Installing the Repository Proxy

The PowerDesigner repository proxy is an optional program that runs as a service on or near the repository server and translates SQL requests from client workstations into a more efficient proprietary format. The proxy can considerably improve performance, particularly if clients will be connecting over a WAN or complicated LAN environment or when dealing regularly with larger (15MB+) models, due to its client request pooling and sophisticated caching.

Using the proxy also simplifies the client connection to the repository, as users do not need to know details of the database hosting the repository.

  1. Choose whether to install the repository proxy on the repository server, or on another windows machine on the same LAN.

    You should install the proxy on the same server as the repository, if possible, to optimize communication between the components. If the repository server is not a Windows server or is unable to support the additional workload, then we recommend installing the proxy on another machine on the same LAN segment. We recommend as a minimum, a dual-core machine, with 2-4GB of RAM, but the exact system requirements depend on the number of concurrent users and the size of your repository.

  2. Create a system data source on the chosen machine to define the connection between the proxy and the repository database (see Creating a Data Source to Access Your Database).
  3. Insert the PowerDesigner software CD-ROM in the drive, and then click the Install PowerDesigner Repository Proxy button.
  4. Click Next to go to the license agreement page. Select the location where you are installing the software, read the License Agreement, and then click the I Agree radio button to accept the terms of the agreement. If you click I Do Not Agree, you cannot proceed with the Setup program.
    Note: You can print the License Agreement from the Setup\Licenses directory on the product CD.
  5. Click Next to go to the directory selection page. Accept the default installation directory or choose another by clicking the Browse button.
  6. Click Next to go to the current settings page to review your choices, and then click Next to start copying files.

    When setup is complete, a page is displayed with two checkboxes selected by default, to let you start the proxy service and launch the configuration tool.

  7. Click Finish to exit the wizard and open the Proxy Configuration dialog.
    Note: You must have write access on HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE to change proxy parameters. On a Windows 7 machine, you may need to launch the Proxy Configuration dialog by right-clicking its icon and selecting Run as administrator. You can open the configuration dialog at any time by navigating to the proxy installation directory and launching pdproxyconf16.exe.
  8. Click New to create a new proxy connection instance, and enter the following parameters.

    Parameter

    Value

    Instance name

    Enter an appropriate name to identify the instance.

    Data source

    Select the system data source you created for the repository from the list. Note that the proxy cannot access user data sources.

    User name

    Enter the user name used to connect to the repository database.

    Password

    Enter the password used to connect to the repository database.

    Bytes per char

    For non-Oracle unicode or multi-byte character set databases, specify the bytes per character used by the database:
    • 1-byte - [default] For SBCS (Single-Byte Character Set)
    • 2-byte - For DBCS (Double-Byte Character Set)
    • 3-byte - For Unicode or MBCS (Multi-Byte Character Set)

    Port

    Enter the connection port of the server on which the proxy is installed and which allows the client to communicate with the server using TCP/IP protocol. The default port number is 32999.

    Log file

    Select the level of logging that you want to perfom and enter or browse to the path to the log file in the Name field.

    Cache

    Enter or browse to the path to the cache, and specify its maximum size. The default is 300MB, which is generally sufficient for optimum proxy performance.

    Note: A single proxy server can provide simultaneous connections to multiple PowerDesigner repositories of the same version. Click the New button to create an additional instance.
  9. Click OK to complete your definition of proxy instances.

    Users can now connect to the repository via the proxy by specifying the server name, port number and instance name in a proxy repository definition (see Core Features Guide > Modeling with PowerDesigner > Getting Started with PowerDesigner > Accessing the Repository).