Applet and WebStart Deployment
WebStart dashboard deployments require that Java WebStart be installed on the end user’s local machine. Applet dashboard deployments require that the Java plug-in be installed on the end user’s local machine. Starting with JRE 1.7, browsers block these dashboards by default. To unblock these dashboards, the recommendation is to add a public certificate to each client machine as follows:
1. Copy the DashboardKeyboard.csr file from APAMA_HOME\etc and send it to each client machine that needs to display an applet or WebStart dashboard.
2. On each client machine, select Control Panel > Java to display the Java Control Panel.
3. Select the Security tab and ensure that the security level is set to High (minimum recommended).
4. Click Manage Certificates.
5. In the Certificates dialog, in the Certificate type field, select Signer CA.
6. With the User tab selected, click Import.
7. Select the DashboardKeystore.csr file and click Open.
8. Click Close to close the Certificates dialog and click OK to close the Java Control Panel.
9. Access the applet or WebStart dashboard, which displays a message box that prompts you to indicate whether to run the application or not. You also have the option to suppress repeated display of this message box.
10. Repeat steps 2 through 9 on each client machine.
Adding a public certificate to the client machine is the recommended alternative. However, there are two other ways to unblock WebStart and applet dashboards.
Starting with JRE1.7u51, on each client machine, you can add a server to the Exception Site List as follows:
1. Select Control Panel > Java to display the Java Control Panel.
2. Select the Security tab and ensure that the security level is set to High (minimum recommended).
3. Click Edit Site List to display the Exception Site List dialog.
4. In the Exception Site List dialog, click Add.
5. In the Location field, enter the dashboard URL. Only the host and port are required. For example: http://MyHost:8080.
6. Click Add and then OK.
7. Repeat these steps on each client machine. When the dashboard is accessed a security warning dialog box appears. The risk must be accepted each time in order to view the dashboard.
An alternative that is not recommended is to set the Java security level to medium. The steps for doing this are as follows:
1. Select Control Panel > Java to display the Java Control Panel.
2. Select the Security tab and set the security level to Medium, which is not recommended.
3. When the dashboard is accessed a security warning message box appears. The message indicates that the application was signed by an unknown publisher. The user must accept the risk and choose to run the application each time.
4. Repeat these steps on each client machine that needs to access a blocked dashboard.