Bookshelf v7.5: Predeploying ActiveX Controls for Secure Environments

Siebel Web Client Administration Guide > Deploying Siebel Web Clients > High Interactivity Deployment—ActiveX Requirements >

Predeploying ActiveX Controls for Secure Environments

If users on supported Microsoft Windows platforms are operating in secure environments and cannot obtain write access to the Downloaded Program Files directory through means described in the previous section, the ActiveX controls used for Siebel applications must be predeployed on these users' machines.

The procedure that follows predeploys ActiveX controls by loading an HTML file similar to the example shown in Example HTML File for Predeploying ActiveX Files. The ActiveX controls you can deploy are those described in ActiveX Controls Distributed for High Interactivity.

NOTE: This task must be performed with the proper administrative permissions to install software on the client machine—usually Power Users or above.

To predeploy ActiveX controls

Navigate to the directory SIEBSRVR_ROOT\webmaster\build_number\applets, where SIEBSRVR_ROOT is the Siebel Server installation directory and build_number is the applicable build number. This directory contains the CAB files for the ActiveX controls you will deploy.

NOTE: Optionally, you can create a different directory, and copy the CAB files to that directory. All remaining steps in this procedure refer to the location from which you will be deploying the ActiveX controls.

Create a Web share for the directory specified in Step 1, such as the applets directory. Give this Web share read and execute permissions. (You may want to revert to more secure permissions after completing this procedure.)

The name of the Web share will be referenced in the URLs in the HTML file you edit in subsequent steps.

In the Web share directory, execute the following command to expand the CAB files:

expand *.cab Web_share_path

where Web_share_path is the complete path to the directory you specified as a Web share, such as applets. For each CAB file, a corresponding INF file is created in the Web share directory.

In the Web share directory, create an HTML file—for example, named predeploy.htm.

For each CAB file to be deployed, review its corresponding INF file. Review or edit the HTML file created in Step 4, to specify object tag values similar to those in Example HTML File for Predeploying ActiveX Files.

For the id attribute, you can use a name as shown in the example, the name of the INF file, or some other descriptive comment.

For the classid attribute, use the attribute identified in the INF file.

For the codebase attribute, use the URL location of the CAB file. In the example, localhost represents the machine name and applets represents the Web share directory. Use the CAB file names and version numbers as represented in the INF files.

You should have one object tag entry for each ActiveX control you are deploying. Delete any object tags you do not need.

Save the HTML file.

Remotely log into each client machine, then open the HTML file in Microsoft Internet Explorer. Wait until the message indicates that all the files have been downloaded, then close the browser and log off of the client machine.

Repeat Step 7 for each applicable user.

Example HTML File for Predeploying ActiveX Files

The following is an example HTML file for predeploying ActiveX controls as described in the procedure above. Text in italics represents elements that may need to be modified for each object tag.

<html>

<head>

<title>Predeployment Installer</title>

</head>

<body>

<p>

This page predeploys all Siebel ActiveX controls. Please allow time for all ActiveX controls to be downloaded before closing this page.

</p>

</body>

</head>

<body>

<p>

The download is done you may close the window

</body>

</html>