Configuration involves two configuration files: the Genero Application Server configuration file (as.xcf) and the GAS Connector configuration file (connector.xcf).
To request an application, you can access the Genero Application Server directly or you can access the server via a Web server. See Connection Types in the Architecture section for more information.
To achieve a desired level of performance, it is possible to host multiple application servers and multiple Web servers.
For each GAS added to the solution, an administrator must create an application server configuration file specifically to support that application server. An application server configuration file specifies the resources (variables), timeout parameters, environment variables, port settings, and application-specific details for an application server. For a full explanation of the application server configuration file, you can start with the GAS Configuration File Overview.
TheGAS installs with a default configuration file, as.xcf. To start an application server using this default configuration file, run:
To specify a different application server configuration file, use the "-f" option to specify the file by name:
where custom_as.xcf is the application configuration file.
To create an custom application server configuration file, create a copy of the default application server configuration file as.xcf , rename the file, and modify the file as needed.
When configuring multiple application servers on the same host, take care to assign mutually
exclusive ports between the application servers. In the application server configuration file, you specify two
types of port settings: INTERFACE_TO_CONNECTOR and INTERFACE_TO_DVM.
The INTERFACE_TO_CONNECTOR section specifies the port number where the
application server listens for requests. If you plan to
have multiple application servers (gasd) on the same host, ensure
the application servers (gasd) daemons are listening on different
ports. To accomplish this, change the port offset for each
application server you plan to run. For example, one daemon can be
configured to listen on port 6394 (base port of 6300 + port offset of 94),
while another can be configured to start on port 6395 (base port of 6300 +
port offset of 95).
If you do not specify unique ports for each application server, you will receive an error when starting the second or subsequent application server, stating that the application server could not start or that the specified port is already in use.
Warning!: Any change in the port set in the INTERFACE_TO_CONNECTOR section of the application server configuration file requires a similar change in the Connector configuration file.
The INTERFACE_TO_DVM section specifies the range of port numbers on
which the application server can start a DVM to service an application
request. When setting the range, you specify three things:
The combination of these settings determine the range of port values available for the application server to start DVMs to service requests for applications. For example, if you set the DVM base port as 6420, the port range interval to 10000, and list 10 excluded ports, the range becomes 6420 through (6420 + 10000 + 10), or 6420 through 16430.
When several application servers run on the same host, each application server should specify a mutually exclusive range of ports. As an administrator, ensure that there is no overlapping of ports in the ranges specified for the various application servers. Continuing with our previous example, when adding a second application server, the DVM base port would be set to 16431.
If the ranges do overlap, the application servers continue to function, looking for the next available DVM within its port range to service new requests. Failure to prevent overlapping port ranges simply result in an application server being able to only run a subset of the expected number of applications, as DVMs will not be able to start once all ports within the specified range are in use.
For each Web server you introduce into your solution, you must install and configure the GAS Connector. For information on configuring the GAS Connector, see Configuring the GAS Connector.
When configuring a Connector, you should ensure that each server reference reaches the correct application server. In other words, verify that each base port and port offset set in the GAS Connector configuration file (connector.xcf) file match a base port and port offset set in an application server configuration file (as.xcf).
To deploy an application, it must be defined for the Genero Application Server.
For information about adding applications to your Genero Application Server configuration, see:
When an application is requested, the application server starts a DVM to handle the request. Having all applications served by a single application server may not perform as desired. To provide scalability, the GAS Connector can direct specific applications to specific application servers and/or spread the requests for one application across several application servers.
When a user enters the URL for an application that goes through a Web server, the Connector references its configuration file in order to identify the application server to receive the request. For information on modifying the Connector configuration file, see Configuring the GAS Connector.
Once the application server has been identified, the
request is passed to the application server. The application server
identifies which application to display by matching the application asked for in
the URI
against the Id listed in either the GAS
configuration file (as.xcf) or, if not present, by matching the
application name against the file names used for external application
configuration files.
Applications defined as an external application have the benefits of enabling organization by groups (allowing for a taxonomy of applications to be constructed), for adding/removing applications without having to restart the application server, and reducing risk of overwriting application configuration settings during upgrades of the GAS.