ibi WebFOCUS ReportCaster Configuration

ReportCaster configuration parameters are managed within the ReportCaster Console Configuration tab. For additional ReportCaster configuration information, see the ibi™ WebFOCUS® ReportCaster Guide.

Configuring the Memory Available for the ibi WebFOCUS ReportCaster Log Report

The size of the ReportCaster log report is limited by the amount of memory available to the Java VM. When the memory of the Java VM is exceeded, a Java OutOfMemoryException error occurs.

To control the size of the log report, you can set the following ReportCaster Server Configuration tool parameters:

  • In the Distribution Servers folder, Max Messages per Task from Data Server limits the number of messages written to the log file. The default value is 1000.
  • In the Log Settings folder, the Log Purge Period designates the number of days in which the logs will be purged. The default value is every 30 days.

Configuring the Heap Size for the ibi WebFOCUS ReportCaster Distribution Server

If the ReportCaster Distribution Server experiences a Java out of memory error, you must increase the amount of memory (heap size) available to Java on the Distribution Server. This is done by passing parameters on the Java command line, as follows:

java -Xms<initial heap size> -Xmx<maximum heap size>

For example,

java -Xms1024m -Xmx2048m

In addition:

  • If the Distribution Server is running on Windows from the command line, then edit the schbkr file located in the ReportCaster/bin directory.
  • If the Distribution Server is running as a Windows service, then use the Registry Editor to change the value of the JvmMs and JvmMx registry keys.

You must restart the Distribution Server to enable this change.

Configuring the Heap Size for the ibi WebFOCUS ReportCaster Distribution Server

If the ReportCaster Distribution Server experiences a Java out of memory error, you must increase the amount of memory (heap size) available to Java on the Distribution Server. This is done by passing parameters on the Java command line in your ReportCaster startup script located at:

/install-dir/ibi/WebFOCUS93/ReportCaster/bin/schbkr

Include the following text on the Java command line:

-DXms256m -DXmx512m

Configuring ibi WebFOCUS ReportCaster Failover and Workload Distribution

The Distribution Server Failover feature allows you to configure a back-up Distribution Server that can resume ReportCaster operations when there is an interruption (planned or unplanned) in the primary Distribution Server service. The primary Distribution Server is monitored to verify that it is operational. If there is an interruption in service, the failover Distribution Server is triggered to take over the role of the primary server.

The Workload Distribution feature allows ReportCaster to distribute scheduled jobs across multiple Distribution Servers, providing an efficient and fast way to process large numbers of ReportCaster schedules. Multiple Distribution Servers can be installed on one or more hosts. One instance is designated as the Workload Manager, while the others are designated as Workers. The WebFOCUS Repository will be shared by the Workload Manager and the Workers. Workload Distribution is set up through the ReportCaster Configuration tool. All servers will share one set of configuration information, and the Workload Manager will push any configuration changes to the Workers.

For your application of ReportCaster, you can configure either Failover or Workload Distribution, or both at the same time. The following procedure includes instructions to configure both, but notes when to skip to the appropriate steps if you are only configuring one or the other.

Configure Distribution Server Failover

To configure distribution server failover:

    Procedure
  1. Open the ReportCaster Console and click Configuration in the top pane.
  2. Click the Distribution Servers folder in the left pane.
  3. Click the button to the right of the Secondary Distribution Server field.

    The Secondary Distribution Server dialog opens.

  4. Select the Enabled checkbox.
  5. Enter the host name and port number of the Secondary server.
  6. Click OK.
  7. Click Save and then OK when you are prompted to save.
  8. Install the Distribution Server on the specified host with the specified port number for that host.

Configure Workload Distribution

To configure workload distribution:

    Procedure
  1. Open the ReportCaster Console and click Configuration in the top pane.
  2. Click the Distribution Servers folder in the left pane.
  3. Click the button to the right of the Workload Distribution field.

    The Workload Distribution dialog box opens.

  4. Select the Enabled check box.
  5. Click Add.
  6. Double-click the Worker Name, Worker Distribution Server Host, and Worker Distribution Server Port fields to add the new Worker Distribution Server.

    Repeat this step for each Worker Distribution Server instance that you want to add.

  7. Click OK.
  8. Click Save and then OK when you are prompted to save.
  9. Install the Distribution Server on each of the specified hosts with the specified port number for that host.

Adding Support for UTF-8 to the Distribution Server

Support for UTF-8 can be added to the Distribution Server by adding -Dfile.encoding=UTF8 to the Distribution Server Java command. If the Distribution Server is being run from the command line, modify the schbkr bat or script file and add -Dfile.encoding=UTF8 to the Java command. If the Distribution Server is being run as a Windows Service, modify the Windows registry by accessing 

\HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\WOW6432Node\Apache Software Foundation\Procrun 2.0\WF93\Parameters\Java

Configuration Considerations When the Distribution Server is Installed Separately From the ibi WebFOCUS Client

When the ReportCaster Distribution Server is installed as a stand-alone server, on a machine that is separate from the WebFOCUS Client, you must perform additional manual steps to ensure that configuration changes made through the WebFOCUS Administration Console are available to ReportCaster. This is because the stand-alone Distribution Server does not have access to the WebFOCUS configuration files being updated by the console. This is especially important when configuring external security for WebFOCUS, since your ReportCaster jobs may not run properly if the Distribution Server is not using the same security settings as the WebFOCUS Client.

The recommended procedure is to make changes to WebFOCUS, as per the documentation, and then test them with a web browser. When the settings are verified, perform the following steps to ensure that the configuration is available to ReportCaster:

  1. Copy the webfocus.cfg file and the install.cfg file from the ..\ibi\WebFOCUS9293\config directory to the ..\ibi\WebFOCUS9293\config directory on the stand-alone Distribution Server machine.
  2. Copy the odin.cfg file from the ..\ibi\WebFOCUS93\client\wfc\etc directory to the ..\ibi\WebFOCUS93\client\wfc\etc directory on the stand-alone Distribution Server machine.
  3. Copy the cgivars1.wfs file from the ..\ibi\WebFOCUS93\client\wfc\etc directory to the ..\ibi\WebFOCUS93\client\wfc\etc directory on the stand-alone Distribution Server machine.
  4. Restart the Distribution Server and test the scheduled job behavior.

Configuring Secure Communications to the ibi WebFOCUS ReportCaster Distribution Server

ReportCaster encryption can be enabled to secure communications between the ReportCaster application and the ReportCaster Distribution Server. For more information, see the ibi™ WebFOCUS® ReportCaster Guide.

Configuring ibi WebFOCUS ReportCaster Web Services in an SSL Environment

By default, the Axis Servlet only accepts HTTP requests. If you use ReportCaster Web Services in an SSL environment, you will need to manually configure the Axis Servlet to accept HTTPS requests. To do so, add a second AxisServletListener with the name https to the axis2.xml file and specify the port parameter for both listeners. The axis2.xml file is located in the drive:\ibi\WebFOCUS93\webapps\webfocus\WEB-INF\confibi/WebFOCUS93/webapps/webfocus/WEB-INF/conf folder.

The following code is an example of a second AxisServletListener. 

<transportReceiver name="https" 

class="org.apache_1_6_2.axis2.transport.http.AxisServletListener">

<parameter name="port">8443</parameter>

</transportReceiver>

For more information, see

http://axis.apache.org/axis2/java/core/docs/servlet-transport.html

Using the ibi WebFOCUS ReportCaster SFTP Key Generation Utility

ReportCaster includes a configuration utility for SFTP public and private keys.

    Procedure
  1. Navigate to the drive:\ibi\WebFOCUS93\ReportCaster\bin directory and double-click sshkeygen.bat.

    The ssh-keygen dialog box opens.

  2. Set the output file to ibi\WebFOCUS93\ReportCaster\cfg\sftp_private_key.txt.
  3. Enter a passphrase in the New Passphrase field.

    The Passphrase strength field indicates the strength of the password entered.

  4. Select the type of key.

    The following image displays an example of a dialog box with all necessary changes made.

    SFTP keygen utility dialog box (filled out)

  5. Click Generate.

    WebFOCUS writes two files to the drive:\ibi\WebFOCUS93\ReportCaster\cfg directory. These are sftp_private_key.txt and sftp_private_key.txt.pub. The file sftp_private_key.txt.pub contains the public key.

  6. Install the public key (sftp_private_key.txt.pub) on your SFTP server.

Configuring ibi WebFOCUS ReportCaster for Graphs

In order for ReportCaster to distribute graphs, you must either set DISPLAY or use the headless option. This is similar to the Server Side Graphics configuration discussed in Verifying and Troubleshooting Server Side Graphics (PCHOLD)WebFOCUS Postinstallation Tasks.

If you want to use graphics, you must update the schbkr file to include the Java headless option. This is similar to the Server Side Graphics configuration discussed in Enabling Server Side Graphics.

Configure ibi WebFOCUS ReportCaster for Graphs

The procedure for distributing graphs will depend on whether you have an X Windows Server.

To distribute graphs, do one of the following:

  • If you have an X Windows Server, you can set the DISPLAY variable to the X Server host name. Ensure that the X Server accepts the connection. You can set this by editing the following file:
    /install_directory/ibi/WebFOCUS93/ReportCaster/bin/schbkr

    Add a line to export the DISPLAY variable.

    For example:

    #!/bin/ksh   

 export DISPLAY=localhost:0  

CLASSPATH=/usr/local/drivers/ojdbc15.jar:

  /home/wf93/ibi/WebFOCUS93/ReportCaster/lib/SCHScheduler.jar

export CLASSPATH

java ibi.broker.SCHScheduler /home/wf93/ibi/WebFOCUS93/ReportCaster

  • If you do not have an X server, you can set the headless Java option when the Distribution Server starts. However, this does not support GIF graphs or the older GRAPH32 engine. To set this, edit the following file:

    /install_directory/ibi/WebFOCUS93/ReportCaster/bin/schbkr

    This is the current file.

    #!/bin/ksh

. /opt/ibi/WebFOCUS93/ReportCaster/bin/classpath

"/opt/jvm/java-1.8.0-openjdk-1.8.0.321351371391/jre/bin/java"

-Dreportcaster.home=$DSINSTALL -Dcaster.service=false

-DDSINSTALL_PROD=$DSINSTALL_PROD ibi.broker.SCHScheduler $DSINSTALL $CMD_LINE_ARGS

    Place the headless option after the java command, as shown in the following example. 

    #!/bin/ksh

. /opt/ibi/WebFOCUS93/ReportCaster/bin/classpath

"/opt/jvm/java-1.8.0-openjdk-1.8.0.391/jre/bin/java"

-Djava.awt.headless=true -Dreportcaster.home=$DSINSTALL

-Dcaster.service=false -DDSINSTALL_PROD=$DSINSTALL_PROD

ibi.broker.SCHScheduler $DSINSTALL $CMD_LINE_ARGS

Configure ibi WebFOCUS ReportCaster for Graphs

The procedure for distributing graphs will depend on whether you have an X Windows Server.

To distribute graphs, do one of the following:

  • If you have an X Windows Server, you can set the DISPLAY variable to the X Server host name.
    1. Ensure that the X Server accepts the connection. You can set this by editing the following file:
      /install_directory/ibi/WebFOCUS93/ReportCaster/bin/schbkr

      Add a line to export the DISPLAY variable. For example:

      #!/bin/ksh   

 export DISPLAY=localhost:0  

CLASSPATH=/usr/local/drivers/ojdbc15.jar:

  /home/wf93/ibi/WebFOCUS93/ReportCaster/lib/SCHScheduler.jar

export CLASSPATH

java ibi.broker.SCHScheduler /home/wf82/ibi/WebFOCUS82/ReportCaster
    2. If your database is DB2, add the jdbc driver to /installation_directory/ibi/WebFOCUS82/ReportCaster/bin/classpath:
      /QIBM/ProdData/HTTP/Public/jt400/lib/jt400.jar

      For example:

      CLASSPATH=.:/QIBM/ProdData/HTTP/Public/jt400/lib/jt400.jar:/ install_directory/ibi/WebFOCUS93/

ReportCaster/lib/reportcaster.jar:
  • If you do not have an X server, you can set the headless Java option when the Distribution Server starts. However, this does not support GIF graphs or the older GRAPH32 engine. To set this, edit the following file:
    /install_directory/ibi/WebFOCUS93/ReportCaster/bin/schbkr

    Place the headless option after the java command. For example:

    java -Djava.awt.headless=true ibi.broker.SCHScheduler 

/home/wf93/ibi/WebFOCUS93/ReportCaster

Configure ibi WebFOCUS ReportCaster for Graphics

Open the schbkr file found in: 

/install_directory/ibi/WebFOCUS93/ReportCaster/bin/schbkr

Add the Java headless option statement, as shown in the following example:

install_directory
#!/bin/ksh -Djava.awt.headless=true//ibi/WebFOCUS93/ReportCaster/bin/classpath

java ibi.broker.SCHScheduler $DSINSTALL

where:

$DSINSTALL
Is the full path to the ReportCaster installation.