Topics in this chapter include:
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What is Web Access? |
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What's Changed in Web Access |
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Web Access Components |
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Web Access Features |
Web Access for SIMS 4.0 provides browser-based HTML access to the Sun Internet Mail Server (SIMS) 4.0, Sun Directory Server (SDS) 3.1, Sun Calendar Server (SCS) 1.0, and Solaris CDE Calendaring Server. Using any GUI Web browser capable of displaying HTML 3.2 compliant documents with frames, the Web Access user can read, send, receive, store and manage email, create and access calendar information, and view directory information. This approach allows more global access to these key services via the Web, leverages the ubiquity of the browser to deliver "client" functionality, and retains almost all functionality on the server where it can be more effectively and economically managed.
The first version of Web Access shipped with SIMS 3.5. This latest release of Web Access supports:
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Virtual Hosting - Enables instances of the Web Access server to support multiple organizations, while maintaining the appearance that each organization resides on its own dedicated, independent server. |
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User and Domain Provisioning - Access and services settings at the domain and individual user level in the directory are supported by Web Access. |
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Directory Schema Changes - Web Access supports the directory schema changes made for SIMS 4.0 to provide the new virtual hosting and user and domain provisioning functionality. |
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New Versions of the Directory and Messaging Servers - Web Access will support the new versions of the Sun Internet Mail Server (SIMS 4.0) and the Sun Directory Server (SunDS 3.1) shipped as part of the SIMS 4.0 product. It also supports the Sun Calendar Server (SCS 1.0) in addition to the Solaris CDE Calendar Server. |
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Sun Web Server 2.1 - Web Access runs on the Sun Web Server (SWS) 2.1 in place of the Java Web Server (JWS) that shipped with Web Access in SIMS 3.5. |
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Solaris 7 - The Web Access server is supported on Solaris 7 (SPARC and Intel) in addition to Solaris 2.6 (SPARC and Intel). |
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Improved scalability and performance - improvements have been made to allow for the support of more users per each machine (vertical scalability), along with multiple machines (horizontal scalability). |
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Enhanced Reliability - Web Access works in a SIMS High Availability (HA) environment. |
Web Access consists of a set of Java servlets, HTML files and related image files, along with resource bundles that allow for the implementation of browser based mail, calendar and directory access to the supported messaging servers.
The Web Access servlets connect to these messaging services through the use of Java Software APIs, including:
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JavaMail |
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JNDI |
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HJV Calendar Interface |
The core user interface components found within Web Access are:
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Mail |
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Calendar |
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Name Directory Services |
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Global Properties |
The following is a listing of features that you will find in Web Access.
Mail
The Web Access Mail interface contains the following features:
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The user's messages are retrieved (by default) from his or her INBOX on an IMAP server (defined in the user's LDAP entry). |
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Message retrieval can be done either explicitly by clicking on a button on the toolbar or (optionally) automatically at user chosen intervals. |
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The contents of other mailboxes on the IMAP server may be viewed by displaying the Open folder frame and navigating through its list of folders. Clicking on a mailbox in this frame displays its contents in the message header frame. |
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Message headers are displayed in the top frame, message contents in the bottom frame. |
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Message headers consist of the message number (optional), sender name, message subject, and date and time received. |
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New messages are denoted with an "N" in the message header. Messages with attachments are denoted with an asterisk. |
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Message content includes the body of the message with clickable, embedded URLs. |
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Message attachments appear as clickable icons in a separate frame below the message body. |
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Messages are viewed by clicking on a message subject header to display the message contents in a scrollable pane along with any attachments. |
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Clicking on an attachment displays its contents either in a browser window or in the window of a helper application known to the browser. A dialog box appears for unknown attachment types allowing you to save them on the local system. |
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The previous or next message is displayed by clicking on a toolbar navigation button. |
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New messages can be composed and received messages replied to or forwarded with the option to include the original text in the reply. |
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Composed messages include a subject line, the recipient's email address, the list of carbon copy recipient addresses, the list of blind carbon copy (Bcc) recipient addresses (if present), the message body, and a list of attachments. |
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Attachments show up as a row of icons below the message body. |
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Message deletion uses a "trash can" metaphor |
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Deleted messages are moved into a trash folder |
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To undelete a message, the user moves it out of the trash folder back into the original folder. |
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The trash folder is emptied by clicking on the Empty Trash button on the toolbar or (optionally) when the user logs out. |
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Messages may be moved from the currently open mailbox to another mailbox on the IMAP server using the Move folder frame. |
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Strings in the currently displayed message can be searched for by using the browser's search facility. |
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Messages may be printed through the browser's print facilities. |
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The user can set the following preferences: |
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Enable or disable automatic message retrieval and the interval of message retrieval. This is accomplished using a text box with a minimum entry of 5 minutes and a maximum entry of 30 minutes. |
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Save a copy of outgoing messages into a specified mailbox on the IMAP server. |
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Empty the trash folder on logout. |
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Display message attachments below the message body frame. |
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Display message numbers |
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Set the prefix character for included text in reply messages. |
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Create, enable, and disable vacation notice. Set the date to turn the vacation notice on and off. The user can specify the vacation notice subject line and contents. You can also specify the interval between vacation message replies to the same user. |
Calendar
The Web Access Calendar contains the following features:
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Multiple views (Day, Week, Month, Year) of the user's calendar. |
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Ability to view the calendars of other users. |
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Navigation forward/ backward by one increment in each calendar view. |
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Ability to go directly to a view of today's appointments or to a view of those for a specified date. |
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Ability to create, edit, and delete appointments in the user's calendar (or in other's depending upon permissions) |
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On a per appointment basis, you have the ability to specify the: |
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Date, start and end time |
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Description |
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Recurrence (Daily, Weekly, Bi-Weekly, Monthly, etc.) |
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Level of access for other users (Time and Text, Time Only, or Nothing) |
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The user can set the following preferences: |
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Appointment view (day, week, month, year) |
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Start and end hours in day view |
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Appointment duration and start time |
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Reminder interval and units |
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Level of access for other users (Time and text, Time Only, or Nothing) |
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Ability to print calendar views through the browser's print facility. |
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Ability to resize the calendar view frames. |
Name Directory Services
The name servlet provides a mechanism to access some simple user information from an LDAP directory. The servlet splits the browser space into three frames. The topmost frame is used to enter queries. Queries consist of a name, address, and/or phone number. The results of the search are then displayed to the user in the lower two vertical frames. The lower right pane displays the hit list that the query generated, while the lower left pane displays selected entry information.
The directory schema chosen for the name client to use was InetOrgPerson. The following table shows which fields use which InetOrgPerson attribute to retrieve data out of the directory.
TABLE 1-1 Fields used by InetOrgPerson attribute to retrieve data
Display Text
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Property Name
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Attribute
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Entry Title
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name.title.attribute
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commonname
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Family Name
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name.lastname.attribute
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surname
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Given Name
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name.firstname.attribute
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givenname
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Nickname
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name.firstname.attribute
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nickname
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Address
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name.address.attribute
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postAddress
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Direct Line
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name.telephone.attribute
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telephoneNumber
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Main Line
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name.extension.attribute
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telexNumber
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Fax
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name.fax.attribute
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facsimileTelephoneNumber
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Pager
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name.pager.attribute
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pager
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E-Mail
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name.email.attribute
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preferredrfc822originator
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Web
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name.url.attribute
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labeledURl
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Login
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name.userid.attribute
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uid
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Calendar Host
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name.calhost.attribute
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imcalendarhost
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Calendar News
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name.calnews.attribute
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imcalendarname
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The Web Access name servlet provides the following:
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Searching and Viewing |
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Search for entries by name, address, or phone number. |
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Search based upon exact, prefix, or substring matching. |
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View entry attributes: name, address, phone, FAX, pager, email address link, web address link, and login id. |
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Clicking on the email address link displays an email compose window |
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Clicking on the Web address link displays the page in the browser |
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Search results are displayed in a list of clickable entry names with the first entry selected and its contents displayed. |
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Easy navigation through all sections of returned search hits. |
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The user can set the following preferences: |
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Maximum number of matched directory entries displayed at a time in the search results list. |
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Whether clicking on a link opens a document in the current browser window, in a new browser window, or in the current view frame. |
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Entries can be printed through the browser's print facility. |
Global Properties
Properties which apply to more than one servlet are set through the Web Access global properties page. The user views this page by clicking the Logout/Properties icon in the Web Access toolbar.
Two properties can be set through the global properties page.
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The user's password, which is stored in the LDAP directory. |
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The time zone which is used in the calendar and mail servlets. |
Copyright © 1999 Sun Microsystems, Inc. All Rights Reserved.