Stoneware News September 6,2007/ issue 3
Desktop Authentication

Desktop Authentication is designed specifically for the users who “Hate to Login”. Designed specifically for Intranet settings, Desktop Authentication simplifies user access to the webNetwork system by seamlessly authenticating the user from their desktop directly into webNetwork 5e2 without prompting for credentials. With Desktop Authentication enabled, Intranet users can access system applications and resources securely without manually logging in again.

How it works
Desktop Authentication leverages Microsoft's NTLM (Integrated Windows) authentication to pass the user's network credentials through the browser to the webNetwork system. When the user logs into their workstation, the user will be prompted to provide network credentials that will be validated against the directory service. Once the credentials have been established, the user is ready to access the webNetwork system at anytime. When the user opens their browser and enters the URL of the webNetwok Relay, he/she will be automatically authenticated and presented with their webDesktop. In the background the browser passed an encrypted hash from the workstation to the relay which will be used to validate their authentication. The relay will send the hash to the webNetwork Server which will in turn be validated against the same directory service the user logged into when he/she started up their network workstation. The end result is a seamless authentication from the workstation to the webNetwork system without requiring the user to authenticate.

• diagram

 Stoneware's webOS

Stoneware’s webOS is the next evolution in virtual desktops. For those administrators not yet familiar with the growing webOS market, a webOS is a virtual desktop on the web. It is a simple, less bloated, remotely accessible operating environment that runs in a browser and is independent of the underlying operating system. It delivers a rich desktop-like experience, coupled with various built-in applications. 

Not to be confused with a published desktop from a Microsoft Terminal Server, Citrix Presentation Server, or a virtual desktop from VMWare, webOS is completely built from web technology and based on AJAX. A single server can scale to thousands, it requires only an Internet browser (IE, Firefox, Opera, or Safari), and can be accessed anywhere over the web.

Combined with webNetwork technology, Stoneware’s webOS is the most powerful webOS in the market today. While other webOSes are very limited in application support, Stoneware's webOS can integrate an organization’s applications, services, network files, documents, databases, and directory services to provide a complete solution that is ready for thin client, remote office, or kiosk deployments.

For further information on webOS and other webNetwork 5e2 technologies sign-up for the webNetwork 5e2 webinar on Thursday Sept. 13, 2007.

• image

In this issue:

• Desktop Authentication
• Stoneware webOS
• webNetwork 5e2 Beta
• Tips and Tricks
• webNetwork 5e2 Update Webinar
• Downloads
webNetwork 5e2 Update Webinar

Stoneware, Inc. will provide a webinar for partners and customers who are interested in learning more about the new features and services in webNetwork 5e2. The webinar will review new features including:

• webOS
• VDI Integration
• Report Services Updates
• webDesktop enhancements
• Desktop Authentication
• BioPassword Integration
• Storage Manager Integration
• Google Gadget integration

To sign-up for a webNetwork 5e2 webinar go to http://www.stone-ware.com/webos/company/webinars.html.

webNetwork 5e2 Beta

Stoneware, Inc. will release the webNetwork 5e2 Public Beta on September 5, 2007. Stoneware partners and customers will be able to download the beta installation for both the Windows and Linux operating system platforms from the Stoneware web site at www.stone-ware.com/products/downloads. If you have any questions regarding the webNetwork 5e2 beta or the installation please contact info@stone-ware.com.

• contact sales

 Tips and Tricks

This month the Tips and Tricks section of the news letter will focus on the webDesktop dashboard. The dashboard is an application which displays data or information from more than one source into a common user interface, a.k.a – “Mashup”. The dashboard allows the user or administrator to personalize the main page experience by selecting components (or gadgets) which contain relevant information and placing them on the user’s dashboard.

This month’s tip is regarding the “sizing” of the components (gadgets). Prior to webNetwork 5e2, each component needed to have a “height” value set. The height was defined in pixels and would determine the vertical size of the component’s window. With the introduction of webNetwork 5e2, components will dynamically size their window height to match the height of the content. If webNetwork administrator leaves the height setting on a component blank, the dashboard will automatically size to fit the height of the content displayed in the component. Component with the types configured for Text or URL (relative) will be capable of dynamic resizing.


Locate a Partner		 Downloads

• webNetwork 5e2 Beta

• webNetwork 5e Hotfix 6

• Weekly Support Articles (RSS)
Copyright © 1999-2007 Stoneware, Inc.