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Netra j 2.0 Administrator's Guide

Network Computer Server Administration

This section is divided into topics that enable you to set up servers for your network environment and to set up and configure HotJava Views for JavaStation clients:

Configuring Global Parameters

You can modify the global parameters that will be used by the boot server for all network computers. The global parameters are described in Table 3-10.

Table 3-10 Network Computer Global Parameters

Parameters 

Description 

NIS Domain Name (optional) 

The NIS or NIS+ domain name in which the network computers reside.  

NIS Server Address(es) (optional) 

The list of host address(es) of NIS or NIS+ servers for the network computers. List of NIS or NIS+ server addresses configured in the network computer server database is displayed.  

DNS Domain Name 

The DNS domain name in which the network computers reside.  

DNS Server Address(es) 

The host address of the DNS server for the network computers. 

Boot Server Address 

The host address of the network computer boot server on the local network. 

Time Server Address 

The IP address of a server supporting the network time protocol (NTP). 

Router Address(es) (optional) 

The list of host address(es) of the routers to be used by the network computers. If not given, JavaOS will broadcast looking for a router.  

List of router addresses configured in the network computer server database is displayed.  

Lease Time (in days) 

The duration (in days) of the IP address lease to the network computer client. A value of -1 specifies an infinate lease. By default, this field is set to 3 days. After this period of time has expired with no DHCP server sending a DHCPACK packet, JavaOS shuts down the networking port.  

Lease Negotiation 

A "Yes" or "No" flag indicating whether lease negotiation is to be performed. If the lease time is set to the value "infinite" (-1), indicating "Yes" has no meaning. 

Network Interfaces 

An access point to a system on a network. Each interface is associated with a physical device. However, a physical device can have multiple network interfaces. 

Input Method Server (optional) 

A server with a language engine to interpret the keyboard input method (for Korean, Chinese, and Japanese languages only). This server must be running a localized version of Solaris. 

Input Method Port (optional) 

The port number of the IIIMP server for the network computer. The IIIMP port number configured in the network computer server database is displayed. 

Time Zone 

Specify the timezone in which the JavaStation clients are located. This is a 3-letter field. For example, GMT. If an invalid time zone is specified, the time zone on the JavaStation clients default to GMT.  

By default the time zone specified in the network computer server database is displayed. 

Fonts Server (optional) 

The host address or host name of the fonts server for the network computers. Font server configured in the network computer server database is displayed. Server address is required if the fonts directory is specified.  

Fonts Directory (optional) 

The directory location of the fonts for the network computers. If a fonts server is specified, a fonts directory is required.  

Localized Resources Server (optional) 

The host address or host name of the localized resources server for the network computers. The server address is required if the localized resources directory is specified.  

Localized Resources Directory (optional) 

The directory location of the localized resources for the network computers. If a localized resources server is specified, this directory is required.  

Login Locales List (optional) 

The list of locales to be presented as choices to the user loging on to a network computer. By default the locales specified in the network computer server database are selected  

JavaOS Command Line (optional) 

A list of definitions of either JavaOS or system properties. A formatted text string that can be delivered by DHCP or other methods. There are no spaces between the option and the value. Different command line options are separated by a space. Exact syntax must be used to specify the command line options. By default, all JavaOS and system properties configured in the network computer server database (using JOScmd1) are displayed.

To Configure Global Parameter

  1. From the Main Administration page, under "Network Services Administration" click Network Computer Server.

    The Network Computer Server Administration page is displayed.

  2. Under "Basic NC Server Administration," click Configure Global Parameters.

    The Global Parameters Administration page is displayed.

  3. Complete the form using the information in Table 3-10.

To Modify or Unconfigure Global Parameters

  1. From the Main Administration page, under "Network Services Administration" click Network Computer Server.

    The Network Computer Server Administration page is displayed.

  2. Choose one of the following:

    • To modify global parameters, click Modify Global Parameters, and make the changes in the form using Table 3-10 as a reference.

    • To unconfigure global parameters, click Unconfigure Global Parameters.

To Specify the Fonts Server

JavaOS mounts the Fonts directory at startup. Add the property setting to specify the location of the Fonts directory by defining it in global parameters.

  1. From the Main Administration page, under "Network Services Administration" click Network Computer Server.

    The Network Computer Server Administration page is displayed.

  2. Under "Basic NC Server Administration," click Configure Global Parameters.

    The Global Parameters Administration page is displayed.

  3. From the JavaOS Command Line field, type: 

    -djavaos.mountlist=
server:font_directory/FONTS

Web Server Document Root Administration

The web server document root is the root directory of the web server running on your system. The documents under this root are accessible to any system connected to the web server (provided the user has permissions). If a file is not under this root directory, then it cannot be accessed through the web server. Netra j requires the document root information to set up the default application of the client.

By default, Netra j sets up HotJava Views and HotJava Browser as main application options available through the Network Computer Server Administration module. Network computers can access these applications by either mounting to the respective application directory or by specifying a URL. Through document root, Netra j creates a link to Hotjava Views or Hotjava Browser. Netra j also sets up the dhcptab entries in document root so that the file names can be used in dhcptab.

Note -

Netra j will not allow you to add a new main application or a network computer without setting up document root.

To Configure a Web Server

You will need to know the document root of the default web server. If you installed Sun WebServer during installation, you can start Sun WebServer on port 80. The default document root for SunWebServer on port 80 is /var/http/demo/public.

  1. From the Main Administration page, under "Network Services Administration" click Network Computer Server.

    The Network Computer Server Administration page is displayed.

  2. Under "Basic NC Server Administration," click Web Server Documentation Root Administration.

    The Web Server Document Root Administration page is displayed.

  3. Complete the form using the information in Table 3-11.

    Table 3-11 Web Server Parameters

    Options 

    Description 

    Select Web Server 

    Select the default web server that will be running from the boot server at port 80.

    Full Path Name of the Document Root 

    Enter the absolute path of the document root for the default web server. For example, if Sun WebServer is running on port 80, then refer to the file /etc/http/httpd.conf and find the keyword doc-root. The default document root for Sun WebServer is /var/http/demo/public. If Netscape web server is running on port 80, then refer the file /usr/local/netscape/nse-home/https-ServerName/config/obj.conf and find the keyword document root.

Network Computers - Quick Setup

You can use the quick setup administration to set up many network computers with the same parameters. This module enables you to identify the starting IP address, the number of NCs, the lease time, the NC locale, keyboard, dead keys, vendor-specific options and the default application for these clients.

Quick Setup works for network computers that only use DHCP for initial configuration. If your network computer uses reverse address resolution protocol (RARP) for initial configuration, you need to assign the Ethernet address of the network computer using the Modify option of the Network Computer Administration menu.

To Use Quick Setup for Network Computers

  1. From the Main Administration page, under "Network Services Administration" click Network Computer Server.

    The Network Computer Server Administration page is displayed.

  2. Under "Basic NC Server Administration," click Network Computer - Quick Setup.

    The Network Computers - Quick Setup Administration page is displayed.

  3. Complete the form using the information in Table 3-12.

    Table 3-12 Quick Setup Administration

    Option 

    Description 

    Host Name Prefix 

    The host name of any network computer will be generated using the name_prefix. If the IP address of the network computer is aa.bb.cc.dd, then the generated host name for this computer will be name_prefix-dd.

    Starting IP Address 

    The initial host address you want to assign to the network computers being set up. If a host address is already used by some other system in the network, that address will be bypassed. 

    Number of NCs 

    The number of network computers you want to set up. Note that if an IP address is already used in the network, that address will not be used, resulting in one less client that will be set up. 

    Enter Lease Time (days) 

    All network computers have a temporary lease. The lease time is the duration (in days) of the IP address lease to the network computer client. A value of -1 specifies an infinate lease. By default, this field is set to 3 days. After this period of time has expired with no DHCP server sending a DHCPACK packet, JavaOS shuts down the networking port.  

    Default Application  

    The application that will be run on this computer. Views specifies HotJava Views, and browser specifies HotJava Browser. You can add other applications as options to the Default Application list by using the Client Application Administration menu.

    Select NC Locale 

    The language the user will be using with this network computer. For Asian languages, the input method should also be selected. See Chapter 11, Setting Locales and Adding Fonts for a detailed description.

    Select Keyboard 

    The keyboard that will be used with this network computer. Currently, only PS2 keyboards are supported  

    Dead Keys Support 

    This property controls the behavior of the accent keys ' " ~ and ^ for ISO Latin locales. If this property is enabled, these keys are dead keys. When a dead key is pressed, no value is generated until the NEXT key is pressed. To get a single quote character, press this key twice. If this property is disabled, these keys will generate their expected value.  

    Vendor Specific Options 

    The DHCP specification enables hardware and software vendors to create their own DHCP options. These options are delivered through the use of the Client Class Identifier option and the Vendor Options option. This field enables you to specify the vendor specific options.  

    Be careful when you use this feature; the Netra j administration interface software does not validate the value you enter in this field. If you do not want the login prompt for an application to be run on the network computer, type -djavaos.login=false.

    See Chapter 9, Setting JavaOS Properties for additional information.

Network Computer Administration

You can add, modify or delete network computers from a specific boot server. You should complete server administration prior to completing client administration. This module enables you to specify the information listed in Table 3-13.

Table 3-13 Local Parameters Administration

Options 

Description 

Host Name 

The name of a computer within the local domain. It is a text string of up to 24 characters composed of letters (a-z and A-Z), digits (0-9) and hyphens (-). The last character may not be a hyphen. The first character must be alphabetic. 

Host Address 

An assigned number that uniquely identifies each computer connected to a TCP/IP network. The address consists of two parts: a network number and a host number. The network number identifies the network to which the computer is connected and the host number identifies the computer on that network. The host address is composed of four integers separated by periods. The first integer must be in the range 0-223, the second and third integers in the range 0-255 and the fourth integer in the range 1-254 (for example, 129.144.0.1). 

Ethernet Address 

This address is a number that uniquely identifies each computer. It is built into the hardware of each computer and is displayed at boot time. The Ethernet address is composed of six hexadecimal numbers separated by colons; each number is in the range 0 - ff. Upper- or lower- case letters can be used to specify non-decimal digits.  

Host Address Assigned by 

The value of this field defines whether the IP address lease is turned on. If the host address is managed by the administrator, then the lease is turned off and the IP address is assigned to this network permanently and the value of next field lease_time is ignored. If the host address is managed by a server, then the IP address will be leased for the time is specified in the lease_time field.

Enter Lease Time 

All network computers have a temporary lease. The lease time is the duration (in days) of the IP address lease to the network computer client. A value of -1 specifies an infinate lease. By default, this field is set to 3 days. After this period of time has expired with no DHCP server sending a DHCPACK packet, JavaOS shuts down the networking port.  

Select NC Locale 

The language the user will be using with this network computer. For Asian languages, the input method should also be selected. 

Default Application 

The application that will be run on this computer. Views specifies HotJava Views, and browser specifies HotJava Browser. You can add other applications as options to the Default Application list by using the Client Application Administration menu.

Select Keyboard 

Select the keyboard for use with this network computer. Currently, only PS2 keyboards are supported  

Dead Keys Support 

This property controls the behavior of the accent keys ' " ~ and ^ for ISO Latin locales. If this property is enabled, then these keys are dead keys. When a dead key is pressed, no value is generated until the NEXT key is pressed. In order to get a single quote character, this key must be pressed twice consecutively. If this property is disabled, then these keys will generate their expected value.  

Vendor Specific Options 

The DHCP specification allows for hardware and software vendors to create their own DHCP options. These options are delivered through the use of the Client Class Identifier option and the Vendor Options option. This field enables you to specify the vendor specific options.  

Be careful when you use this feature. The Netra j administration interface software does not validate the value you enter in this field. If you do not want the login prompt for an application to be run on the network computer, enter -djavaos.login=false.

See Chapter 9, Setting JavaOS Properties for additional information.

To Add a Network Computer

  1. From the Main Administration page, under "Network Services Administration" click Network Computer Server.

    The Network Computer Server Administration page is displayed.

  2. Under "Network Computers Administration, " click Network Computer Administration.

    The Network Computer Administration page is displayed.

  3. Under "New Network Computers," click Add a network computer.

    The Add a Network Computer Administration page is displayed.

  4. Complete the form using the information in Table 3-13.

To Modify or Delete a Network Computer

  1. From the Main Administration page, under "Network Services Administration" click Network Computer Server.

    The Network Computer Server Administration page is displayed.

  2. Under "Network Computers Administration, " click Network Computer Administration.

    The Network Computer Administration page is displayed.

  3. Choose one of the following:

    • To modify a network computer, click Modify, and make the changes in the form using Table 3-13 as a reference.

    • To delete a network computer, click Delete then confirm the operation.

Network Computers - Local Printer Setup

You can enable a local printer and connect it to a specific network computer. You will need to setup the network computer prior to setting up the local printer.

To Set Up a Local Printer

  1. From the Main Administration page, under "Network Services Administration" click Network Computer Server.

    The Network Computer Server Administration page is displayed.

  2. Under "Network Computers Administration, " click Network Computers - Local Printer Setup.

    The Network Computer - Local Printer Setup window is displayed.

Complete the form using the information in Table 3-14.

Table 3-14 Local Printer Setup Options

Option 

Description 

Select Network Computer 

Choose the network computer for this local printer setup. 

Select Bit Rate 

The bit rate of the serial port. The bit rate is the rate at which data is sent over a communication line. The default bit rate is 4800. 

Number of Data Bits 

The number of data bits. The default is 7. 

Number of Stop Bits 

The number of stop bits. Stop bits are extra "1" bits which follow the data and any parity bit. They mark the end of a unit of transmission (normally a byte or character). The default is 1. 

Select Parity 

The parity. An extra bit added to a byte or word to reveal errors in transmission. Even (odd) parity means that the parity bit is set so that there are an even (odd) number of one bits in the word, including the parity bit. The default is "no parity." 

Enter Handshake 

The handshake identifier. A handshake is the exchange of predetermined signals between the network computer and local printer to assure each that it is connected to the other (and not to an imposter). The default is hh.

Client Application Administration

The client application will be the user's desktop environment on the JavaStation. In the Netra j administration interface, the current list of client applications includes HotJava Views and HotJava Browser. You can add additional applications to the list by using the Client Administration module.

The application must be a Java application. You cannot use applets as a main application on a JavaStation computer.

To add a client application, you must know the main class for the application, the home property file, and the.zip file that contains all the classes.

To Add a Client Application

  1. From the Main Administration page, under "Network Services Administration" click Network Computer Server.

    The Network Computer Server Administration page is displayed.

  2. Under "Advanced NC Server Administration, " click Client Application Administration.

    The Client Application Administration page is displayed.

  3. Under "New Application," click Add an Application.

    The Add a Client Application window is displayed.

  4. Complete the form using the information in Table 3-15.

    Table 3-15 Client Application Administration

    Option 

    Description 

    Application Name 

    The name of the application. This name will be used in other places within the Netra administrative interface to refer to this application. 

    Main Class of the Application 

    The name of the main class where the Java application is defined. The client loads the main class to start the application. 

    Application Archive (Zip) URL 

    The archive (zip) file that contains all the classes. The client downloads the application before starting it. If you need to create a archive, see Chapter 10, Dynamically Loading Applications .

    Home Property of the Application 

    The value of this field depends on the application. Applications use different property names for the path to use for their home directory. This needs careful attention. The application needs this attribute to find its configuration files. For example, HotJava Browser uses hotjava.home and Marimba Tuner uses tuner.home.

    Application Startup Options 

    The value of this field depends on the application. If the application has an option that can be provided while starting up, that option can be specified here. If the URL of the default web page is provided, HotJava Browser can come up with that URL.  

To Modify or Delete a Client Application

  1. From the Main Administration page, under "Network Services Administration" click Network Computer Server.

    The Network Computer Server Administration page is displayed.

  2. Under "Advanced NC Server Administration, " click Client Application Administration.

    The Client Application Administration page is displayed.

  3. Choose one of the following:

    • To modify a client application designation, click Modify, and make the changes in the form using Table 3-15 as a reference.

    • To delete a client application, click Delete then confirm the operation.

Updating Network Computer Operating System

Use this form to update the operating system if you have a new version of the javaos binary. If your network computer has flash memory, the new binary will be stored in flash memory, and will be available for use when the network computer is rebooted or powered on.

Flash memory enables the JavaStation to store the latest version of JavaOS locally in non-volatile memory. Flash memory enables the JavaStation to boot faster. Use the Update Computer Operating System module to reconfigure the existing network environment to the new javaos binary.

To Update New javaos Binary

  1. From the Main Administration page, under "Network Services Administration" click Network Computer Server.

    The Network Computer Server Administration page is displayed.

  2. Under "Advanced NC Server Administration, " click Update Network Computer Operating System.

    The Update Network Computer Operating System window is displayed.

  3. Complete the form using the information in Table 3-16.

    Table 3-16 Update NC Operating System Administration

    Options 

    Description 

    Full path name of the new binary 

    The absolute path of the new JavaOS binary file. 

    Select client architecture 

    The selected architecture for this binary.  

    Note -

    You can only update flash memory in JavaStation client tower models.

HotJava Views Administration

You can specify HotJava Views as the main application for JavaStation clients. This section briefly describes HotJava Views administration. See HotJava Views Administration online help for complete information.

HotJava Views offers the following integrated components:

HotJava Views Model

HotJava Views enables the zero client-administration network computer and also attempts to minimize server-side administration. Users are organized into groups in HotJava Views, and each group has its own profile, or set of properties.

Through HotJava Views Administration, you can define groups of users that share client properties, specify applications to appear in the Selector, specify any sliding panels that appear from the edges of the screen, administer other properties that affect the user's experience, and specify properties for particular network computers.

Selector refers to the vertical bar on the left side of the HotJava Views window where the applications buttons are located. It is easiest to think of Selector as being synonymous with HotJava Views itself. MailView, CalendarView and NameView are all applets that run within Selector, and their icons appear on the Selector bar.

When the JavaStation client boots, a URL is passed to Selector, which is a pointer to the initial configuration file. Once Selector locates the web server, it loads its set of properties files.

Properties

HotJava Views is controlled by a set of eight properties files. There are property files at the group, user, and client levels.

Administering Views

The HotJava Views administration is conducted from within a web browser. There is a link from the Netra J 2.0 software to this set of web pages. The link points to a web page that offers the choice of configuring the HotJava Views client applications or configuring the back-end services (for example, NameView database).

See "To Access HotJava Views Administration" for instructions on accessing the link to this administration tool.

Note -

To access the HotJavaViews Administration module, you should run Netra j on HotJava Browser 1.1. All other Netra j administrative modules are supported by any industry-standard browser.

Client-Side Administration

Upon selecting the HotJava Views client-side administration, a web page with an embedded applet is displayed. The applet contains the major tasks needed to configure HotJava Views client applications:

Note -

At this time, HotJava Views does not support locales other than English. If you configure a JavaStation client to a locale other than English, HotJava Views will not display on the JavaStation.

Server-Side Administration

Configuring the server-side application services includes properties associated with the back-end server that the client applications connect to. These applications include Welcome, WebView, MailView, CalendarView and NameView.

To Access HotJava Views Administration

HotJava Views Administration can be run only from HotJava Browser supplied with Netra j 2.0. Make sure that HotJava Browser is installed before proceeding with this procedure. If you've installed HotJava Browser to the, you can run HotJava Browser by issuing the command /opt/SUNWnhjb/bin/hotjava.

  1. From the Main Administration page, under "Network Services Administration" click Network Computer Server.

    The Network Computer Server Administration page is displayed.

  2. Under "NC Webtop Applications Administration, " click HotJava Views Administration.

    The HotJava Views Administration window is displayed.

  3. From the Main HotJava Views Administration page, click Edit Preferences Applet Security.

  4. Set preferences to LOW for signed applets and MEDIUM for unsigned applets.

    • Signed applets contain a signature (a sequence of data embedded in the applet's code) and protects the applet against tampering. It is placed in the code by the originator of the applet.

    • Unsigned applets do not have protection against tampering.

  5. Refer to the HotJava Views Administration online help for information on how to use HotJavaViews Administration.