a preferences file with entries configured to get proxy configuration information automatically from the boot host using this URL:
With this configuration, the browser expects an HTTP server on the boot host to return a proxy autoconfiguration file with an "application/x-ns-proxy-autoconfig" MIME type, which is typically found on Netscape HTTP servers.
The proxy host configuration can be changed by setting the AUTOCONF_URL environment variable in the preload or start command -envs parameter, or by editing the preferences file. (See Table 4-4, Navigator Preferences, on page 4-16 for descriptions of the appropriate parameters.) Again, you may want to generate the preferences file first by using the browser in non-kiosk mode, then edit it directly with a text editor.
Forcing Kiosk Mode Operation
When started, the browser looks up the value of the HOME environment variable to determine the path to its .navio directory for Navio or .netscape directory for Netscape. If the HOME variable is not set, the browser assumes it has not been started with xpsh and immediately enters kiosk mode, using the kiosk mode configuration parameters to determine where to find a Navio directory instead of a .navio directory or a .netscape directory.
It is sometimes desirable to operate the browser in kiosk mode even when it is started with xpsh. Add this line to your xp.cnf file to force the browser to operate in kiosk mode:
Replacing YES with NO does not force non-kiosk mode operation; rather, it tells the browser to check the HOME environment variable to determine kiosk mode operation.
Displaying PDF Files Using the Local Browser
You can set up the local browser as a "helper application" so that when a user clicks on a PDF file within the browser window, the file is displayed on the NC screen using a host-based Adobe Acrobat Reader. To do this:
When the browser gets a PDF file from a web server, it starts up the acroread program on the host computer and feeds the PDF file to it. The PDF file is displayed in a window on the NC screen.
The user also set up the "helper application" by starting the browser, as follows:
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