Configure Web Browsers

IBM® Cognos® Business Intelligence products use default browser configurations. Additional required settings are specific to the browser.

Browser Settings Required for IBM Cognos BI Portal

The following table shows the settings that must be enabled.

Table 1. Enabled Browser Settings for IBM Cognos BI Portal
Browser	Setting	IBM Cognos component
Internet Explorer (settings for studios and portals)	Allow Cookies Active Scripting Allow META REFRESH	IBM Cognos Connection IBM Cognos Administration Cognos Viewer Report Studio Query Studio Analysis Studio Event Studio Metric Studio PowerPlay® Studio IBM Cognos Workspace IBM Cognos Workspace Advanced
Internet Explorer (settings for some studios)	Run ActiveX controls and plug-ins Script ActiveX controls marked safe for scripting	Report Studio Query Studio Analysis Studio
Internet Explorer (settings for a single studio)	Binary and script behaviors Allow programmatic clipboard access Userdata persistence	Report Studio
Firefox	Allow Cookies Enable Java™ Enable JavaScript Load Images	IBM Cognos Connection IBM Cognos Administration Cognos Viewer Report Studio Query Studio Analysis Studio PowerPlay Studio IBM Cognos Workspace IBM Cognos Workspace Advanced
Safari 5	Enable Java Enable JavaScript Do not Block Popup Windows Block Cookies: Never	IBM Cognos Connection Cognos Viewer IBM Cognos Workspace
Google Chrome	Cookies: Allow local data to be set Images: Show all images JavaScript: Allow all sites to run JavaScript Pop-ups: Allow all sites to show pop-ups	IBM Cognos Connection Cognos Viewer IBM Cognos Workspace

Report Studio and Query Studio use the native Microsoft Internet Explorer XML support, which is a component of the browser. ActiveX support must be enabled because Microsoft applications implement XML using ActiveX. IBM Cognos BI does not provide or download ActiveX controls. Only the ActiveX controls that are installed as part of Internet Explorer are enabled through this configuration.

If Adblock Plus is installed with Firefox, disable it using the per-page option. Adblock Plus prevents some IBM Cognos Connection resources from working properly.

If you use Microsoft Internet Explorer Version 8, you may receive Adobe link errors when you open PDF documents in the IBM Cognos portal. To prevent these errors, in Internet Explorer, from the Tools menu, select Manage Add-ons, and disable Adobe PDF Reader Link Helper.

If you use a Microsoft Internet Explorer Web browser, then you can add the URL for your gateway(s) to the list of Trusted sites. For example, http://<server_name>:<port_number>/ibmcognos. This enables automatic prompting for file downloads.

For more information, see the topic about configuring IBM Cognos Application Firewall in the IBM Cognos Business Intelligence Installation and Configuration Guide.

Cookies Used by IBM Cognos BI Components

IBM Cognos BI uses the following cookies to store user information.

Table 2. Cookies used by IBM Cognos BI components
Cookie	Type	Purpose
AS_TICKET	Session temporary	Created if IBM Cognos BI is configured to use an IBM Cognos Series 7 namespace
caf	Session temporary	Contains security state information
Cam_passport	Session temporary	Stores a reference to a user session stored on the Content Manager server. Administrators can set the HTTPOnly attribute to block scripts from reading or manipulating the CAM passport cookie during a user's session with their web browser.
cc_session	Session temporary	Holds session information that is specific to IBM Cognos Connection
cc_state	Session temporary	Holds information during edit operations, such as cut, copy, and paste
CRN	Session temporary	Contains the content and product locale information, and is set for all IBM Cognos users
CRN_RS	Persistent	Stores the choice that the user makes for the view members folder in Report Studio
PAT_CURRENT_ FOLDER	Persistent	Stores the current folder path if local file access is used, and is updated after the Open or Save dialog box is used
pp_session	Session temporary	Stores session information that is specific to PowerPlay Studio
qs	Persistent	Stores the settings that the user makes for user interface elements such as menus and toolbars
userCapabilities	Session temporary	Contains all capabilities and the signature for the current user
usersessionid	Session temporary	Contains a unique user session identifier, valid for the duration of the browser session.
FrameBorder PageOrientation PageSize PDFLayerDimension PDFOPTS	Session temporary	These cookies store the preferences for export to PDF.
DimTreeToolbarVisible	Persistent	Stores the setting that determines whether to show or hide the dimension viewer toolbar.
cea-ssa	Session temporary	Stores the setting that determines whether the user session information is shared with other IBM Cognos BI components.
BRes	Session temporary	Stores information used to determine the screen resolution to use to render charts.

After upgrading or installing new software, restart the Web browser and advise users to clear their browser cache.