Technical Notes

Frequently Asked Questions: Reflection for the Web 2008 and Reflection for the Web version 9.x
Technical Note 2111
Last Reviewed 30-May-2008
Applies To
Reflection for the Web 2008 (All Editions)
Reflection for the Web version 9.x
Summary

This technical note provides answers to frequently asked questions about Reflection for the Web.

Questions are organized into the following topics:

General Information

Where do I start?

See Technical Note 2351 for information about how to evaluate Reflection for the Web.

Also, for information about where to find documentation, see Technical Note 1668. For an index of all Reflection for the Web technical notes, refer to Technical Note 9988.

Web Servers and Servlet Runners

Does Reflection for the Web need to be installed on a web server?

Reflection for the Web comes with its own web server, so it can be installed on any computer. If you want end users to be able to access Reflection for the Web sessions during your evaluation, then this computer must be accessible to them.

I already have a web server. Can I use that instead of the one supplied by Reflection for the Web?

Reflection for the Web requires both a web server and a servlet runner. Reflection for the Web ships with Tomcat, which provides both a web server and servlet runner. You can probably use your existing web server with Reflection for the Web 2008 if the application server or servlet runner complies with J2EE 1.3 or higher, and is using a Java 1.5 or higher JVM. You can probably use your existing web server with earlier Reflection for the Web versions if it has Java 1.1 (Microsoft) JVM or Java 2 platform version 1.4 or higher and your existing servlet runner if it is J2EE 1.3- (or higher) compliant. See System and Product Requirements in the Installation Guide for details.

For information about installing under WebSphere, see Technical Note 1779.

I have a web server but not a servlet runner. Is there some way to integrate Tomcat with my web server?

If you have an IIS web server, integration of Tomcat is provided as an option during an automated installation. A few additional configuration steps may be required if you are installing on a Windows 2003 server or have multiple web sites configured. See Technical Note 2195 for details. If you have an Apache web server, consult Apache’s website for information about integration: http://tomcat.apache.org/.

I already have a web server. Will installing Tomcat on my web server interfere?

Tomcat can run independently of your current web server. However, the ports defined for HTTP and HTTPS for Tomcat must be different than the ports used by your existing web server.

Installation Issues

During an automated installation, I receive an error which says port 80 (or port 443) is already in use. What port should I enter?

You can select any unused port. For example, try using port 8880 for HTTP and port 8443 for HTTPS.

How do I install on a UNIX/Linux or Mac OS X server?

Use the automated UNIX/Linux installer for supported operating systems.

For information about manually installing Reflection for the Web on UNIX or Linux, see Technical Note 1699. On Mac OS X, see Technical Note 2343.

Launching Reflection for the Web

How do I launch the Administrative WebStation?

From a browser on any machine, type

Note: AdminStart.html is case sensitive.

If you are not using HTTPS, change "https" to "http" with the appropriate port in the URL.

How does an end user launch a Reflection for the Web session?

From a browser, the user types

If you are not using HTTPS, change "https" to "http" with the appropriate port in the URL.

How can remote users connect to Reflection for the Web?

It is usually advisable to secure the connection from a remote user to your network. If you already have a VPN in place, you can run Reflection for the Web through it. If your host is SSL- or SSH-enabled, it is possible to use SSL or SSH direct to your host. (See online help for more information.)

If none of these methods is feasible, you can set up the Reflection for the Web security proxy so that data between remote clients and your network are encrypted. Both the web server and the security proxy (they can be on the same or different machines) must be accessible to external users. Also, the security proxy must be able to connect to your host. The ports used for the web server and for the security proxy must be opened on the firewall, assuming there is a firewall.

See the Reflection for the Web Installation Guide for details on installing and configuring the security proxy. Reflection for the Web documentation is included in the product, and online.

Note: Beginning in Reflection for the Web 2008, the security proxy server is not included in the Standard Edition.

For information about manually installing on UNIX or Linux, see Technical Note 1699. On Mac OS X, see Technical Note 2343.

I created terminal sessions, but they don’t appear in the list when a user tries to launch Reflection for the Web.

After creating terminal sessions, go to Access Mapper in the Administrative WebStation and enable access for users as is appropriate.

Security Warnings

There is a security warning when Reflection for the Web is launched that says something about the security certificate being issued by a company not being trusted. What does that mean, and how can I correct it?

This warning appears when the certificate for HTTPS on the web server is self-signed. The self-signed certificate for the Tomcat web server is created during an automated install. To eliminate this warning, either choose to View and then Install the certificate (not recommended for security reasons) or purchase a CA-signed certificate from a certifying authority, such as Verisign, Thawte, or Entrust.

There is a security warning when Reflection for the Web is launched that says something like: the name on the security certificate does not match the name of the site. What does that mean and how can I correct that?

This error indicates that the "common name" used in the security certificate does not match the name of the server being used in the URL. The common name is used to generate a self-signed certificate during an automated install or when the Certificate Wizard is run. It is also possible that you are using a CA-signed certificate and the server name on that certificate does not match the server name in the URL you are using. To eliminate this error, either correct the name in the certificate or change the URL. Generally, the fully-qualified domain name of the server should be used.

Menus and User Settings

The Reflection for the Web session doesn’t have a menu.

The location (and the terminology) differs by version.

For Reflection for the Web 2008 and version 9.5 or 9.6:

1. In the Administrative WebStation, click Session Manager.
2. Select or create a session, and then click select Launch.
3. Open the Administration menu and select User Interface Profiler (or Profiler in 9.5 or 9.6).
4. Select a default “profile type” and/or customize the menu items/dialogs/toolbar items available.

For version 9.0:

1. In the Administrative WebStation, click Session Manager > Configure a Web-Based Reflection Session screen > End user menu level.
2. Then select a menu level other than "none."

When end users run a Reflection for the Web session, a lot of the menu items are missing.

In Reflection for the Web 2008 use the User Interface Profiler (or Profiler in 9.5 or 9.6) to configure settings. To navigate, see the steps in the previous section. For more information about configuring User Menu Levels, see Technical Note 2186.

In version 9.0, the menu level is configurable. In the Administrative WebStation > Session Manager > Configure a Web-Based Reflection Session screen > End user menu level, select the User Menu Level. Menu levels range from None to Administrator. Click Help to get more information about what is included in each menu level.

Where is the menu for an "embedded" (displayed within the browser) session?

Right-click in the terminal window to display a menu.

My end users can’t save their own settings.

To allow end users to save local preference files, follow these steps:

1. Launch the Administrative WebStation > Session Manager > Configure a Web-Based Reflection Session.
2. On the resulting Terminal screen, in the menu at the top, select Administration > Set User Preference Rules.
3. Select the items that you want to make available to your end users.
4. Click OK.
5. Click File > Save and Exit.
6. Select Save/Exit on the Save Settings screen.

Related Technical Notes

1668	Reflection for the Web Information Resources
1699	Installing Reflection for the Web on UNIX or Linux
1779	Installing Reflection for the Web with WebSphere Application Server
2186	Configuring User Menu Levels in Reflection for the Web 9.5 or Higher
2195	Integrating Reflection for the Web with IIS
2343	Installing Reflection for the Web on Mac OS X
2351	Evaluating Reflection for the Web 2008
9988	Reflection for the Web Technical Notes