Describe the browser plug-in behavioral change that Microsoft has made to the Internet Explorer browser.

After installing the Microsoft Internet Explorer cumulative security update, all plug-ins will be loaded in an inactive state. The plug-ins must be activated (by clicking on them or  selecting them in a similar way) in order for them to begin executing. As Windchill makes use of the Java plug-in for applets and the ProductView plug-in for visualization, Windchill clients will be affected by this change.

Describe the issue PTC has identified.

After installing the Microsoft Internet Explorer cumulative security update, loading the Java plug-in (which is required for all applets) may cause the browser to exit prematurely. If this is the Pro/ENGINEER Wildfire embedded browser, it may cause Wildfire to exit.

Describe how the Java plug-in server-side workaround patch from PTC addresses the issue.

The server-side workaround patch has been developed per the workaround described on Microsoft's MSDN resources page for this issue. Installing the server-side workaround will cause applets to be loaded and activated (there will be no need to click to activate), and the server-side workaround will avoid any browser exiting issues associated with the Java plug-in. This server-side workaround will resolve the issue for all clients, so there is no need to make any changes to client workstations.

Does this affect other browsers, or just Internet Explorer?

Microsoft Internet Explorer on Windows XP and Windows Server 2003 are the only browsers affected. See Microsoft Support's KB resources page for this issue for more details on the affected Microsoft browsers. At this time, other browsers such as Mozilla are not affected.

What PTC products does this issue affect?

• Does this affect Pro/ENGINEER Wildfire, or just Windchill?
• Does this affect other plug-ins such as ProductView, or just the Java plug-in?

  This issue affects all releases of Windchill and Windchill-based solutions, including Windchill PDMLink, Windchill ProjectLink, Windchill Foundation & PDM, Windchill DynamicDesignLink, and Pro/INTRALINK 8.0 and higher. When viewing an applet using the Microsoft Internet Explorer browser, or the Pro/ENGINEER Wildfire embedded browser on Windows platforms, the browser may exit prematurely. ProductView (DIVISION) Graphics Server clients may also be affected.

  The "click to activate" change in plug-in behavior affects all plug-ins including both the ProductView plug-in and the Java plug-in. Only the Java plug-in has exhibited the browser exiting behavior, and only the ProductView Standard client in "embedded" mode has exhibited the browser hanging behavior.

What specific releases of these products does this issue affect?

Applets loaded from Microsoft Internet Explorer for all versions of all PTC products affected may exhibit this behavior.

Why is PTC providing a server-side workaround for an issue which only affects clients?

Every client calls the same server code to launch the Java plug-in, and the server-side workaround from PTC changes the behavior of this code on the server. Therefore, installation of this server-side patch is not required on client workstations.

What are some examples of PTC product plug-ins which may be affected?

This affects any applet, including but not limited to the Product Structure Explorer, the drag-and-drop document creation applet, and many of the administration tools.

How do I disable "Disable Script Debugging" so that my ProductView Lite client plug-in is not affected?

The "Disable Script Debugging" parameter under the #Tools #Internet Options #Advanced menu can be toggled. However, setting this property may disable the Java plug-in server-side workaround patch, so it is not recommended for Windchill customers.

Does this affect ProductView Standard clients in "external to browser" mode?

No. This issue affects ProductView Standard clients in embedded mode only.

What do I need to do to avoid any interruption of operation?

There are several options for avoiding the issue:
1. Install the Java plug-in server-side workaround patch for your release.
2. Customize the applet launch tags, per the information contained on Microsoft's MSDN resources page for this issue.
3. Use an alternative browser.
4. Do not install the Microsoft Internet Explorer updates.
5. Install the "Compatibility Patch" from Microsoft along with the cumulative security update, which will allow for the old plug-in behavior to continue until June (see Microsoft's Security Advisory page for this issue).

What is the time frame for making these updates available?

The Microsoft Internet Explorer updates specific to the plug-in behavior are available for optional download today, and are also included in the April critical security update for Internet Explorer. If your users accept Microsoft updates directly, or if your IT department pushes updates out to user workstations automatically, your production environment may be impacted.

PTC recommends that you first address this Java plug-in issue, and then deploy the Internet Explorer update to user workstations. Both should be addressed as soon as possible.

Will my data be at risk of corruption?

No. There is no risk of data corruption.

What is the risk associated with implementing this fix?

The associated risk is low. However, due to the nature of the workaround imposed by Microsoft Internet Explorer, all embedded applets must make one additional call to the server to load an activated plug-in. The effects of this should be negligible.

Do I have to upgrade to a more recent build or more recent release of the software?

To be sure that all standard Windchill applets are updated, you may have to upgrade if you are on a release earlier than Windchill 6.2.6 DSU 06. However, the behavior of some applets in older releases and in customizations may be corrected using the instructions for applet tag changes available on Microsoft's MSDN resources page for this issue.