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4
Configuring VisualGSM
Enterprise
4.1 Introduction to VisualGSM
System
4.1.1 VisualGSM – Service, Manager Console, and
Database
There are 3 parts to VisualGSM Enterprise: - the Server
(visualgsmserver.exe), the Manager Console
(visualgsmmanager.exe), and the database engine (which
can be MySQL, MSSQL or Oracle). The Manager Console
and Server are installed by default to
%programfiles%\visualtron software corporation\visualgsm
folder.
The Manager Console manages the database tables
(default database name is ‘VGSMDB’) used by VisualGSM
Server (See simple relationship below). Modem
configuration, message transaction log (table: loglog), and
many other settings are stored on the database.
Manager
(logon to a database server)
Database (VGSMDB)
Service
(DB access info store in registry)
Database (VGSMDB)
For both MySQL and MSSQL options, VisualGSM installer
runs a Database Setup Wizard that you can use to create
the database automatically.
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4.1.2 2-ways of administering VisualGSM via the
Manager
There are 2 ways to administer VisualGSM Enterprise Server:
1. Administer from the Manager Console installed locally
on the server during the first installation (for this option,
please proceed to chapter 4.2).
2. Administer from a Manager Console installed on a
remote PC.
Note: There is no installer option for just the client. To install
the Manager console onto a remote machine, you will
need to install VisualGSM (Manager and Service) on that
machine and skip the Database Setup Wizard.
You may need to manually configure the 2 System DSN or
System Data Source, ‘VisualGSMODBC’ and
‘VisualGSMAdmin’ to point to your VisualGSM Server
database. Please refer to the configurations of this 2
System DSN on your installed server. You can access them
from Setting -> Control Panel -> Administrative Tools ->
Data Sources ODBC.
Run VisualGSM Manager, select “Add Server” on the drop
down menu, click on “Server List Management” button,
and enter the remote VisualGSM database IP address or
computer name. Once done, right click “Manage Server”
to logon to your remote database and VisualGSM Server.
VisualGSM Enterprise Manager Console is primarily a
database administration utility. It is not a pre-requisite for
VisualGSM Server to start. You may close the Manager
Console to logout of Windows during production runs.
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4.2 Configuring VisualGSM Server
4.2.1 Logon to VisualGSM Enterprise Manager using
default settings
Upon installing VisualGSM Enterprise, the Enterprise
Manager icon should be visible on your desktop. If it is not
installed on your desktop, you should try finding it under
the program files folder or try reinstalling it again. To launch
the Enterprise Manager, simply double-click on the short
cut created on your system desktop.
As discussed earlier, you will be prompted to check for a
newer version of the software either through the Internet or
locally.
Figure 4.10 : VGSM Enterprise Manager module.
After that, you will see a VisualGSM Server icon on the left
side of the console, as shown in Figure 4.10. Click on the
‘+’ sign, you will see ‘localhost’ (this represents that
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VisualGSM Server is installed locally). Refer to figure 4.11.
Click on the ‘+’ sign under ‘localhost’, and you will see
VGSMDB (assuming you have used the default database
name during installation). After that, highlight VGSMDB,
and then click on the Server List Management button to
logon. Use your database root username and password
for the logon (Remember, Console Manager is actually
connecting to your database). Check the installer readme
text file for further information on the default username and
password for database engines installed by our installers.
Note: The above steps are used on assumption that
VisualGSM Server is on the same machine as the database
server, and the Administrator is managing VisualGSM
locally. The next few paragraphs will explain how to setup
VisualGSM if it has to use a remote database.
Note: VisualGSM Enterprise Manager uses Windows socket
to communicate with VisualGSM Server (only for reading
server logs), so if you are using a firewall software that
blocks all open ports, you may get a “Windows socket
error: no such host is known (11001), on API 'Async Lookup'”
error. If Manager and Server are installed on the same
machine, you might be able to resolve this problem by
setting VisualGSM Server as “127.0.0.1” or “localhost”. If
you have access rights to your firewall configuration, you
can reconfigure the firewall to accept all requests from
localhost. Finally, if all methods fail, you can reconfigure
VisualGSM Enterprise Manager to set VisualGSM Server to
any IP address on the network that is not protected by
firewall.
4.2.2 Logon to remote database via VisualGSM
Manager
Enterprise Manager can manage multiple
servers/databases (including remotely hosted servers and
databases). To connect to a remote server or database,
you need to add the server/database (see 4.11).
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Figure 4.11 : Selecting default database prior to logon.
It is possible to install VisualGSM Server on machine A, and
then create the database on machine B (e.g. Oracle on
Unix). The Manager Console can then connect to both A
and B from machine C.
Note: Sometimes, the Manager Console cannot ‘Start’
VisualGSM Service from machine C, but can still manage
the database on machine B. For this case, the
administrator can only start VisualGSM Server locally.
For example, an organization has an existing Oracle
database running on Unix, and which is used by many
applications. Their IT manager will like to use that Oracle
machine. VisualGSM Enterprise is thus installed on a spare
Windows machine.
Now the IT Manager will have to setup VisualGSM Server to
connect to the remote database by using Manager
Console directly on VisualGSM Server. This is required
because the setting for VisualGSM Server to connect to
whichever database is stored locally on VisualGSM Server’s
registry. This setting can be configured from Console ->
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Service Connection Setting, and is defaulted to localhost,
and database name VGSMDB on first installation. A dialog
will popout. Enter the new database server password
(Same as what you used to logon the Manager Console).
Note: The Service Connection Setting will be greyed out if
your VisualGSM Server is not localhost. This is because the
setting is stored encrypted on Windows registry and can
only be accessed via a manager installed on VisualGSM
Server.
See figure 4.12 below on how to access this setting.
‘Service Connection Setting’ must be reconfigured each
time you connect to your different database.
Figure 4.12 : Configuring VisualGSM Server to connect to a different
database.
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Before the IT Manager can access Service Database
Connection Setting, he has to logon. He cannot use the
default connection created by VisualGSM during first
installation. He will need to add Select “Add Server” from
the pull down menu button as shown in Figure 4.12 and a
window will pop up to prompt you for a server and
database name as shown in Figure 4.13 below.
In this case, the new VisualGSM Server Name was entered
as ‘localhost’, the Database Server Name is ‘vgsm’
(remote Oracle server), and the Database Name was
entered as VGSMDB (Oracle instance created for
VisualGSM Server).
Note: A server can have multiple database created for it,
but the server can only connect to one database at a
time. Each database will carry its own modem and other
configurations.
Summary: If you connect to a different database using the
manager, you need to click on Console -> Service
Connection Setting, enter the new database password,
and then click on OK. This is to update the server
connection registry setting on your server system. As the
registry is to be updated, you need to do this on a
Manager Console directly on VisualGSM server.
Figure 4.12 : Click on “New
Server” to add a new serve
to be managed.
Figure 4.13 : Pop-up window
requesting for new server
and database name.
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Besides adding a new server, there is also an option for
deleting the current server “Remove Server”. Another
feature, “Edit Existing Server” can only be used when you
are not managing the server as it allows the user to
change the server and database name.
To start managing a server, select the server that you want
to start and click on the “Manage Server” button. You will
see more service features as shown below:
Figure 4.14 : The Enterprise Manager module after clicking “Managing Server”.
Note: If the database you use is ‘offline’ or not ‘running’,
you will see an error message on being unable to connect
to your database. (See Figure 4.15.) VisualGSM needs the
database running before it can be started. In fact, you
should not be able to login the Manager Console if the
database is not ‘running’. You will also encounter an error
if VisualGSMODBC and VisualGSMAdmin are not
configured properly.
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To start MySQL, go to Start -> Control Panel ->
Administrative Tools -> Service. Ensure that MySQL service is
set to automatic, then start the service. For MSSQL, start
the service using SQL Server Service Manager (system tray).
Figure 4.15 : Error messages when trying to start the server with MySQL and
MSSQL databases respecitvely in “Offline” mode.
