Unexpected Authentication Prompts
Symptoms
When attempting to open a process library webpage, a dialog box prompts for credentials.
Cause 1
If there is a prompt for credentials, it means the Windows user account seeking access to files that comprise the webpage doesn't have sufficient permissions. Of course, this could be intended security behaviour. Otherwise, it would suggest incorrect permissions, perhaps even on a single file amongst many.
Solution 1
Check the permissions of the Triaster Server folder structure as described in Triaster Server 2011 - Folder and File Permissions.
Cause 2
Authentication prompts have been known to result from a missing file. Why that should have caused a prompt for credentials is not fully understood: it could be that a redirect to another file in response to a missing file is what raises the prompt, where there are insufficient permissions on the response file. However, that has not been confirmed.
A specific example is a reference within the generated Toolbar file to a script file that does not exist in the folder specified.
<script language="javascript" type="text/javascript" src="functions.js">
According to that, functions.js would be expected to be in:
Triaster\TriasterServer2011\BrowserToolkit\menu
but it is not there. Although that spurious reference applies to every Toolbar, it doesn't result in a prompt for authentication on every system. That would reflect different authentication methods and permissions employed on different systems.
Note:
A browser's status bar may identify a missing file. Fiddler is a tool that has been found to be useful when investigating authentication issues. http://www.telerik.com/fiddler
It can be installed on a client PC, and used to monitor web requests.
This is a typical record when opening a process library webpage that includes the Toolbar.
Checking the associated folder confirms the file does not exist.
Solution 2
Usually, the remedy would be to ensure the required file is in the expected place. In this example case, 'functions.js' is actually redundant. Indeed, if it were copied to the expected location, it would corrupt the appearance of the Toolbar. However, particularly as the Toolbar page is generated, and therefore not editable, the file request needs to be fulfilled to avoid the error. The solution is to create an empty 'functions.js' file in the expected location.