Configuring HTTP-XML System Connections

Prerequisites
Before performing this procedure, the following items must be addressed:
  • Obtain and record the numeric identifier for the HTTP-XML system connection definition from the Agentry Editor.
  • The base URL of the HTTP-XML server to which the Agentry Server will make CGI or HTTP requests. This value will be prefixed to the paths of specific requests within the application, as defined in the Editor.
Task
This procedure provides the steps for configuring the Agentry Server to connect with a Web service back end system using HTTP-XML for synchronization. This procedure provides a typical implementation example. Certain settings within the [HTTPXML-n] section may be modified in relation to implementation-specific behaviors or needs. These items can include:
  • User Authentication and Security.
  • User auditing requirements and related settings.

These functional areas and optional behaviors are provided in the information on these topics. Changes to the system connection sections in the Agentry.ini file should always be made using the SAP Control Center.

  1. This process begins by publishing the application project from the Agentry Editor to the Agentry Server. This will create the section [HTTPXML-n] for the HTTP-XML system connection. It will also automatically add the proper option to the [System Connections] section.
  2. Start the SAP Control Center. Connect to the system where the SAP Mobile Platform with the running Agentry Server is installed.
  3. In the navigation pane of SAP Control Center, expand the Applications node and select the Agentry application.
  4. In the administration pane, click the Configurations tab.
  5. Select the section HTTPXML-n, where n corresponds to the system connection definition in the Agentry application project. Click the Properties button above the list of configuration sections.

    This displays a list of the settings for the system connection to a database.

  6. Edit the settings on this screen to allow the Agentry Server to connect to a Web service.
    In the above example many of the settings are set based on the needs of the application and will not be changed at implementation. The following lists those settings that are set specific to the implementation environment, along with a description of their values:
    • baseURL: This is the base URL of the server to which the Agentry Server will make CGI or HTTP requests. This value may be the IP address or URL value. This value may be immediately followed by the port number, with the URL and port separated by a colon.
    • constantsFile: This is the name of the file containing constant values that may be referenced via SDML. The initial contents of this file are normally set as a part of the application development process, and are then modified for implementation needs. By default this file is expected to be located in the same folder as the Agentry Server.
    • xmlNamespaces: Listed in this option can be one or more of the namespaces involved in the data synchronization process. Each namespace listed here is separated by the pipe ( | ) symbol.
    • xmlValidateOnParse: This configuration option is set to true or false. It controls whether or not the Agentry Server and its XML parsing routines should validate the returned XML data against the XML schema or DTD. When true, this validation will occur and any violations of this schema will result in an error. If set to false, the schema is not validated and any violations will not impact the processing of the data returned.
    • enableAuthentication, enablePreviousUserAuthentication: Setting these options to true will enable the back end authentication functionality, requiring users to be authenticated against the back end system in order to perform synchronization. If multiple system connections are in use for an application, at least one must perform the back end authentication.
    • httpConnectTimeout: This value is set in seconds and specifies the amount of time the Agentry Server will spend while attempting to establish a connection to the HTTP server.
    • authenticationCertificateStore; -Password; -PasswordEncoded: These three options are related to the authentication performed via authentication certificates with the back end. The authenticationCertificateStore lists the location and file name for a certificate store. The authenticateCertificateStorePassword contains the password to access that file. authenticateCertificateStorePasswordEncoded is the flag to indicate if that password is or is not encoded in the Agentry.ini file. This password is encoded using the Quick Password Encoder utility provided with the Server installation.
  7. If multiple HTTP-XML Server system connections are defined for the application, repeat the preceding steps for each such connection type.

When this configuration is complete, the Agentry Server will be configured to connect to a Web Service server, with the ability to make cgi requests and process returned XML data. Data synchronization can be performed in this manner for both upstream and downstream processing.

Next
The following items may be necessary after completing this procedure:
  • A basic connectivity test can be performed by starting the Agentry Server and then performing a transmit from an installed Agentry Client or the Agentry Test Environment. The Server will not open a connection at startup, instead making this connection when a Client connects to synchronize data via a transmit.
  • If additional system connections are required by the application being deployed, those should be configured prior to starting the Agentry Server.
Parent topic: Configuring Back End Communications