Configure the Agentry
Server to
connect with a Web service back end system using HTTP-XML for synchronization.
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 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.
- 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.
- Start the SAP
Control Center.
Connect to the system where the SAP Mobile Platform with the running Agentry
Server is
installed.
- In the navigation pane of SAP
Control Center,
expand the Applications node and select the Agentry application.
- In the administration pane, click the Configurations
tab.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.