Configuring Workspace Manager

The Workspace Manager is the component of the Reporting Server that is responsible for managing all server administrative tasks. These tasks, generally performed by Server Administrators, include monitoring server activity, configuring and adjusting the server configuration profile, adding users, enabling and creating services, defining deferred execution characteristics, and enabling and disabling e-mail alerts.

The Server Administrator responsible for the installation, configuration, security, and maintenance of the server uses the Workspace Manager to keep the server available to clients and running at peak efficiency. To use the Workspace Manager, open Internet Explorer and navigate to the HTTP port on the host machine where the Server is running.

Tip: This chapter references a number of Workspace related keywords. Within the help system, you can access detailed information about these keywords by clicking the keyword links in this document. You can also click the ? icon next to parameters on the Workspace configuration panes.

Workspace Manager Configuration Privileges

Access to the administrative features of the Web Console can be restricted by defining a list of users in the admin id and storing the list in a release independent file called admin.cfg. This file is located, by default, in .../ibi/profiles.

The list of users and user roles defined in admin.cfg defines a list of administrators that can be used for authorization and/or authentication according to established security. Administrators are responsible for installing, configuring, and maintaining the Server with varying degrees of responsibility, depending on their administration levels (SRV, APP, OPR). At least one administrator must be defined in the list, although most sites identify other persons to act as backups.

For example, a Server Administrator (SRV) can perform all the administrative tasks available through Web Console operations. If more than one Server Administrator is defined, the first valid member on the list is used to impersonate FOCUS Database Server (FDS) and other special services. An Application Administrator (APP) is limited to the administrative tasks that do not require changing configuration or restarting the server. Both Server Administrators and Application Administrators can edit user profiles in the user.prf file. However, Server Administrators can edit all user.prf files, while Application Administrators can only edit their own profiles.

Any IDs (beyond the original ID used to configure the server) that are used for server or application administration require read/write privileges to the respective locations that the IDs are expected to manage. To assign these privileges, you must establish group rights for the locations at the operating system level. To view and run Resource Governor procedures, for example, IDs must be at least at the Application Administrator level.

Emitting a Custom Message From a Quiesced Server

How to:

Set a Custom Message for a Quiesced Server

A server administrator can enter a custom message that will be displayed for a new user connection to the server when the server is in Quiesce mode.

Top of page

Procedure: How to Set a Custom Message for a Quiesced Server

To define a custom message that will be delivered from a quiesced server:

From the Workspace menu, select Configuration/Monitor.
In the navigation pane, right-click the Server folder and select Quiesce Connections.
Enter the message in the quiesce_msg field.
Click Submit.
You will be asked if you want to disable new connections.
Click OK.

Note: This feature is only available to a user having server admin privileges.

Configuring an Agent Service

A server configuration requires at least one agent service with the name DEFAULT, defined by a SERVICE block. An agent service is an entity used to define the parameters for a group of data access agents, so that a configuration can manage different groups of data access agents for different purposes. Each data access agent runs for a specific Data Service, and each service may have different values for the settings defined on the services configuration panes. These settings include:

The maximum number of data access agents and the number of agents prestarted at server startup for a service, as defined by maximum and number ready.
The lifetime of a service's agents, which can be limited through idle agent limit, CPU time limit, and/or memory limit.
Incoming connections for which there is no available data access agent. These can be put in a queue for the service (configured using maximum_q and queue limit), and after they are connected, their idle time can be limited using idle session limit.
The deployment mode of a service, which defines how data access agents are assigned to connections. For details, see Configuring Deployment Modes.

Configuring Deployment Modes

How to:

Set the Server Deployment Parameter in a Server Profile

The deployment mode of a service defines how data access agents are assigned to connections:

In private deployment, a dedicated application agent is assigned for each connection request. Private deployment retains the behavior of all prior server releases. At connect time, global, as well as user and service level profiles, are executed. At disconnect time, all temporary files are removed and database connections are closed. The privileges of each application agent depend on the security mode of the server.
With security set to a value other than OFF, authentication is processed for every client logging on to the server. With security OFF, user identification and authentication are not required. The effective user ID becomes the connecting user for the duration of the session.
In connection_pooled deployment, the global profile and service profiles are executed when an agent is started, and pooled user profiles are executed on each connection. The WebFOCUS context is cleared once the session is established for a new connection, and then the pooled user profile is executed.
With security set to a value other than OFF, all users have the same rights because the effective pooled user is unique, regardless of the connecting user.

Connection pooled deployment provides significant performance advantages and is recommended when a large number of users share the same operating system and DBMS credentials. It cannot be used when each connecting user has specific operating system and DBMS rights, nor can it be used for the service DEFAULT with the server security mode set to DBMS because, in this situation, the profile is disabled for connection authentication.

Top of page

Procedure: How to Set the Server Deployment Parameter in a Server Profile

To set the server configuration parameter deployment:

From the Workspace menu, select Configuration/Monitor.
In the navigation pane, right-click the Data Services folder, and select New.
The New Data Service page opens.

Tip: For an existing service (for example, DEFAULT, WC_DEFAULT, DMC_DEFAULT, DEFAULT_CPOOL), right-click the service and choose Properties from the menu to open the Services pane.
In the deployment field, choose: private or connection_pooling.
- With private deployment, all profiles are executed on connection. On disconnect, all DBMS connections are dropped. This is the default value.
  With security set to a value other than OFF, the effective user ID is switched to the connecting user for the duration of the connection.
  
  Skip to step 6.
- With connection-pooled deployment, the global profile and service profiles are executed when an agent is started, and pooled user profiles are executed on each connection. The WebFOCUS context is cleared once the session is established for a new connection, and then the pooled user profile is executed.
  When you select this option, pooled_user and pooled_password are displayed.
  
  With security set to a value other than OFF, all users have the same rights because the effective user is unique (configured using pooled_user and pooled_password) regardless of the connecting user.
  
  Continue with steps 4 and 5.
Select the pooled user from the drop-down list. (This list is populated from the admin.cfg file described in Workspace Manager Configuration Privileges.)
This service level keyword is required for connection_pooling deployment with security mode OPSYS. It defines the user ID under which all agents will run. The DBMS user IDs are determined by the connection setting type.
Enter the corresponding password. Note that pooled password is only required for connection_pooling deployment on Windows operating systems.
Click the Save button.

Configuring for Deferred Management

How to:

Reference:

Extensions for Deferred Files

You can configure the settings that are used to manage deferred requests and reports from the Web Console Deferred Configuration pane. Deferred management parameters are stored in the edaserve.cfg file.

Top of page

Procedure: How to Set Deferred Management Properties

From the Workspace menu, select Configuration/Monitor.
In the navigation pane, expand the Special Services and Listeners folder.
Right-click DFM, and select Properties.
The DFM Scheduler Configuration page opens.
To set properties for the deferred execution of requests, enter values for the following options:
dfm_dir

Defines the location where deferred requests and responses are stored. For related information, see Extensions for Deferred Files.

dfm_int_min

Defines the minimum time interval that the DFM listener sleeps between handling two requests.

dfm_int_max

Defines the maximum time interval that the DFM listener sleeps between handling two requests

dfm_maxage

Defines the maximum number of days that deferred reports are kept in the server after they are created.

dfm_maxoutput

Defines the maximum size of a deferred report expressed as the number of kilobytes [K] or megabytes [M] between 0 and 65535, where 0 means unlimited. Kilobytes is the default.

Reports that over this limit are removed.

Top of page

Procedure: How to View Deferred Process Statistics

From the Workspace menu, select Configuration/Monitor.
In the navigation pane, expand the Special Services and Listeners folder.
Right-click DFM, and select Statistics.
The Statistics page displays the following information in the General section:
- Name: DFM
- Remark
- Status
- Process ID
The Statistics page displays the following information in the System section:
- PageFaultCount
- PeakWorkingSetSize (KB)
- WorkingSetSize (KB)
- QuotaPeakPagedPoolUsage
- QuotaPagedPoolUsage
- QuotaPeakNonPagedPoolUsage
- QuotaNonPagedPoolUsage
- PagefileUsage
- PeakPagefileUsage
- Total Execution Time
- Port Number
The Statistics page displays the following information in the Connection section:
- DFM_DIR Available Disk Space (KB)
- Number of Requests Done Since Startup
- Number of Response Ready
For more information, see Statistics for an Individual Special Service.

Top of page

Reference: Extensions for Deferred Files

The following table lists possible extensions for the deferred files listed in the dfm_dir directory.

Extension	Description
REQ	Request file.
RQD	Data file. Contains user ID, optional flags, and so on.
RQP	Request is being executed.
RQF	Request is waiting to be executed.
DEL	Request is deleted.
RSP	Response file. Contains the whole report for one request.
RPF	Response is ready.
RPE	Response exceeds maximum limit.

Queuing User Connections After the Maximum Limit Is Reached

How to:

Queue User Connections to a Data Service

The max_connections_per_user property for a Data Service specifies the maximum number of connections to the Data Service allowed for each user. When a user exceeds the maximum number allowed, additional connections requested by that user are rejected, and the server displays the message

Connection refused due to the max_connections_per_user (n) 
being exceeded

where n is the number of allowed connections.

You have the option to queue user connections that are refused by the server, using the queue_max_user_conns property on the Data Service Properties page. That option is available only if the Queuing property for the Data Service is On.

Top of page

Procedure: How to Queue User Connections to a Data Service

On the Web Console menu bar, click Workspace, then Configuration/Monitor.
In the Configuration/Monitor navigation tree, expand the Data Services folder.
Right-click the service for which you want to queue user connections, for example, DEFAULT.
From the menu, click Properties.
The Properties page for the selected Data Service opens.
In the Queuing field, click on from the drop-down list.
In the max_connections_per_user field, type the maximum number of connections allowed for each user.
In the queue_max_user_conns field, click y from the drop-down list to enable the queuing of connections that exceed the number specified in the max_connections_per_user field.
In the following image, Queuing is turned on, max_connections_per_user is set to 3, and queue_max_user_conns is enabled.
Click Save to save the new settings. You must restart the server for the settings to take effect.