Quick Start for the BASIS ODBC Driver Connecting to the PRO/5 Data Server

Quick Start for the BASIS ODBC Driver Connecting to the PRO/5 Data Server

This document outlines the process used to configure the BASIS ODBC Driver to access files through the PRO/5 Data Server. It does not contain the specifics of installing the TCP/IP stack or creating the Data Dictionary and relies on the TCP/IP layer working and the Data Dictionary being defined. See Troubleshooting PRO/5 Data Server TCP/IP Connections for troubleshooting connection problems. Information on creating a Data Dictionary can be found in the EUS Toolkit Guide.

• Install and activate the products according to their instructions. Specific installation instructions for the different PRO/5 Data Server OS platforms are documented in the PRO/5 Data Server Guide. The Data Server product is installed on the server, and the BASIS ODBC Driver is installed on the individual Windows workstations. Due to the nature of the BASIS ODBC Driver connection to the Data Server, each PC must have its own serial number and TCP/IP address.
   
• Modify the services file to include an entry for the Data Server. This entry is the PRO/5 service name and the following defaults are recommended:
  

    pro5srv  1100/tcp  # PRO/5 Data Server
  

  The services file will need to be modified for the machine on which the Data Server is running as well as every workstation on which the ODBC Driver is installed. The following shows typical locations for the services file.

  Operating System	Services File Location
  UNIX	/etc/services
  Windows 95	\windows\services
  Windows NT	%SystemRoot%\system32\drivers\etc\services

  Note:

  %SystemRoot%

  is the drive and root directory where NT was loaded.

• Start the Data Server with logging enabled. This example will invoke the Data Server, force it to use port 1100, and log all activity to the file named ds.login the Data Server's directory. Enabling the log file often helps to determine the cause of connection problems with the TCP/IP client or ODBC Driver.

  UNIX Data Server

    ./pro5.server -r -l./ds.log -p1100
  

  NT Data Server Revision 2.03 and lower

    C:\BASIS\NTDS\pro5srv.exe -r -l./ds.log -p1100
  

  NT Data Server PRO/5 Revision 2.04 and higher

  The PRO/5 Data Server for Windows NT Revision 2.04 and higher is designed as a Windows NT Service. To accommodate the differences, the required steps to set up and start the Data Server with logging enabled are:

  1. From the Windows Startmenu, open the Control Panel.
  2. Execute the PRO/5 Data Server applet. (This applet sets the parameters contained on the command line in previous releases.)
  3. Select the checkbox next to Enable Event Logging.
  4. Click on the Apply button to accept changes.
  5. Close the window and return to the Control Panel.
  6. Open the Services window, highlight the PRO/5 Data Server in the list and click Start. Note that the Startup Parameters line in the Services window does not have any effect on the PRO/5 Data Server.

BASIS ODBC Driver Configuration

Once the ODBC Driver is installed, you must set up a data source in the Windows ODBC Administrator tool, located in Control Panel. When configuring the data source, include a Data Source Name and the location of the config.tpm file. The Data Source Name is an alias that will be used to refer to your data source. The name should be short and descriptive. An optional Description field is available for extended comments. The most important aspect of the configuration is the 'Database Configuration' field. This points to the config.tpm file that is used to point to the Data and Data Dictionary. The config.tpmfile may either be local, such as:

  c:\basis\project\config.tpm

or remote. A remote config.tpmis located on the server and is accessed through the Data Server, such as:

Under UNIX

  /<server_name,port=1100>/usr/bbx/project/config.tpm

Under NT

  /<server_name,port=1100>c:\basis\dictionary\config.tpm

Note that under NT, this would be the local C: drive of the NT machine where the Data Server is loaded, not the mapped drive to which workstations may have access. It is also important to note that the <>are required around the server name.

The config.tpm file is a text file that can be created with any text editor such as Notepad or Wordpad. The config.tpm file must have a DATA and DICTIONARY entry that points to the appropriate directory and specifies the Data Server. The following is an example of a local config.tpmfile:

Under UNIX

  DICTIONARY=/<server_name,port=1100>/usr/bbx/project/BBDICT/
  DATA=/<server_name,port=1100>/usr/bbx/project/data/

Under NT

  DICTIONARY=/<server_name,port=1100>c:\basis\bbdict\
  DATA=/<server_name,port=1100>c:\basis\data\

Note: The server's hostname must be used instead of its IP address, there are no spaces allowed on each line, DATA and DICTIONARY are in uppercase, and the leading / and <> are required. Under NT, this would be the local C:drive of the NT machine where the Data Server is loaded, not the mapped drive to which workstations may have access.

When the config.tpmfile resides on the server, it will not have references to the Data Server. For example:

Under UNIX

  DICTIONARY=/usr/bbx/project/BBDICT/
  DATA=/usr/bbx/project/data/

Under NT

  DICTIONARY=c:\basis\bbdict\
  DATA=c:\basis\data\

Under NT, this would be the local C: drive of the NT machine where the Data Server is loaded, not the mapped drive to which workstations may have access.

Set the user id for ODBC Driver. This step is not required for the NT Data Server. The specified login is used by the ODBC driver to attach to the server so that it can communicate with the Data Server that is running on that machine. Ensure that the user id has adequate permissions when logging in from the workstation.

Note that the login should never be 'root' because anyone logged in as root cannot access the Data Server.

For the ODBC driver, set the user id with the following steps:

1. Bring up the Windows ODBC Administrator located in the Control Panel.
2. Select your data source from the list and click on the Configure or Setup button.
3. Click the Advanced button.
4. Fill in the Network User ID box with the appropriate login name.

You are now ready to use the BASIS ODBC Driver from your third-party application. Refer to your application's documentation for specific information on connecting to an ODBC or SQL data source.