unibrows administrator guide v1 2 0

Administration Guide 1.2

http://www.browsium.com Migrations Made Simple

http://www.browsium.com/

UniBrows Administration Guide 1.2 ©2011 Browsium Inc.

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Administration Guide

This manual is designed for IT administrators to install, configure, and deploy the

UniBrows add-on. For more information about UniBrows or to contact support, please

visit http://www.browsium.com.



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Table of Contents

1. Introduction .............................................................................................................................................. 6

1.1. UniBrows Add-on for Internet Explorer ............................................................................................. 7

1.2. UniBrows Explained ........................................................................................................................... 8

1.2.1. Browser Engines .......................................................................................................................... 8

1.2.2. Profiles ........................................................................................................................................ 9

1.2.3. Rules ............................................................................................................................................ 9

1.3. UniBrows Configuration Manager ................................................................................................... 10

1.4. UniBrows Integration with Internet Explorer .................................................................................. 11

2. Installation .............................................................................................................................................. 13

2.1. UniBrows Components .................................................................................................................... 14

2.2. Software Requirements ................................................................................................................... 15

2.3. Running the UniBrows Client Preparation Tool ............................................................................... 16

2.4. Installing the Client Package ............................................................................................................ 20

2.5. Installing UniBrows Configuration Manager .................................................................................... 21

2.6. Available Command Line Switches for the Installer ........................................................................ 26

2.6.1. Installation Options ................................................................................................................... 26

2.6.2. Display Options ......................................................................................................................... 26

2.6.3. Restart Options ......................................................................................................................... 26

2.6.4. Logging Options ........................................................................................................................ 27

2.6.5. Update Options ......................................................................................................................... 27

2.6.6. Repair Options .......................................................................................................................... 27

3. UniBrows Configuration Manager .......................................................................................................... 29

3.1. File Tab ............................................................................................................................................. 30

3.1.1. Project ....................................................................................................................................... 30


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3.1.2. Local Settings ............................................................................................................................ 31

3.1.3. Group Policy .............................................................................................................................. 31

3.1.4. Controller .................................................................................................................................. 32

3.1.5. Application ................................................................................................................................ 32

3.2. The Rules Tab ................................................................................................................................... 33

3.2.1. The Rules Editor ........................................................................................................................ 34

3.2.2. The RegEx (Regular Expression) Builder.................................................................................... 40

3.3. The Profiles Tab ................................................................................................................................ 41

3.3.1. Profiles List ................................................................................................................................ 41

3.3.2. Settings Editor ........................................................................................................................... 46

3.4. Settings Tab ...................................................................................................................................... 59

3.4.1. Settings Editor ........................................................................................................................... 60

4. Configuration Tutorial ............................................................................................................................. 66

4.1. How to create a rule ........................................................................................................................ 67

4.2. How to remove a rule ...................................................................................................................... 76

4.3. How to create a Profile .................................................................................................................... 77

4.4. Working with Custom Files, Registry Settings and ActiveX Controls ............................................... 80

4.5. Working with Custom Environment Variables ................................................................................. 86

4.6. Working with Content Handlers ...................................................................................................... 89

4.6.1. Content Handler Editor ............................................................................................................. 90

4.7. Understanding Security Level options ............................................................................................. 92

5. Rule Writing Basics .................................................................................................................................. 95

5.1. Recommendations for writing rules that work well ........................................................................ 96

5.2. Working with Web Application Assessment Tools .......................................................................... 97

5.3. Using Test Mode .............................................................................................................................. 98

6. Managing UniBrows in the Enterprise .................................................................................................. 100

6.1. UniBrows rules behavior ................................................................................................................ 101

6.2. Export rules to deploy using Group Policy ..................................................................................... 102

6.3. Exporting rules for Flat File distribution ........................................................................................ 104

6.4. Why users can’t create their own rules ......................................................................................... 106

A. Appendix A — Troubleshooting ............................................................................................................ 108

A.1. UniBrows Rule and/or Test Mode Fails To Engage ........................................................................ 108


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A.2. UniBrows not rendering/Title says “Loading…” ............................................................................ 110

A.3. Correct Profile Does Not Load for a Web Site ............................................................................... 110

A.4. Browser window doesn’t get focus automatically ........................................................................ 111

A.5. Some keyboard shortcuts don’t work ........................................................................................... 111

A.6. Additional tabs are created with little to no content .................................................................... 112

A.7. UniBrows not working properly in other versions of IE ................................................................ 112

A.8. UniBrows renders content in IE6, but there are still layout or scripting issues with the page ..... 112


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Section One

Introduction

In this section you will learn:

Why UniBrows is your one-stop Web Application Continuity framework

What components make up the UniBrows system

How you can seamlessly integrate UniBrows into your enterprise


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1. Introduction

Many organizations would like to upgrade to Internet Explorer® (IE) 8 or 9 and Windows 7, but can’t.

That’s because they depend upon web applications which were designed for IE6, and the various

changes in layout, rendering, scripting and security designs of IE8 and IE9 prohibit those applications

from functioning properly without extensive and expensive modifications or upgrades.

UniBrows allows enterprises to upgrade to modern technologies like Windows 7 and IE8 or IE9 while

maintaining compatibility with existing IE6 dependent web applications– all without changing a single

line of code.

But UniBrows provides more than just IE6 compatibility for the web applications you are running today –

it’s a solution to help ensure Web Application Continuity as your business moves forward. Web

Application Continuity provides solutions to manage, maintain, and operate your web applications

regardless of the underlying Browser lifecycle. Your web applications are built to serve the business for

years, and the rate of Browser innovation has accelerated to the point it outpaces the standard IT

technology system lifecycle. UniBrows lets you decouple the Browser/web application dependency

people understand and use today, and enables your organization to deploy the technologies you want

(or need) when you want, without breaking existing line of business applications. More importantly,

UniBrows is seamless to users, integrated into the Browser and is more easily managed than using any

virtualization solution.


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1.1. UniBrows Add-on for Internet Explorer

UniBrows provides Web Application Continuity by delivering complete IE6 functionality inside IE8 and

IE9. It lets organizations enjoy the features and better security of the latest platforms and migrate their

legacy IE6 applications on their own timeframes and budgets.

More importantly, UniBrows is a solution that makes sense.

UniBrows makes sense to users because it’s seamless. It lets them work in the ways they’re used to,

unlike virtualization approaches that require special training or hardware. In fact, many users never

notice they’re using UniBrows.

UniBrows certainly makes sense to IT Administrators because it’s been designed with them mind.

UniBrows is easy to deploy and manage using the same tools and techniques they use for IE. There’s no

server component, so UniBrows works well for in-house and remote workers alike. With minimal

overhead, and support for 32 and 64-bit versions of Windows, UniBrows runs everywhere IT

Administrators need it to. Finally, its opt-in design offers a greatly reduced attack surface when

compared to running a legacy OS and browser.

With UniBrows integrated into your business, the security and functionality benefits of Windows 7 and

IE8 or IE9 are no longer out of reach.


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1.2. UniBrows Explained

UniBrows is markedly different from any other Web Application compatibility offerings, so to

understand what UniBrows is, it might be easiest to start by identifying what it is not; UniBrows is not

virtualization, it is not a standalone version of IE6, nor is it a solution that enables running multiple

versions of the Internet Explorer browser on the same Windows installation. Installing UniBrows on your

system does not modify the default system browser registry values or settings.

UniBrows natively loads and utilizes core pieces of the IE6 rendering engine to render IE6 content

directly inside a tab in IE8 or IE9, ensuring the application looks and works as if using a ‘standalone’

version of IE6. It defers ancillary functions like browser settings and file system tasks to the installed

version of Internet Explorer. This approach requires fewer resources than does running a full instance of

IE6 and reduces the browser attack surface available to exploits.

More specifically, UniBrows acts as a broker between the systems installed browser and the requested

web content. UniBrows uses software isolation to display content using the defined browser engine

components and settings on an opt-in basis. In other words, UniBrows intervenes when – and only when

– it is told to.

UniBrows is controlled by a hierarchical system of profiles and rules, defined using the UniBrows

Configuration Manager. Understanding this system is the key to understanding UniBrows. Once you do,

you can sidestep compatibility issues by delivering different versions of registry settings or ActiveX

controls to the web applications that need them. And with the custom ActiveX, File and Registry settings

feature, you have the complete ability to manage browser extensions that are otherwise incompatible

with a particular version or architecture of Windows or Internet Explorer.

1.2.1. Browser Engines

Browser engines are the foundation of UniBrows. When a user requests a page that matches a UniBrows

rule, UniBrows displays the content using an alternate Browser engine specified by that rule. The

following Browser engines are supported in UniBrows version 1.2:

IE6 IE6 Legacy IE7 Standards Mode Emulate IE7 Mode IE8 Standards Mode Emulate IE8 Mode IE9 Standards Mode Emulate IE9 Mode, Edge Mode


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1.2.2. Profiles

Profiles are groups of settings and configurations for a browser engine. UniBrows includes a built-in

“Default IE Edge Mode Profile” which is the engine for the default browser installed on your PC – for this

release it would be IE8 or IE9, but future releases of UniBrows will support other versions of Internet

Explorer when they are released by Microsoft. The "Default IE6 Profile” leverages the settings, ActiveX

controls and browser extensions already installed on the system - perfect when you simply need the

rendering behavior of IE6. However if a web page or web application needs more accommodations, like

the ability to run a previous version of an ActiveX control (e.g. legacy JVMs, Siebel, JInitiator, or Flash

controls, etc), you can create a Profile to provide that older control whenever a user visits that page or

runs that web application. The “Default IE8 Standards Mode Profile” provides the same capabilities and

customization options, while delivering the IE8 rendering behavior. Custom Profiles can be created

based on either browser engine, and the same options would apply to both the IE6 and IE8 engines.

Similarly, the “Default Emulate IE7 Mode Profile” provides IE8’s IE7 Mode rendering behavior, which you

can bind to specific settings as needed to ensure Web Application Continuity for your environment.

More information on the specifics of each Browser engine available in UniBrows 1.2 can be found in the

Profiles List section.

1.2.3. Rules

Rules are actions to take based on a pattern match. Rules provide very granular control over the

conditions which bring them into play, and can work broadly against entire zones or target specific

elements on a page. See 3.2 The Rules Tab on creating rules to learn more about all of the URL

components and conditionals available for rulemaking.


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1.3. UniBrows Configuration Manager

The UniBrows Configuration Manager is the main interaction point for the UniBrows system. Designed

to work with your business and deploy using your existing technology systems, the UniBrows

Configuration Manager can be customized to meet the needs of your organization. Using a distributed

architecture approach, each web application team – or business unit – can install and run the UniBrows

Configuration Manager to create rules and configurations for their specific needs, or a single

administrator can be responsible for all the rules, profiles and settings. If you choose to use the

distributed approach, each of those configurations can be merged together to ensure users are running

with the complete set of rules and configurations needed to ensure Line of Business application

compatibility.

Simply define the sites that need to be run in IE6 with the UniBrows Configuration Manager, deploy the

rules and those sites are then loaded in an IE8 or IE9 tab and rendered using the UniBrows add-on

technology. By running inside the Internet Explorer 8 process, UniBrows provides a seamless and natural

browsing experience to the user. Your users won’t need to know they are viewing sites through

UniBrows – things will just work.

You control the behavior. Only the sites you configure with the UniBrows Configuration Manager are

displayed using the UniBrows add-on. Rules lists and configuration settings are easily exported to Group

Policy or distributed as flat files (as an XML format) to ensure interoperability with virtually any software

management infrastructure.


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1.4. UniBrows Integration with Internet Explorer

Unlike any other Web Application compatibility solution available today, UniBrows is fully integrated

inside Internet Explorer. UniBrows is a clean and more end user friendly solution that enables a user to

run a single browser for accessing both legacy web applications and the latest standards based web

technologies. Integration with Internet Explorer increases user efficiency and helps to reduce help desk

calls by eliminating users needing to work with multiple browsers.

In addition to being a better solution for end users, UniBrows offers many benefits for the IT

administrator as well. As an integrated component of Internet Explorer, UniBrows avoids having to

administer and manage separate installations as well as reduce overall patch management. UniBrows

was designed to work with the Internet Explorer settings and configuration for the local machine (or

local user).

Internet Explorer Group Policy settings defined by the IT administrator ‘cascade’ down and are

respected by UniBrows, so you only need to manage one set of settings. In cases where a Group Policy

setting for Internet Explorer control a feature not supported by the rendering engine specified by a rule,

UniBrows will simply ignore the setting. One example of this would be the SmartScreen™ Filter, which

was not available in IE6. Group Policy settings controlling that feature will be ignored when UniBrows

renders content using an IE6 Profile, but content rendered using the ‘Default IE Edge Mode Profile’ or

IE8 based Profiles will use the SmartScreen™ filter as directed by Group Policy settings.


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Section Two

Installation


About the UniBrows Client Preparation Tool to build local installation files

About the UniBrows System Components

Software Requirements for UniBrows

How to install UniBrows

How to configure command line switches for network distribution


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2. Installation

The UniBrows setup process requires an Administrator to first create a set of Client installation files for

their environment. This process only needs to be done once for an entire organization – the UniBrows

Client Preparation Tool (Prep Tool) outputs the Client installation files that can be deployed across every

user or machine in your organization. To ensure customers have control over the software running in

their network, the Prep Tool process can be repeated as often as desired and the Prep Tool will direct

you to download any updates or files necessary for the desired client engine.

You need only download the files as instructed – do not open any installers or run executables, the Prep

Tool will handle everything using the files as they are downloaded. Simply place the downloaded files on

your system (or a network share that you can access during the Prep Tool building process) and enter

the location of the file(s) as directed by the Prep Tool. After the installation files are created, you can

delete the downloaded files as they are no longer needed for the UniBrows system or processes.

Note — The list of files may include additional pieces or downloads that appear unrelated to your selection but please download all files listed even if they appear incorrect.


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2.1. UniBrows Components

The UniBrows system is comprised of two main parts, an administrative interface for defining rules and

configurations, and a client add-on for Internet Explorer.

UniBrows Administration Tools

Starting with the UniBrows Configuration Manager, these are a set of applications which allows

for the management and configuration of UniBrows settings for users and PCs. This installer

should only be deployed to those individuals or groups responsible for creating rules and

configurations. In most cases these tools are deployed to System Administrators and Web

Application/Business Unit owners. To help ensure stability and security of your environment, the

UniBrows Administration Tools should not be installed on end user machines.

UniBrows Client Package

The UniBrows Client Package is responsible for loading UniBrows configuration data and

displaying custom Browser Engines and Profiles to end-users. The package consists of three

core components:

o UniBrows Client Controller & Framework

The UniBrows Controller (Browsium.Continuity.Controller.exe) is the main

part of the client add-on infrastructure used by UniBrows to handle Client Engine

loading, rules implementation and redirection. The Client Framework consists of a

background process, protocol handler, and browser plugins. Without this component,

the add-on cannot function properly so it must be installed and enabled on all end user

systems that require UniBrows rendering.

o UniBrows Client Engines

The UniBrows system is designed to provide the ability to include any browser engine

needed in your organization. The Client Engine(s) are essentially pluggable modules that

connect into the Client Framework. The design of the UniBrows system ensures you are

not running multiple browsers on your system at one time – the IE browser installed on

your Windows machine remains the only browser installed. UniBrows v1.2 provides

support for the IE6, IE6 Legacy, IE7 Standards Mode, Emulate IE7 Mode, IE8 Standards

Mode, Emulate IE8 Mode, IE9 Standards Mode, Emulate IE9 Mode, and Edge Mode

Engines.

o UniBrows Add-On for Internet Explorer

UniBrows installs an add-on to facilitate communication between Internet Explorer and

the UniBrows Client Framework and Client Engines

The UbConfig-Setup.msi package installs the UniBrows Configuration Manager. The UbClient-

Prep.exe application allows you to create the client installation files for the UniBrows add-on, giving


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you total control over updating the subsystem elements. Local administrator rights are required to run

both of these tools.

2.2. Software Requirements

The following minimum system specifications are required to run the UniBrows system.

Microsoft Windows System

o Windows XP SP2 or later (32-bit only)

o Windows Vista (32- and 64-bit systems are supported)

o Windows 7 (32- and 64-bit systems are supported)

o Windows Server 2003 or later (32- and 64-bit systems are supported)

o Windows Server 2008 or later (32- and 64-bit systems are supported)

Microsoft Windows Internet Explorer 8 or Microsoft Windows Internet Explorer 9

.NET Framework Version 2.0 Service Pack 2


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2.3. Running the UniBrows Client Preparation Tool

You must run the Prep Tool to create the client installation files for the UniBrows add-on. You will need

administrator rights to run the Prep Tool as well as install the client components. Once installed, the

UniBrows client add-on can run under any user account and does not require special user permissions or

elevation.

1. To start the Prep Tool process, simply double click on the UbClient-Prep.exe file provided by

Browsium. To properly complete the Prep Tool process you will need an account with

Administrator rights. When expanding some of the prerequisite files used by this tool you may

encounter one or more User Account Control (UAC) elevation dialogs when running on Windows

Vista and above. You will need to accept these dialogs by clicking the Yes buttons to proceed.

2. The first screen provides a basic introduction. Click Next to get started.

3. The following screen you see contains the End User License Agreement (EULA) for the UniBrows

software. You will need to read and agree to the terms of the EULA in order to proceed and

create the Client installation components. The EULA is not displayed during Client installations.


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3.2 This page contains the list of prerequisite files to download and save to your local machine or

network location. Next to the names and descriptions of the files is a button that will launch

your browser and take you to the appropriate location to download the necessary file(s). You

will need to download and save all of the files in the list before continuing. Depending on the

speed of your Internet connection this process can take several minutes to complete all

necessary downloads.

When all file downloads have completed, click Next.

Note — Browsium recommends downloading all of the required prerequisites to the same folder or location. While the packages are downloaded and their contents will be extracted, they are not installed directly on any system. You may delete the packages after the Prep Tool completes building the Client installation files.


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4. With all of the prerequisite files downloaded, you will need to identify the file and location

where you saved each of the items. In addition to the prerequisites, you will need to provide the

location of your license file. The license file can be found in the folder with the UniBrows

installation files you received from Browsium. The license will be packaged into the Client add-

on MSI files. To specify the location of the prerequisite files, click the Open File button and

navigate to the file location using the dialog box. If your organization does not have a license file

for UniBrows, you may obtain a 60-day evaluation license from http://www.browsium.com.

5. Now you are ready to build the Client installation files. Simply click Build and the UniBrows

Client Preparation Tool will do the rest.



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This process can take from several minutes to an hour depending on the speed of your PC and

available memory. During the process you will see a progress bar:

The build process is resource intensive so it may appear to update slowly. The application will

notify you when the process is complete.

When the UniBrows Client Preparation Tool has finished building the MSI files you will see this screen

and need to specify the placement of the output MSI files.

Click the ‘Set Location’ button to choose where to save each file. Click Finish when all locations

are entered. The UniBrows Client Preparation Tool will save the files to the specified locations

and close the tool.

Note — The default file save location for Client MSIs is the user desktop.


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2.4. Installing the Client Package

This section covers the process to manually install the Client add-on for UniBrows. Network and

command line installation settings and options can be found in 2.6 Available Command Line Switches for

the Installer.

The steps for installing the Client Package are as follows:

1. Locate the appropriate UniBrows Client installation executable for your specific operating

system and run the file.

2. The Client add-on installation is silent, so there will be no dialog indicating completion. To check

that UniBrows installation has completed. Launch IE, and look under Tools->Manage Add-ons,

and look to ensure the UniBrows Plugin for Internet Explorer is listed and Enabled.

Note — Since the MSI files created by the UniBrows Client Preparation Tool are unsigned, Windows may display a UAC prompt to complete the installation.


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2.5. Installing UniBrows Configuration Manager

This section covers the installation process for the UniBrows Configuration Manager. The Client add-on

should be installed on the system in order to create, edit or test rules and Profiles using any available

Client Engine(s).

The steps for installing the UniBrows Configuration Manager are as follows:

1. Locate the UniBrows Configuration Manager Installation file (UniBrowsManager-Setup.msi) and

double click to run the program.

2. Confirm you have read, and agreed to the End-User License Agreement (EULA) by clicking ‘I

agree to the terms in the License Agreement’ and Next to continue with installation.


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3. Select the installation type, either single user or for all users. The Configuration Manager should

only be accessible to network and system administrators, so Browsium recommends setting the

installation type to ‘Only for me’ on most systems.

Note — Customers installing the Configuration Manager on a remote desktop/terminal services or other shared resource configurations should select ‘Only for me’. The UniBrows Configuration Manager is designed for use only by system or network administrators, selecting ‘Everybody’ will install the and for all users. While all users would have access to the application, the UniBrows Configuration Manager requires Administrator rights to run properly and standard users may create support tickets when they experience issues or error messages from the application.


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If the installation type is set to ‘Only for me’ then by default the installer places the required

files in "%userprofile%\AppData\Local\Programs\Browsium\UniBrows Manager\"

If the installation type is set to ‘Everybody’ then by default the installer places the required files

in "\Program Files\Browsium\UniBrows Manager" (32-bit systems) or "\Program

Files (x86)\Browsium\UniBrows Manager" (64-bit systems) on the system drive.

After you have chosen a location, click Next.


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4. Now you’re ready to install the UniBrows Configuration Manager. Click Install.

5. During the installation process you will see a progress window

Note —The UniBrows Configuration Manager requires Administrator rights so the installer will generate a UAC prompt before installing.


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6. This screen will be displayed when the installation is complete and all necessary files have been

configured. Click Finish and you are ready to begin working with the UniBrows system.


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2.6. Available Command Line Switches for the Installer

UniBrows supports network based installations for organizations that use software distribution systems

or want to deploy via installation scripts and logon applications. UniBrows provides for several network

based installations options that are controlled by the following switches.

2.6.1. Installation Options

Switch Description

</package | /i> <Product.msi> Installs or configures a product

/a <Product.msi> Administrative install - Installs a product on the network

/j<u|m> <Product.msi> [/t <Transform List>] [/g <Language ID>]

Advertises a product - m to all users, u to current user

</uninstall | /x> <Product.msi | ProductCode>

Uninstalls the product

INSTALLDIR=<path> Installs product to a specific directory, other than the default location.

2.6.2. Display Options

Switch Description

/quiet Quiet mode, no user interaction

/passive Unattended mode - progress bar only

/q[n|b|r|f] Sets user interface level, where: n - No UI b - Basic UI r - Reduced UI f - Full UI (default)

/help Help information

2.6.3. Restart Options

Switch Description

/norestart Do not restart after the installation is complete

/promptrestart Prompts the user for restart if necessary

/forcerestart Always restart the computer after installation


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2.6.4. Logging Options

Switch Description

/l[i|w|e|a|r|u|c|m|o|p|v|x|+|!|*] <LogFile>

Install keeping a log file, where: i - Status messages w - Nonfatal warnings e - All error messages a - Start up of actions r - Action-specific records u - User requests c - Initial UI parameters m - Out-of-memory or fatal exit information o - Out-of-disk-space messages p - Terminal properties v - Verbose output x - Extra debugging information + - Append to existing log file ! - Flush each line to the log * - Log all information, except for v and x options

/log <LogFile> Equivalent of /l* <LogFile>

2.6.5. Update Options

Switch Description

/i <package.msi> REINSTALL=ALL REINSTALLMODE=vomus

Applies an update

2.6.6. Repair Options

Switch Description

/f[p|e|c|m|s|o|d|a|u|v] <Product.msi | ProductCode>

Repairs a product


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Section Three

UniBrows Configuration Manager


What the UniBrows Configuration Manager is

Where to find settings in the UniBrows Configuration Manager

How to navigate the screens, settings and options in the UniBrows Configuration Manager


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3. UniBrows Configuration Manager

The UniBrows Configuration Manager enables you to create and manage rules that define the websites

you want to open with the UniBrows rendering agent. In this section, we take a look at the various

elements of the UniBrows Configuration Manager.

The Configuration Manager is comprised of four tabs (File, Rules, Profiles, Settings):


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3.1. File Tab

The File Tab is where configuration files are loaded, saved and exported to Group Policy. This section

explains the subsections of the File tab.

3.1.1. Project

On this window you can create new projects, load previously saved project files as well as save project

files for later use or flat file distribution.

A project file (.UBP file extension) is the standard file format containing information about UniBrows

configurations, rules, Profile values and settings.


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3.1.2. Local Settings

On this window you can load and save configuration settings to the local machine.

To aid in configuration testing and tuning, the UniBrows Configuration Manager provides administrators

the ability to work directly with settings in the local system registry. This option helps avoid delays and

overhead of exporting settings to Group Policy, applying those settings and forcing the local machine to

reload policy values.

3.1.3. Group Policy

This window provides the ability to export UniBrows configuration settings directly to ADM and/or

ADMX file formats for import into your Group Policy environment. The Advanced ADMX option provides

the ability to export only selected portions of the configuration.


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3.1.4. Controller

In this tab you can find the buttons to manage the UniBrows controller process on the local machine.

Primarily used for debug and testing purposes, this screen includes buttons to start, stop or restart the

UniBrows controller.

3.1.5. Application

In this tab you can find the button for exiting the UniBrows Configuration Manager application as well as

the link to online help for UniBrows.


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3.2. The Rules Tab

The Rules tab is primary workspace for the UniBrows Configuration Manager. The Rules tab contains

two sections, the Rules Editor and RegEx Builder. This section explains each area of the Rules tab.


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3.2.1. The Rules Editor

The Rules Editor is the main interface for creating, editing and managing evaluation criteria for which

content is to be rendered using UniBrows. This section contains a breakdown of the various elements

and pieces of this interface.

The Rules Editor interface contains the following parts:

1. Rule Manager Window

This window shows the hierarchical rules list that UniBrows uses to determine how to handle

web application rendering. The heading for each column in this window refers to the specific

rule element (e.g. Rule Name, Security Level, Scope, etc.) for a given rule.

2. New

To create a new rule, click the New button to bring up the Rule Editor window. Section 3.2.1.1

Rule Editor Window provides details on the options and values in the Rule Editor window. See

Section 4.1 How to create a rule for details on creating rules.

3. Delete

To delete a rule, select it from the Rules Manager Window, then click the Delete button.


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4. Clone

Some web applications or systems may require several related rules to function properly. The

Clone rule function is designed to aid in quickly creating rules that are largely similar to

previously created rules. The Clone rule function can also help avoid having to copy/paste or

manually retype a rule that contains a long or complex URL.

5. Edit

URLs and rule definitions can be complex, and complexity may lead to typographical errors. In

the event you make a mistake or need to revise a rule, simply double click the line to edit (or

highlight the line and click the Edit button) to make the necessary changes.

6. Up and Down

By default, rules are ordered in the sequence they are added. Since rules are evaluated in the

order they are stored, the sequence of rules can be critical to the proper functionality of your

web application in UniBrows. To manually adjust the order of a rule, simply highlight the rule

and use the Up and Down buttons to move it to the proper placement.

Note — If you prefer to simply disable a rule rather than removing it, click the checkbox next to the rule name

Note — When you have completed the desired changes, remember to click the ‘Save’ button to include the newly revised rule.


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3.2.1.1. Rule Editor Window

This window is used for creating and editing the specific rule parameters. In general you will only need to complete the items under the Basic Settings section, but a complete list of all items is included here.

The Rule Editor Window is comprised of the following parts:

1. Name

You can name a rule using any characters without restriction or character count limit. Rule

names are for your use and identification only, and have no impact on functionality. We

recommend you name a rule to best describe what the rule does so you can tell by the name

how you mean it to work.

2. Element

This table contains a brief explanation of the various types of rules you can create.

Type Description Example

Absolute URI

The entire canonical URI, including protocol scheme, username, password, hostname, domain, port, path, query, extension and fragment.



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Authority Username, password, hostname, domain, and port.

[email protected]:9001

Display URI

The protocol scheme, hostname, domain, port, path, query, and optionally, fragment.

http://www.browsium.com

Domain

The domain, (including top level domain) only. Not for use for intranet sites. (Use “Host” instead.)

browsium.com

Extension The file extension of the resource.

.html

Fragment

The information following a fragment marker (#), including the marker itself. This can refer to named anchors found within a document.

#top

Host The fully qualified domain name or plain hostname.

browsium.com or filestore

Password The password, as parsed from the URI.

Password

Path The path and resource name.

/animals/birds

Path and Query The path, resource name and query string.

/animals/birds?robin

Query The query string. (All text following a ? in a URI)

?robin

Raw URI The entire URI as entered, including characters represented as “%61”

http://username:password@hostn%61me.browsium.com

Scheme Name The protocol scheme name. (The text preceding “://” in an URI.)

http or ftp

User Info The username and password, as parsed from the URI

user:password

User Name The username as parsed from the URI.

User

Host Type The type of host 2 (IPV4), 3 (IPV6)

Port The port number. 850

Scheme The scheme of the URI 2 (HTTP), 11 (HTTPS)



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Zone The zone of the URI 1 (INTRANET), 3 (INTERNET).

3. Operator

This table contains a brief explanation of each operator available.

Conditional Description

Is Exactly matches the value field

Is Not Does not match the value field

Less Than Is less than and not equal to the value field. This conditional is especially useful with the Host, Port, Scheme, and Zone rule types.

More Than Is more than and not equal to the value field. This conditional is especially useful with the Host, Port, Scheme, and Zone rule types.

Begins With Starts with the string in the value field

Ends With Ends with the string in the value field

Excludes Does not contain the value field

Includes Contains the value field

RegEx Is determined by the regular expression in the value field

4. Query

The Value field contains the string or integer to conditionally match to the website attribute you

selected as the rule type.

5. Profile

The Profile selection determines which browser Profile UniBrows uses to load the matching

website. Any configured Profiles will be listed in this dropdown. In a standard configuration the

initial options are ‘Default IE6 Profile’, ‘Default IE6 Legacy Profile’, ‘Default IE7 Standards Mode

Profile’, ‘Default Emulate IE7 Profile’ and ‘Default IE8 Standards Mode Profile’, ‘Default Emulate

IE8 Mode Profile’, ‘Default IE9 Standards Mode Profile’, ‘Default Emulate IE9 Mode Profile’, and

‘Default IE Edge Mode Profile’. Additional Client Engines may be added later.

6. Rule Output


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The Rule Output window displays a friendlier, readable version of the rule specifics. This window

is for display only and cannot be edited directly.

7. Scope

Rules can be set for either the User or Machine scope.

8. Enabled

All rules are enabled by default when they are created. Some rules may contain complex

parameters or complex paths and it may be more practical to simply disable a rule rather than

remove it if the rule is not needed for some reason or to test other rule ordering patterns, etc.

In addition, some users may choose to keep only a single rule set and want to disable a rule for

some given period of time. To disable a rule, simply select ‘No’ from the dropdown list.

9. Security Level

UniBrows is designed to isolate content rendering and provides content loading behaviors in a

secure manner. The default behavior for UniBrows to render only content matched by a rule –

all unmatched content navigations/loading will be either cancelled or displayed in a new tab

(see Section 3.4.1 Settings Editor for more information on this behavior). Some organizations

may have web applications that do not work correctly with such a strict security model. To help

resolve those issues UniBrows offers a ‘Medium’ and ‘Low’ Security Level in addition to the

default/recommended ‘High’ setting value. More information on Security Levels can be found in

Section 4.7 Understanding Security Level options.

Note — In addition to disabling the rule using the dropdown list, you can manage the Enabled/Disabled value by using the checkbox next to the rule name in the main Rules Manager window.


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3.2.2. The RegEx (Regular Expression) Builder

The RegEx (Regular Expression) Builder is for administrators to create and validate complex Regular

Expressions that can be used in the rules evaluation criteria.

The RegEx Builder provides a simple integrated tool for writing and testing Regular Expressions before

using them as rules evaluation criteria to help avoid errors in pattern matching.

For more information on the RegEx Builder, including a step by step example, please read the ‘Using

regular expressions in UniBrows rules’ document in the Knowledge Base section of

http://support.browsium.com.

http://support.browsium.com/


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3.3. The Profiles Tab

The Profiles tab is used to bind specific settings and configurations to a Client Engine, creating a Profile

for using to render based on a rule. This section explains each area of the Profiles tab.

3.3.1. Profiles List

The Profiles List contains all Profiles available for the loaded Project file or Local settings.


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The following features of the Profiles List allow you to create, edit, and manage profiles:

1. Profiles Manager List

This list shows all available Profiles for a given Project file or Local System settings. The list

contains the name of the Profile, which browser engine it will load and a textual description of

the Profile. The Features description field can be used to document what the Profile is used for

as well as details about what settings it provides.

Profiles can be enabled or disabled by selecting/deselecting the checkbox next to the Name

value in the Profiles Manager Window.

This chart provides a list of the Profiles included by default with a standard UniBrows client

installation:

Profile Description

Default IE6 Profile Renders content as if were displayed by Internet Explorer 6 as shipped in Windows XP SP2 Engine - Internet Explorer: IE6

Default IE6 Legacy Profile

Similar to IE6 Profile with additional support for legacy ActiveX controls (for many ERP/CRM applications). Engine - Internet Explorer: IE6 Legacy Note: This Profile is not supported in IE9.

Default IE7 Standards Mode Profile

Renders content as if it were displayed in standards mode by Internet Explorer 7. This Profile can be modified to enable scenarios where a web application renders properly using the IE8’s ‘IE7 Mode’ but the given line of business application may require granular setting configurations that are not possible or appropriate changes to make globally to the IE8 browser configuration Engine- Internet Explorer: IE7 Standards Mode

Note — For better default resource and memory management behavior, UniBrows will not load Profiles for which there are no rules requiring that Profile. In addition, Profiles can be disabled manually to ensure they will never be loaded. Since it is possible to manually disable a Profile that will later be needed by a rule, administrators are advised to avoid disabling Profiles unless absolutely required.


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Default Emulate IE7 Mode Profile

Standards mode directives are displayed in Internet Explorer 7 standards mode and quirks mode directives are displayed in IE5 mode Engine- Internet Explorer: Emulate IE7 Mode


Renders content as if it were displayed in standards mode by Internet Explorer 8 Engine - Internet Explorer: IE8 Standards Mode


Standards mode directives are displayed in Internet Explorer 8 standards mode and quirks mode directives are displayed in IE5 mode Engine - Internet Explorer: Emulate IE8 Mode


Renders content as if it were displayed in standards mode by Internet Explorer 9. Engine - Internet Explorer: IE9 Standards Mode Note: This Profile will default to the IE8 Standards Mode engine on systems that are not running IE9.


Standards mode directives are displayed in Internet Explorer 9 standards mode and quirks mode directives are displayed in IE5 mode Engine - Internet Explorer: IE9 Standards Mode Note: This Profile will default to the IE8 Standards Mode engine on systems that are not running IE9.

Default IE Edge Mode Profile

To plan for future browser version continuity, UniBrows includes the ‘Default IE Edge Mode Profile’ to enable rules to always use the default (latest) browser engine installed on the system. While most customers are deploying IE8 at this time, UniBrows is supported for installation with IE8 and IE9 and there are important differences for rules using this Profile. Engine – Internet Explorer: Edge Mode

All Profiles can be modified to suit the needs of your organization, or you can create a new

Profile, based on any supported rendering engine, to customize for specific web application

compatibility needs. For example, UniBrows makes it possible to specify different versions of

the JRE on a per-Profile basis, whereas changing the JRE version for IE8 globally would only allow

for a single version to be loaded at a time.


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For the Default IE Edge Mode Profile and both IE9 Profiles, care should be used when creating

Rules as the rendering engines, and therefore rendering behavior, will be very different when

the Profile is invoked on systems running IE8 as compared with systems running IE9.

2. Open Profile

To edit a Profile, double click on the Profile to open the Profile editor window or highlight the

desired Profile and click Open Profile.

3. Create Profile

To create a new Profile, simply click the Create Profile button in the right column.

4. Remove Profile

Profiles can be deleted by selecting the Profile and clicking the Remove Profile button.


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3.3.1.1. Profile Editor Window

This window is used for creating and editing Profiles. As a general rule, you will only need to complete

the items under the ‘Basic Settings’ section, but a complete list of both Basic and Advanced items is

included here.

The Profile Editor Window consists of the following features:

1. Name

The Profile name is a friendly name for your reference, and can be modified to suit your

organization.

2. Description

The description field provides a place to include a more complete explanation of the Profile.

3. Browser Engine

The browser engine value determines the core engine used for the Profile.

4. Scope

The scope field determines whether the Profile is applied to the User or Machine scope.

5. Enabled

Profiles are enabled by default when they are created. To disable a Profile simply set the value

on this element to No.

Note — To help conserve resources and memory, UniBrows is designed by default not to load Profiles for which there are no rules requiring that Profile. Since it is possible to manually disable a Profile that will later be needed by a rule, administrators are advised to avoid disabling Profiles unless absolutely required.


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3.3.2. Settings Editor

This screen allows you to customize the Profile settings, including basic items such as name and

description through more advanced options like enabling Custom File settings or using specific Content

Handlers All Profiles settings and configurations can be managed from this screen.

The Settings Editor consists of the following features:

1. Current Profile Dropdown List

Use this dropdown list to quickly change between selected Profiles.

2. Settings Editor Tab Window

This tab window provides access to create, delete or edit Profile values. More information on

each tab section item is included in Section 3.3.2.1 Basic Settings Tab through Section 3.3.2.6

Content Handlers Tab.

Note — Content Handlers are only available in Profiles using the IE6 based rendering engine.


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3.3.2.1. Basic Settings Tab

The options in this tab allow you to edit the core settings for a Profile. This section reviews each option.

The following settings are available through the Basic Settings Tab:

1. Name

The Profile name is a friendly name for you reference, and can be modified to suit your

organization.

2. Description

The description field provides a place to include a more complete explanation of the Profile.

3. Browser Engine

The browser engine value determines the core engine used for the Profile.

4. Scope

The scope field determines whether the Profile is applied to the User or Machine scope.

5. User Agent String

The User Agent (UA) string field lets you specify the value passed by the browser for a given

Profile. For example, the default value for the IE6 engine is that of a Windows XP Service Pack 2


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system, but the values can be changed at any time to any desired setting. To edit these values,

click the Edit button to open the User Agent String Editor window:

More information on the User Agent string elements and potential values can be found at

http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/ms537503%28v=vs.85%29.aspx.

6. File Download Timeout

To help ensure proper document handling, UniBrows uses the header information provided by a

server to determine if the content type matches a type specified in the Content Handlers list or

if the content should be rendered using the Profile browser engine. The default value for this

setting is 5 seconds, but some network delays may require an increase to this value in order to

provide the header information from slow servers.

By design, browsers use stateless HTTP connections (connections are used and then closed

rather than held open) and must use a new connection for each subsequent request made to

the server. A typical web application will involve data interactions over several pages, so the

web application tracks user state in sessions to create a linkage of requests for a given client – or

else every user’s client connections and data would be comingled and the application would be

unusable. With the introduction of tabbed browsing, session management became more

complex as most web browsers are designed to share session data across all tabs. Sharing

sessions across tabs makes the user experience better when switching tabs and the application

still works. Problems arise for many business users where they need to access multiple records

http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/ms537503%28v=vs.85%29.aspx


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from the same web application. The default session handling behavior makes it impossible to

access different records simultaneously.

7. Window Session Mode

UniBrows provides the ability to directly manage session behavior for a given Profile, making it

simple to ensure users can take advantage of a tabbed browsing experience while still accessing

the applications they need, in the way they want.

Session mode can be configured for each Profile as either Unique or Shared (default) in the

UniBrows Configuration Manager. When Window Session Mode is set to either

Shared (default), where each tab that invokes that profile does so through a shared

process which, in turn, shares cookies and session information, or

Unique, where each tab that invokes that profile does so through a separate process.

Unique mode uses a dynamic algorithm that preloads new instances of browser engines that

can be invoked as needed by new windows. When a tab is closed, the process that contains the

engine is closed to conserve system resources.

8. Context Menu Handler

A context menu is the menu which appears when the user right-clicks on a given object. Internet

Explorer has a specific context menu for each version of the program, and many 3rd party web

applications replace that context menu to provide extra functionality or application interactivity

points for the user.

By default, UniBrows replaces the default Internet Explorer context menu, as well as any 3rd

party web application context menus. UniBrows replaces the context menu to provide certain

functionality and a consistent experience regardless of the browser engine being invoked. This

feature enables control over whether to display the UniBrows context menu or to defer to the

browser for display of the built in context menu or a 3rd party web application custom context

menu.

9. Windows Execution Options

Note — Since each tab will use a separate process, setting the Window Session Mode to Unique will cause UniBrows to consume more memory than Shared mode. Unique mode should only be used for Profiles and web applications where shared session data causes errors with the application or issues with user experience.


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UniBrows allows you to modify the default Windows process behavior for certain browser

settings, offering the ability to customize how the browser interacts with the operating system

to ensure proper web application functionality.

Enabled by default on IE8, DEP/NX support enhances security by preventing an application or

service from executing code from a non-executable memory region. UniBrows provides the

ability to manage enhanced security settings for the DEP/NX feature. To disable DEP/NX support

for the specific Profile, simply click the checkbox.

By design, UniBrows implements a ‘sandboxed’ approach to loading and rendering content

where content is written to memory as opposed to being committed directly to the system.

When the UniBrows process is closed, the memory is cleared and the content is no longer

available. Using this design UniBrows is able to increase browser security by reducing the ability

for content to be written directly (and permanently) to the underlying operating system.

UniBrows tries to ensure that web applications will continue to work properly in a sandboxed

environment while mitigating potential security issues if the end user ends up loading malicious

content that tries to harm their system. There are some instances where a web application may

require certain data to be committed to the operating system or file system rather than deleted

when the process is closed. This feature can be disabled by selecting the checkbox, but

administrators are strongly encouraged not to use this feature unless it is absolutely necessary.

Note — The Default IE6 Profile has DEP/NX disabled by default to help ensure line of business application compatibility. DEP/NX can be turned on for the Default IE6 Profile (or any other Profile) by simply deselecting the checkbox.


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3.3.2.2. Custom Files Tab

This tab allows you to create specific file system entries as well as define custom ActiveX controls for a

Profile. UniBrows provides an environment to host these items internally, so nothing is applied or

modified on the system. Any required file system entries or ActiveX controls should be defined here.

Some web applications may require dozens (or more) of custom file system and ActiveX values so

UniBrows provides an import mechanism to avoid entering values one by one.

The following features are available in the Custom Files Tab:

1. Custom Files List

This list displays all configured Custom File and Custom ActiveX mappings. To add a value, or

import a group of values from a .UBF file, use the buttons on the right hand side or simply right

click inside this window select the desired option from the context menu.

2. Create File

To create a new Custom File mapping, click the Create File button. More information on this

feature and an example of creating a Custom File mapping can be found in Section 4.4 Working

with Custom Files, Registry Settings and ActiveX Controls.

3. Edit File Button

To edit a Custom File mapping, highlight the item and use the right click context menu or click

the Edit File button on the right hand side.


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4. Remove File Button

To remove a Custom File mapping, either highlight the item and use the right-click context menu

or click the Remove File button on the right hand side.

Since many customers require the same sets of ActiveX controls (JRE, Flash, etc.) in Profiles to ensure

Web Application Continuity, Browsium will make some of the most common file system rules (in .UBF

format) available at our support site at http://support.browsium.com.

3.3.2.3. Custom Registry Window

This window allows you to create specific registry entries for a Profile. UniBrows provides an

environment to host these items internally, so nothing is applied or modified on the system. Any

required registry entries should be defined here. Some web applications may require dozens (or more)

of custom Registry values, so UniBrows provides an import mechanism to avoid entering values one by

one. To add a value, or import a group of values from a .UBR file, simply right click on the Registry pane

and select your option from the context menu. Microsoft supported Feature Control Keys may be set

using this interface. For a full list of supported keys, please see http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-

us/library/ms537184(VS.85).aspx.

For more information on working with Custom Registry settings, see Section 4.4 Working with Custom

Files, Registry Settings and ActiveX Controls.

The Custom Registry Tab contains the following features:

1. Custom Registry List


http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/ms537184(VS.85).aspx

http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/ms537184(VS.85).aspx


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This list shows all configured Custom Registry mappings. To add a value, or import a group of

values from a .UBR file, use the buttons on the right hand side or simply right click inside this

window select the desired option from the context menu.

2. Create Value

To create a new Custom Registry mapping, click the Create Value button. More information on

this feature and an example of creating a Custom File mapping can be found in Section 4.4

Working with Custom Files, Registry Settings and ActiveX Controls.

3. Edit Value

To edit a Custom Registry mapping, highlight the item and use the right click context menu or

click the Edit Value button on the right hand side.

4. Remove Value

To remove a Custom Registry mapping, either highlight the item and use the right click context

menu or click the Remove Value button on the right hand side.


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3.3.2.4. Variables Tab

This tab allows you to create specific variables entries for a Profile. UniBrows includes the ability to

utilize system and user variables for referencing file location pathnames. Variables can be helpful to

reference long or complicated file pathname locations, as well as providing an easier method for

changing the location of ActiveX controls without needing to modify the settings on the Registry Editor

or Files Editor tabs. In addition to accessing global system and user defined variables, UniBrows enables

an administrator to create custom local variables within the UniBrows environment.

The Variables Tab consists of the following features:

1. Variables List

This list displays all configured variables mappings. To add, edit or remove a value, use the

buttons on the right hand side or simply right click inside this window select the desired option

from the context menu.

2. Create Variable

To create a new variable mapping, click the Create Variable button. More information on this

feature and an example of creating a Custom Variable mapping can be found in Section 4.5

Working with Custom Environment Variables.

3. Edit Variable

To edit a variable mapping, highlight the item and use the right click context menu or click the

Edit Variable button on the right hand side.


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4. Remove Variable

To remove a variable mapping, either highlight the item and use the right-click context menu or

click the Remove Variable button on the right hand side.

3.3.2.5. Scripts Tab

This tab allows you to create custom JavaScript functions or commands for a Profile. UniBrows provides

the ability to inject these scripts directly into a page, overriding any page-defined JavaScript behavior

with this replacement version. As new versions of Internet Explorer include different versions of the

JavaScript engine, it may be necessary to modify a JavaScript function to ensure application

compatibility for a given web application. For example, a site designed for IE6 may be able to run in a

later version of Internet Explorer with only a few scripting tweaks. The JavaScript defined here is

injected in the <head> tag of the document after the page loads and before the OnLoad event of the

<body> tag is triggered.

The Scripts tab contains the following features:

1. List of Scripts

This list shows all configured custom scripts for the profile. To add a value, use the buttons on

the right-hand side or simply right-click inside this window select the “Create” from the context

menu.

2. Create

To create a new script, click the Create button. A popup window will appear that will allow you

to enter the script code and give the script a name.


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3. Edit

To edit a script, highlight the item and use the right-click context menu or click the Edit button

on the right-hand side.

4. Remove

To remove a script, either highlight the item and use the right-click context menu or click the

Remove button on the right hand side.

This basic example of the Scripts override feature provides an illustration of how to use the feature to

replace a function. Here is a simple HTML page with a function (DisplayMessage) that displays an alert

when the OnLoad event is triggered.

<html>

<head>

<script type=”text/javascript”>

function DisplayMessage(message)

{

alert(message);

}

</script>

</head>

<body OnLoad=”DisplayMessage(‘Hello world’)”>

Page body.

</body>

</html>


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To override the DisplayMessage function each time this page is loaded by a given Profile, simply click the ‘Create’ button to open the Script editor window. Provide a name for your script – this name is for your reference purposes only; it is not part of the function or script itself. Enter the entire JavaScript in the Script window. This example shows a single function, but the Script can contain any number of functions or statements (up to an object size limit of 2MB).

This script will now be injected into any page loaded by the associated Profile.

Note — Syntax validation is NOT performed on content entered in the Script editor window, so any malformed JavaScript may cause script errors or other unexpected behaviors.


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3.3.2.6. Content Handlers Tab

UniBrows will attempt to load content using the system defaults for specific content types or content

marked with a specific MIME type. In order to provide the ability to override default behaviors as well as

include the ability to define custom actions based on certain content types, UniBrows includes the

ability to define Content Handlers.

Note — Please be advised that the Content Handlers tab is only available on Profiles based on the IE6 rendering engine.

The Content Handlers Tab consists of the following features:

1. Content Handlers List

This list displays all configured Content Handler mappings. To add, edit or remove a Content

Handler mapping, use the buttons on the right hand side or simply right click inside this window

select the desired option from the context menu.

2. Create Handler

To create a new Content Handler mapping, click the Create Handler button. More information

on this feature and an example of creating a Content Handler can be found in Section 4.6

Working with Content Handlers.

3. Edit Handler

To edit a Content Handler mapping, highlight the item and use the right click context menu or

click the Edit Handler button on the right hand side.

4. Remove Handler

To remove a Content Handler mapping, either highlight the item and use the right click context

menu or click the Remove Handler button on the right hand side.


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3.4. Settings Tab

The Settings tab is used to control application wide values and behavior for UniBrows.


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3.4.1. Settings Editor

The Settings Tab gives you the ability to edit basic UniBrows configuration settings. These settings

encompass features such as Test Mode, Hang Prevention, Profile Idle Resets, and generic security and

loading behaviors.

The Settings Editor can be used to configure the following items:

1. Test Mode Settings

The Test Mode option allows an administrator to instantly render a site using UniBrows and the

preferred Profile, simply by entering the ub: prefix before any address in the Address Bar. Test

Mode will only work on systems with the UniBrows Configuration Manager installed so end

users cannot bypass rule settings or manually load pages using UniBrows.

2. Unmatched Rule Content Behavior

The IFrame/Subpage behavior option lets you control the behavior for handling how UniBrows

will render content on pages where certain items are from websites that do not match a rule

(for example, when pages display content from other domains). The options allow you to either

cancel the rendering (UniBrows default behavior) or have the unmatched rule content opened

in a new tab (one tab for each content item, which could result in many tabs being opened).


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3. Configuration Loading Behavior

Since UniBrows is a client side solution with no server component, getting the configuration

settings to the client is critical for proper operation. Just like the rest of the UniBrows system,

configuration management is extremely flexible and can be tailored to meet the design and

requirements of your environment.

By default UniBrows will look first in Group Policy for configurations, then Local Machine, then

Current User. This table provides a hierarchy of precedence for how configuration values are

evaluated and the locations being read:

UniBrows will not look for a flat file configuration by default. In order to instruct UniBrows to

load a flat file configuration instead of the registry or policy values, you must use the

‘Configuration loading behavior’ fields on the Settings tab.

To start, simply click the checkbox labeled ‘Enable flat file configuration’, then select a path

location where the file can be found. The path location value can be hardcoded or set to use a

variable (using the $(variable) format notation). If no path location is specified, UniBrows

will look in the install directory. Enter the filename for the flat file in the next textbox. If no

Group Policy Settings (Software\Policies\Browsium\UniBrows)

HLKM (Software\Policies\Browsium\UniBrows)

HKLM (Software\Browsium\UniBrows)

HKCU (Software\Policies\Browsium\UniBrows)

HKCU (Software\Browsium\UniBrows)


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filename is provided, UniBrows will call the Windows GetFiles() method and use the first

.UBP file returned.

In addition to these settings, you must instruct UniBrows to bypass the normal configuration

hierarchy search process noted above by configuring the client system with certain registry

settings.

For 64-bit systems, set the following registry values:

[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Wow6432Node\Browsium\UniBrows\Settings]

"LocalMachineOnly"=dword:00000000

"LoadFromFileEnabled"=dword:00000001

"LoadFromFilePath"=""

"LoadFromFileName"=""

For 32-bit systems, set the following registry values:

[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Browsium\UniBrows\Settings]

"LocalMachineOnly"=dword:00000000

"LoadFromFileEnabled"=dword:00000001

"LoadFromFilePath"=""

"LoadFromFileName"=""

In both cases, LoadFromFilePath is the network or file system location where the .UBP file is

located and LoadFromFileName is the specific filename for the .UBP file you wish to load.

If the selection for ‘Enable flat file configuration’ is checked, the settings loaded from the file will

take precedence over all other settings, regardless of where they are loaded from in the

registry.

4. Minimum Logging Level

UniBrows records logging information to the standard Windows event log under an Application

level source named ‘UniBrows’. The Logging Level setting option determines the amount and

type of data collected in the Windows event log. This table summarizes the various levels and

data collected:


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Level Description

All Writes Trace, Info, Warn, and Error entries

Info Writes Info, Warn and Error entries

Warnings Writes Warn and Error entries

Errors Writes Error entries

None Logging is disabled

5. Hang Prevention Timeout

The Hang Prevention Timeout value enables an organization to automatically terminate a

browser engine process if it goes longer than a predefined number of seconds without a

response to the UniBrows Controller. The Controller will automatically re-launch the stopped

process.

A value of 0 or lower will turn off hang prevention. The default setting for this feature is 0.

6. Profile Idle Reset Timer

The Profile Idle Reset Timer feature was introduced in order to provide administrators with

additional mechanisms for managing memory and system resources when the browser is not

being used.

To reduce memory consumption over time, UniBrows can be configured to reset idle Profiles

when certain conditions are met. Profile memory consumption may increase during long

browsing sessions as the local storage cache grows (when Sandboxing is enabled) or because of

memory leaks present in the browser engines themselves. UniBrows works to ensure proper

memory management but the underlying browser engines may consume resources in a manner

that UniBrows is unable to purge effectively.

Select a value (in minutes) greater than 0 to enable the Engine Idle Reset Timer feature. A value

of 0 or lower will disable the Engine Idle Reset Timer feature.

A profile is considered idle when the mouse has not moved and the keyboard has not been

activated for the specified idle time and there are no running instances of Internet Explorer in

the user session. When the specified idle time is reached and there are no open instances of

Internet Explorer in the user session, UniBrows restarts all running profiles.


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Restarting a profile clears session information, including cookies and cache. UniBrows does not

restart profiles if there are open instances of Internet Explorer in the user’s session.

7. Show Loading Page

On older systems, slower network connections or systems with limited memory, users may

experience a moment of delay while UniBrows loads content and attaches to the Internet

Explorer frame. This option allows administrators to control the display of the UniBrows loading

page to users while content is loaded.

Note — The hyperlinks on the loading page will always update to reference the requested URL, but the remainder of the text on this loading page cannot be edited.


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Section Four

Configuration Tutorial


How to create rules in UniBrows

How to remove rules in UniBrows

How to create a Profile

How to work with Custom Files and Registry Editor options

How to work with Variables

How to work with Custom File Handlers


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4. Configuration Tutorial

Once the UniBrows Configuration Manager installation is complete, you can begin configuring which

sites to display with the UniBrows add-on using the UniBrows Configuration Manager. The UniBrows

Configuration Manager is provided as a simple interface to create, delete, and manage UniBrows

behavior. As a security design, by default UniBrows only renders sites explicitly identified in the rule set,

so you must create a rule or series of rules in order to use UniBrows.

Note — A system must have the UniBrows Client add-on for the appropriate version of Windows installed in order to use the rules and configurations created in the UniBrows Configuration Manager.


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4.1. How to create a rule

UniBrows provides several options for rule matching in order to meet the specific needs of your

environment. In this example we have identified a website, http://www.aggrid.com, which is not

compatible with IE8, so we need to make a rule to enable UniBrows when users visit that web

application.

A rule can be created using the following steps:

1. Open the UniBrows Configuration Manager. Since no rules or settings are loaded by default, you

will need to create a New Project or Load Local Settings from under the File tab. If this is the first

time you have loaded the UniBrows Configuration Manager you will have no Project files or local

settings on your system so you would create a New Project.

http://www.aggrid.com/


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2. With your Project loaded, you can now begin to create a rule. Click the Rules tab, and then click

the ‘New’ button to bring up the Rule Editor window.


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3. Using the Rule Editor, enter a name for the rule. Rule names are friendly names for

organizational and identification purposes only and have no effect on the behavior of a rule. For

this example, we will choose “UniBrows Demo Site”.


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4. Under the ‘Conditions and Target’ section, select an element type from the dropdown menu.

For this example, we will choose the most common and granular type of rules used by

customers, “Absolute URI”. An Absolute URI is the exact text you would see in the browser’s

address bar when you are at a site excluding any fragments. A table with a list of all rule types

and a brief description of each is located in Section 3.2.1.1 Rule Editor Window.


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5. The next step is to choose an operator from the next dropdown menu. For this example, we will

choose “Is”. The operator “Is” allows UniBrows to open the website only if the value in the rule

matches the value in the browser’s address bar exactly. Since the condition matches only for the

root directory, named pages and sub-sites will not render using UniBrows, but rather with the

installed browser’s normal rendering behavior.


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6. Enter a value to check for in the Query text box. For this example we will use the URI of our

application - http://www.aggrid.com/.

Note — The trailing forward slash is critical for this particular rule since an Absolute URI must match the text you would see in a browser’s address bar when paired with the “Is” condition.

http://www.aggrid.com/


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7. Select “Default IE6 Profile” as the Profile for this rule.

Most rules would not require any of the Advanced Settings, but some organizations may choose

to modify these values for internal requirements or design policies. To view the Advanced

Settings simply click the Advanced button.

8. The first option under the Advanced Settings is to set the rule scope. Rules can be set for either

Machine or User scope. For this rule we will set the Scope to Machine.


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9. When you are done creating the rule (or changing a setting), remember to click the ‘Save’

button.

You can continue to add rules until you have completed all the desired entries.


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10. Rules and configurations can be saved either as Local Settings or Project files.

Saving as Local Settings will apply the rules and configuration to the machine instantly, whereas

saving the Project file would not apply those rules now but enable you to load them later or pass

them to another machine. For this example, we’ll use the Save Local Settings option under the

File tab.

In order to save the UniBrows configuration files to the local system, the user may need to click

‘Allow’ on the process elevation request.

11. Once the settings are saved, simply open your browser (IE8/IE9) and browse to the site that

satisfies the rule you have just created. The URL is prefixed by ub: so you know it is rendered by

the UniBrows rendering agent.

Note — You must save the rules and configuration or all work will be lost.


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4.2. How to remove a rule

You can easily remove a rule through the UniBrows Configuration Manager when it is no longer needed.

In this example, assume we have taken the needed steps to mitigate the compatibility issues with the

web application running on demo.browsium.com, so we no longer need to display the site using

UniBrows.

You can remove a rule by following these steps:

1. Open the UniBrows Configuration Manager and load the rules list containing the item you want

to remove (using either Load Local Settings or Load Project from the File tab). With the Project

loaded, click the Rules tab to bring up the Rule Editor.

2. Select the rule you wish to remove from the list of rules.

3. Click Delete.

Note —Remember to save the rules using the File tab (either as a Project File or Local Settings) before closing the Configuration Manager to ensure the deleted rule is actually removed from your configuration. For organizations using Group Policy to manage configurations, you will need to export the new settings and push out the changes to ensure clients are updated.


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4.3. How to create a Profile

The UniBrows Profiles feature provides the ability to bind specific custom file system, registry and file

settings to a specific browser engine. UniBrows includes nine Profiles in the standard configuration, the

‘Default IE6 Profile’, ‘Default IE6 Legacy Profile’, ‘Default IE7 Standards Mode Profile’, ‘Default Emulate

IE7 Profile’ and ‘Default IE8 Standards Mode Profile’, ‘Default Emulate IE8 Mode Profile’, ‘Default IE9

Standards Mode Profile’, ‘Default Emulate IE9 Mode Profile’, and ‘Default IE Edge Mode Profile’.

Any installed Profile can be modified to suit your needs, but Profile names cannot be changed once they

are defined. Some organizations may not need to make any customizations, while others require several

specific Profiles in order to make their various web applications function properly.

This table shows the specific browser engine version that will be loaded in each scenario:

Browser Engine selected If IE8 is installed If IE9 is installed

Internet Explorer: IE6 IE6 IE6

Internet Explorer: IE6 Legacy IE6 Legacy IE6 Legacy Engine is Not

Supported in IE9

Internet Explorer: IE7 Standards

Mode

IE7 Standards Mode for IE8 IE7 Standards Mode for IE9

Internet Explorer: Emulate IE7

Mode

Emulate IE7 Mode for IE8 Emulate IE7 Mode for IE9


Mode

IE8 Standards Mode IE8 Standards Mode


Mode

IE8 Standards Mode IE8 Standards Mode for IE9


Mode



Mode


Internet Explorer: Edge Mode IE8 Standards Mode IE9 Standards Mode

The following steps demonstrate how to create a Profile based on the IE6 browser engine to render sites

using an older version of Java. By design, Internet Explorer can only load the latest version of Java

installed on the machine. This design is ideal for security purposes, but it impedes the ability to ensure


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web application compatibility. This example will illustrate how to create a Profile to load Java 1.4.2

update 19 (1.4.2_19) instead of the newer Java 1.6 update 25 (1.6.0_25) version installed on the system.

1) Open the UniBrows Configuration Manager and click the Profiles tab, then click the ‘Create

Profile’ button to open the New Profile screen:

2) Enter a name and description for the new Profile. The name and description fields are for

reference purposes only and can be anything useful or meaningful to your organization and

environment.

Note — More information on this topic, including information on running other combinations of Java or how to run the MSJVM can be found online at http://support.browsium.com in the “Managing Java with UniBrows” document.


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3) Select Internet Explorer: IE6 from the browser engine dropdown list. For this example leave the

scope set to ‘Machine’ and enabled set to ‘Yes’.

Click ‘Save’ to finish creating the Profile.

Note — The names and descriptions fields cannot be changed once the Profile is created.


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4.4. Working with Custom Files, Registry Settings and ActiveX Controls

One of the most powerful features of UniBrows is that it lets you use files and settings other than those

traditionally installed on the PC. This is accomplished, in part, by creating additional UniBrows profiles.

To illustrate how this feature works, we have identified an example website, “aggrid.com”, which not

only requires IE6, but is also incompatible with the latest version of Java. To accommodate this site, we

need to create a Custom ActiveX control setting for the Profile created in section 4.3 How to create a

Profile to load the specific older, compatible version of the Java Runtime Environment.

The example used here (requiring Java 1.4.2_19) shows an ActiveX control setting that requires only one

file, but it is important to understand that many Custom ActiveX controls may be comprised of several

files (either .OCXs and/or .DLLs) as well as a range of registry entries. UniBrows includes an ‘Import’

and ‘Export’ feature to facilitate creating these more complex configurations.

The following steps demonstrate how to create the configuration needed to solve the Java compatibility

issues on the “aggrid.com” site:

1) Select the newly created Profile (“Java 1.4.2_19 & IE6 Profile”) from the Profiles list and click

‘Open Profile’. With the Profile loaded, click on the ‘Custom Files’ tab, then click the ‘Create

File’ button.

Note — Please visit the UniBrows support site (http://support.browsium.com) for more information on Settings and guidance for many of the most commonly requested controls.



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2) This will bring up the “Custom File and ActiveX Editor” window where you need to identify the

source and target files for UniBrows to manage.

3) The Source File is the item needed for your application – in this case the Java 1.4 file

(NPJPI142_19.dll). Either manually enter the path and location of the file or select it by clicking

the ‘…’ button to open the file dialog. The required .dll can be found under the “bin” directory

where Java was installed.


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Highlight the desired file and click ‘Open’ to select it.

The location and filename will be entered in the Source File text box.

4) The Target File is the file to be overridden – in this case Java 1.6 file (JP2IEXP.DLL). Either

manually enter the path and location of the file or select it by clicking the ‘…’ button to open the

file dialog. The Target File can be found under the “bin” directory where Java 1.6 was installed.

5) Leave the ‘Register ActiveX Control/COM Library?’ unchecked and select ‘OK’.

6) Your Profile should now show something like this:


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Now you need to create a rule to instruct UniBrows to automatically render the “aggrid.com”

site using this Profile. To get started, click the ‘Rules’ tab on the left side of the UniBrows

Configuration Manager to bring up the list of rules.

Note — By design, UniBrows will not load Profiles into memory if there are no rules referencing that Profile.


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1) Select ‘New’ from the buttons on the right to add a new rule:

2) Give the rule a friendly name (e.g. ‘Java 1.4 at Aggrid.com’) and enter ‘aggrid.com’ in the Query

field. Finally, select the profile we previously created from the ‘Profile’ dropdown:


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3) Click ‘Save’ to add this rule to the list:

4) Your rule and profile are now ready to use. Select ‘File’ from the menu on the left, then ‘Local

Settings’ and finally click ‘Save Local Settings.’

Note — On Windows 7, Windows Vista, and Windows Server 2008 you should see an administrative elevation (UAC) prompt (if enabled on your system). Note that this will close any open IE windows.


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4.5. Working with Custom Environment Variables

Using system, user and custom environment variables increases flexibility and provides easier

mechanisms to manage custom Registry and file system settings in UniBrows. Instead of requiring all

values to be hard coded, variables can be used to define local or network directory locations.

As an example, you can use the following steps to create a Custom Files Editor to override the default

Windows directory location environment variable windir:

1. Select the desired Profile from the Profiles navigation menu. Then, click the ‘Open Profile’

button on the right-hand side of the window. Next, click on the ‘Variables’ tab and either right-

click inside the Variables display window or click the ‘Create Variable’ button on the right-hand

side.


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2. First,create the variable in this dialog. Any variables defined here can be used in the Registry

Editor and Files Editor tabs for more flexibility in pathname declarations. For example, to

override the system windir value:

3. Profile-defined variables can be used to override a system variable by simply redefining the

desired variable on this tab. Now references to windir will use the new value when referenced

in any UniBrows setting or configuration:


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UniBrows loads and recognizes Variable values and locations using the following order of

precedence:

This means that UniBrows will always chose a Variable defined in a UniBrows Profile over one

defined in either the User Environment settings or the System Environment settings when

Variables of the same name exist across those locations. In the same vein, UniBrows will choose

a Variable defined in the User Environment settings over one defined in the System

Environment settings when Variables of the name are defined in both locations concurrently.

Profile-defined Variables

User Environment Variables

System Environment Variables


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4.6. Working with Content Handlers

Note — The Content Handlers tab is only available on Profiles based on the IE6 Browser engine.

To configure a Content Handler, open the Settings Editor and select the Profile for which the Custom

Handler is needed. Click on the Content Handlers tab, and then click Create Handler. To edit a previously

created Content Handler, double-click on the item or highlight it and click ‘Edit Handler’. To remove a

previously created Content Handler, simply highlight the item and click ‘Remove Handler’.

Note — Removing a Content Handler requires completely rebuilding it later should it be needed in the future. Content Handlers can be disabled instead, making it easy to ensure they are not loaded into a configuration but they can be restored at any time. To disable a Content Handler, simply click the checkbox next to the Type Class value.


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4.6.1. Content Handler Editor

The Content Handler Editor window is where all configurations and settings are managed for individual

Content Handlers.

This editor offers you the ability to configure the following properties of a Content Handler:

1. Type Class

There are two possible values for Type Class: File Type and MIME Type. For File Type, UniBrows

will trigger on all files with the specified file type. For MIME Type, UniBrows will trigger on all

files with the given MIME type. MIME types are specified in the response headers from the

remote web server.

2. Type Name

Values for the Type Name field depend on what was selected for the Type Class value. For File

Type, specify the file extension (e.g. .pdf) in the Type Name field. For MIME Type, specify the

MIME type (e.g. application/pdf) in the Type Name field. A complete listing of possible

MIME types can be found at http://reference.sitepoint.com/html/mime-types-full.

3. Enabled

All Content Handlers are enabled by default when they are created. To disable a Content

Handler, simply change the value of this field to ‘No’.

http://reference.sitepoint.com/html/mime-types-full


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4. Action

This setting determines what action the UniBrows Client will take when a download covered by

a Content Handler is encountered.

Possible options for this setting are:

Prompt for Download

The Content Handler will prompt the user to save the file that is being downloaded.

Open Default Program

The Content Handler will download the file to temporary storage location and attempt

to launch the file in the default application.

Run Command

The Content Handler will download the file to a temporary storage location and run the

custom command specified in the “Command” field. To insert the name of the file in the

custom command, use the "%1" macro.

Do Nothing

The Content Handler will ignore the content and cease processing the request.

5. Command

If the Action setting value is set to Run Command, the Content Handler will download the file to

a temporary storage location and execute the text. To insert the full path and file name of the

downloaded file, use the "%1" macro.


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The following screenshot of a Handler Editor instance outlines an example scenario where files of MIME

type "application/pdf" are downloaded to a temporary location and passed to an application via a

command line. The downloaded file is passed to the command line via the "%1" variable.

4.7. Understanding Security Level options

By default, UniBrows is designed to provide a secure browsing experience in which content is loaded

and isolated from the underlying system, providing a more secure environment for older rendering

engines like IE6. For more modern engines, UniBrows still helps ensure a more secure system by

providing additional layers of security before content is written to the underlying operating system or

file system.

By default, new rules are created with the Security Level set to High. Some complex web applications

may require a reduction in the Security Level setting in order to function properly. In most cases, the

issues can be resolved by creating a more comprehensive set of rules, as the issues are generally related

to content not being loaded when it does not match a rule. While the recommended solution is to

ensure a more complete rule set, there are some instances where that is not practical or possible. For

those situations the Security Level can be reduced to support the web application functionality.

This listing provides more details on each Security Level and how it impacts functionality:

High Security

The High Security Level is assigned by default to new rules, and represents the strictest possible

rule behavior. All navigation and page sub-content must go through standard rules processing.

Content not matched by a rule will not be loaded (or loaded in another tab if selected by the

administrator).


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Medium Security

Once the user navigates to a page matching a UniBrows rule with a Medium Security Level, any

page content (IFrames, scripts, etc.) will be loaded using the same rule Profile regardless of

whether the URL for the element also matches a rule. When clicking on any links, normal rule

evaluation will apply before loading the page. When navigating to a new page by entering a URL

directly, standard UniBrows rule processing applies.

Low Security

When a user navigates to a page matching a UniBrows rule with a Low Security Level, any page

content will be loaded regardless of whether the URL for the element also matches a rule.

Additionally, clicking on any links in the page will keep the user in the UniBrows engine,

regardless of whether the target page matches a rule. However, when navigating to a new page

by entering a URL directly, standard UniBrows rule processing applies.

Note — Use this setting when you are having difficulty creating rules to match all page content for a site.

Note — This setting may expose a system to content that was not intended to be rendered using the loaded browser engine Profile, administrators should avoid using it if at all possible.


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Section Five

Rule Writing Basics


Recommendations for rule writing

Using Test Mode for instant testing


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5. Rule Writing Basics

You completely control the UniBrows experience. We do not pre-ship any rules. There is nothing hidden

from you and we do not make any decisions for you. We can, however, provide some guidance on

writing rules that might work effectively for your organization.

For security purposes, we have designed UniBrows not to render content that fails to match a declared

rule. This design prevents unwanted content from being displayed using anything other than the

‘Default IE Edge Mode Profile’ engine. While our design increases security and protects both systems

and users from inadvertently loading malicious content, unmatched rule content can still be displayed.

By default, UniBrows will cancel rendering for unmatched content included on web pages that are

rendered by UniBrows. This behavior can be modified to allow each of those content references to be

opened in a separate tab using the ‘Default IE Edge Mode Profile’ rendering actions.


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5.1. Recommendations for writing rules that work well

UniBrows was designed so users browsing the web should not be aware whether the UniBrows add-on

is in use, or take any action to ensure line of business applications ‘just work’. This is the key to a

successful experience. Users should not be concerned with the browser rendering engine that they are

using while interacting with line-of-business applications and websites. Anything else can be disruptive

and interfere with workflow and efficiency. When writing rules with the UniBrows Configuration

Manager, there are some things to take into consideration that can help your users have a better

experience.

Many organizations have just begun the assessment process to identify which applications and websites

are not compatible with a newer version of Internet Explorer. Most internal web applications are

accessed through the intranet zone so, at first, you may want to write a rule that covers the intranet

zone. This will ensure that all your internal web applications continue to render as they would with IE6.

Over time, you can build a library of rules that cover the specific web applications which either do not

work with later versions of the browser or still need to be tested. Then, you can remove the overarching

intranet rule so that the specific rules apply.

Some web applications used by your organization may be accessed in sites resolved in the Internet zone.

We strongly advise you not write a rule that cover the Internet zone because that will cause all external

websites to be rendered as they were with IE6. For sites in the Internet zone needing UniBrows, you

should write rules to specifically target the web applications used by your organization.

Be aware as you write rules to cover web applications that some content may be drawn from other

website locations. Some web applications display content on the page that comes from sites or domains

other than the one displayed in the address bar of the browser. By default UniBrows cancels the

rendering of content from different domains or sites outside an authorized rule. UniBrows can be

configured to display content from different domains and display it in separate browser tabs.

For example, you use a web application from www.browsium.com; therefore, “browsium” is the domain

for the application. If the Browsium page includes content from another domain (e.g.

www.browsermechanics.com), UniBrows handles the display of content from the Browsium domain in

one browser tab and cancels display of content for the other domain (or opens it in a separate tab if

configured). A common everyday example is a website that contains advertising where the content of

the advertisement comes from a different domain.

Note — Browsium strongly discourages writing a rule that covers the Internet zone.


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5.2. Working with Web Application Assessment Tools

While UniBrows provides a solution for Web Application Continuity issues, you must create a rule set to

make your line of business applications function properly. For organizations that have been actively

assessing application compatibility issues in their environment, making the rules list can be relatively

straightforward. For organizations just starting their assessment efforts, making the rules could prove

complex – but the Local Intranet rule could be a short term solution while more assessment is

performed.


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5.3. Using Test Mode

Sometimes you may want to try a site with UniBrows rather than creating a rule, saving it and loading

the web application. UniBrows includes the ability to enable Test Mode for instant site testing. To

enable Test Mode, open the Configuration Manager, click the Settings tab and select the checkbox next

to Enable Test Mode. Test Mode can be configured to run any Profile, including custom Profiles you may

need to create for your organization.

With Test Mode enabled, simply enter the prefix ub: before any URL to instantly load a given web page

or application using the specified Profile. When a site is displayed using Test Mode, an Information Bar

will indicate the site is rendered using Test Mode and note the specific Profile being used to render the

site:

Test Mode is only available for users on a system with the Configuration Manager installed; it cannot be

used or deployed to all users via the Client add-on. Attempts to manually enter the ‘ub:’ prefix without

the Configuration Manager installed will simply be ignored and the URL will be processed using the

installed browser standard rendering mode. Customers are advised to use caution when loading sites

located in the Internet Zone, as the Test Mode feature works regardless of what Zone the content is in

and content could be rendered using a lower security context than intended.

Note — Enabling Test Mode will cause UniBrows to render rule matching sites to be rendered using the Test Mode Profile selection instead of the Profile listed in the defined Rule. In addition, when the ub: prefix is manually entered, all navigations (even clicking on links for a different URL) in that session will be rendered using the Test Mode Profile selection.


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Section Six

Managing UniBrows in the Enterprise


How rules and settings are applied with UniBrows

Using UniBrows with Group Policy

Using UniBrows with Flat File Configurations

How UniBrows keeps users secure through Admin-only configurations


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6. Managing UniBrows in the Enterprise

In this section, you will learn how to prepare UniBrows rules for deployment. UniBrows rules can be

deployed using a range of methods and tools. This section focuses on two of them:

Group Policy

Flat File Deployment


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6.1. UniBrows rules behavior

Since UniBrows is an opt-in rules based model, the ordering of rules can be critical to ensure your web

applications function properly. The design of UniBrows allows an organization to manage configurations

in either centralized or distributed models. With a centralized team owning the configuration, there is

less likelihood of having multiple configurations, or less chance of multiple overlapping configurations.

Organizations that distribute configuration settings to various business units or web application teams

may encounter situations where two (or more) configuration settings are in direct conflict. In these

instances UniBrows will always use the ‘Last In, First Out’ (LIFO) method, meaning that newer

configuration values will overwrite previously read values for the same name.

For organizations using Group Policy and multiple Organizational Units, similar logic applies. For example

if all company users receive one set of rules defined by the corporate IT department, and another

configuration is only applied to members of the Finance department, it is important to understand that

if there are no rule or configuration conflicts the two sets of configurations will simply be additive, giving

Finance users a larger set of rules than other company employees. If there is a conflict, LIFO applies

again and whatever rules were read last will overwrite previous values.

In addition to the process outlined here, specific examples and step by step directions for managing

UniBrows with Group Policy can be found online at support.browsium.com.

Note — When using Group Policy for managing client configurations, User and Machine Scope definitions must match for rules and Profiles or UniBrows may fail to properly render content on client systems.


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6.2. Export rules to deploy using Group Policy

It’s easy to prepare UniBrows rules and configurations for deployment via Group Policy, in your choice of

ADMX or ADM file formats. The following steps demonstrate how you can export Group Policy data

from the UniBrows Manager.

1. Open the UniBrows Configuration Manager. Click the File menu, select the Group Policy tab, and

then click the icon for the desired Group Policy template – ADMX or ADM.

2. Choose a location to save the export file.


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3. After exporting the rules and configurations into an ADM/ADMX file, simply import them to your

Group Policy environment.

Some organizations may have a need to export only portions of the settings rather than the entire

configuration. The Advanced ADMX Export provides the ability to select which elements, or groups of

elements, to be exported in ADMX formatting. Use the following steps to selectively export Group Policy

information for one or more UniBrows objects.

1. Begin by clicking the Advanced ADMX Export button on the Group Policy tab.

2. That will bring up the Group Policy Export selection window.

3. Select the checkbox(es) next to the item(s) to export, and only those elements will be exported.


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6.3. Exporting rules for Flat File distribution

UniBrows also supports flat file-based rule deployments. UniBrows save projects as standard XML,

allowing you to take full advantage of this versatile format.

The following steps demonstrate how you can prepare a UniBrows project file for distribution over your

network:

1. Open the UniBrows Configuration Manager. Click the File tab, and then click ’Save Project’.

2. Choose a location to save the project file.


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3. (Optional) You can open your project file using Notepad or other text editors.

4. Use your preferred method of software distribution to propagate the flat files to the end user

machines, but be sure to follow the process outlined in Section 3.4.1 Settings Editor to ensure

proper management of UniBrows with flat files.

Note — While you can view and edit files using Notepad or other text editors, Browsium does not recommend using anything other than the UniBrows Configuration Manager for editing rules and configurations.


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6.4. Why users can’t create their own rules

Only Administrative installs of UniBrows are capable of creating rules. The reason for this is boils down

to a simple reason: security.

Older web applications and ActiveX controls were not designed with modern exploits in mind and may

not be updated as frequently as their newer counterparts (or at all, in the case of end-of-life software).

That’s why it’s important to run modern, up-to-date software for normal, everyday web browsing.

UniBrows helps organizations do just that, allowing them to migrate to the latest platforms while

continuing to use the legacy software on an as needed basis.

A user faced with an incompatible web application might be tempted to use UniBrows excessively or

even exclusively. But running UniBrows to render like IE6 and exposing outdated ActiveX Controls to the

open Internet just isn’t a good idea.

Compatibility problems are frustrating and incur a cost to users’ productivity. Since users are not given a

way to enable UniBrows manually to ‘fix’ something that appears to be broken, we encourage

companies to use existing support feedback mechanisms, such as helpdesk or support escalation

systems, to give users ways to provide feedback and get new sites added to the UniBrows rules lists.


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Appendix A

Appendix A: Troubleshooting


How to recognize issues with a UniBrows configuration

What to do when UniBrows is not working as expected


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A. Appendix A — Troubleshooting

A.1. UniBrows Rule and/or Test Mode Fails To Engage

You may encounter a scenario in which UniBrows fails to engage on one or web sites based on rules

you’ve created or based on your Test Mode settings.

The following points may help guide you to a resolution:

Review System Prerequisites

o Check to see that the target computer meets the performance and storage

requirements to run UniBrows

o Confirm that .NET 2.0 Service Pack 2 is installed on the computer running the UniBrows

Client installation. UniBrows requires the .NET 2.0 Service Pack 2 Framework.

Allow UniBrows to finish loading

o UniBrows loads many components when started and it may take up to 10 seconds for all

UniBrows components to start and load properly.

o If you are seeing page titles that say “Loading…” and no other behavior, it is possible

Internet Explorer was started before UniBrows finished loading all the necessary files.

Since this only needs to be done once, simply shutdown Internet Explorer, restart the

UniBrows controller/processes and wait a few seconds before restarting Internet

Explorer.

Verify the UniBrows Installation Files

o If you are using a computer where both the Configuration Manager and Client Package

are present, ensure that they are installed and running

o If you are using a computer where only the Client Package is installed, verify that it is

correctly installed and running

Ensure Matching Versions of the Configuration Manager and Client Package are Installed

o If you installed previous versions of UniBrows, make sure that you are using the

Configuring Manager whose Major, Minor, and Update numbers match that of the

Client Package currently installed on a target machine

Confirm that the UniBrows Executable Files are Running

o Check to see that the UniBrows Controller

(Browsium.Continuity.Controller.exe) is running on the target machine

o Verify that the Browser Engine/Profile executable files

(Browsium.Continuity.InternetExplorer*.exe) are running


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Please note that these files will only be running if they are being used by an rule

that is enabled or if Test Mode is both enabled and set to use a specific Profile

Ensure that the UniBrows Plugin is Enabled and Running

o See if the UniBrows Internet Explorer Add-On (part of the UniBrows Client Package) is

being both seen and loaded by Internet Explorer

Open Internet Explorer and open the Manage Add-Ons dialog . Do you see the

UniBrows client installed? Is it enabled?

An Internet Explorer instance that correctly sees and loads the UniBrows Client

Package Add-On will display the following information in the Manage Add-Ons

dialog:

Try Using Test Mode

o If you do not have Test Mode running already, or if Test Mode is working when rules are

not, turn Test Mode on.

To enable Test Mode, open the Configuration Manager, click the Settings tab

and select the checkbox next to Enable Test Mode.

Select the Profile you wish Test Mode to use when evaluating pages

Turn on Test Mode and apply the configuration to your system by running Save

Local Settings in the Local Settings portion of the File tab

o Test your pages simply prepend the protocol ub: to the URL or URLs in question to

instantly load a given web page or application using the specified Profile.

o If Test Mode works when a rule does not:

Review the rule(s) for errors

Try using alternate Element or Condition settings for the rule(s)

Re-Register UniBrows Components

o Use the UniBrows Support Toolkit to ensure the UniBrows core components are

properly registered with Windows.

o Launch the Browsium.Continuity.Tools.exe application and click the Registration

tab, then follow the directions to register the components:

Note — Test Mode is only available for users on a system with the Configuration Manager installed, it cannot be used or deployed to all users via the UniBrows Client add-on.


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Visit the Forums/Contact Support

o If all of these steps fail, consider posting a question on the Browsium Support Forums.

o If you have a support evaluation or contract, contact your service integrator, the

Browsium Support team for one-on-one guidance

A.2. UniBrows not rendering/Title says “Loading…”

If you have verified the rules are correct and the website still fails to load even using Test Mode (on a

machine with both the Administrative Tools and Client Add-on installed), you may need to restart the

UniBrows client add-on or engine. To check both are running, look in Task Manager for the

Browsium.Continuity.Controller.exe and

Browsium.Continuity.InternetExplorer6.exe images. If neither appears in Task Manager, try

closing and restarting Internet Explorer to ensure the add-ons are loaded.

Simply closing Internet Explorer won’t guarantee a full restart and reload. Use Task Manager, Process

Explorer, or another task management program to ensure both UniBrows files and Internet Explorer files

are closed. Close, force close, or kill all iexplore.exe processes as well as the ielowutil.exe

process in addition to any UniBrows process.

When Internet Explorer is restarted you should see the UniBrows pieces load properly. If that procedure

does not restore functionality, you may need to restart the machine.

Please consult your service integrator, Browsium Support Forums or contact Browsium Support directly

if you cannot resolve this issue.

A.3. Correct Profile Does Not Load for a Web Site

If you are experiencing an issue where a specific UniBrows Profile does not load for one or more web

sites, the following steps may help resolve your issue.

1. Check that you have rule covering the website or web application in question.

a. If testing locally, make sure you have saved the current settings to the local machine

2. Open the Task Manager and check that the Browsium.Continuity.Controller.exe

(Controller), the Browsium.Continuity.InternetExplorer6.exe (IE6 Engine) and

Browsium.Continuity.InternetExplorer8.exe (IE8 Engine) processes are running.


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3. In Internet Explorer, open the Manage Add-Ons window, and check that the UniBrows Plugin for

Internet Explorer is enabled. Your configuration should match the configuration in the

screenshot below:

4. If the Configuration Manager is installed on the machine, try to load the site using the Test

Mode with the appropriate Profile by entering ub: at the start of your target URL or URLs

A.4. Browser window doesn’t get focus automatically

Some users may experience ‘focus’ issues where a web page or web application loads and the user is

unable to interact with the browser window automatically. This issue is related to how Windows

provides focus control (the ability to receive input). Users will need to click inside the browser tab

window to ensure proper focus.

A.5. Some keyboard shortcuts don’t work

Keyboard shortcuts may appear not to work, or work in a different way than expected when viewing a

page rendered with UniBrows. This is by design. UniBrows strives to make the rendering experience as

real as possible, so keyboard shortcuts will act as they did in the Client Engine. For example, IE6 didn’t

have support for the Ctrl-T shortcut to open a new tab since tabs weren’t available for that browser.


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A.6. Additional tabs are created with little to no content

Some web pages are designed to contain content from numerous sources, either included as IFrames or

Subpages. When the content of those items are served from a location without a rending rule, UniBrows

will not display the content in the tab. For security reasons UniBrows will not allow unauthorized URL

content to be loaded alongside authorized content. Instead, each piece of content from non-ruled

sources will be opened in a new tab.

This behavior can be controlled in the UniBrows Configuration Manager, under the Settings tab:

A.7. UniBrows not working properly in other versions of IE

At this time UniBrows is only supported for Internet Explorer 8 and 9, so you may see unexpected

behavior when trying to install and run UniBrows with other versions of Internet Explorer.

A.8. UniBrows renders content in IE6, but there are still layout or

scripting issues with the page

UniBrows is able to replicate the vast majority of IE6 behaviors and bugs (rendering, layout, and script),

however there may be cases where IE6 running through UniBrows differs in these areas when compared

to IE6 on Windows 2000 or Windows XP.

If you believe that your web application may be experiencing this problem, the following steps can help

you perform an initial investigation and possibly find the root cause:

1. Determine whether this is an issue with IE6 or with UniBrows. To start, open the page using a

standalone, complete installation of IE6 and see if the same issues exist. If they do, it is a core

IE6 issue that UniBrows may not be able to resolve. Since UniBrows provides granular controls

over most IE features, please contact your system integrator or Browsium support to determine

if other options would help resolve your web application issues.


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2. If native IE6 renders the page correctly but UniBrows does not, check that your rules cover all

the content delivered to the page. Common mistakes include:

a. This site may load content from other domains. Be sure all included domains are

covered by rules

b. This site may load content via an ActiveX control that the current profile does not

manage. Be sure that all controls are accounted for in the current profile

3. If you can determine that your rules and profile are correct, please follow up with your local

support organization to escalate the issue.

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