Communication Channel Security 

Collaboration uses the following protocols to communicate with other components and subcomponents:

·        Hypertext Transfer Protocol (HTTP)

HTTP is the established protocol for data transfer on the World Wide Web. The user’s Web browser is an HTTP client. When the user opens a Web site by entering the URL (uniform resource locator) or by clicking a hyperlink, the client sends a request to the server IP address (Internet protocol address) that is specified in the URL. The server returns the requested file or files (that the Web site consists of) to the client.

·        Hypertext Transfer Protocol over Secure Socket Layer (HTTP over SSL, abbreviated to HTTPS)

HTTPS encrypts and decrypts both the Web pages that users request and the Web pages that the Web server returns to users. To do this, the Secure Socket Layer (SSL) is executed as a subordinate layer within the HTTP application.

The URL of Web pages that are encrypted according to the HTTPS protocol start with “https://.”

The graphic below illustrates the possible communication channels within Collaboration and the protocols used.

Components and Communication Channels

Communication Partner for Collaboration	Protocol	Comments
Browser	HTTP or HTTPS
Knowledge Management	Depends on the repository implemented (see Communication Channel Security in the KM security guide)
Application sharing server for the Real-Time Collaboration (RTC) subcomponent	HTTP or HTTPS	Your browser settings must allow installation of the ActiveX control.
Microsoft Exchange	HTTP or HTTPS	See Creating an Exchange Transport
Lotus Notes	HTTP or HTTPS	See Creating a Lotus Transport
WebEx	HTTP