[WEB4LIB] When is IP filtering NOT IP filtering?

[Eric Hellman]

You should inform your salesperson that

1. The all-knowing web4lib community has assessed the situation and 
has agreed that this setup would be a funny joke if it weren't true.

2. He won't be seeing a cent until it's fixed.

3. If he can't fix it, then surely the Director of National Register 
Publishing will be eager to hear about the situation. Their number is 
(800) 521-8110, and they have friendly receptionists answering the 
phone.

4. There are hacks around it, but libraries shouldn't have to bear 
their added expense.

Eric

>Q: When is IP filtering NOT IP filtering? 
>
>A: When you are using the Corporate Affiliations website. 
>We just signed up for Corporate Affiliations online. I was
>careful to quiz the salesperson as to the availability of
>IP filtered access.  (I would rather not have to give out
>passwords if we can avoid it.)
>
>They assured me that they offered IP filtered access.  And
>they do...sort of. 
>
>However, when you go to their site, even with IP filtered
>access, users are confronted by a javascript popup that
>asks for their login and password. It turns out that any
>password and login will do at that point as long as it is
>over 4 characters long (and it probably has some max. length
>as well, but I didn't test for that.)
>
>So now, instead of giving out passwords, I'm going to have
>to send users to an interstitial "info page" to explain that
>they do need a password or that almost ANY password would
>do.
>
>As a bonus, it looks like this service may not work with
>our remote authentication proxy server. 
>
>Anyone found a way past this login/password part of the
>site?  As far as I can tell, using the internal URL for the
>search screen only works if you already have a login cookie
>stored on your drive. 
>
>Incidentally, this publication/database is now being sold
>by Lexis-Nexis.  Given L-N's past problems getting an
>accurate source list out for their Academic Universe
>product, I'm not very hopeful about the Corporate
>Affiliations problems being solved anytime soon.  <sigh>
>
>Stacy Pober
>Information Alchemist
>Manhattan College Libraries
>spober at manhattan.edu

-- 
Eric Hellman
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