Windows Desktop Adapter
Overview
The p≡p Windows Desktop Adapter is consisting of three components:
p≡p COM server adapter
This adapter is providing the native interface for the Windows desktop: COM.
p≡p JSON server adapter
This adapter is providing the JSON RPC interface for JavaScript clients like p≡p for Thunderbird
GateKeeper
This component is providing two services:
Plugin keeper
Microsoft Outlook from time to time disables plugins. This functionality is keeping the plugin part of p≡p for Outlook alive.
Updater
Registering software for updates
The Updater implements automatic updates. To use it an Installer can write a Registry Value of type REG_SZ
to the Key HKCU\Software\pEp\Updater
. The name of the value can be used to express the name of the software being installed. It does not matter. The value itself must be the Update URL.
Enable and disable automatic updates
The default for automatic updates is on. When the default value of the Registry Key HKCU\Software\pEp\Updater
is set to REG_SZ
"0"
then automatic updates are switched off. To switch them on delete the default value or set any other value.
Update Key
The Updater is authenticating at the Update Server with the Update Key. The Update Key is a x.509 RSA Certificate in DER (ASN.1) format. In the p≡p Windows Desktop Adapter the Update Key is deployed in pEpCOMServerAdapter.exe
as resource of type RCDATA
with ID 108. In the source code it is the file updatekey.bin
.