Sun Java System Messaging Server 6.3 Administration Guide

24.12 Communications Express S/MIME End User Information

This section consists of information intended for the end user. It contains the following subsections:

24.12.1 Logging In for the First Time

When mail users log in to Communications Express Mail for the first time, they encounter special prompts relating to the S/MIME applet.

24.12.1.1 Prompts for Windows

When logging in to Communications Express Mail for the first time on Windows 98, 2000 or XP, the following prompts display:

  1. If the Java 2 Runtime Environment (JRE) is not installed on your computer (client machine), you receive a prompt looking something like this:

    Do you want to install and run “Java Plug-in 1.4.2_03 signed on 11/20/03 and distributed by Sun Microsystems, Inc.”?Publisher authenticity verified by: VeriSign Class 3 Code Signing 2001 CA

    Click Yes and follow the subsequent prompts to install JRE.


    Note –

    If you desire English language support and also want to read incoming S/MIME messages that contain non-Latin characters, such as Chinese, the charsets.jar file must be in the /lib directory on your computer.

    To ensure that the charsets.jar file is installed in the /lib directory, use the custom installation to install the English version of JRE. During the installation process, select the “Support for Additional Languages” option.

    See 24.3.6 Multi-language Support for more information.


    Click Finish at the last installation prompt. Restart your computer and log in to Communications Express Mail again.

  2. A prompt asking you:

    Do you want to trust the signed applet distributed by “Sun Microsystems, Inc.”?Publisher authenticity verified by: Thawte Consulting cc

    Click one of the following responses:

    • Yes, to accept the S/MIME applet for this Communications Express Mail session. The prompt displays each time you log in.

      • No, to reject the S/MIME applet. You cannot use the S/MIME features.

      • Always, to accept the S/MIME applet for this and all subsequent Communications Express Mail sessions. You will not see the prompt again.

  3. A prompt asking you:

    Do you want to trust the signed applet distributed by “sun microsystems, inc.”?Publisher authenticity verified by: VeriSign, Inc.

    Click one of the following responses:

    • Yes, to accept the S/MIME applet for this Communications Express Mail session. The prompt displays each time you log in.

    • No, to reject the S/MIME applet. You cannot use the S/MIME features.

    • Always, to accept the S/MIME applet for this and all subsequent Communications Express Mail sessions. You will not see the prompt again.

24.12.2 Signature and Encryption Settings

There are initial signature and encryption settings that you can set to control whether all users’ outgoing messages are:

The initial settings also control whether the signature and encryption checkboxes located at the bottom of a Communications Express Mail window and in the Options - Settings window are displayed as checked (feature turned on) or unchecked (feature turned off). Use the alwaysencrypt and alwayssign parameters in the smime.conf file to specify the initial settings.

Let your mail users know that they can change the initial settings for their mail messages. After they log in to Communications Express Mail, a user can temporarily override a setting for one message, or for all their messages on an on-going basis.

Table 24–5 summarizes the use of the checkboxes.

Table 24–5 Signature and Encryption Checkboxes of Communications Express Mail

Text for Checkbox  

Location  

What Communications Express Mail User Does  

Sign Message 

At the bottom of the Communications Express Mail window used for composing, forwarding, or replying to a message. 

  • Check the box to sign the current message.

  • Uncheck the box not to sign the current message.

Encrypt Message 

At the bottom of the Communications Express Mail window used for composing, forwarding, or replying to a message. 

  • Check the box to encrypt the current message.

  • Uncheck the box not to encrypt the current message.

Sign all outgoing Messages 

In the Communications Express Mail Options - Settings window, under the Secure Messaging option. 

  • Check the box to sign all your messages automatically.

  • Uncheck the box not to sign all your messages automatically.

    Note: You can override the setting of “Sign all outgoing messages” on a message-by-message basis with the “Sign Message” checkbox.

Encrypt all outgoing Messages 

In the Communications Express Mail Options - Settings window, under the Secure Messaging option. 

  • Check the box to encrypt all your messages automatically

  • Uncheck the box not to encrypt all your messages automatically.

    Note: You can override the setting of “Encrypt all outgoing messages” on a message-by-message basis with the “Encrypt Message” checkbox.

24.12.3 Enabling the Java Console

A variety of operating messages can be written to the Java Console by the S/MIME applet as a Communications Express Mail user processes signed and encrypted messages. The Java Console messages can be helpful when troubleshooting a problem reported by a mail user. However, operating messages are only generated when the Java Console is enabled for the user by adding a nswmExtendedUserPrefs attribute to the inetMailUser object class of their LDAP entry. For example:

nswmExtendedUserPrefs: meSMIMEDebug=on

Do not enable the Java Console for all mail users all the time because this significantly decreases the performance of Communications Express Mail.