FrontDoor is a substitute for the standard way of logging on a server.
Just Enter your UserName & Password, then FrontDoor will mount all available volumes on one or more preselected servers.
If you start ExitDoor, it will try to unmount all mounted network-disks.
What does it do ?
FrontDoor is much more flexible than the standard route over the Chooser, because it mounts all volumes, on one or more server(s), immediately - which the user have access to !!!
Example:
We have 3 servers:
Stuff: Apps (Volumes on server)
Users
Cobra: Develope
OtherApps
Mercy: Secret
We include 2 of theese servers, which we want to mount volumes on (the third will not be tried to gain access to !):
Stuff
Cobra
We are allowed to use the volumes called:
Apps (from Stuff)
Users (from Stuff)
Develope (from Cobra)
So we enter our username & password, then FrontDoor automatically mount these volumes at the same time.
If the user who logged on only had access to ex. Apps (from Stuff) & Develope (from Cobra) then only these volumes would have been mounted.
What do I need to run it ?
• FrontDoor does NOT !!! support system 6, so at least system 7 (I've tested it on the danish versions of system 7.0 & 7.1)
• A network, with one or more servers (which supports either AFPVersion 1.1, 2.0 or 2.1), ex. with AppleShare or System 7 filesharing.
• If you are using different zones, it have to be in Phase 2 (I haven't tried under Phase 1, so I'm not sure what happens, but...) - If you don't use zones, then it will set the zonename to '*' (That's the name of the local zone).
• It's very important, that you have the same username & password on all servers, which you try to mount volumes on !!!
ATTENTION:
• All passwords are send across the network as "Cleartxt passwrd", which means No Security At All.
• The admin-password is saved in the FrontDoor-application, and is only very simple coded - so don't use your normal supervisor-password !!!
Dialogs
Searcing for zones & servers
FrontDoor is searching on the network for all servers & zones
Searching for pre. servers
FrontDoor is searching for the preselected servers
Please Initialize FrontDoor
&
FrontDoor isn't initialized
No servers selected to mount volumes on preseleted
No servers around ?!?
Are you sure that the Mac is connected to the network ?
I need an username !!
The user has not written an username
It isn't the right key
You have either a entered wrong registrationkey or -name
Your Access was denied
(Could it be the password?)
An error occured while mounting volumes
- Username, password, etc.
There are also some error-messages, used when unmounting allready mounted network-volumes, but they should be infomative enough to explain them here.
Ok, but how to install ?
Initialize FrontDoor:
Start FrontDoor up, and select the button "Setup".
Now you are in the preferences, where you have the following options:
Allow guests
Do you want users to log on the server as guests ?
Paste Owner
Paste the mac's ownername into the username ?
Change bootname
Change the name of the bootdisc, when starting FrontDoor ?
Include servers
Here you select the servers, which the users are allowed to log on (why waste time trying to log on 10 servers, when only 2 are of interest ?) - You can select up to 16 servers !! - If you don't choose any, FrontDoor will keep asking you to initialize it, everytime you start it.
Change password
Enter a password to limit the access to the preferences.
Register
Enter the registration code for FrontDoor
Print registrationform
Print the registration form on the printer
All preferences are saved within the application, so you don't have to fool around with a preferences-file.
Install it on the Mac's
This is easy, just copy it into the Startup Items-folder in the System Folder.
But be aware that FrontDoor ••MUST•• be the last application to start up, because you else will experience that you will be left with a "loss" in your memory of 512 KB. Why ? because your memory will be like this:
System: Lowest block of memory
FrontDoor: 512 KB of memory
Application X: xxx KB of memory
When FrontDoor is quitted, your memory won't be compacted, and it will look as if 512 KB is missing.
If FrontDoor is the last application to start up, this "loss" of memory won't appear.
- That's why it's called "ˇFrontDoor vx.x.x" (The first char in name is ASC(255)).
Another possibility is just to dump it on the desktop, and tell the users to use it when they want to access the servers (that's why I've included the ExitDoor - an easy way for the users to unmount the network-disks).
What does it cost ?
FrontDoor is shareware:
1 licens: $25
Unlimited licenses: $100
If you go into the "Setup"-part, you can print out a registration-form, which you have to fill out.
Send this registration-form and a check, made payable to me, then I'll return a registration key, but please be aware, that you have to write the registration-name excactly as you want it to be shown in FrontDoor, an ex. (Site Licens for Sønderborg Handelsskole):
Registration Name:
Sønderborg Handelsskole
Registration Key:
9047295388
Until you register, the
••• NOT REGISTERED •••
&
0 Licens(es)
will be showed when using FrontDoor, so...
What's going to happen with FrontDoor ?
Well, if I don't get any response, nothing I suppose, but else I have some ideas for features in future versions:
• A seperate preference for each user - On a server !!
• A "startup-item"-folder for each user - On a server !!
• Possibility to set a default printer when logging on
• Support of DES-encrypted passwords across the network
• A "Message Of ToDay" when logging on (Message on server)
And - hopefully - a lot of ideas from all of you out there - just come with them !!
Terms
This program is delivered "as is", no warranty, what so ever, is associated with this software. By using this software, you have all responsibility for any direct or indirect mishaps which may occur before, during or after the operation of the software.
If you're not satisfied with this, then just don't use it !!
Apple, AppleShare, AppleTalk & Macintosh are registered trademarks of Apple Computer Inc.
This program was primary written, because our students complained that they had to use the chooser every time they wanted to log on the network-server. (I'm working on a danish business college - Sønderborg Handelsskole - which includes a department for computing).
Where can I be reached?
FirstClass:
Brian Jacobsen,ETEL
Phone: +44-21-332-9949 (Edinburgh)
InterNet:
bkj@sdrborges.dk
SnailMail:
Brian K. Jacobsen
Grønningen 29
DK-6340 Kruså, Denmark
Thanks for help, etc.
I'll like to thank the following people for their help with developing this product
My collegues
(Patience, ideas, bugreports & encouragement)
Jørgen Terp
(Graphics)
Jon Nielsen, University of Western Australia
(Bug-reports & help with fixing these)
Matt Elliott, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, USA
(Bug-reports & help with fixing these)
David L. Hirschberg, Weizmann Institute of Science, Israel
(Bug-reports)
Eric L. Maki, Michigan Technological University, USA
