When you configure the ALIM Web virtual directory in ALIM Web Application Manager, you specify whether to use AssetWise or Windows authentication. Basically, you set Authentication to AssetWise if your community only has users with AssetWise accounts, and you set Authentication to Windows if your community has any users with Windows accounts.

For configuration details, see To Configure a New or Existing AssetWise ALIM Web Virtual Directory.

Windows authentication in ALIM Web uses a feature of IIS that allows it to impersonate the Windows user account of the person making a web request. This feature allows AssetWise to establish a user account for the person by checking the selected community and checking for a user that has the current Windows user identity. The user does not have to remember another user name and password. The process is secure because IIS establishes the Windows identity of the user.

Configuring the authentication mode affects the <authentication> and <identity> elements in web.config.

When Authentication is set to AssetWise, the web.config settings appear as follows:

    <authentication mode="None" />
    <identity impersonate="false" />

When Authentication is set to Windows, the web.config settings appear as follows:

    <authentication mode="Windows" />
    <identity impersonate="true" />

In order to use AssetWise authentication you must also enable anonymous connections to the virtual directory through IIS Manager. If this is not enabled, IIS denies access to the user if they do not have a valid Windows account on the web server.