Novell® Application LauncherTM/Explorer can record events to most ODBC-compatible databases, provided:
Each user's workstation has the correct database driver installed.
The connection is configured correctly in NDS®.
ZfD includes a Sybase* database that you can install. Sybase is also used for the Workstation Inventory database. If you plan to use a database for Application Management reports and you also plan to use Workstation Inventory, you can use the same database installation for both purposes.
NOTE: Although the same database installation can be used for both Application Management and Workstation Inventory, each component still uses its own database file. Application Management creates a NAL.DB database file and Workstation Inventory creates a MGMTDB.DB database file.
To set up database reporting, you need to complete the following tasks:
The Sybase database installation requires approximately 16 MB on a network server. However, as with all reporting databases, the database can expand rapidly to consume large amounts of disk space.
Installing ODBC Drivers to Workstations
Application Launcher/Explorer uses an ODBC driver to write application event information to the database.You need to ensure that the correct ODBC driver (for the database you are using) is installed on each workstation for which you want to record event information.
The correct ODBC driver (DBODBC6.DLL) for the Sybase database is installed by default. However, on Windows 95/98, you may need to install two additional DLLs (ODBCCP32.DLL and ODBCINT.DLL) that are not installed during a Windows minimal installation. To install these files, copy them from the NAL REPORTING directory on the Companion CD to the Windows System directory (for example, C:\WINDOWS\SYSTEM). You can also use an Application object to distribute them to the appropriate workstation. You do not need to do this on Windows NT/2000/XP. The files are already present.
Creating a ZENworks Database Object
If you are using the Sybase database that comes with ZfD and have already installed it, the installation program creates the database object in NDS. You can skip to the next section, Configuring the Database 's JDBC and ODBC Information .
If you are using another database, such as the Oracle* database the comes with NetWare® 5.1, you will need to create a ZENworks Database object in NDS to represent the database.
To create a ZENworks Database object:
Right-click the container in which you want to create the object > click New > click Object to display the New Object dialog box.
Select ZENworks Database > click OK to display the New ZENworks Database dialog box.
In the Name box, type a name for the database, such as ZfDAppManReports.
Select the Define Additional Properties box > click OK.
In the Server DN field, browse for and select the Server object for the server where the database is physically installed and running.
IMPORTANT: If the ZENworks database is located on a NetWare 4.x server, you need to enter the server's IP address in the Server IP Address field rather than adding the server's object to the Server DN field.
If you want to set up Read-Write, Read-Only, or Write-Only users, enter information in the appropriate user name and password fields.
Click OK to save the information.
Configuring the Database's JDBC and ODBC Information
ConsoleOne® uses a JDBC driver to pull information from the database for a set of predefined Application Management reports. If you want to use these predefined reports, you need to configure the database object with the correct JDBC driver information.
Application Launcher/Explorer uses an ODBC driver to write event information to the database. You need to configure the database object with the ODBC driver information that Application Launcher/Explorer will need.
To provide the JDBC and ODBC information:
Right-click the database object > click Properties.
Click the JDBC Driver Information tab.
If you are using a Sybase or Oracle database, click the appropriate Populate option > click Populate Now to automatically populate the fields with the default information for a Sybase or Oracle database.
or
If you are using a different type of database, fill in the fields with the appropriate information for your database. Click the Help button for a description of each field.
Click the ODBC Driver Information tab.
Fill in the following fields:
Driver File Name: Enter the name of the ODBC driver file that resides on the workstation to enable Application Launcher/Explorer to access the database. For Sybase, the driver file name is dbodbc6.dll.
Data Source Name: Enter NAL Reporting.
Connection Parameters: Enter the appropriate commands to connect to the database. For Sybase, these commands are:
where IPAddress is the actual IP address of the server where the database resides.
Click OK to save the JDBC and ODBC driver information.
Granting ODBC Property Rights to Users
You need to grant users Read and Compare rights to the ODBC properties you defined for the database object in the previous section. This allows Application Launcher/Explorer to retrieve the ODBC information it needs to access the database.
To grant rights:
Right-click the ZENworks Database object > click Trustees of This Object.
Click Add Trustee.
Select [PUBLIC] > click OK to add [PUBLIC] to the list of trustees.
Adding [PUBLIC] as a trustee gives every user Read and Compare rights to all of the database object's properties, including the various user names and passwords that can be used to access the database. To avoid this, you need to limit the [PUBLIC] access to the three ODBC properties.
In the Property list, select [All Attribute Rights] > click Delete Property to remove it from the list.
Click Add Property to display the Add Property dialog box > select zendbODBCConnectionParameters > click OK to add it to the Property list.
The default rights, Read and Compare, are sufficient. You do not need to change these rights.
Repeat Step 5 to add the following two properties: zendbODBCDataSourceName and zendbODBCDriverFileName. Keep the default rights (Read and Compare).
Click OK > OK to save the changes.
Enabling the ZENworks Database Policy
Before Application Management can use the database, you need to:
Activate a Database policy in an NDS Service Location Package. The Database policy simply points to the location of the ZENworks database you are using. A Service Location Package can have one Database policy only, and each Database policy can point to one database only. If you haven't created a Service Location Package, or if your current packages' Database policies are being used for other databases, you will need to create a new Service Location Package. Instructions are provided in the steps below.
Associate the Service Location Package with the containers where the users or workstations reside whose reports you want sent to the database.. This association is how Application Launcher/Explorer knows which database to use when reporting events for a user or workstation.
To activate a ZENworks Database policy and associate containers with it:
In ConsoleOne, right-click the Service Location Package you want to use > click Properties.
or
If you do not have a Service Location Package, right-click the container where you want to create one > click New > click Policy Package. Follow the instructions provided in the Policy Package Wizard to create a Service Location Package.
On the General page, check the box in the Enabled column to enable the ZENworks Database Policy.
Select the ZENworks Database Policy in the list > click Properties to display the Database Location page.
In the ZENworks Database DN field, browse for and select the database object you want to use for Application Management reporting. This should be the same object you configured in Configuring the Database 's JDBC and ODBC Information .
Click OK to return to the General page.
Click Associations to display the Associations page.
You use this page to associate the Service Location Package with the containers where the users or workstations reside whose reports you want sent to the database. If a parent container includes several containers where User and Workstation objects reside, you can select the parent container rather than each individual container.
Click Add > browse for and select the container you want to add > click OK to add it to the list.
When you've finished adding containers, click OK to save the information.
Configuring Application Objects to Use Database Reporting
After you've set up the database you will use for reporting, you can start configuring Application objects to use database reporting. Because event reporting is configured on a per-application basis, you can choose which applications you want to collect event reports for and which ones you don't.
For detailed instructions about configuring an application to use database reporting, SNMP trap reporting, or log file reporting, see Configuring Applications to Use Reporting .
