Deployment:Deploying Firefox

Deploying Firefox

Many people are using Firefox at home, and many also want to use it at work or see it on public computers such as at libraries or Internet Cafes. This article describes how to deploy Firefox in a corporate environment, at both small and large business, as well as at colleges and universities.

Firefox CCK

The Firefox Client Customization Kit (CCK) was designed as a successor to two Netscape products, CCK, and Mission Control Desktop (MCD). These two products were used to customize Netscape browsers for deployment for ISPs (CCK) and enterprises (MCD).

The goal of the Firefox CCK is to provide an extension that can be deployed with Firefox that does most basic customizations.

More information is available at http://www.mozilla.org/projects/cck/firefox.

Information on the release repackaging tool is available here http://benjamin.smedbergs.us/release-repackager/

Installer Options

Large Oranizations have a variety of software deployment systems. In most cases the Firefox installation package can be wrapped inside these deployment systems. Some groups have packaged the firefox installer inside a MSI package to do their deployments. The firefox installation program can be wrapped inside these deployment systems. Two installer options are valuable in these set ups.

FirefoxSetup.exe /ms (for mode-silent)

or

FirefoxSetup.exe /ma (auto-mode, hands-free but visible)

Another installation option ( /ira ) might be useful in these scenarios as it keeps the program from running after the install has completed.

Some changes were made in Firefox 2 to modify installer command line options. Information on those changes is here: http://wiki.mozilla.org/Installer:Command_Line_Arguments

Deployment Tools

Automated deployment of Firefox with extensions, themes, and pre-configuration http://firefox.dbltree.com/

Firefox ADM (Active Directory deployment) Manage Firefox settings through Group Policy and Active Directory. http://homepages.ed.ac.uk/mcs/FirefoxADM/Readme.htm

Software Update

Mozilla offers automated updates of security patches and bug fixes for Firefox and Thunderbird though its software update system. You can choose to use this system or modify the firefox configuration to turn software updates off and gain more control over the installation process. An overview of the software update system can be found at http://wiki.mozilla.org/Software_Update

Companies

List of companies who can help with your deployment of Firefox or Thunderbird.

Wayforth - London, UK
Browser Garage - Mountain View, CA
IBM - Austin, TX - contact Michael Kaply

Export Control Information

Companies looking to provide Mozilla Software outside the United States often ask about Export Control provisions.

The Export Notice can be found at http://ftp.mozilla.org/pub/mozilla.org/security/export-notice

In addition, the CCATS number makes it easier for companies to file when they included NSS or Mozilla Applications like Firefox, which use NSS. This CCATS filing covers all the crypto operations used in the Mozilla code base, including SSL and S/MIME.

The reference number for export filings is CCATS G023895. Strictly speaking, we did not have to file for a CCATS number because the NSS crypto code is "publicly available" and the binaries are built from purely open source software. More information on exporting products made from Open Source can be found here https://www.bis.doc.gov/encryption/enc.htm and here http://www.access.gpo.gov/bis/ear/ear_data.html - Part 740. Section §740.13(e) is on page 30 of the PDF.

We strongly caution you not to act on your personal reading of export regulations. They are complex and loaded with history, precedent, and context which often require interpretation from a qualified attorney.

Most questions about features provided by Mozilla's security library are contained in this document http://www.mozilla.org/projects/security/pki/nss/nss-3.9/nss-3.9-algorithms.html

Licensing/Distribution Terms and Conditions

More information can be found here: http://www.mozilla.org/foundation/trademarks/

Other Links

Collection of random press and other articles on Firefox Deployments in Enterprise and Large Organizations

http://del.icio.us/chofmann/enterprise
http://wiki.mozilla.org/Firefox:1.5_Institutional_Deployment