Using the Crystal Configuration Manager

The Crystal Configuration Manager (CCM) is a Windows-based tool installed on the Crystal Enterprise server by default (see Figure 27.49). A CCM script (ccm.sh) is also available for the Unix version of Crystal Enterprise. Although the "interface" discussion that follows does not apply to the ccm.sh, all the capabilities are present and can be accessed. Please refer to your Crystal Enterprise documentation for specific command-line options.

The Crystal Enterprise administrator can use the Crystal Configuration to start and stop Crystal Services on the local machine or remote machines, as well as configure the Web Connector, CMS database, and Audit database, and add and register new servers to the Framework.

TIP

You can use the CCM to administer several Crystal Enterprise servers remotely by changing the computer name.

To start the CCM, click Start, Programs, Crystal Enterprise 10, Crystal Configuration Manager. When the CCM loads, it displays a list of all Crystal Enterprise services running on the current machine, as well as the World Wide Web Publishing Service and associated services if the machine runs Microsoft IIS. The name of the current machine is indicated in the upper-right corner of the CCM. To administer another Crystal Enterprise server, type in a new server name and press Enter. The drop-down box of server names maintains a list of each server visited. A Crystal Enterprise administrator can also click the Browse for Computer icon to select a different machine.

To start, stop, pause, or restart Crystal services, highlight a service name, and then click the appropriate icon at the top of the screen. Note that you can also select several Crystal services at once by using the Shift or Ctrl select methods. One interesting fact about the CCM is the use of command-line options to start various Crystal Enterprise servers. To view the command line used to start up a given server, such as the Web Component Server, right-click the service name and choose Properties. Notice that the dialog title Command Line shows the server startup command as well as potential parameters supplied to the server service.

Starting up servers from a command line can be a useful approach to solving or troubleshooting problems that might arise. More will be discussed on server startup command lines later.

To view the properties of a service, right-click on the service and select Properties from the drop-down menu. Note that the Crystal Enterprise administrator must stop the service first to make changes to the services properties. From the Properties dialog, the Crystal Enterprise administrator can change the NT account used to run the service, and also view the services dependencies. Depending on the service, the administrator might also be able to specify a communication port, although the default port is normally acceptable.

The Crystal Enterprise administrator can also use the CCM to add or remove instances of a service. To remove a service, highlight the service name, and then click the delete icon at the top of the screen. To add a new instance of a service, click the Add Server icon. A wizard walks you through the steps of adding the new service.

Configuring the Web Connector

The Web Connector resides on the Web server, intercepting .csp, .cwr, and .cwi requests and passing them on to the Web Component Server. To configure the Web Connector, start the CCM and be sure its connected to the machine that has the Web Connector installed on it (this machine is always a Web server). Click the Configure Web Connector icon to start the configuration process.

A list of all configured WCS machines appears in the Web Component Servers box. If there is more than one Web Component Server, the Crystal Enterprise administrator must be sure that each one is listed here. If a Web Component Server is not listed, the Web Connector is not able to forward Crystal Enterprise requests to that server. To add a new WCS, click the Add button and type in the WCS Host Name. The WCS Host Name is the same as the machine name on which the WCS resides. The Crystal Enterprise administrator also needs to specify a port number; the default port is 6401. If a SOCKs server must be specified, click the Specify SOCKS button. After you have finished typing in the required WCS information, click OK to add the new WCS to the available Web Component Servers box (see Figure 27.50).

Configuring CMS Clustering from the Configuration Manager

The CCM is also the location where the Crystal Enterprise CMS can be clustered. Clustering in Crystal Enterprise does not require any special hardware; its software based. The CMS is the only server for which clustering is required because other servers, such as the Job Server, are managed from the CMS.

Crystal Enterprise could have two or more physical Job Servers and the CMS will actively load balance report processing tasks between those servers. If a Job Server fails, that CMS no longer sends report processing requests to that physical server.

As for CMS clustering, a few things are required for it to work:

• The CMS System database must be in a supported format such as Microsoft SQL Server. MSDE is not sufficient.
• Multiple CMS servers must be available.
• All CMS servers must connect to the same CMS database, and the connectivity options to the database must be identical.
• Multihomed CMS servers are supported, but special consideration is required. Refer to the Crystal Enterprise admin guide for more information on multihomed server support.

After ensuring the system is properly configured and a backup of the CMS system database is complete, open the CCM, right-click on the CMS service, and choose Properties. Select the Configuration tab and check the Enable CMS Clustering box. The Clustering Wizard walks through the steps required to complete the CMS cluster. Afterward, the cluster name can be changed.

NOTE

Crystal Enterprise refers to CMS clusters with the server name of the first server in the cluster preceded by the @ symbol. For example, @Era0441863 would be a CMS cluster name.

Command-line options can be specified by right-clicking the services, and then changing the command line. Note that the server must be stopped first.

NOTE

Refer to the Crystal Enterprise Admin guide for a complete listing of all the various server command-line arguments that can be leveraged at server startup.