New Platform Features

Sybase® Unwired Platform 2.1 ESD #3 includes new features that affect Sybase Mobile SDK and Unwired Platform Runtime components. Key features that affect the entire platform include security and support enhancements. Review these platform features in addition to those described in Mobile SDK and Runtime sections.

Security Enhancements

Unwired Platform security has been enhanced with these new features.
  • Encrypted or unencrypted HTTP application connection support – In earlier versions, the messaging transport in Sybase Unwired Platform used a proprietary end-to-end encryption over HTTP for secure communication. This new version of Unwired Platform adds support of standard HTTPS protocol for secure communication to both Sybase Mobile SDK and Unwired Platform Runtime. To make use of this new feature, applications must be rebuilt with this latest SDK version, and connected to this new version of Runtime.
    Note: HTTPS support is available for Hybrid Web SDK (except Hybrid Web Container apps on Windows Mobile platforms), Object API, and OData SDK.
    Documented in:
    • Developer Guide: Mobile Workflow Packages:
      • Configuring Android Connection Settings
      • Configuring BlackBerry Connection Settings
    • Developer Guide: OData SDK. Search for these topics in the Android, BlackBerry, and iOS sections:
      • Enabling HTTPS as a Transport Protocol
      • Enabling a Listener for HTTPS Support with Server Certificate Validation
  • Expanded SSO support – expanded single sign-on support (SSO) is available to Android, BlackBerry, iOS, and Windows Mobile platforms for Object API, and Hybrid Web Container apps. This feature allows a mobile application to provide an SSO token as credentials for synchronization, which enables you to use your existing SSO solution with Unwired Platform.
    Note: This feature is not applicable to Hybrid Web SDK applications on Windows Mobile. The OData SDK does support this feature.
    Documented in the corresponding Developer Guide for your application type:
    • Basic Authentication
    • Single Sign-on
  • Network edge SSO authentication for user name and password authentication providers – Sybase Unwired Platform applications can now integrate with HTTP-based SSO authentication providers. In earlier versions, only SSO token authentication from SAP SSO2 token providers were supported. Now, Hybrid Web SDK and Object API applications can connect to reverse proxy servers (agents) at the network edge. These agents perform authentication and return authenticated tokens on behalf of those authentication providers to either Unwired Server or HTTP-base enterprise information system (EIS) systems via session personalization values delivered as HTTP cookies, or HTTP headers.

    An example of an HTTP-based SSO provider is SiteMinder running inside the enterprise and its SiteMinder agent running at the network edge inside an Apache or IIS reverse proxy server.

    Note: This feature is not applicable to Hybrid Web SDK applications on Windows Mobile. The OData SDK does support this feature.
    Documented in:
    • Security:
      • HTTP Authentication Security Provider
      • SSO Integration Across Client Applications
    • Developer Guide: Mobile Workflow Packages:
      • Single Sign-on
  • Enhanced LDAP support – LDAP support now includes nested groups for role computation
    Note: This feature is not applicable to OData SDK.
    Documented in:
    • Security:
      • Using LDAP Nested Groups and Roles
      • LDAP Role Computation
  • Special character support for user names – You can now use special characters as user names during authentication. This enhancement means that e-mail addresses can legitimately be used for user name values.
    Note: This feature is available for Hybrid Web SDK, Object API, and OData SDK.
    Documented in:
    • Security:
      • Supported Providers and Credential Types
      • Considerations for Using E-mail Addresses as User Names
  • Password Policy for Data Vaults – A password policy can now be added to application connection templates. By default a password policy is enabled. When the correct enforcement code has been added to an application's login code, a device user must supply a password that conforms to the requirement defined in the password policy. For details, see Enabling and Configuring a Password Policy and Creating a Data Vault that Enforce Password Policy in the Release Bulletin.
    Note: This feature is not applicable to OData SDK.

Extended Device and API Support

Unwired Platform supports the newest devices, operating systems, APIs, and tools. See Supported Hardware and Software for specific details.