ANNOUNCEMENT: Network Identity Manager Version 2.0 Beta 3 available for public testing

[Jeffrey Altman]

URL: http://www.secure-endpoints.com/netidmgr/v2/

Secure Endpoints Inc. is proud to announce the public availability of
Network Identity Manager v2 Beta 3 (1.99.27.227).  Version 2.0 is the
end of a three year effort to improve the usability and capabilities of
the product.

Improved usability:

    * Users no longer have to type their username/realm each time they
      wish to obtain credentials for a Kerberos v5 identity.  Instead,
      they select previously used identities from a list.
    * A "New Identity Wizard" walks the user through the configuration
      of all derived credential types when creating a new identity.
    * Progress dialogs inform the user of progress of each stage of the
      credential acquisition process.
    * Users can assign an icon to each identity to assist in
      distinguishing identities from one another.
    * The basic identity view now includes:
          o an animated battery that visualizes the remaining lifetime
            and permits users to quickly recharge the credential.
          o summary information describing the types and numbers of each
            derived credential obtained by the identity.
          o dynamic progress bars when credential renewal takes place in
            the background.
          o a star button to represent the current default identity and
            permit setting an alternate default identity.
    * The notification icon context menu has been improved to reduce the
      need to open the Network Identity Manager window.
    * The user documentation has been significantly rewritten.  The PDF
      manual has been retired and the Windows Help documentation is
      comprehensive.

New functionality:

    * Multiple identity providers can now be active simultaneously.
    * In addition to the Kerberos v5 identity provider, a KeyStore
      provider is included and an X.509 identity provider is under
      development.
    * The KeyStore provider permits a locally assigned password to be
      used to protect the passwords of multiple Kerberos v5 principals.
      Unlocking the KeyStore results in the acquisition of credentials
      for each of the configured Kerberos v5 identities.

Open Framework:

    * The Network Identity Manager v2 SDK can be used to develop custom
      identity providers, credential providers, and tool providers.

Changes since 1.99.25.217 (Pre v2.0 Beta 2)

Application:

  - Identity and credential property sheets no longer display empty
    properties.

  - Debug log file includes details about the process token for the
    Network Identity Manager process. This is to help identify
    recurrent problems with restricted tokens on Vista and Windows 7.

  - Redundant change notifications have been suppressed within in the
    Network Identity Manager framework.

Kerberos v5:

  - Logged Kerberos v5 errors now include the description as well as
    the code.

User documentation:

  - Broken links have been fixed.

  - Includes explanation of Kerberos v5 proxiable tickets.

  - Explains UI changes in identity icon dialog.

  - Registry documentation layout and content have been revised.

Bug fixes:

  - A race condition where the initial credentials listing can be
    attempted before the identity provider has finished intializing
    has been fixed. Earlier, the credentials listing will fail at
    first and if the `--autoinit` option is used, Network Identity
    Manager may display the new credentials dialog even when the user
    has credentials.

Thanks to all of the testers that have downloaded Version 2.0 Beta 2.
This beta period will last one week.  Please try out the new release and
provide positive and negative feedback to:

  netidmgr at secure-endpoints.com

Downloads and documentation are available from URL:

  http://www.secure-endpoints.com/netidmgr/v2/

Jeffrey Altman and Asanka Herath
Secure Endpoints Inc.