Instructions for Configuring Netscape Communicator for Individual CCIC PCs

Netscape Communicator 4.0 requires special protection settings and a special procedure in order to assure that it runs correctly on individual PCs and can be restored relatively easy. The complication with Netscape is that it requires several files and folders to be accessible and write-enabled so locking down the entire application does not work. A special configuration of the "CCIC Protection" settings file allows individual users to change Netscape preferences and write to the "Cache" folder. The set-up for restoring Netscape preferences is unique since the settings file cannot be globally distributed. In other words, you cannot create one Netscape preferences file for use on all of the CCIC PCs, like you can for most other applications. A global file for Netscape is effective to a point, however it will never properly direct where downloaded files are to be written. The preference for the CCIC is that users download files to the "Netscape Temporary Files" folder within the "Patron Folder." That way, regular purges of the Patron Folder will keep CCIC PCs from getting cluttered with files downloaded from the Internet. A global Netscape preferences file will not properly specify where downloaded files should go to so it is neccessary to maintain a separate preferences file for each individual PC in the lab.

Use the following instructions if a PC's copy of Netscape does not have the proper settings and re-starting the PC (and therefore reloading the PC's individual preference file) is not correcting the problem.

1. Start up the machine. Once it has finished booting up, activate the Netscape Communicator utility. Note that you should not need a MacAdmin disk for this procedure although you will need to know the password of the PC running MacAdmin (Frippery in the SCHED AppleTalk zone).

    

2. Once Netscape has finished loading, select the "Preferences" command under the Edit menu. The window should read "Preferences for ccic user." If this is not the case or if Netscape asks you to define a default user:
   • Quit the program.

   • Obtain a MacAdmin disk and logout of the machine.

   • Trash the "Netscape" and "Netscape Users" folders that are within the "Preferences" folder within the system folder.

   • Restart the PC so that the MacAdmin server restores the two folders from the server image.

    

3. In the "Preferences for ccic user" windows make sure that the following settings are present:
   • In the first window that appears, under "History,": Visited links expire after... should be set to "1" day.

   • Home Page Location should be set to "http://www.pitt.edu".

   • Click once on the triangle next to "Mail & Groups" in the left side of the dialog box. "Identity" should appear underneath "Mail & Groups." Click once on "Identity." Your name should be set to "ccic user". Email address should be set to " +@pitt.edu". This is just an indication that anyone poking around in this preferece will have to enter their own e-mail address if they wish to post an outgoing message with Netscape. Reply-to address should also be set to " +@pitt.edu". Organization should be set to "University of Pittsburgh".

   • Click on "Mail Server" under "Mail & Groups." Outgoing mail (SMTP) server should be set to "smtp.pitt.edu". The other two fields really don't need to be filled in since the CCIC machines should not be used for incoming mail.

   • Click on "Groups Server" under "Mail & Groups." Discussion groups (news) server should be set to "usenet.pitt.edu".

   • Click on "Applications" under "Navigator." Download files to.. should be set to "Hard Drive: Patron Folder: Netscape Temporary Files." This entire string will not be visible if this is set correctly. Use the "Choose" button to pick this folder if it is not set.

    

4. Click the "OK" button and then quit from Netscape.

    

5. If you do not know the PC's MacAdmin name, look at the "Logout" command under the Finder's Special menu and it will tell you the machine's name. It should be "CCICM" plus a number.

    

6. Open the PC's system folder and make the preferences for "ccic user" visible so that they can be copied. This can be done easily by double clicking on the system folder, opening the "Preferences" folder, opening "Netscape Users" and then opening the "ccic user" folder. It is important that the file "Netscape Preferences" stay visible so that it can be drag copied to a folder on the MacAdmin server so you can either use the triangles at the left side of a folder icon to bring the preference file into view or open folders as needed. The icon for "Netscape Preferences" should be orange indicating that it has been assigned the Finder's "Project 2" label. This is important since MadAdministrator will automatically load any file with this label if it is on the server image, even if the relative sizes of the server file and the one on the PC are the same. In this way, the Netscape preference file is reloaded every time a CCIC PC starts up.

    

7. Now you have to mount the MacAdmin server remotely so that you can make a copy of the Netscape preferences file to its appropriate location on the MacAdmin server so that it can be replaced every time the PC boots up.
   • Select the Chooser and click on the "AppleShare" icon in the upper left corner. When that is darkened, move the "AppleTalk Zone" pointer so that "SCHED" is visible and click on the line for it once.

   • The MacAdmin server PC's "Computer Name" is "Frippery" and it should be visible in the "Select a file server" window. Click on the line for "Frippery" once and click the "OK" button.

   • When prompted, enter "ccic" as the "Owner Name." Enter the PC's password into the "Password" field. Click the "OK" button.

   • Make sure that "Hard Drive" is highlighted under "Select the items you want to use" and click the "OK" button.

   • This should place an icon for Frippery's hard drive on the desktop of the PC where you are working.

    

8. Open the "Hard Drive" icon of Frippery. Don't get it mixed up with the "Hard Drive" icon of the PC where you are working. Open the following folders in this order:
   • "MacAdministrator"
   • "MacAdmin Server"
   • "Network Files"
   • "Machine Group Files"
   • The folder that corresponds to the MacAdmin "CCICM" number assigned to the PC where you are working.
   • "System Folder"
   • "Preferences"
   • "Netscape Users"
   • "ccic user"

    

9. Move the "Netscape Preferences" file from your PC to the "ccic user" folder you accessed in the last step. Replace the one currently there if necessary.

    

10. Once the new file has been transferred over to the MacAdmin server, close all open windows (using the Command-W keystroke is a quick way to neaten up the desktop) and dismount the "Hard Drive" icon of Frippery by dragging it to the trash. If you logged out of the machine in step two, make sure that the MacAdmin disk is out of the disk drive and select the "Logout" command from the Finder's Special menu.