Prompted for credentials when opening report / workbook linked in e-mail.

[SQLBrennan]

When opening a Cognos report from a link in an e-mail (mail client is Lotus Notes), users are prompted for credentials. This only happens when using IE 9 x32 platform and using Excel 2010. If IE 9 x64 platform is used, the report / workbook opens without incident when using any version of Excel. If any other version of IE is used (e.g. IE 8 x32 or x64) the report / workbook opens without incident. The link being accessed is below (minus the server name):

http://CONGOSSERVERGTW/cognos10/cgi-bin/cognosisapi.dll?b_action=xts.run&m=portal/report-viewer.xts&method=view&m_obj=storeID(%22i6DF781AC67F94FC797A316FC71FF13FA%22)&nh=1&tb=0

The log in prompt appears with the banner "Connecting to COGNOSSERVERGTW". When prompted for credentials, if network credentials are entered ( I enter my credentials, I am a domain admin and have admin rights on the server), the log in fails. I am then prompted 2 more times for credentials, and after the third log in failure, I receive the error in the first attached screen capture. When I click OK on the first error I then see the second error in the second attached screen capture. After all of this, the report / workbook opens.

If, when prompted for credentials, I enter in the local admin password for the server, I see the download message in the third screen capture briefly (1 to 5 seconds) and the report / workbook opens without issue.

As a disclaimer, I am not a Cognos guru. I am by trade an SQL / Network admin. I have googled this issue profusely and have come up with only issues that are loosely related and all reference Cognos version 8. We are running Cognos version 10.2. I also saw somewhere that the "b_action=xts.run&m=portal/report-viewer.xts" portion of the link, may be a deprecated command in Cognos 10.2. Not sure if that has anything to do with it, right now I am grasping at straws. Any help would be greatly appreciated.
 
Thanks

[sir_jeroen]

What happens if you copy paste the url in Internet Explorer?
What if you change the url to a FQDN? and when using an IP-address?
Does this happen with every user or just you?
Is your AD(?)-account a member of a lot of AD-groups?
Where are your temp-files stored? Content Manager / Report Server (try changing this http://pic.dhe.ibm.com/infocenter/cbi/v10r1m0/index.jsp?topic=%2Fcom.ibm.swg.im.cognos.ug_cra.10.1.0.doc%2Fug_cra_id8029CMCacheLoad.html)

[SQLBrennan]

What happens if you copy paste the url in Internet Explorer? Same issue

What if you change the url to a FQDN? and when using an IP-address? - Same issue

Is your AD(?)-account a member of a lot of AD-groups? - No

Does this happen with every user or just you? - Everyone

[SQLBrennan]

OK, here's the scoop. There is some sort of active x control in IE 9 x32 that needs to be installed the 1st time you run the report. In order to allow said active x control to install, you have to go into IE 9 Internet Options > Security tab > select Internet > disable / uncheck Enable Protected Mode and restart IE. Go to the link for the report and it will download the active X control and open. You can then go back into IE and turn Protected mode back on, and the report will run correctly since the control needed has already been loaded.

[sir_jeroen]

Thanks for sharing!! Great to know...