Client support in NetSP

ITEM: RS4000003235



Question........:                                                               
                                                                                
My customer is looking for a single sign-on solution to support the             
following appl servers and clients.                                             
Targets:- MVS, Windows NT, Novell, UNIX, OS/2                                   
Clients:- Workgroup for Windows, Windows 95.                                    
                                                                                
I see that NetSP is still available.                                            
But when is it going to support Windows NT and Windows 95?                      
I there an alternative solution?                                                
Answer..........:                                                               
====> THIS TEXT HAS BEEN ENTERED BY IBM IN UK                                   
From the NETSP forum,in response to someone requesting NT support,              
I saw the following:                                                            
                                                                               
"No, NetSP SLC was written to support only the 3.1 environment.  We did         
not test in Windows NT or 95.  As you may have seen from previous               
posts,                                                                          
the SLC product is stabilized and any enhancements for single-signon            
will be done around DCE.  There will be no more enhancements in the             
NetSP SLC product as of this time.  Sorry."                                     
this append was from May 96.                                                    
                                                                                
The same forum referenced the Security web page (www.ibm.com/security).         
The web page talks about "Secure Single Sign-On" which sounds a very            
relevant product but very little info is given.                                 
                                                                                
" With IBM's Secure Single Sign-On, users can access files,                     
 applications, printers, and database servers anywhere in the                   
 enterprise with just one password log-on. Users can log-in to                 
 mainframes, LAN servers, OS/2 Warp Servers, Novell Netware, NT                 
 servers, databases, local operating systems, and DCE applications.             
 Secure Single Sign-On works with popular client desktops,                      
 including OS/2, AIX, Windows 95 and Windows NT."                               
                                                                                
After discussion with our WARP Server specalist who is involved in our          
DCE products I believe that the product referred to on the Web is in            
development.                                                                    
My current understanding is that in its first release (mid-year?) it            
will only support an OS/2 client and six months later we will get               
Win 95 and NT clients. The server product will run on a DSS product             
and will, in the first instance, be on AIX. Clients will log on                 
to DCE and interact with the server which will handle logons.                   
                                                                                
The above is the result of my research to date. (Please keep in mind           
the product is not available so please consider how/whether you relay           
the info to people outside IBM). I believe we can find out some more            
about this area and will append the IQ as soon as I can with the                
detail.                                                                         
I will also send you e-mail.                                                    
Answer..........:                                                               
====> THIS TEXT HAS BEEN ENTERED BY IBM IN UK                                   
From: Donna Barker                                                              
SUBJECT: Single sign-on query                                                   
IBM Confidentail                                                                
Sandra,  IBM's DSS lab in Austin is developing a Secure single sign-On          
product, which replaces NetSP.                                                  
It is not yet announced.  The planned Availability date is                      
mid year 1997.   We do not know product pricing or packaging yet.               
The lab is conducting a closed customer beta starting mid-March.               
The first release is planned to support Windows NT client with                  
AIX as the SSO server and targets - DCE, Netware 4.x and NT domain              
and 3270 login (attachmate emulator).                                           
(The second released planned for 6 months later may support Win95               
clients)                                                                        
                                                                                
Our recommendation is that we carefully select customers, which                 
are experiencing the most pain in sign-on to the targets in our                 
first release and have Windows NT desktops....                                  
Secondly, we need to be able to propose and provide professional                
consulting services with the SSO software.  Since we have no local              
consultants trained on the product in SA, I have copied Pat                     
Savage in UK for a recommendation on service.                                   
If a customer is willing to work with us, then we put together a                
project plan, which includes setting up the prerequisite                       
DCE cell software in a proof-of-concept lab environment to                      
get prepared for the sso product.                                               
We have requested that the lab provide an "open" beta program                   
in 2Q97, so that we can do more early prototype testing with                    
certain customers.                                                              
I will ask Luis to send you a copy of the draft SSO white paper.                
Please analyse your customer's sso requirements and let us                      
know if their requirements map to our first release.                            
                                                                                
                                                                                
                                                                                
                                                                                
                                                                                
                                                                                
                                                                               


WWQA: ITEM: RS4000003235 ITEM: RS4000003235
Dated: 04/1997 Category: TECAIXSW
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