WebFOCUS ReportCaster Configuration

The Configuration tool enables Managers to view and manage the configuration of the Distribution Server, Servlet (deployed in WebFOCUS ReportCaster web application) interfaces and tools. Options that Managers can modify include Distribution Servers, General Preferences, Email Distribution, Notification, and other options.

Note: When you change a configuration setting, the event is logged in the audit log file located in the Administration Console. Configuration events are logged, by default.

Configuration Icons

In the Configuration tab on the WebFOCUS ReportCaster Console ribbon, a series of icons enable you to perform the following tasks.

Note: When you select Configuration in the WebFOCUS ReportCaster Console ribbon, the Manage Configuration group displays on the left-hand side. Clicking Server Status, Server Performance, Job Status, Job Log, or Blackout Periods will change the name and functionality of this group, depending where you are in the interface. These options all appear in the Show group of the ribbon.

• Manage Configuration group
  • Save. Saves any changes made to the configuration. You will receive a message asking you to confirm the save. You must save the changes to the configuration settings as part of the process to implement the change. For details, see Changing Configuration Settings.
  • New. Creates a new WebFOCUS Reporting Server connection. This option is only active when working in the Data Servers folder.
  • Remove. Deletes a WebFOCUS Reporting Server from the WebFOCUS ReportCaster configuration. You will receive a message asking you to confirm the deletion. This option is only active when working in the Data Servers folder.
  • Test. Tests the connection to the selected server or repository. This option is only active when working in the Data Servers and LDAP Settings folders. You may be prompted for a user ID and password to connect to a specified server. You will receive a message describing whether the test succeeded or failed.
  • Restart. Restarts the Distribution Server and WebFOCUS ReportCaster to implement changes to the server configuration. You can also select Restart from the Action menu. For more information, see WebFOCUS ReportCaster Configuration.
  • Configuration Files. Provides options to view and download the WebFOCUS ReportCaster configuration files. Click the arrow to access the following individual files.
    • dserver.xml. Contains a record of current WebFOCUS ReportCaster configuration settings.
    • sendmodes.xml. Contains information about MIME output file formats.
    • rc_preference.xml. Contains information about the display of options in the UI.

    Clicking one of these file options displays the file information in a browser window. Click Download Configuration Files to download all files as a single zip file.

• Tools group
  • Global Updates. Authorized users can make global updates for the values stored in schedules and distribution lists. using the Global Updates interface, the following settings can be updated:
    • Mail Server
    • FTP Server
    • Printer
    • Email Address
    • Email From
    • Data Server
    • Notification Type
    • Notification Reply Address
    • Notification Subject
    • Notification Brief Message To
    • Notification Full Message To

    For more information, see Global Updates.

• Actions group
  • Refresh. Refreshes the settings to reflect the last saved configuration settings.

Configuration Tab Folders

The Configuration tab provides access to configuration settings through the following folders:

• Distribution Servers. Defines and configures the Distribution Server. This folder provides settings to define a failover Distribution Server to act as a backup, and configure two or more Distribution Servers to share the workload. This folder also contains the Additional Settings folder. For details on these settings, see WebFOCUS ReportCaster Configuration.
• General Preferences. Specifies which distribution formats, and methods will be available to a user creating a schedule. In this folder, you can also specify blackout period settings, and if WebFOCUS ReportCaster scheduling options will include the ability to distribute a PDF file directly to a printer. For details on these settings, see WebFOCUS ReportCaster Configuration.
• Email Distribution. Configures email settings, such as the default email host, number of attempts to distribute to an email host, and security information. For details on these settings, see WebFOCUS ReportCaster Configuration.
• Notification. Configures notification settings, such as the notification email host and default notification type. For details on these settings, see WebFOCUS ReportCaster Configuration.
• FTP Settings. Allows you to specify the default FTP and user ID, and security plug-in. You can also indicate whether the server requires a secure SFTP connection and specify the authentication method. For details on these settings, see WebFOCUS ReportCaster Configuration.
• Zip Settings. Provides settings to configure how Zip files will be created and named. For details on these settings, see WebFOCUS ReportCaster Configuration.
• Other Schedule Defaults. Defines the default end date and time of a WebFOCUS ReportCaster schedule. For details on these settings, see WebFOCUS ReportCaster Configuration.
• Log Purge. Allows you to specify the time and period that log files will be automatically purged. For details on these settings, see WebFOCUS ReportCaster Configuration.
• Data Servers. Allows you to configure multiple Reporting Servers, including cluster servers. For details on these settings, see WebFOCUS ReportCaster Configuration.

Changing Configuration Settings

To implement changes to the WebFOCUS ReportCaster server configuration settings, you must save the changes, and then restart the Distribution Server and the WebFOCUS ReportCaster web application. Use the following steps to save any configuration changes.

1. After you make changes to any of the configuration settings within a Configuration folder, click the Save icon in the Manage Configuration group toolbar.

   A window opens, asking you to confirm the save.

2. Click OK.

   A window opens, explaining that you must restart the Distribution Server and the WebFOCUS ReportCaster web application in order for the changes that you saved to take effect.

3. Click OK.
4. Click the Restart icon in the Manage Configuration group toolbar.

   A window opens, asking you to confirm that you want to stop all running jobs and restart.

5. Click Yes.
6. Notify all users that are currently logged that they must restart their sessions to obtain the new configuration information. This is required because user sessions have information cached pertaining to the WebFOCUS ReportCaster configuration. The user interfaces must be restarted to obtain any updated configuration information.

Distribution Server Settings

The Distribution Servers folder contains the settings that define and configure the Distribution Server. The Server Status option, located on the ribbon, provides the ability to restart the Distribution Server, suspend distribution, stop distribution, switch servers, and refresh data.

The Distribution Servers folder contains the following configuration settings.

Configure the Job Status Notification Plug-in

Procedure
1. From the Tools menu, click WebFOCUS ReportCaster Status.
2. Click the Configuration button.
3. In the left pane, expand the Distribution Servers folder, then click the Additional Settings folder.
4. Populate the Distribution Servers fields using the information provided in the preceding tables.
5. In the Job Status Notification Plug-in field, enter the name of the program that implements the Job Listener interface.
6. Click Save.

   Your program will be called at the start and end of each schedule to perform the customized actions it has been designed to do. For more information, refer to the ibi.broker.scheduler.plugin package found in the Java documentation.

Restricting Distribution Server Console Access to an IP Address List

Limiting Distribution Server access to a preselected IP address helps prevent denial of service (DoS) attacks against your server. A DoS attack is a malicious cyber-attack that overloads a server with requests from multiple IP addresses, which blocks legitimate IP addresses from accessing the server. You can use the Restrict to IP Addresses option in the WebFOCUS ReportCaster Console to enhance the security of your network. If you populate the Restrict to IP Addresses field with one or more IP addresses, the Distribution Server only accepts TCP/IP requests from the addresses listed. This setting is blank by default.

Configure IP Address Restrictions

Procedure
1. Open the WebFOCUS ReportCaster Console.
2. On the ribbon, in the Show group, click Configuration.
3. In the Configuration pane, click Distribution Servers.

   The Primary Distribution Server options display.

4. Click the Restrict to IP Addresses open folder button.

   The Allowed IP Addresses dialog box opens.

5. Click Add.

   The Add IP Address dialog box opens, as shown in the following image.

   

6. Type an IP address and click OK. This adds the IP address to the Allowed IP Address list.
7. Repeat steps 5-6 to add any additional IP addresses.
8. Click OK to save the Allowed IP Address list and return to the WebFOCUS ReportCaster Console.
9. On the ribbon, in the Manage Configuration group, click Save to keep your allowed IP address changes.
10. On the ribbon, in the Manage Configuration group, click Restart to apply your changes.

Edit an IP Address

Procedure
1. Click the Restrict to IP Addresses open folder button.

   The Allowed IP Addresses dialog box opens.

2. Click the IP address that you want to modify, and then click Edit.

   The Edit IP Addresses dialog box opens.

3. Modify the IP address, and then click OK.
4. On the ribbon, in the Manage Configuration group, click Save to keep your allowed IP address changes.
5. On the ribbon, in the Manage Configuration group, click Restart to apply your changes.

Delete an IP Address

Procedure
1. Click the Restrict to IP Addresses open folder button.

   The Allowed IP Addresses dialog box opens.

2. Click the IP address that you want to delete, and then click Remove.

   The selected IP address is deleted.

3. Click OK.
4. On the ribbon, in the Manage Configuration group, click Save to keep your allowed IP address changes.
5. On the ribbon, in the Manage Configuration group, click Restart to apply your changes.

General Preferences

The General Preferences folder in the Configuration tab contains settings that determine which schedule tasks, distribution formats and methods will be available to a user.

The General Preferences folder contains the following configuration settings.

Specifying Schedule Task Settings

The Schedule Tasks setting in the General Preferences folder enables authorized users to specify what Task Types are available to users and groups.

By default, all Task Types are enabled (selected). A minimum of one Task Type must be selected.

Note:

• If a task is cleared after a schedule using that task has been created, the schedule will fail when it is run. A message in the log will indicate how to fix the problem.

Specify Schedule Task Settings

Procedure
1. In the General Preferences folder, click the icon to the right of the Schedule Tasks field.
   The WebFOCUS ReportCaster - Schedule Tasks dialog box opens.
2. To enable or disable specific Task Types, select or clear the check box for the following options:
   • Db2 Web Query Report
   • WF Server Procedure
   • File
   • URL
   • FTP
   • Web Query Schedule
3. Optionally, choose a default Schedule task for the Advanced Scheduling tool. Db2 Web Query Report is selected, by default.
4. Optionally, if you want the Report Broker Distribution Server to not run scheduled jobs for the task types that have been cleared, select the Only run schedules for selected Tasks check box.
5. When your selections are complete in the Schedule Tasks dialog box, click OK.

   The changes are saved and the Schedule Tasks dialog box closes.

6. To implement the configuration changes, restart the Distribution Server and WebFOCUS ReportCaster web application.

Specifying Schedule Format Settings

The Distribution Formats setting in the General Preferences folder enables users to specify what report and graph formats are available to users and groups.

This setting only applies to WebFOCUS ReportCaster (Repository) procedures. By default, all report and graph formats are enabled (selected). A minimum of one report or graph format must be selected.

Note: If a format is cleared after a schedule using that format has been created, the schedule will fail when it is run. A message in the log will indicate how to fix the problem.

Specify Schedule Format Settings

Procedure
1. In the General Preferences folder, click the icon to the right of the Distribution Formats field.

   The Report Broker - Report/Graph Formats dialog box opens.

2. Using the Styled Formats drop-down list, you can select Specialized Formats, Non-styled Formats, or Graph Images. Optionally, you can keep the default, Styled Formats.

   By default, Styled Formats are displayed with each format type selected.

3. To enable or disable styled formats, select or clear the check box for one of the listed formats.
4. To enable or disable Non-styled Formats, which do not support styling using Report Broker StyleSheet commands, select Non-styled Formats from the drop-down list. By default, the Non-styled Formats are displayed with each format type enabled.
5. To enable or disable graph images, select Graph Images from the drop-down list. By default, the graph image formats are displayed with each format type enabled.
6. When your selections are complete in the Report/Graph Formats dialog box, click OK.

   The changes are saved and the Report/Graph Formats dialog box closes.

7. To implement the configuration changes, restart the Distribution Server and Report Broker.

Specifying Schedule Distribution Method Settings

The Distribution Methods setting, in the General Preferences folder, enables authorized users to specify the distribution methods that are available to users and groups. If a method is cleared after a schedule using that method has been created, and Only run schedules for selected Distribution Method is selected, the schedule processing will not run the scheduled tasks. A message in the log will indicate that the distribution method is not configured for use. In addition, a schedule that has multiple distributions will not run if one of the distribution methods is cleared in the Distribution Methods drop-down menu, in the General Preferences folder, of the Configuration tab.

By default, all distribution methods are enabled (selected).

Note: A minimum of one distribution method must be selected.

The Repository option only appears if these products are enabled. Repository is an optional product component that is installed with the WebFOCUS ReportCaster Client.

Specify Schedule Distribution Method Settings

Procedure
1. In the General Preferences folder, click the icon to the right of the Distribution Methods field.

   The Report Broker - Schedule Distribution Methods dialog box opens.

2. To enable or disable specific distribution methods, select or clear the check box for one of the listed options.

   Note: At least one schedule distribution method must be selected.

3. Optionally, select the Only run schedules for selected Distribution Methods check box to limit the schedules running to those that have at least one of the Distribution Methods selected.
4. When your selections are complete in the Schedule Distribution Methods dialog box, click OK.

   The changes are saved and the Schedule Distribution Methods dialog box closes.

5. To implement the configuration changes, restart the Distribution Server and Report Broker web application.

Email Distribution

The Email Distribution folder in the Configuration tab contains default email settings, email retry options, and email security.

The Email Distribution folder contains the following configuration settings.

Configure Email Distribution

Procedure
1. From the Tools menu, click WebFOCUS ReportCaster Status.
2. Click the Configuration button.

   Note: Authorized users can also access the WebFOCUS ReportCaster Configuration tool from the Administration Console.

3. In the left pane, select the Email Distribution folder.
4. Populate the email distribution fields. You can:
   • Make changes to the current email settings. For more information, refer to the preceding table.
   • Supply any default values that you would like to be available at schedule creation time.
5. If your mail server(s) require authentication or SSL or TLS, check the appropriate boxes and enter the required credentials.
6. Click Save.

Validating Allowed Email Domains and Addresses

When sending reports by email, you can restrict user selection of email domains and addresses from a pre-defined list.

The following image shows the Allowed Email Domains and Addresses dialog box in the Report Broker Console, where this option is available.

Select the Enabled check box to restrict email distribution to a list of valid email domains and addresses. When the list is enabled, and a user enters an email address that is not on this list, the WebFOCUS ReportCaster job cannot be saved.

If you select the Restrict user input with this list check box, users will only be able to use email domains and addresses selected from this list, applying another layer of email distribution restriction for other users.

Note: You must select the Enabled check box in order to select the Restrict user input with this list check box.

Examples of Invalid Email Addresses and Domains

In this example, an Administrator added the following email addresses and email domains to the Allowed Email Domains and Addresses list:

• john@gmail.com
• roger@gmail.com
• @gmail.com
• @yahoo.com

These additions to the list define what is valid and what is invalid for user input.

Invalid Email Addresses

For example, since john@gmail.com was added to the list, if a user types in John@gmail.com, with an upper case J, the email address is valid. This is because the Allowed Email Domains and Addresses feature is not case sensitive.

However, if a user types johnroger@gmail.com, which is a combination of two email addresses that were added to the list, the email address would be invalid, because this specific email address was not added to the list.

Invalid Email Domains

When entering domain addresses, if a user types in any email address with the email domain @gmail.com, it is valid, because @gmail.com is one of the domains added to the list.

However, if a user types in any email address with the email domain @outlook.com, it is not valid, because @outlook.com is not one of the domains added to the list.

Email Domain and Address Restrictions

Restrictions apply during the following situations:

• Editing Email Distribution options in the Basic Scheduling tool.

  The following image shows the Email Distribution options in the Basic Scheduling tool. If you select the Restrict user input with this list check box, you can click the To, From, and Reply Address fields to select or create email addresses.

  

• Editing Notification Email options in the Basic Scheduling tool.

  The following image shows the Notification Email options in the Basic Scheduling tool. If you select the Restrict user input with this list check box, you can click the Reply Address, Brief Message To, and Full Message To fields to select or create email addresses.

  

• Adding new members to a Distribution List

  The following image shows the Distribution List Add New Member dialog box. If you select the Restrict user input with this list check box, you can click the ellipsis button next to the E-mail address field to select or create email addresses.

  

Restrictions also apply to the following file types:

• Distribution Files. If you import an external distribution file, the emails listed in the file are validated against the list of allowed email addresses and domains.
• Dynamic Distribution Lists. If you create a Dynamic Distribution List, the emails selected for use are validated against the list of allowed email addresses and domains.

The Email Selection Dialog Box

When the Restrict user input with this list check box has been selected, you can click a To, From, Cc, Bcc, Reply, Reply Address, Brief Message To, Full Message To, or ellipsis button to display one of three dialog boxes. The dialog box that displays is based on the type of email domain and address information contained in the Allowed Email Domains and Addresses list.

Note:

• You can enter multiple email addresses into the To, From, Cc, Bcc, Reply, Reply Address, Brief Message To, and Full Message To fields.
• To cancel the selection of an email address in the Select Email Addresses dialog box, hold the Crtl key and select the email address.

A List of Only Email Addresses

If the Allowed Email Domains and Addresses list contains only email addresses, the Select Email Addresses dialog box allows you to select an email address for the To, Cc, Bcc, or Reply fields, as shown in the following image.

After you select an email address, click the To, Cc, Bcc, or Reply button to assign the email address to the respective field.

A List of Email Domains and Addresses

If the Allowed Email Domains and Addresses list contains both email domains and addresses, the Select or Enter Email Addresses dialog box lets you select from a list of email address. The dialog box also lets you create an email address for specific domains, as shown in the following image.

After you select an email address, or enter an email address and choose a domain, click the To, Cc, Bcc, or Reply button to assign the email address to the respective field.

A List of Only Email Domains

If the Allowed Email Domains and Addresses list contains only email domains, the input dialog box lets you select an email domain and enter the name of an email address, as shown in the following image.

After you enter an email address and choose a domain, click the To, Cc, Bcc, or Reply button to assign the email address to the respective field.

Notification

The Notification folder in the Configuration tab contains default notification settings.

Configure Notification

Procedure
1. From the Tools menu, click WebFOCUS ReportCaster Status.
2. Click the Configuration button.

   Note: Authorized users can also access the WebFOCUS ReportCaster Configuration tool from the Administration Console.

3. In the left pane, select the Notification folder.
4. Populate the notification fields. You can:
   • Make changes to the current notification settings. For more information, refer to the preceding table.
   • Supply any default values that you would like to be available at schedule creation time.
5. Click Save.

FTP Settings

The FTP Settings folder in the Configuration tab contains the settings that define the default FTP server that WebFOCUS ReportCaster will use for FTP distributions.

The following table lists and describes the configuration settings that are available in the FTP Settings folder.

Configure FTP Settings

Procedure
1. On the ribbon, in the show group, click the Configuration button.
2. In the left pane, select the FTP Settings folder.
3. Optionally, populate the FTP Settings fields, using the following information as a guideline:
   • Default FTP Host. Enter a name for the default FTP Server. This will be used when creating an FTP schedule.
   • Default FTP Location. Enter the name of the directory that will be used when creating an FTP schedule.
   • Default User. Enter the default user ID and password to perform FTP file transfers.
   • SFTP Security Plug-in. Enter the name of a custom written Java class that will implement the WebFOCUS ReportCaster SFTP security interface to dynamically retrieve the value of a public key needed to connect to a secure FTP server.

   Note: Once stored, these values are used when you create a schedule. They are constant, unless you override them at the time you create a schedule.

4. Optionally, clear the Create Index File with Burst Distribution check box to indicate that an index will not be generated when the FTP schedule is run.
5. If your SFTP Server uses encryption keys, you can use the SFTP Security Plug-in to provide the values. To use this plug-in, enter the name of your program that implements the SFTP Security interface.
6. Optionally, select the This server requires a File Transfer Protocol (FTP) button if the FTP server does not require SFTP or FTPS.
7. Optionally, select the This server requires a secure SSH File Transfer Protocol (SFTP) button to secure the configuration information. Select the Security Mode, Protocol, and Data Connection Security settings to authenticate the server.
8. Optionally, select the This server requires a secure File Transfer Protocol over TLS/SSL (FTPS) button if the FTP server requires FTPS. Select the type of authentication you want for the server.
9. Click Save.

Zip Settings

The Zip Settings folder in the Configuration tab contains settings for adding an extension to a distributed Zip file, the Zip encryption to use for distribution, and defining a Zip encryption password plug-in.

The Zip Settings folder contains the following configuration settings.

Using the Zip Encryption Protection Default Plug-in

The default plug-in provided with WebFOCUS ReportCaster enables the encryption password to be associated with the Db2 Web Query Repository folder where the scheduled report resides. For information on customizing a Zip Encryption Protection Plug-in, see WebFOCUS ReportCaster Configuration.

The plug-in delivers the password to the Distribution Server at schedule execution time, where the output is then encrypted and zipped. To use the default plug-in, choose Default for the Zip Encryption Password Plug-in setting. The default plug-in references the password file, zipencrypt.txt, for the domain and password. During installation, an empty version of this file is included in the /qibm/UserData/qwebqry/base80/ReportCaster/cfg directory.

The password statement in this file must be in the following format:

domain, domainhref, password,$

where:

Note: The Report Broker log will indicate that encryption was used.

The guidelines for using the default plug-in are:

• The zipencrypt.txt file must be in the /qibm/UserData/qwebqry/base80/ReportCaster/cfg directory.
• The zipencrypt.txt file must contain the WebFOCUS ReportCaster Repository folder of the WebFOCUS ReportCaster Repository report.

  Note: Since a Report Broker Repository folder is required to use the Zip Encryption Password Plug-in, attempting to enter a task other than a Report Broker Repository report will result in a failure to distribute the output of that task.

• If the zipencrypt.txt file contains an entry with the Web Query Repository folder, but no password, then the output is not encrypted and will be zipped or not zipped according to the Zip option selected in the schedule when it was created.
• If both the Web Query Repository folder and a password are in the password file, then the output is zipped regardless of the Zip option selected in the schedule when it was created.

To edit the zipencrypt.txt password file:

1. From the bin directory on the Distribution Server, run the decode utility, decdpwds.

   Note: Once the decdpwds utility is run, a log file named decdpwds.log will be created in the /qibm/UserData/qwebqry/base80/logs directory.

2. Make the necessary additions or edits, such as adding a domain or changing the password.
3. Run the encode utility, encdpwds, to encrypt the file.

   Note: Once the encdpwds utility is run, a log file named encdpwds.log will be created in the /qibm/UserData/qwebqry/base80/logs directory.

Configure Zip Settings

Procedure
1. From the Tools menu, click WebFOCUS ReportCaster Status.
2. Click the Configuration button.

   Note: Authorized users can also access the WebFOCUS ReportCaster Configuration tool from the Administration Console.

3. In the left pane, select the Zip Settings folder.
4. Populate the Zip Settings fields using the information provided in the preceding tables.
5. If you want to produce zipped output that is encrypted and password protected, you can use the Zip Encryption Password Plug-in. To use your own program to supply the password, select Custom from the drop-down list and enter the name of the program in the Zip Encryption Password Plug-in Name field. To use the default, select Default. For more information, see WebFOCUS ReportCaster Configuration.
6. Click Save.

Configure the Default Zip Encryption Password Plug-in

Procedure
1. From the Tools menu, click WebFOCUS ReportCaster Status.
2. Click the Configuration button.
3. In the left pane, select the Zip Settings folder.
4. From the Zip Encryption Password Plug-in drop-down list, select Default.
5. Click Save.
6. In the /qibm/UserData/qwebqry/base80/ReportCaster/cfg directory, create the zipencrypt.txt file that contains the passwords used by the Zip Encryption Password Plug-in.

   This file has the following structure:

   Domain, domainhref, Password,$

   where the first column is the word Domain, the second column identifies the folder containing the report to be scheduled, and the third column is the password.

   Note: Only Report Broker procedures can be scheduled when this plug-in is configured. If a password is found, the output is encrypted. If a password is not found, the output is zipped but not encrypted.

7. Restart the Distribution Server.

Other Schedule Defaults

The Other Schedule Defaults folder in the Configuration tab contains settings for Schedule End Date and Schedule End Time.

Note: Depending on your time zone, the default Schedule End Date may be set to Jan 1, 2100.

The following table lists and describes the configuration settings available in the Other Schedule Defaults folder.

Log Purge

The Log Purge folder in the Configuration tab contains settings for purging log files, log purge periods, and log purge times.

The Log Purge folder contains the following configuration settings.

Data Servers Settings

The Data Servers folder in the Configuration tab contains settings to configure the Reporting Servers associated with WebFOCUS ReportCaster. Using the configuration settings in this folder, you can also configure multiple Reporting Servers with Report Broker.

Note: Data Server connection information is stored in the Db2 Web Query Client, and not in Report Broker. Report Broker runs scheduled procedures through the Db2 Web Query Client which is installed with the Distribution Server. When a Report Broker job is executed by the Db2 Web Query Client, the alternate deferred server is used if an alternate deferred server is defined.

The Data Servers folder contains the following configuration settings.

http://hostname/context_root/IBIGraphServlet

&URL_PROTOCOL://servername/alias/IBIEXCELSERVURL

http://localhost:8080