Understanding Gateways and the Pervasive Workgroup engine

Transcription

1 Understanding Gateways and the Pervasive Workgroup engine For best results when running the Pervasive Workgroup engine it is recommended that the BusinessVision data files be stored on a Windows 2000 or Windows 2003 file server, and that the Pervasive Workgroup engine be installed on the file server. This results in a mini client-server arrangement. This configuration provides both performance and fault tolerance benefits. When the Pervasive Workgroup engine is installed a permanent gateway must be established for the BusinessVision data files. A permanent Gateway is not established automatically. If a permanent gateway is not established, the first computer to access the data will elect itself as the gateway. Effectively this computer becomes the server for the data files. This results in an undesirable situation where an underpowered workstation becomes the machine to read and write to the data files. Further, when a permanent gateway is not established, the computer acting as the gateway may be unknowingly shut down by an operator, causing other users on the system to be disconnected from the BusinessVision data files. Ultimately this situation can result in logical errors (Trial Balance not Balanced) and physical errors (corrupt data files). One of the most important and often overlooked steps when installing the Pervasive Workgroup or Pervasive.SQL Client Server engine is establishing a permanent gateway. It is highly recommended that a permanent gateway be established for the BusinessVision company data files for all versions of BusinessVision, including BusinessVision Client-Server Edition. When a permanent gateway is established for a data directory you are ensuring that only the computer that is assigned as the permanent gateway, normally your server will be able to open and read and write to the BusinessVision data files. When a permanent gateway is not established, the first computer to access the data elects itself as the gateway. This results in this computer becoming the server for the data files. This results in an undesirable situation where an underpowered workstation becomes the server for the data files. Further when a permanent gateway is not established, the computer acting as the gateway may be unknowingly shut down by an operator, causing other users on the system to be disconnected from the BusinessVision data files. Ultimately this situation can result in logical errors (Trial Balance not Balanced) and physical errors (corrupt data files). A permanent gateway needs to be established for each BusinessVision data directory. The permanent gateway is normally the computer where the

2 BusinessVision data files are stored and the Pervasive Workgroup or the Pervasive.SQL Client Server engine is installed. Under most circumstances this is your server. If CustomPack is installed, a permanent gateway also needs to be established for the Workbook subdirectory of the BusinessVision data directory where CustomPack is installed. While Workbook data appears to be a part of your BusinessVision data, it is stored in a different location. (For example C:\BusinessVision\DATA\WORKBOOK ) A computer can only be designated as a permanent gateway if either the Pervasive Workgroup or Pervasive.SQL Client Server engine is installed and running on that computer. In an environment where the BusinessVision Client Server Edition is installed it is also recommended that the Database Server be established as the permanent gateway. This will prevent a machine with the Pervasive Workgroup engine installed from failing to connect to the Pervasive Server engine and incorrectly electing itself as the gateway. When a workstation incorrectly elects itself the gateway other clients would be blocked from logging on to BusinessVision. The Gateway Locator utility is used to establish a permanent gateway. This utility creates a read only text file called ~pvsw~.loc. This file contains the name of the computer that is allowed to open, read and write to the data. Only one computer can be established as the gateway for any single data directory. To establish a permanent gateway for a BusinessVision data directory using the Gateway Locator utility follow the steps below. 1. From the Start menu, click Pervasive, Pervasive.SQL, Other Utilities and choose Gateway Locator.

3 2. The Target Directory defaults to C:\PVSW\BIN each time the Gateway Locator utility is launched because the Gateway Locator utility does not know the location of the BusinessVision data files. This must be established by specifying a valid path. 3. Change the path and directory name in Target Directory to the directory of the BusinessVision data where the gateway is required, and click the Refresh button. For example C:\BusinessVision\data. To change the Target Directory type the path to the BusinessVision data directory, or use the browse button to the right of the Target Directory field to select the correct BusinessVision data directory.

4 4. Once the Target Directory has been selected. Click on Change this loads the Gateway Assignment window. 5. The computer name of the gateway initially defaults to the name of the workstation where the Gateway Locator utility was launched. 6. Enter the computer name of the gateway. The computer name of the gateway should be the name of the Server where the BusinessVision data files are stored. The Pervasive Workgroup or Pervasive Server engine must be installed on the Server computer. Make sure that Assign a gateway is checked, and click OK.

5 7. A permanent gateway to the BusinessVision data directory (X:\Bvdata) will be assigned. Now only the computer named Server will be able to read and write to the data files in the BusinessVision data directory (X:\Bvdata). 8. If there are multiple BusinessVision data directories, (i.e. multiple companies) a permanent gateway must be established for each data directory. If CustomPack is installed, a permanent gateway also needs to be established for the Workbook subdirectory of the BusinessVision data directory. To establish a permanent gateway for multiple BusinessVision data directories, the Gateway Locator utility can be used for each data directory or the gateway locator file (~pvsw~.loc) can be copied to each respective data directory. Before copying the gateway locator file (~pvsw~.loc) ensure that the gateway is properly established. Note that the gateway locator file must remain read only to act as a permanent gateway. 9. The permanent gateway only needs to be established once for each BusinessVision data directory. There is no need to visit each computer on the network and re-establish the gateway on each computer. The gateway is established on a per-directory basis, not on a per-computer basis. To check a data directory to see if a permanent gateway has been assigned follow the steps below. 1. Launch the Gateway Locator utility and change the Target Directory to the desired BusinessVision data directory. The computer that is currently established as the gateway is listed beside Gateway assigned to. If the gateway is a permanent assignment, there will be a check mark beside

6 Permanent assignment. In the example below the computer named Server is assigned as a permanent gateway to the BusinessVision data directory (X:\Bvdata). 2. If the text beside Gateway assigned to reads unassigned then a gateway has not been established for the data directory in question. It is recommended that a permanent gateway be established immediately. 3. If the text beside Gateway assigned to lists a computer name on the network that is not the Server, and there is not a check mark beside Permanent assignment then a permanent gateway has not been

7 established. It is recommended that a permanent gateway be established immediately. In the example below a permanent gateway has not been established. A computer named SHIPPING was the first to logon to the BusinessVision company data. This established the computer named SHIPPING as a temporary gateway. For the duration of the session that the SHIPPING computer is logged into BusinessVision the SHIPPING computer will act as the server and will be responsible for opening, reading and writing to the BusinessVision data files when requests are passed to it from other computers on the network. When the SHIPPING computer is logged out or shut down it will cause other users on the system to exit abnormally with file related status codes. This could result in corrupt data files or unbalanced postings. FAQ for Pervasive Database Engine Gateways Q: I copied our Company s BusinessVision data to my computers local hard drive. I am now unable to login to the local copy of the BusinessVision data. I am able to login to the BusinessVision company data on the network. What is preventing my computer from accessing the data on a local hard disk? A: A gateway locator file exists that is pointing to the Server explicitly and this is preventing you from logging in to the local BusinessVision data. Delete the gateway locator file (~pvsw~.loc) and then logon to BusinessVision. A gateway is not required when accessing local data in a single user environment.

8 Q: We are currently running BusinessVision Client-Server Edition, which uses the Pervasive.SQL Server engine. I have read that the Pervasive.SQL Server engine does not need a gateway to be established. Why does BusinessVision recommend that I establish a gateway? A: Establishing a permanent gateway prevents a workstation that fails to connect to the server from electing itself the gateway. Other users can be blocked from logging on even if they are capable of connecting to the server. Q: I elected our Windows 2003 server as the gateway, now no one can login to BusinessVision. A: A Pervasive database engine must be installed on the computer established as the gateway. Check that either the Pervasive.SQL Server engine or the Pervasive Workgroup engine is installed and running on the computer that is elected as the gateway.