Does anybody have experience with SiteMinder?

We use it for user authentication. I know very little about it but know that we have to do a special (extra) login even in development server as it is set to replicate the production environment.

This creates a big problem because when you create a new ASP.NET project in VS2003 it wants to connect to IIS to create a virtual directory. It cannot get a connection because it passes Windows credentials but SiteMinder wants the special SiteMinder credentials (totally different), yet it does not provide me with a separate dialog or place to enter them.

Our group did not have this problem before because all web development for our Extranet was in ASP. Now we are starting to create new apps in ASP.NET instead, mine being the first one; (all Winforms/Desktop apps are still in VFP and will be for a long time :)

To get around this problem for now as we have a deadline for this first app, I started development using VS 2005 Beta 2 which does not require a virtual but only a directory structure. I can then develop in my local PC with the personal web server provided. This app is close to finished, barring a few grid problems I mentioned in another thread.

Here's the problem: The production environment will *not* accept Beta 2 until after November when it comes out for real. So I now have to start retrofitting/recompiling the app in .NET 1.1

This should not be a big problem as I tried to stay away from Beta 2 enhancements so it should only take a few adjustments. But I cannot even start to create the project for development bcause of the SiteMinder authentication problem mentioned above.

If nobody here has any SiteMinder experience (a distinct possibility as it is mostly used in an Enterprise environment), would anybody recommentd a good .Net board where I could post the same question? Maybe I'll try in http://forums.microsoft.com/msdn/

TIA,