Zip Settings

The Zip Settings folder in the Configuration tab, shown in the following image, 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.

Setting	Optional or Required/Default Value	Descriptions and Possible Values
Add Zip Extension to Filename if Not Specified	Required. By default, this option is selected.	Controls whether or not the .zip file extension will be automatically appended to the Zip file name entered by the user in a schedule distributed by e-mail or FTP. Select this option if you want to automatically append .zip to the entered file name. Do not select this option if you want to use the file name as entered by the user and not have .zip automatically appended to the file name.
Default Minimum File Size	Optional. Default is zero kilobytes (0 KB).	If a schedule specifies the output for distribution to be zipped, then the value in this parameter indicates the file size at which the Distribution Server will automatically perform the zip. The file will be zipped when the file size is equal to or greater than this value. When the file size is less than this value, the file is not zipped. For multi-task schedules and burst tasks, the minimum file size relates to the total size of all output to be distributed to a single e-mail address. Note: The actual file size value is rounded for display purposes in WinZip, but the value is not rounded for automatic zip evaluation. If the output does not meet the specified minimum file size, then the following message appears in the log file in orange: Report(s) not zipped because the total file size xxx is less than nnn. where: xxx Is the size of the report output. nnn Is the Default Zip Minimum File Size value. The parameter value can be in kilobytes (KB) or megabytes (MB). Use the button to the far right of the setting to toggle between MB and KB.
Zip Encryption Password Plug-in	Required. Default value is None.	Global setting that enables you to password protect and encrypt scheduled output distributed in a Zip file. This setting controls how passwords are obtained by the Distribution Server. The zip encryption is AES 256. Possible values are: None. Do not use a plug-in to return the password for Zip protection. When set to None, you have the option to use the Zip encryption password feature by embedding the password in either a Dynamic Distribution List or a Distribution File rather than using a plug-in. For details on including a password in a list, see the ReportCaster Development and Library Content manual. Default. Use the provided default plug-in to return a password for the Zip encryption password feature. For details on using the default plug-in, see Using the Zip Encryption Protection Default Plug-in. Custom. Use the provided custom plug-in named in the Zip Encryption Pwd Plug-in Name setting.
Zip Encryption Pwd Plug-in Name	Required when Zip Encryption Password Plug-in setting is Custom.	Type the name of a custom written plug-in that will return passwords. This plug-in must be available to the Distribution Server. For details, see Customizing ReportCaster Plug-ins.
Zip Encoding	Optional.	Enables ReportCaster administrators to specify an encoding other than the default encoding of the ReportCaster Distribution Server platform. It must match the encoding used by WinZip or any other Zip utility installed on the ReportCaster Distribution Server. For valid Zip Encoding values, see Technical Memo 4591: Zip Encoding Parameter for ReportCaster. Note: This setting is also available in the WebFOCUS Administration Console.
Single File Compression Method for FTP/SFTP	Required. The default is Zip.	Zip settings enables you to compress a single file using Zip or Gzip. If you prefer to use Gzip to distribute a Single File, then select Gzip for Single File Compression Method for FTP/SFTP.
Use distributed filename for FTP/SFTP archive filename if archive filename not specified in schedule	Optional.	If this box is checked then when a schedule is created that uses FTP or SFTP as the distribution method and the archive file name is left blank the distribution server will use the name found in the FTP or SFTP distribution list as the name of the archive file to be distributed.

Setting

Optional or Required/Default Value

Descriptions and Possible Values

Add Zip Extension to Filename if Not Specified

Required.

By default, this option is selected.

Controls whether or not the .zip file extension will be automatically appended to the Zip file name entered by the user in a schedule distributed by e-mail or FTP.

Select this option if you want to automatically append .zip to the entered file name.

Do not select this option if you want to use the file name as entered by the user and not have .zip automatically appended to the file name.

Default Minimum File Size

Optional.

Default is zero kilobytes (0 KB).

If a schedule specifies the output for distribution to be zipped, then the value in this parameter indicates the file size at which the Distribution Server will automatically perform the zip. The file will be zipped when the file size is equal to or greater than this value. When the file size is less than this value, the file is not zipped.

For multi-task schedules and burst tasks, the minimum file size relates to the total size of all output to be distributed to a single e-mail address.

Note: The actual file size value is rounded for display purposes in WinZip, but the value is not rounded for automatic zip evaluation.

If the output does not meet the specified minimum file size, then the following message appears in the log file in orange:

Report(s) not zipped because the total file size xxx is less than nnn.

where:

xxx: Is the size of the report output.
nnn: Is the Default Zip Minimum File Size value.

The parameter value can be in kilobytes (KB) or megabytes (MB). Use the button to the far right of the setting to toggle between MB and KB.

Zip Encryption Password Plug-in

Required.

Default value is None.

Global setting that enables you to password protect and encrypt scheduled output distributed in a Zip file. This setting controls how passwords are obtained by the Distribution Server. The zip encryption is AES 256.

Possible values are:

None. Do not use a plug-in to return the password for Zip protection.
When set to None, you have the option to use the Zip encryption password feature by embedding the password in either a Dynamic Distribution List or a Distribution File rather than using a plug-in. For details on including a password in a list, see the ReportCaster Development and Library Content manual.
Default. Use the provided default plug-in to return a password for the Zip encryption password feature.
For details on using the default plug-in, see Using the Zip Encryption Protection Default Plug-in.
Custom. Use the provided custom plug-in named in the Zip Encryption Pwd Plug-in Name setting.

Zip Encryption Pwd Plug-in Name

Required when Zip Encryption Password Plug-in setting is Custom.

Type the name of a custom written plug-in that will return passwords. This plug-in must be available to the Distribution Server. For details, see Customizing ReportCaster Plug-ins.

Zip Encoding

Optional.

Enables ReportCaster administrators to specify an encoding other than the default encoding of the ReportCaster Distribution Server platform. It must match the encoding used by WinZip or any other Zip utility installed on the ReportCaster Distribution Server.

For valid Zip Encoding values, see Technical Memo 4591: Zip Encoding Parameter for ReportCaster.

Note: This setting is also available in the WebFOCUS Administration Console.

Single File Compression Method for FTP/SFTP

Required.

The default is Zip.

Zip settings enables you to compress a single file using Zip or Gzip.

If you prefer to use Gzip to distribute a Single File, then select Gzip for Single File Compression Method for FTP/SFTP.

Use distributed filename for FTP/SFTP archive filename if archive filename not specified in schedule

Optional.

If this box is checked then when a schedule is created that uses FTP or SFTP as the distribution method and the archive file name is left blank the distribution server will use the name found in the FTP or SFTP distribution list as the name of the archive file to be distributed.

Using the Zip Encryption Protection Default Plug-in

The default plug-in provided with ReportCaster enables the encryption password to be associated with the Managed Reporting Domain where the scheduled report resides. Therefore, the default plug‑in can only be used to password protect Managed Reporting Standard Reports and My Reports. For information on customizing a Zip Encryption Protection Plug-in, see Customizing ReportCaster Plug-ins.

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 ibi/ ReportCaster/cfg directory.

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

domain, domainhref, password, $

where:

domainhref: Is the location of the HTML page (for example, untitled/untitled.htm) that contains the Managed Reporting Domain link.
password: Is the password to open content from the associated domain.

Note: The ReportCaster log will indicate that encryption was used.

The guidelines for using the default plug-in are:

The zipencrypt.txt file must be in the ReportCaster/cfg directory.
The zipencrypt.txt file must contain the Managed Reporting Domain of the Standard Report or My Report.
Note: Since a Managed Reporting Domain is required to use the Zip Encryption Password Plug-in, attempting to enter a task other than a Managed Reporting Standard Report or My Report will result in a failure to distribute the output of that task.
If the zipencrypt.txt file contains an entry with the Managed Reporting Domain, 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 Managed Reporting Domain 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:

From the bin directory on the Distribution Server, run the decode utility, decdpwds.
Make the necessary additions or edits, such as adding a domain or changing the password.
Run the encode utility, encdpwds, to encrypt the file.