Administrator Launcher 1.0.0 Released!

[narupley]

As some of you may know by now, Oracle has removed Java Web Start starting in Java 11. You won't necessarily need to worry about this until you start using Java 11, and support for 11 will be coming with Connect 3.7. But in the meantime, we're releasing this product ahead of time to get feedback from the community!

This is a standalone application that you install on your local workstation, and allows you to remotely launch the Administrator GUI for any NextGen Connect server you want. It completely replaces Java Web Start, so no more Java cache issues!

All versions of Mirth/NextGen Connect are supported, all the way back to 2.x.

You don't even need to have Java installed on your local workstation anymore, as this application comes with a Java 8 Runtime Environment built-in!

Go to our Downloads page and download the Administrator Launcher installer for your operating system.

After installing, you can create and manage multiple NextGen Connect server connections in a single place!



If you choose to associate JNLP files in the installation process, opening that "webstart.jnlp" file will automatically use the new Administrator Launcher! You can also set your internet browser to automatically open JNLP files with the Administrator Launcher as well.

Give it a try, and let us know what you think!

[mdehoog]

Super. A perfect add-on.

Already added 7 different servers, 3 different Mirth Connect versions to it.

[mikeyw]

Any chance of storing username and password in the connection information, and then securing the launcher to prevent unauthorized access?

[cjohansen]

This works well. I have about 10 jnlp files that I use so it would have been nice to be able to import them rather than have to open each file individually, but that was a minor inconvenience.

I do have an issue with a high dpi monitor and scaling. I've tried the workaround that worked with the jnlp files but it doesn't seem to be working with this launcher. Any ideas on how to resolve the high dpi issue?

[lbittle]

Great job on that new UI and I am sure it will be well received. Thank you for your hard work, it is much appreciated.

[addis144]

Have 120+ jnlp files, Where is the connection list information stored? I'd like to add all my connections at once .

[narupley]

Originally Posted by mikeyw

Any chance of storing username and password in the connection information, and then securing the launcher to prevent unauthorized access?

That is an interesting idea, but how do you define "securing the launcher"? The only sure way I see is to encrypt the credentials with another password, and force the user to enter in that "master password". But at that point it's like the launcher would be turning into a password manager, which it's not really meant to be.

[narupley]

Originally Posted by cjohansen

This works well. I have about 10 jnlp files that I use so it would have been nice to be able to import them rather than have to open each file individually, but that was a minor inconvenience.

I do have an issue with a high dpi monitor and scaling. I've tried the workaround that worked with the jnlp files but it doesn't seem to be working with this launcher. Any ideas on how to resolve the high dpi issue?

Originally Posted by addis144

Have 120+ jnlp files, Where is the connection list information stored? I'd like to add all my connections at once .

The connection list is stored at "data/connections.json" in the installation directory. Save at least one connection and the JSON file should show up, and you can look at it and emulate the format. Basically just give each a unique UUIDv4 ID, name, and the webstart address (like https://localhost:8443).

If you have modified your Java installation to fix the DPI issues in Java 8, you could try pointing your connection directly to that Java home directory, rather than using the bundled JRE.

Allegedly, those DPI issues should be fixed in Java 11, so when Connect 3.7 comes out and Java 11 is supported, that shouldn't be an issue anymore.

[mikeyw]

Originally Posted by narupley

That is an interesting idea, but how do you define "securing the launcher"? The only sure way I see is to encrypt the credentials with another password, and force the user to enter in that "master password". But at that point it's like the launcher would be turning into a password manager, which it's not really meant to be.

That was kind of what I envisioned. When I saw the connection manager interface, my mind went straight to "how can this be used to manage all aspects of the connection?"

I realize that there are security considerations which would affect the feasibility of this suggestion, but it sure would be nice

[surbhit4u]

We are using multiple mirth instances (for various development, UAT, staging etc..).. As such, having a way to store usernames & passwords can help to quickly launch the Mirth instance.
I understand, its a security aspect, however its upto the individual to understand whether its good or not to store the credentials..