Using Connector Configurator

This appendix describes how to use Connector Configurator to set configuration property values for your adapter.

You use Connector Configurator to:

The topics covered in this appendix are:

Overview of Connector Configurator

Connector Configurator allows you to configure the connector component of your adapter for use with these integration brokers:

If your adapter supports DB2 Information Integrator, use the WMQI options and the DB2 II standard properties (see the Notes column in the Standard Properties appendix.)

You use Connector Configurator to:

The mode in which you run Connector Configurator, and the configuration file type you use, may differ according to which integration broker you are running. For example, if WMQI is your broker, you run Connector Configurator directly, and not from within System Manager (see "Running Configurator in stand-alone mode").

Connector configuration properties include both standard configuration properties (the properties that all connectors have) and connector-specific properties (properties that are needed by the connector for a specific application or technology).

Because standard properties are used by all connectors, you do not need to define those properties from scratch; Connector Configurator incorporates them into your configuration file as soon as you create the file. However, you do need to set the value of each standard property in Connector Configurator.

The range of standard properties may not be the same for all brokers and all configurations. Some properties are available only if other properties are given a specific value. The Standard Properties window in Connector Configurator will show the properties available for your particular configuration.

For connector-specific properties, however, you need first to define the properties and then set their values. You do this by creating a connector-specific property template for your particular adapter. There may already be a template set up in your system, in which case, you simply use that. If not, follow the steps in "Creating a new template" to set up a new one.

Running connectors on UNIX

Connector Configurator runs only in a Windows environment. If you are running the connector in a UNIX environment, use Connector Configurator in Windows to modify the configuration file and then copy the file to your UNIX environment.

Some properties in the Connector Configurator use directory paths, which default to the Windows convention for directory paths. If you use the configuration file in a UNIX environment, revise the directory paths to match the UNIX convention for these paths. Select the target operating system in the toolbar drop-list so that the correct operating system rules are used for extended validation.

Starting Connector Configurator

You can start and run Connector Configurator in either of two modes:

Running Configurator in stand-alone mode

You can run Connector Configurator without running System Manager and work with connector configuration files, irrespective of your broker.

To do so:

You may choose to run Connector Configurator independently to generate the file, and then connect to System Manager to save it in a System Manager project (see "Completing a configuration file".)

Running Configurator from System Manager

You can run Connector Configurator from System Manager.

To run Connector Configurator:

  1. Open the System Manager.
  2. In the System Manager window, expand the Integration Component Libraries icon and highlight Connectors.
  3. From the System Manager menu bar, click Tools>Connector Configurator. The Connector Configurator window opens and displays a New Connector dialog box.
  4. When you click the pull-down menu next to System Connectivity Integration Broker, you can select ICS, WebSphere Message Brokers or WAS, depending on your broker.

To edit an existing configuration file:

Creating a connector-specific property template

To create a configuration file for your connector, you need a connector-specific property template as well as the system-supplied standard properties.

You can create a brand-new template for the connector-specific properties of your connector, or you can use an existing connector definition as the template.

Creating a new template

This section describes how you create properties in the template, define general characteristics and values for those properties, and specify any dependencies between the properties. Then you save the template and use it as the base for creating a new connector configuration file.

To create a template in Connector Configurator:

  1. Click File>New>Connector-Specific Property Template.
  2. The Connector-Specific Property Template dialog box appears.
  3. You can use an existing template whose property definitions are similar to those required by your connector as a starting point for your template. If you do not see any template that displays the connector-specific properties used by your connector, you will need to create one.

Specifying general characteristics

When you click Next to select a template, the Properties - Connector-Specific Property Template dialog box appears. The dialog box has tabs for General characteristics of the defined properties and for Value restrictions. The General display has the following fields:

The Property Subtype can be selected when Property Type is a String. It is an optional value which provides syntax checking when you save the configuration file. The default is a blank space, and means that the property has not been subtyped.

After you have made selections for the general characteristics of the property, click the Value tab.

Specifying values

The Value tab enables you to set the maximum length, the maximum multiple values, a default value, or a value range for the property. It also allows editable values. To do so:

  1. Click the Value tab. The display panel for Value replaces the display panel for General.
  2. Select the name of the property in the Edit properties display.
  3. In the fields for Max Length and Max Multiple Values, enter your values.

To create a new property value:

  1. Right-click on the square to the left of the Value column heading.
  2. From the pop-up menu, select Add to display the Property Value dialog box. Depending on the property type, the dialog box allows you to enter either a value, or both a value and a range.
  3. Enter the new property value and click OK. The value appears in the Value panel on the right.

The Value panel displays a table with three columns:

The Value column shows the value that you entered in the Property Value dialog box, and any previous values that you created.

The Default Value column allows you to designate any of the values as the default.

The Value Range shows the range that you entered in the Property Value dialog box.

After a value has been created and appears in the grid, it can be edited from within the table display.

To make a change in an existing value in the table, select an entire row by clicking on the row number. Then right-click in the Value field and click Edit Value.

Setting dependencies

When you have made your changes to the General and Value tabs, click Next. The Dependencies - Connector-Specific Property Template dialog box appears.

A dependent property is a property that is included in the template and used in the configuration file only if the value of another property meets a specific condition. For example, PollQuantity appears in the template only if JMS is the transport mechanism and DuplicateEventElimination is set to True.
To designate a property as dependent and to set the condition upon which it depends, do this:

  1. In the Available Properties display, select the property that will be made dependent.
  2. In the Select Property field, use the drop-down menu to select the property that will hold the conditional value.
  3. In the Condition Operator field, select one of the following:

    == (equal to)

    != (not equal to)

    > (greater than)

    < (less than)

    >= (greater than or equal to)

    <=(less than or equal to)

  4. In the Conditional Value field, enter the value that is required in order for the dependent property to be included in the template.
  5. With the dependent property highlighted in the Available Properties display, click an arrow to move it to the Dependent Property display.
  6. Click Finish. Connector Configurator stores the information you have entered as an XML document, under \data\app in the \bin directory where you have installed Connector Configurator.

Setting pathnames

Some general rules for setting pathnames are:

Creating a new configuration file

When you create a new configuration file, you must name it and select an integration broker.

You also select an operating system for extended validation on the file. The toolbar has a droplist called Target System that allows you to select the target operating system for extended validation of the properties. The available options are: Windows, UNIX, Other (if not Windows or UNIX), and None-no extended validation (switches off extended validation). The default on startup is Windows.

To start Connector Configurator:

To set the operating system for extended validation of the configuration file:

Then select File>New>Connector Configuration. In the New Connector window, enter the name of the new connector.

You also need to select an integration broker. The broker you select determines the properties that will appear in the configuration file. To select a broker:

Creating a configuration file from a connector-specific template

Once a connector-specific template has been created, you can use it to create a configuration file:

  1. Set the operating system for extended validation of the configuration file using the Target System: droplist on the menu bar (see "Creating a new configuration file" above).
  2. Click File>New>Connector Configuration.
  3. The New Connector dialog box appears, with the following fields:
  4. A configuration screen appears for the connector that you are configuring. The title bar shows the integration broker and connector name. You can fill in all the field values to complete the definition now, or you can save the file and complete the fields later.
  5. To save the file, click File>Save>To File or File>Save>To Project. To save to a project, System Manager must be running.


    If you save as a file, the Save File Connector dialog box appears. Choose *.cfg as the file type, verify in the File Name field that the name is spelled correctly and has the correct case, navigate to the directory where you want to locate the file, and click Save. The status display in the message panel of Connector Configurator indicates that the configuration file was successfully created.

    Important:
    The directory path and name that you establish here must match the connector configuration file path and name that you supply in the startup file for the connector.
  6. To complete the connector definition, enter values in the fields for each of the tabs of the Connector Configurator window, as described later in this chapter.

Using an existing file

You may have an existing file available in one or more of the following formats:

Although any of these file sources may contain most or all of the connector-specific properties for your connector, the connector configuration file will not be complete until you have opened the file and set properties, as described later in this chapter.

To use an existing file to configure a connector, you must open the file in Connector Configurator, revise the configuration, and then resave the file.

Follow these steps to open a *.txt, *.cfg, or *.in file from a directory:

  1. In Connector Configurator, click File>Open>From File.
  2. In the Open File Connector dialog box, select one of the following file types to see the available files:
  3. In the directory display, navigate to the appropriate connector definition file, select it, and click Open.

Follow these steps to open a connector configuration from a System Manager project:

  1. Start System Manager. A configuration can be opened from or saved to System Manager only if System Manager has been started.
  2. Start Connector Configurator.
  3. Click File>Open>From Project.

Completing a configuration file

When you open a configuration file or a connector from a project, the Connector Configurator window displays the configuration screen, with the current attributes and values.

The title of the configuration screen displays the integration broker and connector name as specified in the file. Make sure you have the correct broker. If not, change the broker value before you configure the connector. To do so:

  1. Under the Standard Properties tab, select the value field for the BrokerType property. In the drop-down menu, select the value ICS, WMQI, or WAS.
  2. The Standard Properties tab will display the connector properties associated with the selected broker. The table shows Property name, Value, Type, Subtype (if the Type is a string), Description, and Update Method.
  3. You can save the file now or complete the remaining configuration fields, as described in "Specifying supported business object definitions"..
  4. When you have finished your configuration, click File>Save>To Project or File>Save>To File.

    If you are saving to file, select *.cfg as the extension, select the correct location for the file and click Save.

    If multiple connector configurations are open, click Save All to File to save all of the configurations to file, or click Save All to Project to save all connector configurations to a System Manager project.

    Before you created the configuration file, you used the Target System droplist that allows you to select the target operating system for extended validation of the properties.

    Before it saves the file, Connector Configurator checks that values have been set for all required standard properties. If a required standard property is missing a value, Connector Configurator displays a message that the validation failed. You must supply a value for the property in order to save the configuration file.

    If you have elected to use the extended validation feature by selecting a value of Windows, UNIX or Other from the Target System droplist, the system will validate the property subtype s well as the type, and it displays a warning message if the validation fails.

Setting the configuration file properties

When you create and name a new connector configuration file, or when you open an existing connector configuration file, Connector Configurator displays a configuration screen with tabs for the categories of required configuration values.

Connector Configurator requires values for properties in these categories for connectors running on all brokers:

Note:
For connectors that use JMS messaging, an additional category may display, for configuration of data handlers that convert the data to business objects.

For connectors running on ICS, values for these properties are also required:

Important:
Connector Configurator accepts property values in either English or non-English character sets. However, the names of both standard and connector-specific properties, and the names of supported business objects, must use the English character set only.

Standard properties differ from connector-specific properties as follows:

The fields for Standard Properties and Connector-Specific Properties are color-coded to show which are configurable:

Setting standard connector properties

To change the value of a standard property:

  1. Click in the field whose value you want to set.
  2. Either enter a value, or select one from the drop-down menu if it appears.
    Note:
    If the property has a Type of String, it may have a subtype value in the Subtype column. This subtype is used for extended validation of the property.
  3. After entering all the values for the standard properties, you can do one of the following:

To get more information on a particular standard property, left-click the entry in the Description column for that property in the Standard Properties tabbed sheet. If you have Extended Help installed, an arrow button will appear on the right. When you click on the button, a Help window will open and display details of the standard property.

Note:
If the hot button does not appear, no Extended Help was found for that property.

If installed, the Extended Help files are located in <ProductDir>\bin\Data\Std\Help\<RegionalSetting>\.

Setting connector-specific configuration properties

For connector-specific configuration properties, you can add or change property names, configure values, delete a property, and encrypt a property. The default property length is 255 characters.

  1. Right-click in the top left portion of the grid. A pop-up menu bar will appear. Click Add to add a property. To add a child property, right-click on the parent row number and click Add child.
  2. Enter a value for the property or child property.
    Note:
    If the property has a Type of String, you can select a subtype from the Subtype droplist. This subtype is used for extended validation of the property.
  3. To encrypt a property, select the Encrypt box.
  4. To get more information on a particular property, left-click the entry in the Description column for that property. If you have Extended Help installed, a hot button will appear. When you click on the hot button, a Help window will open and display details of the standard property.
    Note:
    If the hot button does not appear, no Extended Help was found for that property.
  5. Choose to save or discard changes, as described for Setting standard connector properties.

If the Extended Help files are installed and the AdapterHelpName property is blank, Connector Configurator will point to the adapter-specific Extended Help files located in <ProductDir>\bin\Data\App\Help\<RegionalSetting>\. Otherwise, Connector Configurator will point to the adapter-specific Extended Help files located in <ProductDir>\bin\Data\App\Help\<AdapterHelpName>\<RegionalSetting>\. See the AdapterHelpName property described in the Standard Properties appendix.

The Update Method displayed for each property indicates whether a component or agent restart is necessary to activate changed values.

Important:
Changing a preset application-specific connector property name may cause a connector to fail. Certain property names may be needed by the connector to connect to an application or to run properly.

Encryption for connector properties

Application-specific properties can be encrypted by selecting the Encrypt check box in the Connector-specific Properties window. To decrypt a value, click to clear the Encrypt check box, enter the correct value in the Verification dialog box, and click OK. If the entered value is correct, the value is decrypted and displays.

The adapter user guide for each connector contains a list and description of each property and its default value.

If a property has multiple values, the Encrypt check box will appear for the first value of the property. When you select Encrypt, all values of the property will be encrypted. To decrypt multiple values of a property, click to clear the Encrypt check box for the first value of the property, and then enter the new value in the Verification dialog box. If the input value is a match, all multiple values will decrypt.

Update method

Refer to the descriptions of update methods found in the Standard Properties appendix, under Configuration property values overview.

Specifying supported business object definitions

Use the Supported Business Objects tab in Connector Configurator to specify the business objects that the connector will use. You must specify both generic business objects and application-specific business objects, and you must specify associations for the maps between the business objects.

Note:
Some connectors require that certain business objects be specified as supported in order to perform event notification or additional configuration (using meta-objects) with their applications. For more information, see the Connector Development Guide for C++ or the Connector Development Guide for Java.

If ICS is your broker

To specify that a business object definition is supported by the connector, or to change the support settings for an existing business object definition, click the Supported Business Objects tab and use the following fields.

Business object name

To designate that a business object definition is supported by the connector, with System Manager running:

  1. Click an empty field in the Business Object Name list. A drop list displays, showing all the business object definitions that exist in the System Manager project.
  2. Click on a business object to add it.
  3. Set the Agent Support (described below) for the business object.
  4. In the File menu of the Connector Configurator window, click Save to Project. The revised connector definition, including designated support for the added business object definition, is saved to an ICL (Integration Component Library) project in System Manager.

To delete a business object from the supported list:

  1. To select a business object field, click the number to the left of the business object.
  2. From the Edit menu of the Connector Configurator window, click Delete Row. The business object is removed from the list display.
  3. From the File menu, click Save to Project.

Deleting a business object from the supported list changes the connector definition and makes the deleted business object unavailable for use in this implementation of this connector. It does not affect the connector code, nor does it remove the business object definition itself from System Manager.

Agent support

If a business object has Agent Support, the system will attempt to use that business object for delivering data to an application via the connector agent.

Typically, application-specific business objects for a connector are supported by that connector's agent, but generic business objects are not.

To indicate that the business object is supported by the connector agent, check the Agent Support box. The Connector Configurator window does not validate your Agent Support selections.

Maximum transaction level

The maximum transaction level for a connector is the highest transaction level that the connector supports.

For most connectors, Best Effort is the only possible choice.

You must restart the server for changes in transaction level to take effect.

If a WebSphere Message Broker is your broker

If you are working in stand-alone mode (not connected to System Manager), you must enter the business object name manually.

If you have System Manager running, you can select the empty box under the Business Object Name column in the Supported Business Objects tab. A combo box appears with a list of the business object available from the Integration Component Library project to which the connector belongs. Select the business object you want from the list.

The Message Set ID is an optional field for WebSphere Business Integration Message Broker 5.0, and need not be unique if supplied. However, for WebSphere MQ Integrator and Integrator Broker 2.1, you must supply a unique ID.

If WAS is your broker

When WebSphere Application Server is selected as your broker type, Connector Configurator does not require message set IDs. The Supported Business Objects tab shows a Business Object Name column only for supported business objects.

If you are working in stand-alone mode (not connected to System Manager), you must enter the business object name manually.

If you have System Manager running, you can select the empty box under the Business Object Name column in the Supported Business Objects tab. A combo box appears with a list of the business objects available from the Integration Component Library project to which the connector belongs. Select the business object you want from this list.

Associated maps (ICS)

Each connector supports a list of business object definitions and their associated maps that are currently active in WebSphere InterChange Server. This list appears when you select the Associated Maps tab.

The list of business objects contains the application-specific business object which the agent supports and the corresponding generic object that the controller sends to the subscribing collaboration. The association of a map determines which map will be used to transform the application-specific business object to the generic business object or the generic business object to the application-specific business object.

If you are using maps that are uniquely defined for specific source and destination business objects, the maps will already be associated with their appropriate business objects when you open the display, and you will not need (or be able) to change them.

If more than one map is available for use by a supported business object, you will need to explicitly bind the business object with the map that it should use.

The Associated Maps tab displays the following fields:

Resources (ICS)

The Resource tab allows you to set a value that determines whether and to what extent the connector agent will handle multiple processes concurrently, using connector agent parallelism.

Not all connectors support this feature. If you are running a connector agent that was designed in Java to be multi-threaded, you are advised not to use this feature, since it is usually more efficient to use multiple threads than multiple processes.

Messaging (ICS)

The Messaging tab enables you to configure messaging properties. The messaging properties are available only if you have set MQ as the value of the DeliveryTransport standard property and ICS as the broker type. These properties affect how your connector will use queues.

Validating messaging queues

Before you can validate a messaging queue, you must:

To validate the queue, use the Validate button to the right of the Messaging Type and Host Name fields on the Messaging tab.

Security (ICS)

You can use the Security tab in Connector Configurator to set various privacy levels for a message. You can only use this feature when the DeliveryTransport property is set to JMS.

By default, Privacy is turned off. Check the Privacy box to enable it.

The Keystore Target System Absolute Pathname is:

This path and file should be on the system where you plan to start the connector, that is, the target system.

You can use the Browse button at the right only if the target system is the one currently running. It is greyed out unless Privacy is enabled and the Target System in the menu bar is set to Windows.

The Message Privacy Level may be set as follows for the three messages categories (All Messages, All Administrative Messages, and All Business Object Messages):

The Key Maintenance feature lets you generate, import and export public keys for the server and adapter.

Before you can import a certificate into the adapter keystore, you must export it from the server keystore. When you select Export Adapter Public Key, the Export Adapter Public Key dialog box appears.

When you select Import Server Public Key, the Import Server Public Key dialog box appears.

The Adapter Access Control feature is enabled only when the value of DeliveryTransport is IDL. By default, the adapter logs in with the guest identity. If the Use guest identity box is not checked, the Adapter Identity and Adapter Password fields are enabled.

Setting trace/log file values

When you open a connector configuration file or a connector definition file, Connector Configurator uses the logging and tracing values of that file as default values. You can change those values in Connector Configurator.

To change the logging and tracing values:

  1. Click the Trace/Log Files tab.
  2. For either logging or tracing, you can choose to write messages to one or both of the following:

Data handlers

The data handlers section is available for configuration only if you have designated a value of JMS for DeliveryTransport and a value of JMS for ContainerManagedEvents. Not all adapters make use of data handlers.

See the descriptions under ContainerManagedEvents in Appendix A, Standard Properties, for values to use for these properties. For additional details, see the Connector Development Guide for C++ or the Connector Development Guide for Java.

Saving your configuration file

When you have finished configuring your connector, save the connector configuration file. Connector Configurator saves the file in the broker mode that you selected during configuration. The title bar of Connector Configurator always displays the broker mode (ICS, WMQI or WAS) that it is currently using.

The file is saved as an XML document. You can save the XML document in three ways:

For details about using projects in System Manager, and for further information about deployment, see the following implementation guides:

Changing a configuration file

You can change the integration broker setting for an existing configuration file. This enables you to use the file as a template for creating a new configuration file, which can be used with a different broker.

Note:
You will need to change other configuration properties as well as the broker mode property if you switch integration brokers.

To change your broker selection within an existing configuration file (optional):

Completing the configuration

After you have created a configuration file for a connector and modified it, make sure that the connector can locate the configuration file when the connector starts up.

To do so, open the startup file used for the connector, and verify that the location and file name used for the connector configuration file match exactly the name you have given the file and the directory or path where you have placed it.

Using Connector Configurator in a globalized environment

Connector Configurator is globalized and can handle character conversion between the configuration file and the integration broker. Connector Configurator uses native encoding. When it writes to the configuration file, it uses UTF-8 encoding.

Connector Configurator supports non-English characters in:

The drop list for the CharacterEncoding and Locale standard configuration properties displays only a subset of supported values. To add other values to the drop list, you must manually modify the \Data\Std\stdConnProps.xml file in the product directory.

For example, to add the locale en_GB to the list of values for the Locale property, open the stdConnProps.xml file and add the line in boldface type below:

<Property name="Locale" 
isRequired="true" 
updateMethod="component restart">
                <ValidType>String</ValidType>
            <ValidValues>
                                <Value>ja_JP</Value>
                                <Value>ko_KR</Value>
                                <Value>zh_CN</Value>
                                <Value>zh_TW</Value>
                                <Value>fr_FR</Value>
                                <Value>de_DE</Value>
                                <Value>it_IT</Value>
                                <Value>es_ES</Value>
                                <Value>pt_BR</Value>
                                <Value>en_US</Value>
                                <Value>en_GB</Value>
                    <DefaultValue>en_US</DefaultValue>
            </ValidValues>
    </Property>

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