Re: WindowsXP and double login challenges

Just FYI, I did run across a workaround to one of the bugs in the
WindowsXP WebDAV implementation.

In particular, if I try to create a web folder by double clicking
on "Add a network place" in the "My Network Places" folder,
the wizard fails when it gets to the authentication step,
where the symptoms are that it replaces your login name "foo"
with "www.whatever.org\foo" where www.whatever.org is the site
of the webdav location you were trying to link to.

But if you fire up Word, and then do a "File: Open" command, and
select "My Network Places" and then double click on the
"Add a network place" entry in that folder, it fires up a
slightly different wizard, which does not have the bug.

Now how long will it take before Word is "fixed" to activate
the buggy wizard instead?  (:-).

Cheers,
Geoff


Eric wrote on 07/09/2004 12:42:39 AM:

> This is basically a Microsoft problem not a WebDAV problem, which is why 
you
> haven't gotten a response from a standards group.  Authentication isn't
> actually addressed in WebDAV either, but uses the HTTP stuff.
> 
> The workaround I know of is that some vendors are including their
> authentication information in a cookie, which takes advantage of the 
fact
> that some of the Microsoft clients share the authentication information 
in
> the local cookie cache, whereas the HTTP authentication information is 
not.
> 
> ----- Original Message ----- 
> From: "Frank Lowney" <frank.lowney@mac.com>
> To: <w3c-dist-auth@frink.w3.org>
> Sent: Thursday, July 08, 2004 8:07 AM
> Subject: Re: WindowsXP and double login challenges
> 
> 
> >
> > It's great to see that the WebDAV protocol is relentlessly advancing 
but,
> as someone who is trying to get end users to embrace it over older, more
> established methods, I have to wonder whether the basic aspects of the
> protocol work well enough to assure a level of acceptance sufficient to
> sustain the momentum.
> >
> > Take, for example, the query I posted here a week or so ago (quoted
> below).  While it's difficult to definitively interpret a non-response, 
they
> tend to be interpreted as: yes, that's a problem but there is no 
solution or
> workaround.
> >
> > So, if that is the case with Win2K / WinXP Network Places access to a 
wide
> range of WebDAV-enabled servers where end users first and continuing
> experience with WebDAV is a double login challenge, we should not be
> surprised to learn that these end users are reluctant to consider 
change.
> >
> >
> > >We are currently working with three WebDAV-enabled servers as 
follows:
> > >
> > >WebSTAR V v.5.3.2 on MacOS X 10.3.4
> > >
> > >Apache on MacOS X Server 10.3.4
> > >
> > >BEA Weblogic (supporting WebCT Vista) on Solaris.
> > >
> > >Using WindowsXP & 'My Network Places,' we and our various clients and
> other constituencies are consistently seeing a "double login challenge" 
in
> all three cases. We don't see this issue on Win2K Pro or MacOS X.
> > >
> > >First, can anyone confirm that this is a "Microsoft not following
> standards again" issue?
> > >
> > >Second, can anyone suggest a work around that will unburden WinXP 
WebDAV
> users from the necessity of meeting this challenge twice?
> > >
> > >Thanks for any light shed on this issue.
> >
> >
> > -- 
> > =====================================================================
> > Dr. Frank Lowney  frank.lowney@gcsu.edu
> >     Director, Electronic Instructional Services, a unit of the
> >     Office of Information and Instructional Technology,
> >     Professional Pages: http://www.gcsu.edu/oiit/eis/
> >     Personal Pages: http://www.faculty.de.gcsu.edu/~flowney
> > Voice: (478) 445-5260
> > NOTICE: Please be advised that I am hearing impaired and communicate 
most
> effectively via e-mail.  Follow-up summaries of telephone conversations 
by
> e-mail are most appreciated.
> > =====================================================================
> > We don't make instruction effective, we make effective instruction 
more
> accessible.
> >
> >
>