Installation Notes for Comet Database Server Revised: April 9, 1998 Files You Will Need Comet 98 System Setup98 Install Program -or- Build 228 (or later) SysGen 98.04 REL 98.00 UTL 98.00 Comet Security Server SetupSecurity Install Program Comet Database Server SetupFile Install Program What They Do Comet 98 System These are the files needed by the Comet 98 Workstation which make requests for database records from the Comet Database Server. SysGen must be used to configure the workstation. Every server to be accessed by Comet 98 must be explicitly configured. Comet Security Server At of this writing, the Comet Database Server can only be secured through the Comet Security Server. Furthermore, there can be only one source for Comet Security. Thus, Comet 98 must also be secured through the Comet Security Server. During Comet 98 startup, licenses are requested from the Comet Security Server for each product requiring security, such as the Comet 98 Single-User System, CometAnywhere Session(s) and Database Server Directories. During the beta test period, the Comet Security Server will grant unlimited directory accesses. This beta test period ends July 1st, 1998. Comet Database Server This is the actual Win32 application that serves the database record requests from the Comet Workstation. Any directory reachable by the server on which the Comet Database Server is located may be accessed by the Comet Workstation as a Comet Directory. What Is Required Operating System Comet 98, Comet Security Server and Comet Database Server are all 32-bit windows (WIN32) applications and may only be executed on the WIN32 platform. To date, the operating systems are: ? Windows 95 ? Windows NT 4.0 ? Windows 98 ? Windows NT 5.0 Microsoft Networking Though all three of the Comet Window applications mentioned above would in fact run on the same machine simultaneously, it is recognized that their primary use will be on local and wide area networks. Thus, the Microsoft Networking Client must be installed on each workstation that will participate in the use of Comet Database Server. Furthermore, the TCP/IP transport layer is the only protocol supported by the Comet Database Server and Comet Security Server, and thus, the Microsoft TCP/IP Protocol must be installed as well. The protocol must be properly bound to the appropriate Network Adapter, such as the Dial-Up versus Network Adapter. It is the user’s responsibility to see that the network is properly set up prior to installing the Comet Database Server and Comet Security Server. How to Set Up It is not mandatory that the Comet Database Server and Comet Security Server be running on the same machine (node, actually) but it is more convenient when they are. The installation described below will be one where both server products are running on the same node. Server Configuration Confirm that the Microsoft Networking Client and the Microsoft TCP/IP Protocol are properly installed on the Windows Workstation that will act as the Comet Database & Security Server. Examine the properties for the TCP/IP Protocol and note the IP Address for use later. Install Comet Database Server using the SetupFile program. Upon completion of the setup, the program can be launched from the Start ? Programs ? Comet Server Products menu. Note that Comet Database Server will be launched automatically the next time you start Windows, if you checked that option during the setup process. Next, install Comet Security Server using the SetupSecurity program. Likewise, upon completion, the program can be manually launched from the Start ? Programs ? Comet Server Products menu, or automatically the next time you start windows, again, if this option was chosen during setup. From the View pull-down menu, choose Passwords and enter your Comet 98 password & user count. (Note this must be a Comet 98 Security Server Password.) At this point, with both Comet Server products running, Comet 98 licenses are ready to be served to the Comet 98 workstations. Workstation Configuration Confirm that the Microsoft Networking Client and the Microsoft TCP/IP Protocol are properly installed on the Windows Workstation that will be running Comet 98. Once you are properly connected to the LAN, WAN or Internet (depending on how you will be making your connection) you should be able to PING the server. To perform this test, open an MS-DOS Box, and enter a PING command using the IP address of the server recorded earlier. For example, if the server IP address were 200.100.50.25, you would enter this command at the MS-DOS prompt: Ping 200.100.50.25 You should then see messages from the PING program indicating the result. If this fails, your Network Administrator can help your resolve the problem. Comet 98 will not be able to communicate with the server until the issue is resolved. Install Comet 98 using the Setup98 program. Upon completion of the Install, Comet 98 is launched in configure mode to allow you to do some simple configuring using the legacy qCFIG program. After exiting qCFIG, a COMET.INI file must be generated so that it can be edited, and the new features of Comet 98 may be enabled. Run SYSGEN, and select option 2 to generate a COMET.INI file from the NODENAME.cfg file created during the installation. Two areas of the COMET.INI must be edited to enable accesses to the Comet Database Server. The server(s) to be accessed by Comet 98 must be declared in the [SITE] section. Then, the [NODE] section must indicate how a given server is to be used. Every server to be accessed by Comet 98 must be explicitly configured. Changes to the [SITE] section of COMET.INI Each server to be accessed by Comet 98 must be declared in the [SITE] section giving Comet the addressing information needed to contact the server. This information specifies the protocol, address, and locality of each server. The example below declares a locally connected Novell NetWare Server running the Comet NLM File System. Presently, all NLM File Servers are connected through the Ethernet IPX protocol. Server = N01,NLM,L,Comet_Server_1; The next example declares the locally connected node at IP address 200.100.100.1. This server is connected using the TCP/IP protocol. Server = N02,TCP,L,200.100.100.1; Finally, the example below declares the node at IP address 200.100.100.5 connecting through Dial-Up Networking using the TCP/IP protocol. Server = N03,TCP,R,200.100.100.5; Changes to the [NODE] section of COMET.INI Below the global declarations within the COMET.INI file, such as directories, printers, gateways, the [NODE] sections are located from which the NODENAME.cfg files are built. Since each [NODE] section results in a corresponding dot-CFG file, a server declaration must be specified enabling access by the node to a given server. The N-Record (corresponding to a given server’s Nxx record declared in the [SITE] section) defines how the server is to be used. Presently, there are two kinds of server features available: File and Security. The first example declares server N01 to be used for File Access only. Server = N01,F; The next example declares server N02 to be used for Security AND File Access. Both examples are valid. Server = N02,FS; which is equivalent to: Server = N02,F; Server = N02,S; Limiting access by a node to a given server is as simple as omitting its N-Record in the [NODE] section. Typically, any server accessed by a node in a given installation (or [SITE]) would be declared in the [SITE] section. While only those servers required by a given node would have corresponding N-Records. Build CFG Files Using SysGen option 1, build the dot-CFG files from the COMET.INI file. For Server and Type-N Records, SysGen performs syntax checking only. The validation of each server is done as each Comet 98 workstation initializes and logs into the servers declared in its node configuration. Run Comet 98 As Comet 98 initializes, it validates each server by opening a connection to it, and logging into it. If all goes well, your Comet 98 workstation will go to READY:: You will find the status messages from the Comet Database and Comet Security Server windows useful in diagnosing startup and security problems. As of this writing, security is an all or nothing process. Security is requested from only ONE security server. If the Security Server is unreachable, or unable to issue the Comet 98 or Comet Database license, then Comet 98 terminates with a Security Violation.