Environment
Situation
Why isn't there an installer for the IDM Java remote loader?
Resolution
The Identity Manager Remote Loader is provided so that Identity Manager drivers can be instantiated on a host computer other than the computer on which the Identity Manager engine is running. The reasons for doing this generally are related to situations where the connected application does not have a remotable API, it does not provide a secure API, or it has no API at all and thus requires a local agent to perform the integration. The Identity Manager Engine and Remote Loader components are only officially supported on a published list of Operating Systems and host architectures (platforms).
Many customers have a desire to connect to applications that require a driver to reside on a non-supported platform. Since Novell can not possibly provide support and an installation tool that would work on every platform that is capable of hosting a Java environment, we have provided an optional pure Java Remote Loader that can be manually extracted and installed onto any host. Since we began providing this component, our customers have been able to run their Java-based drivers outside of our supported environments - whether that driver is provided by Novell, a partner, or is independently developed. This component has allowed Identity Manager to be extended into more environments that any other vendor can reach.
Like other software vendors, Novell must restrict the list of supported platforms to a finite list of the most popular and most customer-demanded platforms. Unlike other vendors, the generic nature of the pure-Java Remote Loader allows us to extend beyond our supported list to meet additional customer needs. This pure-Java Remote Loader can be repackaged as needed by customers and partners if an enhanced installation experience is desired.