Secure Global Desktop 4.31 Administration Guide > Clients and webtops > Running the Native Client from the command line

Running the Native Client from the command line

Syntax

ttwebtop
 [ -anonymous ]
 [ -application application ]
 [ -args arguments ]
 [ -cache ]
 [ -help ]
 [ -login ]
 [ -password password ]
 [ { -showwebtop | -minimized } | -trayicon ]
 [ -url URL ]
 [ -username username ]
 [ -version ]

Description

Runs the Native Client for UNIX or Windows from the command line. The options are case sensitive.

Note The Native Client can only be used to access the classic webtop.

Option	Description
`-anonymous`	Allows the user to log into Secure Global Desktop without supplying a username and password, if anonymous access is enabled on the Secure Global Desktop server.
`-application application`	Launches an instance of an application without displaying the webtop. For `application`, use the name of the application as it appears in the Name field in Object Manager. If the name contains spaces, enclose it in double quotes, for example `"X Claim"`.
`-args arguments`	Used with the `-application` option to supply command-line arguments/parameters for the application, for example, `"-bg red"`. To be able to use this option you must also enable client overrides on the Secure Global Desktop server. You do this by running the following command: `tarantella config edit --tarantella-config-applaunch-allowclientoverrides true` This option is only available for the Native Client for Microsoft Windows.
`-cache`	Use Native Client password caching.
`-help`	Displays command-line usage information. This option is only available for the Native Client for UNIX.
`-login`	Hides the Native Client Log in dialog and logs the user in to Secure Global Desktop using the password in the password cache. You should use the `-cache` option with this option.
`-minimized`	Forces the webtop to be minimized as soon as it is launched. If you are using the Native Client for Microsoft Windows, this disables the Show in system tray option in the Native Client options.
`-password password`	The password the user uses to log in to the Secure Global Desktop server. Only the Native Client for Microsoft Windows allows you to enter a password immediately after the `-password` option. See examples 3 and 4 below for the differences between UNIX and Windows.
`-showwebtop`	Forces the webtop to display if its previous state was minimized. If you are using the Native Client for Microsoft Windows, this disables the Show in system tray option in the Native Client options.
`-trayicon`	Displays Secure Global Desktop as an icon in the Windows system tray instead of displaying a webtop. This option is only available for the Native Client for Microsoft Windows. The Secure Global Desktop icon in the Windows system tray: is colored when you are logged in; displays a cog when you are launching an application; and is grayed out when you are logged out. You click the Secure Global Desktop icon to see the list of applications you can run. You right-mouse click the icon to access the Native Client menu options. This option disables the Always show and Auto hide options in the Native Client options. If you use this option with the `-application` option, only the Native Client menu options are available from the system tray icon.
`-url URL`	Secure Global Desktop server URL.
`-username username`	The username the user uses to log in to the Secure Global Desktop server. For the Native Client for Microsoft Windows, if you do not supply a username on the command line, the Log in dialog will display even if the `-login` option is used. For the Native Client for UNIX this is optional. If it is not supplied, the value of the LOGNAME environment variable is used.
`-version`	Displays version information about the Native Client. This option is only available for the Native Client for UNIX.

Using the Native Client password cache

The Native Client password cache is completely unrelated to the application server password cache and is always specific to the Secure Global Desktop server (as shown by the -url option) the user is logging in to. If a user can log in to different Secure Global Desktop servers, they will have to cache passwords for each Secure Global Desktop server they have access to.

The -cache option performs two alternative functions:

It forces the Native Client to prompt the user for their Secure Global Desktop login password and then to store it encrypted on the client.
When used with the -login option, it forces Secure Global Desktop to look up passwords in the password cache.

When password caching is used, the username, the url and password combination is stored as an obfuscated string either in the Window's registry or in a UNIX userinfo file. If you are particularly concerned about security, we recommend you do not cache passwords.

Examples 2, 3 and 6 below show you how to cache passwords.

Whenever you cache a password, the Native Client prompts you to confirm the password. The password confirmation only checks what has been typed, it does not validate the password.

You should use the -login option with the -cache option, to prevent the Native Client Log in dialog from displaying, as in examples 2 and 6 below. If you use these options together, the Native Client Log in dialog will only display if:

the URL is incorrect,
the password has not already been cached,
the password has expired,
the cached password is incorrect, or
the username is incorrect.

To change their own password, a user can either:

remove the -login option (see example 2 below), so that the Native Client Log in dialog displays; or
for Native Client for UNIX only, they can store a new password (see example 3 below).

Running webtops and single applications

When you run the Native Client without the -application option, you get a standard webtop. If you use the -application option, that application is launched (or resumed) without displaying the webtop. This option can be used to integrate applications with a desktop application or window manager.

When you run an application, the Native Client establishes a connection to the Secure Global Desktop server. If you launch another application using the same username and URL, the existing connection will be used unless the -anonymous option is used. This allows you to run several applications at once from separate shortcuts.

Examples

Example 1 - running the Native Client and logging in each time

The user Graham Green wants log in to the Secure Global Desktop server newyork. On the command line he types:


ttwebtop -url http://newyork.indigo-insurance.com/tarantella \
  -username green

When Graham runs this command, the Log in dialog displays. He enters his password and then the Native Client logs him in to Secure Global Desktop. He sees a Webtop.

With the Native Client for UNIX, if Graham's LOGNAME environment variable is green, he can leave out the -username option.

Example 2 - running a webtop with a cached password

The user Emma Rald wants log in to the Secure Global Desktop server newyork with her cached password. On the command line she types:


ttwebtop -url http://newyork.indigo-insurance.com/tarantella \
  -username emmarald -login -cache

The first time Emma runs this command, the Log in dialog displays. She enters her password (if she uses the Native Client for Microsoft Windows, she also has to confirm the password). The Native Client then caches the password and logs her in to Secure Global Desktop. She sees a Webtop.

The Native Client for UNIX lets you pre-cache a password, see example 3 below.

The next time she runs this command, Emma is logged straight in to Secure Global Desktop and sees her webtop.

With the Native Client for UNIX, if Emma's LOGNAME environment variable is emmarald, she can leave out the -username option.

Example 3 - caching a password without logging in (Native Client for UNIX only)

The user Sid Cerise wants to cache his password for the Secure Global Desktop server newyork without logging in. On the command line he types:


ttwebtop -url http://newyork.indigo-insurance.com/tarantella \
  -username cerise -password -cache

When he runs this command, he is prompted on the command line for his password and then has to confirm it. The Native Client then caches the password and exits.

If Sid's LOGNAME environment variable is cerise, he can leave the -username option out.

Note You can only cache a password in this way with the Native Client for UNIX.

Example 4 - bypassing the Log in dialog without using a cached password (Native Client for Microsoft Windows only)

The user Bill Orange wants to log in to the Secure Global Desktop server newyork without using a cached password and bypassing the Log in dialog. On the command line he types:


ttwebtop -url http://newyork.indigo-insurance.com/tarantella -login \
  -username orange -password 1despairN -minimized

Bill is logged in to Secure Global Desktop and gets a minimized webtop.

The password displays in clear text on the command line.

Note You can only log in in this way with the Native Client for Microsoft Windows. This method of logging in is particularly useful for testing.

Example 5 - running a single application and logging in each time

The user Ginger Butcher wants to log in to the Secure Global Desktop server newyork without caching her password and run the Array Manager application. On the command line she types:


ttwebtop -url http://newyork.indigo-insurance.com/tarantella \
  -username ginger -application "Array Manager"

When Ginger runs this command, the Log in dialog displays. She enters her password and then the Native Client logs her in to Secure Global Desktop. The Array Manager application starts. She does not see a webtop.

With the Native Client for UNIX, if Ginger's LOGNAME environment variable is ginger, she can leave out the -username option.

Note Because the application name Array Manager contains a space, Ginger encloses it in quotes on the command line.

Example 6 - running a single application using a cached password

The user Violet Carson wants to log in to the Secure Global Desktop server newyork using her cached password and run the XClaim application. On the command line she types:


ttwebtop -url http://newyork.indigo-insurance.com/tarantella -login \
  -username violet -cache -application XClaim

The first time Violet runs this command, the Log in dialog displays. She enters her password (if she uses the Native Client for Microsoft Windows, she also has to confirm the password). The Native Client then caches the password and logs her in to Secure Global Desktop. The XClaim application starts.

The next time she runs this command, Violet is logged straight in to Secure Global Desktop and the XClaim application starts. She does not see a webtop.

With the Native Client for UNIX, if Violet's LOGNAME environment variable is violet, she can leave out the -username option.

Related topics
How can I make additional Native Clients available?