Creating an iPad website
The Meridian Explorer iPad app connects to a server hosting the Explorer website. The website requires forms style authentication and Secure Sockets Layer (SSL), which is different than the authentication used for PC web browsers. Therefore, you must create a duplicate Meridian Enterprise Server website configured for and dedicated to the iPad users.
Note
- iPad users will each require a permanent BC Read-Only Explorer Client License as described in About licensing.
- You will need a certificate from a known certificate authority in order to configure SSL.
- To enable iPad users to attach pictures to repository items, select the Enable feedback functionality option as described in Creating and editing detail page layouts.
- Downloaded documents will open in the default web browser configured on each user’s device. To open the documents in a different browser (other than Safari, for example), bind the other browser to a different protocol than HTTP or HTTPS and then specify that protocol for the Download prefix setting in the Meridian Explorer for iPad app on the device.
To create an iPad website:
- On the Meridian Enterprise Server web server, in Windows Explorer, make a complete copy the Meridian Enterprise Server website folder (by default, C:\inetpub\wwwroot\BCEnterprise) to a new folder C:\inetpub\wwwroot\BCExplorerTouch. The folder name must be BCExplorerTouch.
- In Internet Information Services Manager:
- Add a new application, specify the path to the copied folder, and select the same application pool as used by the BCEnterprise website.
- Disable Windows Authentication.
- Enable Anonymous Authentication and Forms Authentication.
- Bind HTTPS to the website with a valid SSL certificate. For more information, see the operating system documentation.
- In the root of the iPad website, rename the existing web.config file to disabled it.
- Rename Web.BCExplorerTouch.config to web.config. This changes the site authentication mode from Windows to Forms, which is required for the site to authenticate iPad users.
- In Meridian Enterprise Server Administration Console:
- Configure the forms authentication options as described in Enabling forms authentication.
- Configure the forms authentication options for the appropriate groups (we recommend a dedicated group) or users as described in Creating and editing groups or Creating and editing user accounts, respectively.
- Select at least one repository view for use by the iPad website as described in Creating and editing repository views.
- Deploy the changed view as described in Deploying the current views.
- On the Meridian Enterprise Server web server, restart Internet Information Services or restart the application pool used by the website. A restart will also be required after any future view configuration changes.