System Administration Issues

SNetTerm / SecureFTP

These programs maintain three user specific files; SecureCommon.xml, SecureCommon.ini and the known_hosts file. The control files are placed in a user specific application data directory during the program installation by Installshield, when the installation program is run by the end user. Installshield determines the proper location of the control files and will insert their location in the following registry keys:

HKEY-CURRENT-USER/Software/InterSoft International, Inc./<progid>/UserIniFile
HKEY-CURRENT-USER/Software/InterSoft International, Inc./<progid>/UserSiteFile
HKEY-CURRENT-USER/Software/InterSoft International, Inc./<progid>/UserKnownHosts

The term <progid> is unique for each program; SNetTerm will have a <progid> of SecureNetTerm, SecureFTP will have a <progid> of SecureFTP.

The control files (as distributed from InterSoft) will be copied by Installshield from the program installation directory to the locations specified by these registry entries. The user specific application data directory is dependent upon the target Microsoft system, refer to Control File Location.

Control File Customization

The three control files can be customized by system administrators prior to deployment.  Most large companies install the product(s) on a test platform prior to deployment, and make changes such as adding unique host profiles, deleting the example host profiles, adding unique key definitions, changing default colors and other company specific changes.  All of these changes are placed in the known_hosts, SecureCommon.ini and SecureCommon.xml files.

The product(s) must be registered on each user workstation.  The registration name and code can be placed in the SecureCommon.ini file, in the section [SecureNetTerm Legal] or [SecureFTP Legal].  If this information is present, it will be used the first time the product is run by the user, and will perform a silent registration operation.

The registration information is saved under the registry key:

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Licenses

This key should be created by your companies installation routine with Full Control and Read permissions for the group Everyone.

Program Customization

In addition to the control file customization, administrators can customize the programs menu and toolbar for the needs of their company. The Options-Customize Toolbar (or right mouse click in the menu bar) will activate the Customize Toolbar Dialog.  This dialog can be used to add, delete and move both toolbar and menu items.  The Customize Toolbar Dialog functions are much like the normal Microsoft Office program customization dialog; examples can be found at this location.

Program customization can be done by both users and Administrators, with one major difference. User customization is user specific, and is temporary in nature. A user can revert back to the original configuration at any time.  Administrator customization is for all users, and a general user uses this customization as a base for their customization.  Both user and administrator customization is done in the same manner.

Final administrator customization should be saved to a special control file, SecureNetTerm.xcb or SecureFTP.xcb, which is then placed in the programs load directory.  When the program starts, if this file is present in the directory from which the program was loaded, the menu and toolbar will be configured according to the instructions within the control file. The .xcb file is created by editing the SecureCommon.ini file and changing the control items CF_FILE and CF_ENABLEWRITE located under the [SecureNetTerm] or [SecureFTP] section.

[SecureNetTerm]
CF_FILE=c:\work\SecureNetTerm.xcb
CF_ENABLEWRITE=1

The CF_FILE key should specify the full path to the .xcb file, and CF_ENABLEWRITE should be set to a value of 1. Once this change is made, the .xcb file will be created each time program exits.  The CF_ENABLEREAD key can be set to a value of 1 if you wish to test the .xcb file prior to placing it in the program load directory.  Once the file is considered production, the CF_ENABLEWRITE and CF_ENABLEREAD keys should be set back to 0, and the .xcb file should be moved to the production load directory, and made read only.

NetTerm

The program maintains one user specific file, netterm.ini. This control file is placed in a user specific application data directory during the program installation by the Installshield installation program, when the Installshield program is run by the end user.  Installshield will determine the proper location of the control file and will insert its location in the following registry key:

HKEY-CURRENT-USER/Software/InterSoft International, Inc./NetTerm/NetTermINI

The control file (as distributed from InterSoft) will be copied by Installshield from the program installation directory to the location specified by the registry entry.  The user specific application data directory is dependent upon the target Microsoft system, refer to Control File Location.

SecureNetTerm Version 6.1.0.0 and Older

The program maintains one user specific file, netterm2.ini. This control file is placed in a user specific application data directory during the program installation by the Installshield installation program, when the Installshield program is run by the end user.  Installshield will determine the proper location of the control file and will insert its location in the following registry key:

HKEY-CURRENT-USER/Software/InterSoft International, Inc./SecureNetTerm/SecureNetTermINI

The control file (as distributed from InterSoft) will be copied by Installshield from the program installation directory to the location specified by the registry entry.  The user specific application data directory is dependent upon the target Microsoft system, refer to Control File Location.

All Programs

The user specific application data directory is dependent upon the target Microsoft system, common locations are:

The term <user> is unique for each individual that has been assigned a log-in on the workstation.

System Administration Installations

In an environment in which it is not desirable for end users to install the application, the installation functions of Installshield to (1) determine the user specific application data directory, (2) create the application specific directory, (3) copy the control file(s) to that directory, and (4) create the appropriate registry entries, must be replaced by your company specific method.  These methods are highly dependent upon the geographic nature of the entity (world wide, country wide, state wide, etc.) and are beyond the scope of this document. System administrators should consult their company’s installation policy or the Microsoft documentation for detailed instructions on unique installation requirements.

Program Defaults

If the program cannot locate the user specific control file(s) upon initial startup, the user’s unique application directory will be determined with the Microsoft API ShGetSpecialFolderPath using a value of CSIDL_APPDATA . The program will then copy the control file(s) located in the program installation directory to the user’s unique application directory, and update the registry to reflect the location of the control file(s).

On older versions of NetTerm and SecureNetTerm, the program will search in the users profile, the \windows directory, the \winnt directory, then the program installation directory. These older versions will not attempt to copy the control files.