Using Developer Studio Without a Web Server
By Dimitris Poulos
Since the introduction of Release 5 of WebFOCUS Developer Studio a year ago, we have been excited with the new capabilities and robust functionality of the product.
This was the first release of Developer Studio in which we provided a single integrated solution that allowed us to offer the same set of features across all WebFOCUS products, expanded functionality and scalability, and added new features to support enterprisewide information needs and new technologies to meet
requirements for Web-based reporting, and give our customer added flexibility to meet business needs.
To deliver new capability and take advantage of new technologies, it was necessary to re-architect the product. A Web server was required to build and deploy standalone reporting and data maintenance applications.
Developer Studio, just like WebFOCUS, uses the Web server to route information from the GUI development tools to the Reporting Server that is used to process the requests. The Web server then acts as a router to distribute the results back to the developer/user.
Although this new product architecture had minimal impact on most of our customers, some customers viewed this change as a limitation because of IT restrictions, support issues and security concerns.
In response to these concerns, we implemented an optional configuration in which Developer Studio works without a Web server for developing and running standalone applications while still taking advantage of all product features such as Source Control, the deployment tool and the improved GUI tools for reporting and
data maintenance applications.
This new configuration uses an Information Builders technology that makes it possible for a service available in the Reporting Server to directly process all HTTP requests sent by Developer Studio, eliminating the need for a Web server.
This configuration has been tested and certified with the latest production release of Developer Studio, 5.2.4, but is also applicable to 5.2.3.
The configuration is a manual three-step process implemented after product installation.
Requirements
The optional configuration requires a full installation of Developer Studio (Developer Studio and Reporting Server must be installed on the developer’s PC). With that in place, follow these steps:
| 1. |
Modify the ODIN.CFG file located in install_drive:\IBI\SRV52\WFS\ETC\ and add the following line in the existing node named LST_HTTP:
IBI_HTML = x:\IBI\DEVSTUDIO52\IBI_HTML\
where x is the install drive of Developer Studio.
Example:
;HTTP Listener
NODE = LST_HTTP
BEGIN
PROTOCOL = HTTP
PORT = 8121
CLASS = AGENT
SECURITY = IWA
IBI_HTML =
C:\IBI\DEVSTUDIO52\IBI_HTML\
END
|
| 2. |
Modify the file CGIPATH.JS located in install_drive:\IBI\DevStudio52\ibi_html\javaassist\ and change the existing default configuration from ISAPI to CGI. There are two variables that need to be modified in this file:
var WFInstallOption_CGIName =
"webapi.dll"
var WFInstallOption_MaintainName =
"webapi.dll"
The Client Path needs to change from webapi.dll to ibiweb.exe.
Example:
var WFInstallOption_CGIPath =
"/cgi-bin/ibi_cgi/";
var WFInstallOption_CGIName =
"ibiweb.exe"
var WFInstallOption_MaintainPath =
"/cgi-bin/ibi_cgi/";
var WFInstallOption_MaintainName =
"ibiweb.exe"
|
| 3. |
Modify the localhost environment properties from within Developer Studio. From the menu, select File/Show Environments and click on localhost in the Environments List dialog. Then click Properties.
|
In the WebFOCUS Environment Properties dialog, change the port number to 8121, which is the default port number for the HTTP listener.
localhost is the default description of the environment that identifies your computer, local machine, where Developer Studio is running. localhost uses the reserved IP address 127.0.0.1. This environment description can be customized, i.e., Local Development Environment.
Click on the WebFOCUS Client object and make sure the Use Default option for the Client Path field is selected and the path points to /cgi-bin/ibi_cgi/ibiweb.exe. Click OK and restart Developer Studio.
Please note that the technology used in this configuration does not make use of a full HTTP server (i.e., IIS or Apache) and there may be a few limitations, which are described in more detail atour support site, http://techsupport.ibi.com. (Search for Tech
Memos that are available for this configuration.)
The limitations of using this configuration are as follows:
 |
It is not possible to use the Graph Preview feature |
|
OLAP tools cannot perform data transformations |
|
It is not possible to execute applications based on JavaServer Pages (JSP) technology
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We are currently researching how to overcome these limitations.
 
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