DONE-10: Adminserver
Survival Tips
Brian Bowman
Product Manager, Data Management Group
Agenda
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Introduction
Importance of the
Adminserver
Adminserver
Architecture
How to Make Better
Use if it
Summary
2 © 2005 Progress Software Corporation
DONE-10: Adminserver Survival Tips
“I don’t know why you want to talk
about it – it just runs!”
Ken Wilner, VP of Technology PSC
February, 2005
3 © 2005 Progress Software Corporation
DONE-10: Adminserver Survival Tips
Introduction
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Introduced in 1999 - Version 9.0A
Provides a common infrastructure and
interface for Server management
First Plugins: AppServer™, WebSpeed®,
NameServer, Database
The complete configuration point for the
deployment environment
4 © 2005 Progress Software Corporation
DONE-10: Adminserver Survival Tips
What is the AdminServer?
An administrative framework to provide…
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A consistent interface for managing
Progress products
Administrative access to Progress
products installed on your network
Remote configuration and management
capabilities
5 © 2005 Progress Software Corporation
DONE-10: Adminserver Survival Tips
Agenda
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Introduction
Importance of the
Adminserver
Adminserver
Architecture
How to Make Better
Use if it
Summary
6 © 2005 Progress Software Corporation
DONE-10: Adminserver Survival Tips
What does it do?
It’s not really the engine…
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DONE-10: Adminserver Survival Tips
What does the AdminServer do
today?
It configures and manages:
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Fathom™ Management
AppServer Brokers and Servers
WebSpeed Transaction Servers & Agents
NameServer
Databases
DataServers
WebSpeed Messenger
Sonic 4GL Adapter
Web Services Adapter
8 © 2005 Progress Software Corporation
DONE-10: Adminserver Survival Tips
What does it do?
It’s more like the ignition
system of your application
9 © 2005 Progress Software Corporation
DONE-10: Adminserver Survival Tips
Agenda

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
Introduction
Importance of the
Adminserver
Adminserver
Architecture
How to Make Better
Use if it
Summary
10 © 2005 Progress Software Corporation
DONE-10: Adminserver Survival Tips
AdminServer
The Basic Picture
Something
Goes In…
Request to start
WebSpeed
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Something
Comes Out…
Admin
Server
WebSpeed is
Started
DONE-10: Adminserver Survival Tips
Adminserver Tip
“Never start the adminserver as root”
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Opens you up to security issues
Causes all other processes to start as root
12 © 2005 Progress Software Corporation
DONE-10: Adminserver Survival Tips
AdminServer
An Advanced Picture
Admin Server
Progress Explorer
Plugin
Fathom Management
Plugin
Plugin
Plugin
Browser
AppServer
Broker
AS
AS
Database
Broker
DB Server
WebSpeed
Broker
WS Server
13 © 2005 Progress Software Corporation
DB Server
4GL
Java
.Net
WS Server
DONE-10: Adminserver Survival Tips
How the AdminServer Works
Adminserver Plug-ins are:
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An extensible framework for hosting plugins
– Loads plugins and accepts management requests
– Local and remote request from Progress Explorer
and the command line interface
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Manages Client Connections
Plugins provide management functions for a
particular product
– Database, WebSpeed, AppServer, etc.
– Some plugins are adapters (WSA, AIA, WS
messenger)
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The real work is in the plugins
14 © 2005 Progress Software Corporation
DONE-10: Adminserver Survival Tips
How the Adminserver Communicates
WS
Broker
(3055)
ubroker
.properties
Fathom
Management
(6835)
TCP
UDP
RMI
Progress
Explorer
RMI
Progress
Admin
Server
(20931)
TCP (2)
Name
Server
(5162)
RMI
AdminServerPlugins
.dat / .properties
UDP (1)
Client
TCP (2)
UDP
TCP
conmgr
.properties
15 © 2005 Progress Software Corporation
DB
Broker
(7835)
AS
Broker
(3050)
DONE-10: Adminserver Survival Tips
Adminserver Tip
“Document and monitor all of the ports
(#’s & types) that you use for the
adminserver.”
16 © 2005 Progress Software Corporation
DONE-10: Adminserver Survival Tips
How the AdminServer Works
Plug-ins
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AdminServerPlugins.[dat|properties] file
– Text file that contains a list of server
plugins to start
– Only those products that are licensed on
that machine will start
– Stored in $DLC directory – V9
– Stored in $DLC/properties directory – R10
– Treat as read-only; do not modify
17 © 2005 Progress Software Corporation
DONE-10: Adminserver Survival Tips
How the AdminServer Works
Configuration Files
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Ubroker.properties file
– Text file that contains configuration
information for all OpenEdge™ instances
– Only those instances that are configured
will start
– Stored in $DLC/properties directory
– Modifiable via PE or any editor
– If modified by editor – use validation tools
(*config)
18 © 2005 Progress Software Corporation
DONE-10: Adminserver Survival Tips
How the AdminServer Works
Configuration Files
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connmgr.properties file
– Text file that contains configuration
information for all OpenEdge databases
– Only those databases that are configured
for autostart will start when adminserver
starts
– Stored in $DLC/properties directory
– Modifiable via PE or any editor
– If modified by editor – use validation tools
(*config)
19 © 2005 Progress Software Corporation
DONE-10: Adminserver Survival Tips
Adminserver Tip
“Back up your configuration files.”
20 © 2005 Progress Software Corporation
DONE-10: Adminserver Survival Tips
Why should I worry about it?
You know it’s there (or hope it is)…
but don’t ever want to use it…
21 © 2005 Progress Software Corporation
DONE-10: Adminserver Survival Tips
Agenda
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Introduction
Importance of the
Adminserver
Adminserver
Architecture
How to Make Better
Use if it
Summary
22 © 2005 Progress Software Corporation
DONE-10: Adminserver Survival Tips
Sometimes you want something that
can go anywhere…
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DONE-10: Adminserver Survival Tips
But parks like a dream…
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DONE-10: Adminserver Survival Tips
Then why not have the best of both?
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DONE-10: Adminserver Survival Tips
How can I make better use of it?
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Load Balancing
High Availability
Debugging
Security
Fathom Management
26 © 2005 Progress Software Corporation
DONE-10: Adminserver Survival Tips
Load Balancing
Location transparency
Machine A
Client(s)
NameServer
Inventory
Inventory (A and B)
70%
Machine B
Inventory
30%
Machine C
Load balancing
27 © 2005 Progress Software Corporation
Payroll
DONE-10: Adminserver Survival Tips
“With the adminserver you can do
remote configuration and
management from almost
anywhere!”
Roy Ellis, Principle Engineer PSC
May, 2005
28 © 2005 Progress Software Corporation
DONE-10: Adminserver Survival Tips
High Availability Application
User Tier
Application Tier
CHUI
GUI
TCP/IP
.Net
Web Client
Sonic ESB
Reporting
Messaging
SQL
29 © 2005 Progress Software Corporation
Application
Server
(Site 1)
Production
(Site 1)
Fathom
Replication
Name Server
(Load balancing)
Web Browser
Web Server
HTTP
Name Server
(Load balancing)
Direct Connect
Data Tier
Application
Server
(Site 2)
Backup
(Site 2)
DONE-10: Adminserver Survival Tips
Adminserver Tip
“Never shut down the adminserver
unless you are upgrading or
installing.”
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There is typically no reason to shut it
down
Removes the ability for remote
access to the application
30 © 2005 Progress Software Corporation
DONE-10: Adminserver Survival Tips
Debugging
Logging Levels
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Can set how much is written to log files
– Level 1: Errors and Information
– Level 2: Terse (default)
– Level 3: Verbose
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Security Logging
– Log Specific user authentication / authorization
– Default: log both success and failed operations
– Can change so only failed logins are recorded
JVMARGS=$JVMARGS –DLogLevelSecurity = 2
31 © 2005 Progress Software Corporation
DONE-10: Adminserver Survival Tips
Adminserver Tip
“Raise the logging level on your
adminserver and manage the extra
volume.”
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This gives you more insight into
what is happening after the fact.
32 © 2005 Progress Software Corporation
DONE-10: Adminserver Survival Tips
Many Types of Security…
33 © 2005 Progress Software Corporation
DONE-10: Adminserver Survival Tips
Security Options
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User-group authorization – 9.1D
– Format: -admingroup group[:group…]
– Minimum 1 valid group name
Watch out for specifying group authorization
without any users!
 User authenticated to OS’s security
system
 Sub-process startup can be authenticated
as well
34 © 2005 Progress Software Corporation
DONE-10: Adminserver Survival Tips
Adminserver Tip
“Start each broker process under a
different user name.”
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This gives you the ability to identify
which processes are doing what
35 © 2005 Progress Software Corporation
DONE-10: Adminserver Survival Tips
Agenda





Introduction
Importance of the
Adminserver
Adminserver
Architecture
How to Make Better
Use if it
Summary
36 © 2005 Progress Software Corporation
DONE-10: Adminserver Survival Tips
Benefits of Understanding the
Adminserver
Feature
Benefit
Single configuration
location for
OpenEdge
Single process to
start & stop
complete application
Adding a new server or reconfiguring an existing
server is easy.
Confidence that adding a
new server will be correct
and start & stop.
Remote
Configuration
You can manage multiple
remote systems from one
place with one tool.
37 © 2005 Progress Software Corporation
DONE-10: Adminserver Survival Tips
Summary
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Now you have a better understanding of
what it does for you
Now you understand why it exists
Make use of the features it offers
38 © 2005 Progress Software Corporation
DONE-10: Adminserver Survival Tips
Questions?
Brian Bowman
Bowman@progress.com
39 © 2005 Progress Software Corporation
DONE-10: Adminserver Survival Tips
Thank you for
your time!
40 © 2005 Progress Software Corporation
DONE-10: Adminserver Survival Tips
41 © 2005 Progress Software Corporation
DONE-10: Adminserver Survival Tips