UNIX & Linux Server Components Installation Guide

 

 

Introduction
Installing OpenLink Server Components
on UNIX & Linux Servers

Introduction

The components that make up your OpenLink Server Components are:

  • OpenLink Request Broker - the component responsible for brokering the services of OpenLink Data Access and Service Providing Agents. Its is also the component responsible for co-ordinating and controlling your entire OpenLink Data Access session irrespective of Data Access mechanism being used. This is the heart and soul of the OpenLink Database Independent Communications Layer, the technology that enables the OpenLink Data Access drivers communicate with your backend database engines, alleviating the need to acquire additional database specific networking software from your backend database vendor(s).

  • One or more Database Agents (one for each supported database engine) - these are database specific components that provide the actual backend database connectivity and data access services to your OpenLink Data Access Clients (ODBC, JDBC, UDBC, OLE-DB etc.). These components are actually clients from the perspective of each supported backend database, this is because they are built using the Call Level Interfaces (CLIs) or Embedded SQL interfaces of these backend databases.

  • One or more Service Provider  Agents (ODBC, JDBC, PROXY.)  - these are generic agents that provide Distributed  Data Access Protocol handling services to OpenLink Data Access Drivers. The data access protocols supported are as follows:

  • ODBC Agent - enabling OpenLink Multi-Tier ODBC Drivers to connect to local or remote non OpenLink ODBC Drivers

  • JDBC Agent - enabling OpenLink JDBC Drivers to connect local or remote OpenLink or non OpenLink ODBC or UDBC Drivers

  • PROXY Agent - enabling all OpenLink Data Access Clients to connect to OpenLink Database Agents that do not reside on the same server machine as the prime OpenLink Request Broker. The prime Broker being the Request Broker that all your OpenLink Client are configured to request data access services from. This enables you configure your OpenLink Database Agents for use in N-Tier distributed computing environments.

An architectural overview the OpenLink Multi-tier Data Access infrastructure is available at:
http://www.openlinksw.com/info/mtproduct.htm .
Note that the OpenLink Request Broker is the core component that makes up the OpenLink Database Independent Communications Layer in this illustration.

The components listed above are presented to you for download at the end of your interaction with the OpenLink Software download Wizard at: http://www.openlinksw.com/main/softdld2.htm .

Once you have successfully downloaded the appropriate OpenLink Server components for your server operating system, you will be in a position to follow the steps outlined in the operating system specific installation sections that follow.

Installing OpenLink Server Components on UNIX & Linux Servers

  1. Ensure you have downloaded all of the relevant OpenLink Server Components from the page created by the OpenLink Software Download wizard, this must include the OpenLink Server Components Installation shell script file "install.sh" in addition to the compressed "TAR" archives for the OpenLink Request Broker and relevant Database Agent Components.

  2. Log on to your Database or Application server machine using the userid and password combination that you normally use when connecting to the database in non ODBC/JDBC/UDBC mode.

  3. Determine your operating system group membership by typing in the command:

    set

    the "gid" value indicates your current operating system group membership (remember this for use later on during the installation process).

  4. Create an OpenLink installation directory on the server (e.g. /usr/openlink) and transfer all server related files to it. Note: If using ftp remember to transfer the ".taz" files in BINARY mode and the installation shell script "install.sh" in TEXT mode.

    You set your FTP program in TEXT or ASCII transfer mode by typing the following command at your FTP command prompt:

    ftp> ascii

    You set your FTP program in BINARY transfer mode by typing the following command at your FTP command prompt:

    ftp> bin

  5. Run the install script on the server by typing the command:

    sh install.sh

    or

    ./install.sh

  6. The install script will extract the files from the ".taz" files and then create all of the relevant OpenLink server component sub-directories. The install script will also place the OpenLink server components into their appropriate sub-directories

  7. Once the files have been extracted and placed in the relevant sub-directories, the install script will proceed to install and configure the OpenLink Admin Assistant. This program enables remote configuration for all OpenLink Server Components (Rule Book, Service and Database Agents) from any Web Browser.

    The screen shots below illustrate the interactions encountered during the server components installation process:


    bash$ sh install.sh

    Entering default values in oplrqb.ini ...
    Modifying bin/odbc.ini ...
    Modifying bin/odbcinst.ini ...

    Welcome to the OpenLink Admin Assistant Setup.

    This program will install the HTTP based OpenLink Admin Assistant, thereby enabling remote configuration for all OpenLink Server Components (Rule Book, Service and Database Agents) from any Web Browser.

    TCP/IP Port to use? [8000]

    Log File? [www_sv.log]

    Log all requests (y/n)? [n]

    Administrator account? [admin]

    Administrator's password? [admin]

    The OpenLink Admin Assistant is now ready for use.
    Please (re)start the OpenLink Request Broker (using the command 'oplrqb -v') and then point your Web Browser to the URL below:

    http://<servername>:8000
    Enter the name of the user that will own the programs
    [ENTER=Use Current User Settings] :
    Enter the name of the group that will own the programs [ENTER=Use Current Group Settings] :
    Changing ownership ...

    Press return to proceed to the next phase of the install process:

  8. Configure the OpenLink Request Broker and one or more OpenLink Database Agents using the OpenLink Server Components Configuration utility (the program "oplcfg"). This utility is only required for the purposes of providing interactive configuration of OpenLink Server Components at installation time, the OpenLink Admin Assistant should be used for subsequent configuration related activity after the installation process is completed.

    The OpenLink Configuration Utility presents a character based user interface as depicted below:


                 OpenLink Server Components Configuration Utility

    1.  Request Broker
    		 
    11. PostgreSQL
    		 
    2.  Informix 5
    		 
    12.  Progress 6
    		 
    3.  Informix 6
    		 
    13.  Progress 7
    		 
    4.  Informix 7
    		 
    14.  Progress 8
    		 
    5.  Ingres 6
    		 
    15.  Solid
    		 
    6.  Virtuoso
    		 
    16.  Sybase 4
    		 
    7.  OpenIngres
    		 
    17.  Sybase 10
    		 
    8.  Oracle 6
    		 
    18.  Sybase 11
    		 
    9.  Oracle 7
    		 
    19.  Unify 2000
    		 
    10. Oracle 8
    		 
    20.  Velocis
    		 
    U.  Undo last change
    		 
    V.  View the current Rules Book
    		 
    C.  Clear log file
    		 
    L.  View log file
    		 
    B.  Backup Rules Book
    		 
    R.  Restore Rules Book
    		 
    I.  Verify Rules Book
    		 
    N.  Reinitialize running Broker
    		 
    S.  Startup  Request Broker
    		 
    D.  Shutdown Request Broker
    		 
    
Choose an item or type q to quit :

    Note: You MUST select option 1 if you did not use the recommended installation directory (/usr/openlink) for your OpenLink Server Components.

    Options 2 - 20 provide you with the database type you wish to configure your OpenLink "Session Rules" Book for, simply choose the appropriate option(s) and let the Server Components Configuration Utility do the rest.

    For more information about the Database specific settings required please see Agent Specific Settings.

  9. Start your OpenLink Request Broker in debug mode, within the OpenLink Server Components Configuration utility, or by exiting and executing the OpenLink Request Broker startup command from within the "bin" sub-directory of the OpenLink server components base installation directory:

    oplrqb –dv

    Should you receive an "Unable To Install RPC Services" error this indicates that the Broker was automatically started when you ran "oplcfg", it can be shutdown by running the command:

    oplshut –f

    or

    rqbshut

  10. Start your Web Browser and then enter the following URL:

    http://<network alias of machine on to which you have just installed server components>:<port number you provided when prompted by OpenLink installer> . For example, if your machine has a network alias of "opllinux" and you accept the default port number at installation time, then the required URL would be constructed as follows:

    http://opllinux:8000

  11. Follow the instructions provided in the "Making Your First OpenLink Connection" guide in order to verify your server.

  12. If step 11 is successful, shutdown the Request Broker using the command:

    oplshut –f

    or

    rqbshut

    and then restart in normal mode using the command:

    oplrqb -v

    For more information about other options that can be used when starting and stopping the Request Broker see the Command Line Options section.

    The program "oplcfg" (the OpenLink server components configuration utility), can also be used for starting and stopping the OpenLink Request Broker via a character mode menu based interface.