Setting IHS Default to be Connections Homepage

1. With a text editor, open the httpd.conf file from the /opt/IBM/HTTPServer/conf directory.
2. Uncomment the following line if it is commented out:

   LoadModule rewrite_module modules/mod_rewrite.so

3. Add a rewrite rule for HTTP to the file:

   RewriteEngine on
   RewriteRule ^/$ http://<host_name>/<feature> [R,L]

   Where <host_name> is the URL that users will access, and <feature> is the context path of the default feature, including Activities, Blogs, Communities, Dogear, Home page, or Profiles. For example:

   RewriteEngine on
   RewriteRule ^/$ http://connections.acme.com/homepage [R,L]

4. Add a rewrite rule for HTTPS and place it within the SSL VirtualHost section of the httpd.conf file. For more information, see the Configuring the IBM HTTP Server for SSL topic.

   RewriteEngine on
   RewriteRule ^/$ https://<host_name>/<feature> [R,L] 

   Where <host_name> is the URL that users will access, and <feature> is the context path of the default feature.

5. Save and close the file.
6. Restart the IBM HTTP Server

Taken from: http://tinyurl.com/3xwge74



Form Based Authentication for WebSphere Portal

I have been meaning to post about this for a few weeks now but have been flat out on some great wins for ISW. A cou[ple of great Portal wins and a couple of new Connections sites. (I might post about these shortly).

One of the methods of authentication with WebSphere Portal is Form Based Authentication. This is effectively where the client/user connects to the Portal login page and automatically enters the user name and password into the appropriate fields and then "POSTS" the form. This triggers the authentication and logs the user on.

The reason why we were looking at this is we were trying to get SearchBlox working for a client that was interested in using it to index and search their WebSphere Portal. SearchBlox is quite similar to the Google Mini search appliance in that it only support Basic HTTP Authentication and Form Based Authentication (Google Search Appliance offers a number of other means of authenticating over and above these).

So to test Form Based Authentication out with Websphere Portal I initially thought I would create a simple Widgit in my Notes client sidebar. To configure the widgit you simply create a web page widgit and choose the Form Option (HTTP Post). The widgit wizard then loads the page and you choose the logon form and enter the appropriate field values for the username and password. This works a treat and delivers a simple Widgit that will take you to the portal and log you on via Form Based Authentication. Nice!

So having done that and showing that WebSpere Portal does support Form Based Authentication I figured it should be simple to get it going with Searchblox. And it should have been! When you configure Searchblox you point it to the logon page, specify which fields to use, and provide the username and password for the fields. Simple really! But this is where I went slightly wrong.

I made the mistake of pointing the Form URL to the Portal login page. I ran the indexer and all I would get was about 4-5 pages indexed. These were the pages off course that were unauthenticated pages. Searchblox wasn't getting authenticated. After messing around for a few hrs I just couldn't figure out what was going on. Then it came to me! Off course I was pointing to the Portal Login Page which was wrong. I should have been pointing to the Login Form in the Login Portlet!

Using Firebug you can drill into the source of the Portal Login Page and find the Form URL that you need to use. As you can see in this source code the Form URL is available. Once I realised this I updated the Searchblox settings to use this URL for the Form Based Authentication URL and ran the indexer again. Off it went, logged into the site, and indexed the entire site successfully!

The Australian Way

I am sitting in Hobart airport on the way to Sydney with approximately 100 other Aussies crowded around a tv watching Australia vs Germany. We are 2/0 down but everyone is on the edge of their seats cheering at every close call! They are going to struggle to get most of us to move when they call the plane for boarding!! That is the Aussie way!

Ignition for Lotus Connections

I am very pleased to announce ISW's latest offering for Lotus Connections.

Interested in how Social Software is benefiting business?
Trouble getting a Connections Proof of Concept running?
Start your engine with ISW Ignition for Lotus Connections.

What are we talking about?
Social Software for business is taking off at a rapid pace, if you haven’t started yet, ISW Ignition for Lotus Connections will get you caught up. By signing up for the Ignition program you will have access to a feature complete Lotus Connections environment for 60 days. ISW will configure and host your Connections for you, eliminating the need for hardware and
infrastructure investment. All you have to do is say “go” and we will have this up and running for you in 48 hours.

For the period of your ISW Ignition you can get:
• Immediate administration training to manage user access to your Connections environment
• End user training session (2 per month) to cover the basics of Connections
• Dedicated support from Lotus Connections experts
• Access to training videos and personal one on one briefings for Executives
• A path to integration of Connections into your enterprise (either hosted or on premise) once the proof of concept is completed and you’ve purchased your licenses.
• Free access to ISW’s Wildfire Plugin (http://www.isw.com.au/wildfire)

More Information here...

Websphere Application Server - First Steps Not Working - Need to learn to crawl before your can walk;)

I was just doing a fresh install of Websphere Application Server Network Deployment for a new Connections customer. Having installed WASND DMgr and installed the fixpacks I was next going to create the first server profile prior to the Connections Install.

Alas when I ran the First Steps Console it would simply not start! Everything else seemed fine. Dmgr would start, ISC was fine. But First Steps just wouldn't go!

After a little research I found this:

On Windows® platforms: The First steps console might not start if you use Mozilla 2.x as your default browser and it is installed in a location containing a space in the path name. This problem can also occur if you use Windows to start the First steps console associated with profiles installed on i5/OS platforms. To rectify this problem, perform one of these actions:

• Install Mozilla into a location without a space in the path name.
• Alter the registry key to remove the space.
• Temporarily set Internet Explorer as the default browser and then set Mozilla as the default browser. This automatically removes the space from the registry key.

Surely Not! I was using Firefox as the default browser though......So I changed the default browser to IE and tried First Steps again and it worked! Not great that this occurs but at least it is easy to get around.