Note: This document is based on the original spoken WebCast transcript. It has been edited for clarity.

Barbara Lamkin: Hello and welcome to the Microsoft Support WebCast. We'd like to thank all of you for joining us today. Our topic will be "Internet Explorer Administration Kit: Enterprise Installation Guidelines." Our presenter will be Alan Horton. I am Barbara Lamkin and I will be your host for today's session.

We will start the session with Alan's presentation and follow that up with a question-and-answer period when the presentation is finished.

You should see a Message Center to the right of the PowerPoint® slide from which you can submit your questions. If you do not see that Message Center option on your screen, you can expand the view by clicking the appropriate icon at the top of the page.

You can submit your questions at any time during the live event. However, we will hold off on answering them until the presentation is done.

I would now like to take a moment to introduce Alan. Alan has a Bachelor of Science degree in Business Administration and has been working at Microsoft for about three years. He is currently an IEAK/Internet Explorer Specialist for the Premier OS Desktop team.

Thank you so much for joining us Alan. Please begin.

Alan Horton: It is a pleasure to be here. Thank you, Barbara.

Today I am going to cover the Internet Explorer Administration Kit overview. And that overview for the most part consists of five general areas that need to be considered for the corporate desktop. {First,} the automatic version synchronization — or AVS — that is the acronym that we use for that.

The second area we will deal with is the build creation options. Third, we are going to talk about INS file creation — how de we create an information file, and how does that customize the desktop. Fourth, we are going to talk about all of the different ways that we can distribute files for different installation methods.

And we are going to close up the discussion today with a general overview of how automatic configuration works.

Let's start off with automatic version synchronization. When you use the Internet Explorer Administration Kit the very first time, you are going to need to run what is called the automatic version synchronization process.

What this process consists of is basically a page within the customization wizard that tells you three things. It has components that will appear. You will notice during the build process that it will take a few seconds before the page will appear. During that time, it is checking a build directory that you have already specified, where you are going to locate your build files.

If it shows up red, that means that the files have not been downloaded yet. If it shows yellow, that means that the files have been downloaded at least once. If it shows green, that means that you have the most up-to-date versions. We will talk about that a little bit further on in the automatic version synchronization process.

What happens in automatic version synchronization is when you first run through the IEAK Wizard, you must have a creation build in a specified directory of your choosing. That gives you a centralized location from which to download — either by a floppy disk, CD-ROM, or a network share — your Internet Explorer build that you created with this process.

As we continue to the next slide, which is the overview, we notice that we have the AVS Web page dialog. That is the dialog that I just talked about. This is where we are going to check for the latest components. The reason that the AVS process has to be run the first time is because the very first time you run the Internet Explorer Administration Kit, there are no files yet created in your build directory.

It is possible, and I will cover this in a minute, to disable AVS so that you can retain the build process status that you currently have.

You can also specify the component download file folder in the advanced options. Some people, depending on their existing software distribution — all the software that they have on the enterprise — sometimes require that a newer version of the component not be downloaded. Hence, you would want to turn automatic version synchronization off, depending on the needs of your enterprise.

As we continue to the next slide, you will notice that the process that I just described in detail is specified in the graphic. When you first go through the process of trying to obtain the Internet Explorer Administration Kit, you have to go to our Web site, http://ieak.microsoft.com/, and obtain the installation program that will install IEAK.

You will also have to sign a license agreement and obtain a customization code. That customization code will allow you to successfully go through the process that is on this graphic.

The graphic has basically five steps. When you start your Internet Explorer Administration Kit or IEAK process, you will be presented with an Open box {in which} to enter your customization code. Your customization code, if correct, will allow you to select the language, and then select a download site from which to obtain the upgraded files, if you are running the automatic version synchronization process.

At that time, depending on whether you are using a dial-up connection via an Internet service provider, or whether you are going out through your proxy or firewall within your corporate network, you will most of the time successfully download the IEAK updated files to the build directory that you specified.

There are a few things to consider at this point. Sometimes you run into errors when you are trying to download from our site, using a proxy or firewall, depending on what company you work for. And the reason why this occurs is that the proxy server and/or firewall can have filtering enabled on some of the ports that are necessary for the information to be copied to the build directory.

That has been one of the errors that has {sometimes} occurred in some of the downloads that we have recently seen from corporations. So a workaround for that would be to use your dial-up outside of your corporate LAN (local area network), and then download your updated files that are in the Sites file in the top box on the graphic. {Then} you can have everything that you need {and it will} sync correctly. When you create your build it will let you install Internet Explorer correctly to whatever platform that you want to install to.

On the next slide we have six points. The first one is when the AVS page in the IEAK Wizard displays, it will check the download site. Now there are a few things that we are assuming here. One is that the download site is available. Sometimes, depending on the traffic, the bandwidth that you have on your network, or DNS server or proxy server caching issues, you will be unable to connect to our site.

So it is always a good troubleshooting step to try several times before reaching us. But if you have trouble contacting our site, please give us a call and we will try to notify the people that {maintain} that address.

When you have performed the correct entry for the download site (it is legitimate, you have selected all of your components, you have synchronized your components), when the page first starts, if a newer version of Internet Explorer is out on the Web (and you have run it before), you will notice during the build process that the Internet Explorer 5 files that are currently in your build directory would show yellow, because the newer version (5.01), would be out on the sites, which was in the graphic that we recently looked at.

So if you had downloaded the IEAK build from Internet Explorer 5, the Internet Explorer 5.01 file would show yellow. I should say the Internet Explorer 5 files that are currently in your Build directory would show yellow, because the newer version, the 5.01 version, would be out on the Sites, which was in the graphic that we recently looked at.

Our next slide talks about some of the advanced options. As I mentioned before, depending on the software needs of your company, you may or may not have to enable and disable AVS. And again, it has to be run the first time, because you do not yet have any files pulled from our Web site in order to make the correct build directory.

Now depending on whether you have an existing IEAK build in your corporate environment, you can, during this process, import an existing INS file. And the INS file settings — we are going to cover what the INS file is in a little bit more detail later — those restrictions and settings can be pulled or incorporated into your newer build.

And of course, when you create a build, the build creation is going to be put in a specified build folder. If you are making multiple builds for multiple operating systems, it's always good to put them in separate directories, so you don't confuse or write over an existing build.

As we segue from the build that we just talked about into our next slide, we will notice that we have build creation options. I am going to cover the first few, because covering all the builds creation options is rather lengthy. But up to the download site, we are going to go ahead and cover a few, just to cover what you can use as far as the different platforms.

The platforms that you can download Internet Explorer Administration Kit to include Windows 95, Windows NT, Windows 3.1, Windows NT 3.51, and UNIX. Windows 3.1 and Windows NT 3.51 are considered a 16-bit package. The UNIX package of course would refer to UNIX.

The second option, under build creation options, is our file locations. Depending on the type of installation that you want to make — it depends on what your needs are. {There are} three areas of clarification of how the IEAK is used, depending on what kind of business you are. If you are an independent consulting vendor, or an ISP (Internet service provider), you are going to create a build and you are going to deploy your Internet version so that a person can use their existing phone line, or cable modem connection, to connect to your Internet service provider, then you are going to create your own build. There is a whole build process for that which is not covered at this time. That will be a subsequent WebCast. There are separate details pertaining to that which are not covered at this time.

After file location we have language. Here is a key point. In order to separate different language versions, if you have four different languages and you have the same Windows 95 or Windows NT build, you are required to make four separate builds, because we have four separate languages. Hence, one language per build.

The media selection considers the following. You have download. That means you are going to automatically, when you deploy the package, check a download site.

You have CD-ROM. You can specify and create a CD-ROM build so that a person, when you have provided {the CD} to them, has an AutoRun feature that will automatically have the installation process appear on the screen and install, based on their selection.

If you are deploying your Internet Explorer via the IEAK to your corporate environment, most organizations use what is called a flat folder. That is the flat option. That is one of the media selection options. Depending on how you are going to use the 16-bit process — creating a 16-bit build for either Windows 3.1 or Windows NT 3.51 — you can have multiple floppy disks.

As I mentioned before, the ISP and ICV, or ISV, the vendor-specific creation is not covered at this time. But they would also use a single floppy disk.

Our next slide shows a graphic of what we have just talked about. When we select the options that were available to us under media selection, we will notice in How to Set Up Files for Distribution that we have separate folders that are created. You have a Download folder, a Flat folder, an Ins folder, which is our information configuration file (that is what INS stands for). And that is a good segue for our next section, which is INS file, or the configuration file.

The wizard that you start with Internet Explorer Administration Kit, as I mentioned before, will allow you to import an existing INS file, which is displayed in the graphic. After you make all of your selections — after going through the AVS and what components that you want to install, and all of the additional options, certificates, system policy restrictions — after everything is complete, and the wizard finishes, it generates an Iesetup.exe, which is in the first circle graphic.

And that is based off of the information that you have specified in your wizard, which is created with the Iesetup.inf, which is off to the right. At this time it generates a file called Branding.cab. Branding.cab includes the customization settings that you specified within the wizard. It also contains information files, or INF files, that pertain to the different components that you want to install, and other specific customizations that you want to accomplish.

Next it generates an Iecif.cab file; these are cabinet files that are extracted during the installation process. The Iecif stands for information file. Of course the information specific to that cabinet file would be contained in the Internet Explorer setup central information file.

At that time, upon the completion of all the information being built and branded, which is in the center circle, depending on what media selections that you have made — one or more, depending on which check box you {select} — that information is copied to your Media directory.

Our next slide details this a little bit further. We have an optional import of existing INS configurations, which I have already mentioned. What you want to do here is, if you have an existing IEAK build, and you have specific settings that have allowed you to standardize your Internet Explorer deployment, you want to make sure that you are maintaining or retaining those settings.

Examples would be Favorites, home pages that you have specified, etc., etc. Also we have another wizard that is available to us that we run within the build process called the Automatic Configuration Wizard. That wizard is part of the system policy and restrictions. And we are going to cover that a little bit later in the presentation.

When we generate files, we have to make sure, like I said before, that we generate specific build directories for each type of operating system that we are going to actually deploy. That is always a good practice. That way you keep everything in its separate location, so that if you have a problem with it, you can deal with that specific build instead of trying to put everything in the same directory.

And last but not least, the last item on that slide, it copies to the Media directory. Some problems that have occurred here are that sometimes a person who is using the Internet Explorer Administration Kit does not have Admin permissions. Any person who is trying to use the Internet Explorer Administration Kit should have Administrative rights.

The last thing that we are going to cover today in our presentation, before the questions, deals with the automatic configuration. Automatic configuration consists of the automatic configuration URL, whether or not we want to enable automatic configuration, whether we want to include proxy information to allow automatic detection of the proxy, and whether we want to AutoDiscover the proxy. Those are two separate settings, the last two.

Our next graphic shows how automatic configuration works. When we use our browser during the build process, we have an option to specify if we want to use a specific HTTP site on which we have a PAC or JS PAC file, which would contain JavaScript that tells us which proxy we want to go to; or we can specify in our build process an INS file that is located at an HTTP site-specific directory that will let us use centralized location files that will standardize our desktop.

The major selling point and use point of the Internet Explorer Administration Kit is that it allows you to standardize your corporate deployment. The server configuration information is checked with the Branding.dll. Remember we created that in our build process.

The function of this I would like to cover at this time. The Branding.dll basically has a version number. This is the major difference between a standard installation of Internet Explorer over our Web, for just a single user who is trying to install it, versus us trying to specify standardized deployment. Hence, the major file difference between the Internet Explorer install and the Internet Explorer Administration Kit build process is that the Branding.dll is created.

After that is checked, the results are copied to the local drive. An example of this would be if you want to make sure that everybody in your enterprise is able to obtain the latest configuration changes, the latest home page modifications, you only need to change the INS pointer. Put that in the specific location that is in your customization wizard, re-create your INS file, place that newly created INS in the location that you specified on the HTTP server — and then everyone that uses the Internet Explorer that has been installed by the build process will automatically and sufficiently, depending on their rights to the resource, have their individual Internet Explorer updated.

The concludes my presentation at this time.

Barb: All right. Thank you so much for joining us, Alan. That was a very informative session. I know our listeners will be most happy with the information that you have included.

We will now move on to the Q&A portion of the WebCast. We do already have several questions.

And the first one is: Will AVS do an AutoCheck for new versions all of the time?

Alan: Actually, no. The AVS is used primarily for major version changes. An example of that would be, let's say that we have created a fix. From time to time we have fixes that help address a minor limitation in our product. And what happens is that the minor changes or minor fixes in between the different versions are not posted to the actual AVS site, the site that is referred to in the AVS process.

So, the answer to that would be no. Every single fix that has been created in-between the different version deployments, or version offerings that we offer at Microsoft, are not automatically put in the automatic version synchronization site. That is a good question.

Barb: Moving on to the next question: Can you create one INS file that will change the proxy settings for both Internet Explorer 4.x and Internet Explorer 5.x?

Alan: Yes, you can. And that depends on the different limitations. There are some limitations between Internet Explorer 4 and Internet Explorer 5. If you are using the automatic configuration, the Internet Explorer 5 settings will override the Internet Explorer 4 settings, if there is a conflict.

But the simple answer is yes, you can do that.

Barb: Our next question: Could you please cover the download site once again? And do you have the exact file name to download?

Alan: The download site is http://ieak.microsoft.com/. There is a selection there that will say click here to Download IEAK 5. When you download it, when you specify the menu selections, you will be requested during the installation process to fill in the form regarding the license agreement. You will have to obtain a customization code.

Barb: The question is: Can the AutoConfig URLs be set in HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE instead of in HKEY_CURRENT_USER?

Alan: HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE and HKEY_CURRENT_USER, those are set specific to the actual user who is logged on, so that would be current user. You can change it in HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE, that is depending on what kind of policies and restrictions are specific to your machine.

{Editor's note: The AutoConfig URL is always set in HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE and cannot be set in HKEY_CURRENT_USER.}

Barb: Okay, we can follow-up with the user after the session. If you think that is in more of a one-on-one support issue, then we need to direct the user to either submit an incident on the Web, or talk to the Product Support Services professionals.

Alan: Sure, we need to know a little more about his specific environment to successfully answer that question.

Barb: Okay, then in that case we will move on to the next question. That is: Is there a way that I can I make a package to install that will let me standardize the configuration for each browser?

Alan: If I understand the question correctly, yes, you can make a specific INS file for each and every build that you create. An example of that would be the Windows 95 Windows NT build, the Windows 3.1 Windows NT 3.51 build, and the UNIX build. You can specify a separate INS and a separate specific HTTP location, depending on which operating system you want to deploy to in your corporate environment.

Barb: Our next question is: How can I change the logo at the top right of Internet Explorer?

Alan: The logo option is in the actual build processes. There is an option within stage three. There is a window that allows you to specify your own logo, and you can include that.

Barb: The next question I believe that I can handle it myself. And the question is: If we wish to hear this WebCast again, can we get a copy, and can we get a transcript?

And the answer to that, I am very glad to say, is yes to both. In about two weeks we will have the edited transcript available as a download on the on-demand support site. So you can look for the WebCast sessions and click the date and description of this session.

If you want to hear the WebCast again, in about two to four hours we usually have the on-demand content available for you to listen to on the same Web site. So, the answer is yes and yes. Thank you for asking.

Our next question is: It does not work like Windows Update, correct?

I am not sure what "it" is, but "it" does not work.

Alan: The customer is probably referring to our Windows Update process. After you install Internet Explorer Administration Kit, you also have an option to go directly to our Web site and obtain some updates, depending on what components that you have actually built with your package. You can have a standard build, a full build, or a basic build within the package.

So a person might want to add, an example would be foreign language support, that kind of thing. I think what they are asking is how does this differ from the Internet Explorer Administration Kit?

The difference is that the Internet Explorer Administration Kit actually creates the build that you are going to install. The Windows Update is an actual site located at http://windowsupdate.microsoft.com/ that will allow you to add components to your installed version of Internet Explorer.

Some people have a little confusion understanding that, and rightfully so. Because when you hear the word "update" from so many different angles, that can become confusing.

Barb: We have quite a few questions in the queue now. Our next question is about locating the Favorites folder. On a Windows 95 client how do you change where the Favorites folder is located? For example, I want it stored on a server instead of a local drive. And Microsoft Office is also installed on this client.

Alan: Based on the actual build process, you cannot specifically assign that for an individual user via the Internet Explorer Administration Kit. It's an all or nothing process, actually. Which means that when you create a build, you are creating a standardized build creation process.

So the Favorites folder is going to be specifically what is created in the actual build. I hope that I have answered the question, if I understand it correctly.

{Editor's Note: In Windows® 98, in Control Panel, Users, select the corresponding user profile and click on Change Settings. Check the Favorites option to allow the Favorites folder to be included in the profile. Windows 95 does not include the Users applet in Control Panel. Therefore, this has to be accomplished through a registry change:

REGEDIT4
[HKEY_USERS\.DEFAULT\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\
ProfileReconciliation\Favorites]
"CentralFile"="Favorites"
"LocalFile"="Favorites"
"Name"="*.*"
"DefaultDir"="*windir\\Favorites"
"MustBeRelative"=dword:00000001
"Default"=dword:00000001
"RegKey"="Software\\Microsoft\\Windows\\CurrentVersion\\Explorer\\User ShellFolders"
"RegValue"="Favorites"

Note that the above reg file modifies the .DEFAULT profile. Once the above regkey has been added to the default profile in a Windows 95 machine, every profile created based on .DEFAULT will have Favorites.

If you want to modify an existing profile, change the first line in the regfile:
[HKEY_USERS\.DEFAULT\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\
ProfileReconciliation\Favorites] to: [HKEY_USERS\Username\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\
ProfileReconciliation\Favorites]}

Barb: All right, thank you. Our next question is, Can I incorporate proxy settings in the IEAK package, and if so, how do I do that?

Alan: One of the slides or windows that appears in the IEAK will allow you to specify what the name of your proxy is, what exclusions or bypass list you want to specify, and the actual port that you are using for your proxy.

So, yes you can include that in the Internet Explorer Administration Kit.

Barb: All right. Very good. Our next question is more on the development side. Can you give me any assistance on how I might change the small logo of my URL, like HotMail® or MSN™, for my site?

Alan: From a development perspective? That is pretty much outside my level of expertise. I would suggest that you make a request to one of our support engineers to see if we could come up with a specific answer on that.

Barb: Okay, very good. And you submit an incident on the Web and request that assistance.

Okay, our next question is: How do we determine if we are using the correct version of the Ie5dom.exe patch?

Alan: Right, the Ie5dom is a specific update that comes with the IEAK. Let me back up and give a little history here. The difference is between the Internet Explorer that a single user would download from our Web site directly, the 128-bit encryption — and there are two types of encryption. I should say 40-bit encryption; we have 56-bit encryption. And we also have 128-bit encryption.

They are referring to the Ie5dom.exe — that is the actual 128-bit encryption update that is specific to the IEAK build. How they need to obtain that is to specifically request it from IEAK@microsoft.com. Include their customization code in their e-mail. And then the support staff that we have at IEAK@microsoft.com will, after they have compared their licensing information, send them the Ie5dom. And that file applies to all versions of Internet Explorer 5.

Barb: Very good. Thank you for that super answer. Now off on to the Macintosh side. The question is: Will AVS be offered with the upcoming IEAK for the Macintosh that will be compatible with Mac Internet Explorer 5?

Alan: We can't really comment until the product is released, because some changes are made up to the time that they actually decide what is included in it.

Barb: Absolutely correct. Yes, we will follow-up directly with an e-mail with the person who sent the question.

And in addition the other thing that we can do is to include this information in the transcript when we do the editing process. So when we come to this question, we will roll that answer into the transcript. So look there for the additional information.

Alan: Great.

Barb: All right, our next question is: What is the basic difference between a Web installation and the IEAK installation?

Alan: A Web installation, if I understand the question correctly, means that you are not using the Internet Explorer Administration Kit. You are taking the default standard, full or basic installation parameters that you specify when you install Internet Explorer, either Internet Explorer 4 or Internet Explorer 5, or Internet Explorer 5.01, whichever you are downloading from our site.

There are some preset values dealing with customization that you cannot modify. The reason that we came out with the IEAK was to allow corporate businesses, like I covered in the demonstration, to modify and to tweak or manipulate the customization settings with more granularity within the IEAK.

So you are actually standardizing your desktop, regarding your Internet Explorer browser.

Barb: We asked for a little bit of clarification from the one user. I see that information has come in to the Message Center. The rest of the question is: In the Favorites location, the server location would be the same for every user. For example <drive letter>\Favorites or a drive letter such as H:\Favorites. Microsoft Office currently looks at C:\Windows\Favorites, which is a problem with roaming users. Internet Explorer by default uses C:\Windows\Favorites. I would like to have both point to a mapped network drive location to allow support for users who access multiple workstations.

Alan: Due to the specific nature of the question, I would like to answer specifically offline.

Barb: All right. We will be happy to do that. Our next question is: I need to create a 128-bit encrypted upgrade package that users can get from a CD, as well as a LAN. How can I create this upgrade package using an existing build for the differences? Will importing an existing build create an upgrade, rather than a full install? How do I indicate 128-bit encryption? This must be done without going to an Internet site.

Alan: Okay, there are a few things here. One is that when you do an update, if we are going to deploy an update — to give an example, if I went from Internet Explorer 5 to Internet Explorer 5.01 or from Internet Explorer 4.01 SP1 to Internet Explorer 4.01 SP2, that requires an actual reinstall of the browser.

It is a little bit confusing, but it actually is a reinstall, because some core component files and dynamic link library files are modified. So, since they are modified, changes need to be made in the registry within the computer, so that everything has maintained synchronization.

The answer is it is not considered an update; it's a full install. And example would be if you have Internet Explorer 4.01, which is included in an Internet Explorer Administration Kit build, and you have included the 128-bit component, which is an additional component. That would be the Ie4dom (Ie5dom if it was the Internet Explorer 5 version). You must include the Ie5dom.exe (Ie4dom if it is IEAK 4) build, because that is the previous build of IEAK that we provided.

You must include that within your update. That is if it is IEAK. If it's not IEAK, it will automatically grandfather the 128-bit encryption, if it comes standard from our Web. The new Internet Explorer 5.01 version will do that.

Barb: All right, very good information. Our next question is: Will future versions of IEAK be more like the Office 2000 Installation Tools, like the Custom Install Wizard, to enable functions like Install on First Use and Detect and Repair?

Alan: What we use within the IEAK process is called an active setup process. There are some other processes that are being considered at this time, but I am not at liberty to discuss those, because they are still in the beta or consideration phase.

I can't really answer that. I can't speak to future iterations of the actual product and what is going to happen.

Barb: Absolutely correct. The best advice is to keep checking the Microsoft Web site for new information. We are always more than happy to include that kind of information on the top highlights pages for each product. So be sure and keep an eye on the Web site.

Questions are still coming in. Thanks again for all of your participation. Suggestions and comments for future WebCast topics are also welcome. Send an e-mail through the Message Center, or through feedback@microsoft.com.

Our next question is: What are the licensing requirements for obtaining the IEAK?

Alan: The licensing requirements are that you have to be a valid organization, valid company, or individual. And you have to successfully fulfill the licensing agreement. It's a form that is on our Web site that can be pointed to at the http://ieak.microsoft.com/. There is a {selection} on the left pane or the left frame that will allow you to choose if you want to register and obtain the license.

So the requirement is to actually be a valid individual or have a valid use. It's pretty much straightforward. But in order to obtain the IEAK, you are required to complete the licensing agreement.

Barb: All right, very good answers. We have a couple of questions from the same user. Can we do initial installs from the file server, such as a flat file, and update from the Intranet Web? If so, can we distribute security updates that way? Can we update from the Web without signing the files?

Alan: Yes, you can update from the Web without signing the files. However, the best way to do that is to lower your security to a low security setting.

This is one of the more granular discussions regarding branding that I did not cover, based on the length of the content — there is a lot of content in the IEAK. In my presentation I tried to cover in a broad stroke some of the major components and how they interrelate. But the actual signing process is that you are using a digital signature to sign the package.

And if you want to avoid that you can set your {Internet Explorer} settings to low, so that ActiveX® controls and Java controls or Java packages that aren't signed will be accepted.

Barb: All right, very good information. Our next question is: Should you see version 5.01 as the Internet Explorer version in the Help About screen? After running AVS and seeing that the download site was 5.01, we re-created our package and then updated a workstation. After which the version says 5.00.2919.6307.

Alan: Okay. That is what is called an iteration update. We have Internet Explorer 5.01, so we are not at a newer version yet. That is an area that we need to address, that we are addressing on our side as far as the version numbers.

If they created the Internet Explorer 5.01 build via IEAK, they do have it installed, even though the version number doesn't appear correctly.

Barb: All right. I think that probably answers that question. Our next question is: Will the WebCast cover something on software for development in the future?

I will answer that one. We do often have WebCasts discussing new products, typically not generically talking about anything that we might create in the far-distant future. But as new products approach their release dates, yes we will definitely be presenting more WebCasts on those products.

So, again, stay tuned to the WebCast site and send us requests for topics on additional information that you would like.

Our next question: Is there a reference manual available that explains the ramifications behind the customizations available and not just a description of the items?

Alan: It depends on how in-depth that question is. A lot of the information and a lot of the specific information on what a component can do is available through our Microsoft Press. The Microsoft Internet Explorer 5 Resource Kit and also the Help file that comes along with our IEAK build that you've installed on your build machine will contain really good information and will give you samples.

Barb: In reference to that Microsoft Press site, that is http://mspress.microsoft.com/. If you take a look at the {Advanced Search}link, there are links for searching via title, by a product, by an ISBN number if you happen to have that. And there is also a link to our upcoming releases of books on new products. So that is a very good site to use when you are looking for addition reference materials.

Our next question is: How can I synchronize my existing configuration with the most up-to-date version of Internet Explorer?

Alan: I went over it in general in the very first item, the five items that I covered in the presentation. Basically you have to make sure that you enable AVS. If you enable AVS when you run your build process, you will force the build process to go out and check the actual {Ie4sites.dat and Ie5sites.dat}.dat or Sites components. It would go out to our Web site and compare the existing file versions that are in the build directory that you have created.

If those file versions are the same, than it will pop up in green, like we talked about with the three different colors. If it is not updated, it will pop up as a yellow. And you can specifically highlight those at the Control key, and then click on Synchronize and it will go across the network via either a dial-up connection over your phone line, or through your corporate local area network or wide area network, to actually determine that the file is current.

Barb: Can you explain in a little more detail the process of automatic proxy detection in Internet Explorer 5?

Alan: Automatic proxy detection means that when you start the browser, the browser will go out and it will determine if {a proxy server is available.} there is a check box that allows you to check whether or not you want to enable automatic proxy detection. It will broadcast across the network and through an algorithm and find out if there is an existing proxy server that can respond and answer your request for the page that you are trying to hit or connect to.

If you enable that, that sets a switch or a registry setting within the configuration of Internet Explorer that tells the browser to broadcast over the network to find an existing proxy server. If a proxy server is available, it will respond in a certain time cycle and provide an open port 80. Normally port 80 is used over HTTP to make the connection to the Internet.

Barb: Thank you again. The next question is about a potential resource. The question is: Can you refer me to a document or another source that would assist me in building a PAC file that handles checking IP subnets and assigning closest proxy servers at a multisite, multiserver environment?

Alan: After you install the Internet Explorer Administration Kit, there is a Help file. If you go to the Help file, go to the Index tab and type in PAC, or go to the Contents under IEAK Help, after you have installed IEAK 5. Go to the examples. They have what are called JavaScript and JScript® AutoProxy example files.

We have ten files there that are provided as baseline templates for you to use to get the ball rolling.

Barb: Excellent information and that is an excellent site. It's an excellent place to go find additional information.

Our next question is regarding Internet Explorer 5, 128-bit: Can this be a separate add-on outside of the IEAK for those users who need it?

Alan: With the IEAK, no. It needs to be included in the build process.

Barb: All right. Quick answer there. The next one is regarding the Ie5dom.exe. And the question is: Where do I find the Ie5dom.exe both on my local installed drive and also on the Web site?

Alan: You don't find it on the Web site, and you are not going to find it on your installed drive. The answer for that is no and no. The only way to obtain the Ie5dom.exe — since it is a 128-bit encryption, the DOM stands for domestic. There are some international rules regarding 40-bit and 128-bit encryption. And so there needs to be a separate request made for the 128-bit encryption for IEAK version. And that version of course is called the Ie5dom.exe.

You need to request that from our Web site, http://ieak.microsoft.com/.

Barb: Can we do initial installs from the file server using a flat file and update from an intranet Web? If so, can we distribute security updates that way?

Alan: The answer is, yes you can install from a flat. The answer is yes; you can modify the process in order to do that. However, that is not a supported process of how we deploy that.

That is the way that you would add an additional update or a security update — most security updates — because of the modification that they make to the security files within the actual operating systems and the Internet Explorer 5.0 component files, need to be done post-installation, or as a separate update.

Barb: There was a little elaboration on an earlier question, which I misunderstood. And the question was: Will WebCasts cover software development like COM+ and Visual C++ and so forth?

And the answer is yes, whatever our listeners have a request for, we will do our best to meet those needs and create new WebCasts to cover those kinds of topics. We do have WebCasts at various levels of knowledge. The 100 levels are intended as the low-level, general overview kind of sessions.

The level 200 WebCasts are intended to be for a slightly more advanced user, and so on up the 400 level. Those are the real nuts and bolts sessions that get deep into the product and would require an extremely high level of technical knowledge.

So the answer is yes, I will make sure our WebCast coordinator receives the information that we are looking for WebCasts on development software like COM+, Visual C++, and so forth. Thank you for asking.

Our next question is: What are the different media types that can be used to deploy the browser?

Alan: There are different media selections that we can use.

• You can make a download, which means you are specifying that the build process will automatically specify a download site. And you can specify one of our download sites or any other download site that you want to specify.
• A CD-ROM
• You can install to a flat ..

The previous options are available within one of the windows in the IEAK build process.

• You can specify multiple floppy disks, and that would depend on whether you are choosing a 16-bit version of the actual browser that you want to build.

• And if you're an Internet service provider, you can install it via a single floppy disk. And what happens is that the single floppy disk establishes a dial-up connection to the Internet service provider. And then that Internet service provider contains the files that would allow you to install the product from there.

Barb: We do have just a few questions left in our queue. Our next question is: Can you refer me to a document that would contain the specifications on some of the customizable Web pages included in IEAK, specifically the Search window?

Alan: That's a very, very good question. I don't have an answer to that right off the top of my head. I would probably need to provide that answer offline and mail that directly to the customer.

Barb: All right, we will handle it that way. Next question again is about Internet Explorer 5 and the IEAK: If I distribute Internet Explorer 5 via the IEAK, is there any way for those users to manually add the 128-bit version?

Alan: Yes, they can. They could manually try to deploy a build that you've specified. But the preferred way to deploy it is to include it in the actual build process. You can technically install it after you've installed the update of the build process. But it is highly suggested that you include it in your actual build.

Barb: And in that case I think that we need to respond that we very, very strongly suggest that you do it that way.

Alan: Yes.

Barb: And we are down to the last couple of questions now. The next one is: Can security patches be added as post-installation components in the IEAK, and therefore deployed by a Web update?

Alan: You could develop your own Web site that contained those updates that you could download those from. Yes, you can do that. That is outside the supportability of what we provide, but you could host your own Web page that included that update. Since you have already installed your browser and you are using the browser itself, you can install the update that way.

Yes, you can. However, the preferred way to do it is to add the security update after, as it is stated in the question, as a post-install process.

Barb: Excellent. And the last question is: What are the operating systems that Internet Explorer can be created to run on?

Alan: Windows 95, Windows NT, Windows 3.1, Window NT 3.51, and UNIX.

Barb: Okay, it looks like we answered all of the questions that were submitted. So that is going to wrap up our session.

I want to thank all of you for participating in today's support WebCast. And I do hope that this information was useful to you. We are very interested in your feedback regarding the WebCast programs. Please send us comments and suggestions using the e-mail alias that I mentioned earlier {feedback@microsoft.com}, and be sure to include Support WebCast in the subject line.

We hope that you will join us again in the near future. Thank you and good-bye.