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:
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.
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.
You can start and run Connector Configurator in either of two modes:
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".)
You can run Connector Configurator from System Manager.
To run Connector Configurator:
To edit an existing configuration file:
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.
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:
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.
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:
To create a new property value:
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.
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:
== (equal to)
!= (not equal to)
> (greater than)
< (less than)
>= (greater than or equal to)
<=(less than or equal to)
Some general rules for setting pathnames are:
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:
Once a connector-specific template has been created, you can use it to create a configuration file:
Enter the name of the connector. Names are case-sensitive. The name you enter must be unique, and must be consistent with the file name for a connector that is installed on the system.
Click ICS or WebSphere Message Brokers or WAS.
Type the name of the template that has been designed for your connector. The available templates are shown in the Template Name display. When you select a name in the Template Name display, the Property Template Preview display shows the connector-specific properties that have been defined in that template.
Select the template you want to use and click OK.
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.
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:
Choose this option if a repository file was used to configure the connector in an ICS environment. A repository file may include multiple connector definitions, all of which will appear when you open the file.
Choose this option if a *.txt file was delivered in the adapter package for the connector, or if a definition file is available under another extension.
Follow these steps to open a connector configuration from a System Manager project:
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:
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.
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:
For connectors running on ICS, values for these properties are also required:
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:
To change the value of a standard property:
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.
If installed, the Extended Help files are located in <ProductDir>\bin\Data\Std\Help\<RegionalSetting>\.
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.
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.
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.
Refer to the descriptions of update methods found in the Standard Properties appendix, under Configuration property values overview.
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.
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.
To designate that a business object definition is supported by the connector, with System Manager running:
To delete a business object from the supported list:
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.
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.
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 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.
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.
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:
These are the business objects supported by this connector, as designated in the Supported Business Objects tab. If you designate additional business objects under the Supported Business Objects tab, they will be reflected in this list after you save the changes by choosing Save to Project from the File menu of the Connector Configurator window.
The display shows all the maps that have been installed to the system for use with the supported business objects of the connector. The source business object for each map is shown to the left of the map name, in the Business Object Name display.
In some cases, you may need to explicitly bind an associated map.
Explicit binding is required only when more than one map exists for a particular supported business object. When ICS boots, it tries to automatically bind a map to each supported business object for each connector. If more than one map takes as its input the same business object, the server attempts to locate and bind one map that is the superset of the others.
If there is no map that is the superset of the others, the server will not be able to bind the business object to a single map, and you will need to set the binding explicitly.
To explicitly bind a map:
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.
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.
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.
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:
<ProductDir>\connectors\security\<connectorname>.jks
opt/IBM/WebSphereAdapters/connectors/security/<connectorname>.jks
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.
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:
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.
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:
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.
To change your broker selection within an existing configuration file (optional):
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.
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>