Deploying CleverPath Forest & Trees r7.0 SP1

Products

• Cleverpath Reporter

Issue/Introduction

This Document discusses several methods by which CleverPath Forest & Trees 7.0 Service Pack 1 could be deployed in a Web environment. Implementing manual and automated deployment mechanisms are discussed using a number of sample scripts.

End of Life March 2012

 

Environment

Release:
Component: FTS

Resolution

CleverPath Forest & Trees 7.0 Service Pack 1

CleverPath Forest & Trees 7.0 Service Pack 1 was developed to add two new features to the existing CleverPath Forest & Trees 7.0 GA Release:

• The ADO.NET Interface for querying remote databases via HTTP
• The SOAP Scripting Add-in for calling Web services

To utilize these features requires that a number of Components are installed onto the Client machine, and in the case of ADO.NET, a Server machine. 

The Service Pack has been packaged to provide maximum flexibility for deployment of the individual components.

Installing Service Pack 1

The 'Primary' method for installing the Service Pack is likely to be using the Product Explorer tool. This is a GUI based method to install any component provided by the Service Pack for Client (Developer and Runtime) and Server installs. This requires that the 'Full' Service Pack be downloaded to the machine (40Mb) and requires user interaction.

In addition to the 'Full' Service Pack, individual components are provided to allow a customized install to be implemented. So if either SOAP Scripting or ADO.NET interface is not required, then the associated components may be omitted from the download, so reducing the size and download time.

Service Pack Components may be served from a variety of sources with varying degrees of automation.

• Direct Application - User has direct access to the Service Pack Component on a share or on local machine. The user runs the patch install as required or directed.
• Software Delivery - Service Pack Component is served and potentially executed via a Software Delivery Product according to Company Policy or request from user.
• Portal/Web page - Service Pack Component is available for manual download/install from a Portal Workplace or Webpage on request from user.
• Portal/Web page- Service Pack Component is automatically downloaded as required without user intervention.

The manual and automated Portal/Web page methods will be discussed in this document.

Portal/Web Page Manual Deployment of Service Pack Components

In this option designated links may be provided to download the client components, allowing the user to perform the install as required.

A simple web page that contains URL links to all of the possible Client Components is demonstrated in sample file Sample_Download_Page.htm.

The required Client Components should be downloaded and the executables placed on a web or ftp server. The sample html may then be modified to point to their location. The sample RedLeaf.gif file should be placed on the web server in an Images directory, and the sample html modified to point to the Images directory on the web or ftp server. The webpage should then provide the links as below. Note that the SOAP add-in and ADO.NET interface client components provide both Interactive and Silent Installs. The Interactive installs prompt the user for input and install the component to both Developer and Runtime installations. The Silent install does not prompt the user for input and installs the component to Runtime installations only. The SOAP Toolkit and .Net Framework installs are Interactive only.

CleverPath Forest & Trees 7.0 SP1 ADO.NET Interface Interactive Setup

CleverPath Forest & Trees 7.0 SP1 ADO.NET Interface Silent Setup

CleverPath Forest & Trees 7.0 SP1 SOAP Add-In Interactive Setup

CleverPath Forest & Trees 7.0 SP1 SOAP Add-In Silent Setup

Microsoft SOAP Toolkit 3.0 Setup

Microsoft .Net Framework 1.1 Setup

Note that whilst the ADO.NET Server Component is not shown here it would be possible to install the Server Component using this method, should that be required.

Portal/Webpage Automatic Deployment of Service Pack Components

In this option a feature of Microsoft Internet Explorer is utilized to automatically download a Service Pack Component from a web or FTP server and initiate the install. This facility is not supported by Netscape/Mozilla.

An example of how the SOAP Add-In and ADO.NET Interface can be automatically installed can be seen in example file Sample_AutoInstall_page.htm. The referenced executables may be downloaded and extracted from relevant Service Pack Component. As described previously the SOAP add-in and ADO.NET interface Client Components provide both Interactive and Silent Installs. FTS701_SP1_ADO_CLIENTS.exe and FTS701_SP1_SOAP_CLIENTS.exe are the 'Silent' installs for these components and would normally be used with the auto install mechanism, however the 'Interactive' installs FTS701_SP1_ADO_CLIENT.exe and FTS701_SP1_SOAP_CLIENT.exe may be used. The required Client Components should be downloaded and the executables placed on a web or FTP server. Modify the sample html to point to the executable files location.

The SOAP Add-in and ADO.NET Interface client install executables insert a unique clsid in the client machine registry when these components are installed. The object tag in the sample html refers to this clsid. If the clsid is not found in the client machine registry, then the component is installed. In this case, Internet explorer will execute the file specified in the codebase parameter. The install executable will execute and install the component. If the clsid is found, but the version of the component is less than the #version= value in the codebase statement, it will execute the codebase file. If the clsid is found and the version of the component matches the #version= value, then nothing is executed. The net result is that the html sample will auto install the component if not already installed on the client machine, and once installed it will not attempt to install again.

For CleverPath Portal implementations, this automation can be achieved via the CleverPath Forest & Trees content handler (capftwch.htm). The file capftwch.htm can be found in the properties directory within the portal server root directory and modified to include the same statements within the Sample_AutoInstall_page.htm file.

The Microsoft SOAP Toolkit, Microsoft .NET Framework and ADO.NET Server Components are not installable using this method. The size and nature of these components do not make them suitable for an auto install mechanism.

Portal/Webpage Diagnostics

When deploying the Service Pack Components a method of verifying that those Components are installed correctly and functioning is useful. Several test/diagnostic utilities have been provided in sample file Sample_ADO-SOAP_Exists_Page.htm. The sample code may be used to form a web page where users can check their CleverPath Forest & Trees Installation.

The sample file Sample_ADO-SOAP_Exists_Page.htm provides the following tests:-

1. What version of the Forest & Trees Runtime is installed?
2. Is the SOAP Add-in installed correctly?
3. Is the ADO.NET Interface installed correctly?

This sample html file references three Forest & Trees FTV files that perform the above tests. To implement the sample page the FTV files should be placed onto a web/ftp server. The sample html should then be modified to point to the FTV files location.

When a user displays the sample html page, three text boxes will appear with the following messages:-

Forest & Trees Runtime Version,
SOAP Found or SOAP Not Found
ADO.NET Found or ADO.NET Not Found

If a Forest & Trees icon is displayed in place of the text box, it is highly likely that the reference to the associated FTV is incorrectly defined.