Web server plug-in remote user information processing

You can configure your Web server with a third-party authentication module and then configure the Web server plug-in to route requests to the application server. If an application calls the getRemoteUser() method, it relies on a private HTTP header that contains the remote user information. This private header is parsed by the plug-in. The plug-in sets the private HTTP header value when a Web server authentication module populates the remote user in the Web server data structure. If the private HTTP header value is not set, the application's call to getRemoteUser() returns a null value.

• For an Apache and IBM HTTP Server (IHS) Web server, the plug-in builds the private header from the information contained in the associated request record.
• For a Sun One Web server, the plug-in builds the private header from the information contained in the auth_user property associated with the request. The private header is usually set to the name of the local HTTP user of the Web browser, if HTTP access authorization is activated for the URL.
• For a Domino Web server, the plug-in builds the private header from the information contained in the REMOTE_USER environment variable. The plug-in sets this variable to anonymous for users who have not logged in and to the user name for users who are logged into the application.
• For a Microsoft Internet Information Services (IIS) Web server, the plug-in builds the private header from the information contained in the REMOTE_USER environment variable. The plug-in sets this variable to the name of the user as it is derived from the authorization header sent by the client.

If the private header is not being set in the Sun One, IIS, or Domino Web server plug-in, make sure the request record includes information about the user requesting the data.

Note: If an application's call to getRemoteUser() returns a null value, or if the correct remote user information is not being added to the Web server plug-in's data structure, verify that the remote user parameter within the WebAgent is set to YES.