This chapter discusses the various methods you can use to determine who has access to what resources on your Compass Server. If you want to control who can configure the Compass Server itself and who can access the server configuration files, see Managing Netscape Servers . Access control lets you determine who can access the server. Host-IP requires the user to access the Compass Server from a specific computer, where the server recognizes the computer by either its hostname or its IP address. You can require users to authenticate themselves before getting access to your server.
Authentication means that users verify their identity by entering a username and password.
When users attempt to access a file or directory that has User-Group authentication, the web browser displays a dialog box asking the user to enter a username and password. After entering the information, the user either sees the file or directory listing requested or a message denying access. Figure 9.1 shows the authentication window. This window shows a custom message. Figure 9.1 Users see this window when authenticating themselves to the server.