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About Configuring Encryption for Web Clients

This topic describes the encryption options available for Web client communications. To use encryption, both the server and the client must enforce encryption in their connection parameters. If these parameters do not match, connection errors occur.

Siebel Business Applications support the following types of clients:

• Siebel Web Client. This client runs in a standard browser from the client computer and does not require any additional persistent software installed on the client. Encryption settings you make to the SWSE or Siebel Server are automatically recognized by this Web Client.

  For more information about securing communication using SSL, see Configuring a Siebel Web Client to Use SSL

• Siebel Mobile Web Client. This client is designed for local data access, without having to be connected to a server. Periodically, the client must access the Siebel Remote server using a modem, WAN, LAN or other network to synchronize data.

  For information on setting encryption for transmissions between a Mobile Web Client and the Siebel Remote server, see Configuring Encryption for Mobile Web Client Synchronization. See also Siebel Remote and Replication Manager Administration Guide.

• Siebel Developer Web Client. This client connects directly to the Siebel database for all data access. It does not store any Siebel data locally. With the exception of the database, all layers of the Siebel Business Applications architecture reside on the user's personal computer.
• Siebel Handheld Client. A streamlined version of the Siebel Mobile Web Client. Documentation for particular Siebel Business Applications using the Siebel Handheld client can be found on Siebel Bookshelf.

For more information about some of the Siebel client types described above, see also Siebel Deployment Planning Guide.

About Session Cookies

The AOM in the Siebel Server communicates with the Siebel Web Client through the Web server using TCP/IP protocol. An independent session is established to serve incoming connection requests from each client. Siebel Business Applications use session cookies to track the session state.

These session cookies persist only within the browser session and are deleted when the browser exits or the user logs off. A session cookie attaches requests and logoff operations to the user session that started at the login page.

Instead of storing the session ID in clear text in the client's browser, Siebel Business Applications create an encrypted session ID and attach an encryption key index to the encrypted session ID. Session cookie encryption uses a 56-bit key default.

In Siebel Remote, the encryption algorithm and key exchange are the same as for session-based components.

Session cookie encryption prevents session spoofing (deriving a valid session ID from an invalid session ID).

For more information about session cookies, see About Using Cookies with Siebel Business Applications.