Smith College Technology And Resource Adviser

FREQUENTLY-ASKED QUESTIONS ABOUT INTERNET NATIVE BANNER & BANNER7

Click on the appropriate link below for answers to the most frequently-asked questions (FAQs) about Internet Native Banner (INB) and Banner7. For additional information, contact the User Support Center at x4487.

Internet Native Banner (INB)

What is INB?

Why INB?

How do I log on to INB?

How do I download and install JInitiator?

How do I create a desktop shortcut to launch INB? RECOMMENDED

What are the operational differences between INB and the Banner client/server implementation?

How can I avoid losing my INB session when I click on another web link inside of email?

What about Macintosh computers?

What are the optimal desktop display settings for Internet Native Banner?

Can I set a different font size for GroupWise messages?

Are there any known technical issues?

How can I ensure optimal INB performance?

Banner7

Can I change my screen setup so I don’t have to scroll in Banner7 forms?
Can I change the color scheme in Banner to something I like better?
How do I get Banner7 to work with Firefox/Mozilla?
Can I modify the toolbar in Banner7?
Can I use Windows 98 to access Banner7?
Can I run Banner7 on a Macintosh?
Help! What is this "Jinitiator Security Warning" I'm seeing?

Question 1. What is INB?

Internet Native Banner allows users to run Banner online from within a supported web browser. After the user specifies the appropriate URL within the browser, a java applet loads and then launches Banner forms.

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Question 2. Why INB?

The traditional non-browser implementation of Banner will be phased out because Oracle and SCT are de-supporting the older "client/server" technology. Web-based INB offers an easy to deploy alternative.

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Question 3. How do I log on to INB?

First-time Users Only:

Before you can log on to Banner INB for the first time, you must install the Internet Explorer 7 Blocker program and the JInitiator plugin. Here's how:

NOTE: If you already installed IE 7 Blocker and JIniatiator, click here to skip to step 9.

Go to the Smith software download site and log in using your Novell username and password.
If you haven't yet installed the Internet Explorer 7 Blocker program on your computer, go to the Smith software download site and install it now. IE 7 is incompatible with Banner INB, and installing this program ensures that your computer will not be automatically upgraded to IE 7 during a routine Windows upgrade.
Navigate to the Banner INB category and click on the JInitiator 1.3.1.22 link.
The InstallShield Self-extracting.exe window will appear next. Click Yes to start the install process.
The Setup window will appear, then the Welcome window. Click Next.
In the Choose Destination Location window, click Next.
After a series of setup windows, the Installation Complete box will appear when installation is complete.
The Developer Server and Oracle JInitiator windows will appear and start loading the Java applet which will log you into Banner. Proceed with step 9, below.

Open a Mozilla Firefox or Internet Explorer 6 window, and go to the following URL: https://banner.smith.edu:9999/

Note: Do NOT use Netscape or Internet Explorer 7 to run Banner INB. You can download Mozilla Firefox and/or Internet Explorer 6 from the Smith software download site.
The Smith College Internet Native Banner window will open. Choose your computing platform from the Select Machine Platform drop-down menu, then click Submit.

Important: You must leave this window open for the duration of your Banner session. You can minimize it to your desktop, but you cannot close it or use it to go to another website, including a second Banner session, without losing your connection.
An Oracle Developer Forms Runtime window will open, with the Banner login box on top. Log in as usual. From this point, there are only a few minor differences between regular Banner and Banner INB (see question 6).
To log off Banner INB, click on the Exit link in the upper left corner of the window, then close the initial browser window.

Questions 4. How do I download and install JInitiator?
(These instructions are duplicated in question 3, step 1, above.)

First-time users only: Before you can log on to Banner INB, you must first install the JInitiator plugin. Here's how:

Go to the Smith software download site and log in using your Novell username and password.
Scroll down to the Banner INB category and click on the JInitiator 1.3.1.22 link.
The InstallShield Self-extracting.exe window will appear next. Click Yes to start the install process.
The Setup window will appear, then the Welcome window. Click Next.
In the Choose Destination Location window, click Next.
After a series of setup windows, the Installation Complete box will appear when installation is complete.
The Developer Server and Oracle JInitiator windows will appear and start loading the Java applet which will log you into Banner. Return to question 3 for further information.

Question 5. How do I create a desktop shortcut to launch INB? RECOMMENDED

Right-click anywhere on your computer desktop, and select New, then Shortcut from the pop-up menu.
If IE is your default browser (if you don't know, you can assume you do), type the following one-line statement into the command line box, including all quote marks.
"C:\Program Files\Internet Explorer\IEXPLORE.EXE" "https://banner.smith.edu:9999/"

NOTE: Both parts of the statement must be on the same line, with one blank space between the quote marks after IEXPLORE.EXE and the quote mark before https:
If you do not have IE installed in the default location, you will need to browse for the IEXPLORE.EXE file or change your default browser to IE. For instructions, click here.
Select a name for your shortcut (e.g., INB Banner) and press the FINISH button.

Question 6. What are the operational differences between INB and Banner Client/Server implementation?

The Options Menu, which used to be in a frame on the left side of the window, is gone. The Options Menu is still available when you click on Options at the top of the window.
The vertical toolbar on the left of the window no longer displays.
Print screens do not show time and date.
Form backgrounds are grey rather than white.

Question 7. Is there a way to avoid losing my INB session when I click on another web link inside email?

You will need to set an option in your IE browser configuration so that any new web link will be created in a new IE browser window. To do this:

Go to the horizontal menu at the top of your IE browser and select Tools, then Internet Options.
Click on the Advanced tab and go to the Browsing section.
Make sure the "Reuse windows for launching shortcuts" statement is unchecked, and click Apply.

Question 8. What about Macintosh computers?

You can use Internet Native Banner on a Macintosh if you are running OS 10.3 or higher, and using Internet Explorer version 5.2 or higher, or Safari 1.2.4 or higher.

To access Internet Native Banner from a Macintosh:

Go to: https://banner.smith.edu:9999/
Select Banner7 PPOD MAC from the drop-down menu.
Click the Submit button.

Question 9. What are the optimal desktop display settings for Internet Native Banner?

The optimal setting for each computer depends on monitor size and user preferences. The following example explains how to set your Resolution to 800 x 600 and your Font setting to Small font.

Right-click anywhere on your desktop and select Properties from the pop-up menu.
In the Display Properties window, click on the Settings tab.
To change the resolution, drag the slider in the "Screen area" box until it shows 800 x 600 pixels. Click Apply.
To change your font setting, click on the Advanced button. The Display Font size control box will appear.
Click on the down arrow and choose Small Fonts (Normal 96 DPI).
Click Apply, then OK.
When the Display Properties box appears again, click OK.

Question 10. Can I set a different font size for GroupWise messages (optional)?

If you want your GroupWise messages to display in a larger font size without impacting the INB display, follow the instructions below:

Right-click anywhere on your desktop and select Properties from the pop-up menu.
In the Display Properties window, click on the Appearance tab.
Click on the down arrow for Item and choose Message Box.
Click on the down arrow for Font and choose the desired font size.
Click Apply, then OK.
When the Display Properties box appears again, click OK.

Question 11. Are there any known technical issues?

See Question 6 for a list of differences in INB.

Print screen problem - blank pages: Try this temporary workaround.

Click in the INB window to make it the active window.
Press the Alt and Print Screen keys simultaneously to put a copy of the window contents into your system clipboard.
Open a new MS-Word or Paint window and select Edit / Paste.
Print the document from within that application.

Windows 98 users: If you are having this problem, you may need a new postscript driver for your printer:

Find out your printer's model number. Click on Start, then Settings, then Printers. Make a note of the model number for your default printer (e.g., HP 8510 PCL 5e).
Once you know your printer's model number, check the following HP printer driver download page for a postscript printer driver for your printer: http://welcome.hp.com/country/us/en/software_drivers.html
If you can't find your printer, or encounter any other problems, call the User Support Center at x4487.

Print screen problem - fuzzy printouts:

Adjust your printer setting by clicking Start, then Settings, then Printers.
Right-click on your printer's icon and choose Properties from the pop-up menu.
Click on the Graphics tab and be sure that Dithering is set to none.

Computer freeze/crash: Avoid opening too many windows.

INB is slow: Close other applications, especially BAR/Access applications.

Question 12. How can I ensure optimal INB performance?

Always close all inactive/unused windows.
Do not execute BAR/Access queries and simultaneous INB sessions.
Be aware of your computer's capacity and scale down open applications accordingly.
To determine the amount of RAM on your computer, click Start, then Settings, then Control Panel, then System. Click on the General tab to view the amount of RAM available on your machine.
The Requirements Matrix below offers guidelines for optimal INB use. If you'd like to print a copy of the matrix, click here for a printable version.

INB REQUIREMENTS MATRIX
	MINIMUM Technical Requirements	RECOMMENDED Technical Requirements
CPU for PCs	Pentium III processor, 450 MHz or higher	Pentium III/IV processor, 1 GHz or higher
RAM	128M	256M or more
Display Monitor	17 inch color CRT	18 inch color CRT or 15 inch LCD (flat panel)
Network	10/100BT Ethernet with PCI bus	10/100BT Ethernet with PCI bus
Operating System	Windows 98, 2nd Edition	Windows XP
Required Software	- Internet Explorer 6.x - Oracle JInitiator 1.3.1.9	- Internet Explorer 6.x - Oracle JInitiator 1.3.1.9
Maximum Concurrent Opened Windows for Best Performance	- No more than 1 INB session - No more than 1 additional browser window - 1 GroupWise session only - No more than 1 BAR/MS-Access application - Do not run BAR/Access program and INB queries simultaneously	- No more than 1 INB session - No more than 1 additional browser window - 1 GroupWise session only - No more than 1 BAR/MS-Access application - Do not run BAR/Access program and INB queries simultaneously
NOTE: Always close all unused and inactive windows to ensure the best overall performance. If you need to run other programs that are not on the list, be sure to close some of your unused applications.

Question 13. Can I change my screen setup so I don’t have to scroll in Banner7 forms? I want them to fit on one screen.

Right-click anywhere on your desktop and choose Properties from the pop-up menu.
In the Display Properties window, click on the Settings tab and make a note of the screen resolution (e.g., 1280 by 1024 pixels).
Click on the Advanced button and make a note of the DPI (dots per inch) setting (e.g., 96 DPI).
Try different combinations of screen resolution and DPI until you find one that make Banner forms legible while minimizing or eliminating the need for scrolling:
1. One choice is to set the DPI to 96, and the screen
  resolution to 1024 by 768 or higher.
2. Another choice is to set the DPI to 120, and the screen
  resolution to 1280 by 1024 or higher.
3. Other combinations, with custom DPI settings between 96 and 120 and corresponding changes to screen resolution, may also produce acceptable results. To specify a custom setting, click on the Advanced button, then choose Custom settings... from the drop-down menu.

NOTE: Changing your screen resolution and/or DPI to accommodate Banner forms will affect the size of everything on your display. As a general rule, the lower the numbers for screen resolution and DPI, the larger the images and characters on your screen will appear. This makes everything on the display easier to read, but also increases the likelihood that you will need to scroll within Banner forms.

Question 14. Can I change the color scheme in Banner to something I like better?

Go to the GUAUPRF form in Banner. The User Interface Color Settings section allows you to change colors for all sorts of things, such as the canvas (background), code/description prompts, scroll bar, etc.
Select the item with a color you wish to change, click on the User Value drop-down menu, and select a color from the color palette.
When you’ve looked at the color in the preview pane and are satisfied with your choice, click OK. This will change the User Value line to the color you selected.
To apply this color change to all of Banner, click on the Save button for the form. This will immediately apply your color choice to the current screen, and your color setting will be retained when you exit and log back into Banner.

Question 15. How do I get Banner7 to work with Mozilla Firefox?

Open the Mozilla Firefox browser. (If you don't have a copy of Firefox installed on your computer, you can download it from http://www.mozilla.com.)
Right-click on the Start menu and choose Explore to open Windows Explorer.
Locate and copy the following file:

C:\Program Files\Oracle\JInitiator 1.3.1.18\bin\NPJinit13118.dll
Open the following directory and paste the file into it:

C:\Program Files\Mozilla Firefox\plugins\
Exit Mozilla Firefox, then re-open it. This will register the installed Jinitiator with the Mozilla Firefox browser.

Question16. Can I modify the toolbar in Banner7?

No, this is not possible in Banner7.

Question17. Can I use Windows 98 to access Banner7?

No, the minimum requirement for Banner7 is Windows XP. If you have an older version of Windows, please contact Kate Etzel to arrange an upgrade.

Question18. Can I run Banner7 on a Macintosh?

Yes, if you are running OS 10.3 or higher, and using either Internet Explorer version 5.2 or Safari 1.2.4. To access Internet Native Banner from a Macintosh:

Go to: https://banner.smith.edu:9999/
Select Banner7 PPOD MAC from the drop-down menu.
Click the Submit button.

Question 19. Help! What is this "Jinitiator Security Warning" I'm seeing?

The first time you access the Oracle Administrative systems after the new Jinitiator is installed, you will be presented with a security warning due to a certificate issue. You should click on the GRANT ALWAYS option.

Clicking on the GRANT ONCE option will continue to present you with the warning everytime you log in to Oracle, and DENY will prevent you from accessing the system. Again, when you are presented with the following warning screen, click on GRANT ALWAYS: