MACROMEDIA FLASH 8-USING FLASH, Use Manual, Page: 458 / 678

458 Publishing
About local and network playback security
Flash Player 8 introduces a new security model that lets you determine the local and network
playback security for SWF files that you publish. By default, SWF files are granted read access
to local files and networks. However, a SWF file with local access cannot communicate with
the network (the SWF file cannot send files or information to any networks).
You can choose to allow SWF files to access network resources, letting the SWF file both send
and receive data. If you choose to grant the SWF file access to network resources, local access
is disabled, protecting information on the local computer from potentially being uploaded to
the network.
You select the local or network playback security model for your published SWF files using
the Publish Settings dialog box. For more information, see
“Setting publish options for the
Flash SWF file format” on page 461
Configuring a server for Flash Player
For users to view your Flash content on the web, the web server must be properly configured
to recognize SWF files.
Your server may already be configured properly. To test server configuration, see TechNote
4151 on the Macromedia Flash Support Center at
www.macromedia.com/go/tn_4151 . If
your server is not properly configured, follow the procedure below to configure it.
Configuring a server establishes the appropriate Multipart Internet Mail Extension (MIME)
types so that the server can identify files with the .swf extension as Shockwave Flash files.
A browser that receives the correct MIME type can load the appropriate plug-in, control, or
helper application to process and properly display the incoming data. If the MIME type is
missing or not properly delivered by the server, the browser might display an error message or
a blank window with a puzzle piece icon.
To configure a server for Flash Player, do one of the following:
■
If your site is established through an Internet service provider (ISP), ask the ISP to add
this MIME type to the server: application/x-shockwave-flash with the .swf extension.
■
If you are administering your own server, see your web server documentation for
instructions on adding or configuring MIME types.
Corporate and enterprise system administrators can configure Flash to restrict access by Flash
Player to resources in the local file system. You can create a security configuration file that
limits Flash Player functionality on the local system.