Installing the PowerDesigner Portal Server

The PowerDesigner Portal allows you to view the contents of your repository in your standard web browser. The PowerDesigner installation disc includes database access and web application layers that are required to browse your repository from the web, along with a standard Apache Tomcat web server. Before beginning the installation, you should already have created your repository database and have the DBMS user name and password to hand.

For maximum responsiveness, we recommend that you install the database access layer on the same machine as your repository database, while the web application layer can be installed on any appropriate machine. While each instance of the PowerDesigner Portal database access layer can only communicate with a single repository database, a single web application instance can communicate with multiple database access layers and provide a single point of access for users browsing multiple repositories.

If the repository server is not a Windows server or is unable to support the additional workload, then we recommend installing the PowerDesigner Portal 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.

Note: For information about using the PowerDesigner Portal, see Core Features Guide > Storing and Sharing Models > The PowerDesigner Portal.
  1. Insert the PowerDesigner software CD-ROM in the drive, and then click the Install PowerDesigner Portal button.

    The PowerDesigner Portal installation program opens to the welcome page.

  2. Click Next to go to the license page, and select the type of license that you want to use:
    • Trial - For evaluating PowerDesigner and the PowerDesigner Portal
    • PowerDesigner Portal - For using the PowerDesigner Portal without allowing users to edit object comments, descriptions, and annotations
    • PowerDesigner Portal Composer - For allowing users to edit object comments, descriptions, and annotations, which requires a separate license. If you select this option, you will be prompted to specify the licence server that manages this license (see Installing a License Server).
  3. Click Next to go to the license agreement page, and select the location where you are installing the software. Read the License Agreement and 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 and you will have to cancel the install.
    Note: You can print the License Agreement from the Setup\Licenses directory on the product CD.
  4. Click Next to go to the web server page. If you have already installed one or more PowerDesigner Portal servers, you can select the second option to install the web application layer only. You will then be prompted to specify connection information for a PowerDesigner Portal server to which it will connect. Setup suggests a location in which to install the PowerDesigner Portal, which you can change by clicking the Browse button.


  5. Click Next to go to the application server page. By default, the installer will install a new Tomcat Server. If you want to use one of the other supported servers, select it and specify its location. Default sever ports may be provided that you must verify. At least one port is required in order to create a connection profile and connect to the repository database.
    Note: If you choose the WebLogic application server, you must deploy the archive directory (by default, the weblogic_openfolder directory inside your PowerDesigner Portal installation directory) from your WebLogic Administrative Console once the setup has completed.


  6. Click Next to go to the JDK page. By default, a new JDK is installed. If you want to use an existing JDK, deselect the check box and specify its location.
  7. Click Next to go to:
    • [for a full PowerDesigner Portal server install] The database parameters page lets you enter the appropriate parameters for your database. If you select the Use Windows Authentication checkbox, you will need to select the This account option on the Log On tab of the web server service property sheet before starting the service.

    • [for an application layer only install] The connection information page of the PowerDesigner Portal server lets you enter the appropriate parameters for connecting to the existing repository web server instance. You must enter at least one port:


    installrepweb3
  8. Click Next to go to the information page which summarizes your choices.
  9. Click Next to accept the current settings and start copying files.

    The install begins. A progress box is displayed and Setup copies files to the destination directory. When the setup is complete, one of the following pages appears depending on your selection on the web server page:

    • [PowerDesigner Portal server] The completion page opens with two check boxes selected by default to let you:
      • Start the PowerDesigner Portal Server service
      • Open the PowerDesigner Portal Web page
    • [web application layer] The completion page opens with a check box selected by default to let you open the service configuration page and enter its account name and password. Then you will have to start the service.
  10. Click Finish to exit the wizard.
Parent topic: Installing the Repository