The "Users" in the above diagram refers can be users that are authenticated by Windows Active Directory or Novell eDirectory. If the user does not exist in any one of the AD, eDirectory or another LDAP source domains, then the Novell Filr has the choice to create and provision Novell Filr local users.
External, non-Novell Filr users can also be created when external users are invited to participate via share invitations. Their emails are then be auto-provisioned as a local Novell Filr user or the Novell Filr can accept external users who has a Google or Yahoo! OpenID account.
This is obviously Novell's leadership in the User Identity Management space, offering both strength, security and simplicity of user access.
And the owners can also share and grant the appropriate rights of the structures of My Files and Net Folder sharing. I shall explain the 2 structures later.
Supported devices and methods include a web-based browser method, an app for Apple devices supporting iOS 5.x (or later), an app for Android 2.3 (or later) devices, downloadable clients for Windows and MacOS X.
The seamless and non-intrusive features of user authentication and its ability to ensure the customers do not need to rip-and-replace their existing internal file sharing and NAS infrastructure are important.
It is these 2 key features that has convinced me to write my previous blog entry. Novell Filr does not have the intention to force customers to move to the cloud or move to a managed service that will lock them in a service contract that is difficult to renege.
The software is downloaded from Novell. The .zip file has 3 appliance pieces – Filr, Search and MySQL. They are deployed either as a standalone appliance or in a clustered Filr configuration, in the VMware ESX host server, as seen in the diagram below.
There are 2 administrator logins for the Novell Filr. One is to manage the Novell Filr software and one to manage the Novell Filr appliance. That is why they are accessed as vaadmin through port 9443 (for Novell Filr appliance administration) or admin through port 8443 (for Novell Filr software administration).
Note that port 9443 connected to a Apache jetty HTTPD server while port 8443 is connected to an Apache Tomcat HTTPD server.
This blog entry is getting a bit too heavy to read. I shall continue with another entry about the concepts of Novell Filr My Files (Personal Storage) and Net Folder in another blog entry.
Tagged Active Directory, administration, Apache, BYOD, eDirectory, EFSS, LDAP, Novell Filr, Technology Overview. Bookmark the permalink.