Server Explorer for Mac
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Server Explorer is a new tool in Data Abstract for Xcode that allows you to browse, configure, control and administer all your data abstract servers, be they Relativity Servers or custom Data Abstract Servers. Server Explorer is deeply integrated with Schema Modeler to allow you to create and modify schemas on your Relativity Servers without needing a live connection from your development machine to the database.
The following will give a brief rundown of Server Explorer for Mac.
Contents |
The Server Explorer Window
The Server Explorer window is split into two main parts. On the left, you see the source list, which lists all the servers that Server Explorer has found or knows about. As you select items in this list, the right pane will change to show the appropriate content for the selected element.
The source list can contain two kinds of servers: Relativity Servers and custom DA Servers, indicated by the green-on-white Relativity logo or the black-on-green Data Abstract logo, respectively. Relativity Servers on the local network will automatically be discovered via ROZeroConf, and appear and disappear in the list as they come online or go offline. You can also manually add remote servers by clicking the + button at the bottom left and entering the server's URL.
Servers that are registered with Server Explorer but currently not reachable are shown with a red X icon overlay. These can be servers that have been registered manually or servers that have already been used before and found via ZeroConf, but which are not currently active or reachable (ZeroConf-located servers that have never been accessed will simply disappear from the list, as they become unavailable).
Servers that are reachable, but require additional configuration (such as login or an AES encryption password) to be talked to are shown with a yellow exclamation point icon overlay.
Servers
Selecting a server in the list will populate the right-hand pane with details about the server, such as its address, the message and encryption password to use when communicating with the server, etc.
On this page, you can also specify the Admin Login for Relativity Servers to gain full access for controlling the server. Note: Even without Admin Login, certain tasks can still be completed; for example individual Domain's Developer Logins can be used to access specific domains only, as explained below. Relativity Servers that do not have an Admin Login specified here will show show the yellow exclamation point icon overlay, as seen on server "S15289824" in the screenshot above.
Each (reachable) server node can be folded open to access details about the server, such as Domains and Schemas configured in Relativity, or the Services exposed by a custom DA Server.
Server Setup
Selecting the Setup icon below the server node will show a page with configuration options for that server, offering control over settings such as the necessary Admin Login Provider, network ports and channels, and more. (TODO: expand, once implemented).
Drivers
The Drivers node and its sub-items provide information about all the database drivers that are available on the Relativity Server. This list will include only drivers that are configured and installed and were found to be fully functional on the server. For each driver, more detailed information as to its capabilities or what database types it supports may be provided.
The Drivers node is purely informational and provides no configuration options.
Domains
The Domains node contains a list of all the Domains configured on the server. As the informational text shown in Server Explorer explains, each Domain represents a unique "server", with its own settings, login providers, connections and one or more schemas. Separate domains can be used to host completely unrelated services within the same Relativity Server.
Selecting the Domains folder shows a summary page, which also allows you add new domains to the server, assuming an Admin Login was provided on the Server page, as discussed above.
Selecting any individual Domain will show a page with details and configuration for that specific domain. In particular, this page allows you to specify a Developer Login to obtain developer access to the domain in question. (This is only necessary if no Admin Login is provided on the server level; Admin Login encompasses full access to all domains on the server.)
Either a Developer Login or an Admin Login is needed to drill in further into the domain.
Domain Setup
Similar to the setup on the server level, selecting the Setup icon below the domain node will show a page with configuration options for that particular domain, allowing control over the Data Login provider, database and network settings, and more. ('TODO: expand, once implemented).
Connections
Each Domain maintains its own list of Connections (or Connection Strings) that specify the database or databases that schemas in this domain may use.
Selecting the Connectons folder provides a summary, along with buttons to add a new connection (TODO: link) or to open the existing connections as document window.
Selecting a specific Connection will in turn show details about the connection, including the driver type, the complete connection string (if an Admin Login is available), as well as allowing the option to test or modify the connection.
In addition to providing the Test Connection button, Server Explorer will automatically ask the Relativity Server to test all connections in the background as servers are discovered and initialized. If connections are found to be broken, a red X icon overlay is shown on the connection icon and the error message received from the server is displayed on the connection page:
Note that Server Explorer never tries to communicate directly with the database. If a connection shows as broken, this means that connection is broken on the server.
Schemas
Just as with Connections, each Domain contains one or more Schemas that define what data tables are published by the Domain. [[[Schemas]]] are a general Data Abstract concept, and schemas in Relativity Server Domains work analogous to schemas in custom DA Servers you may implement yourself.
Once again, selecting the Schemas folder will provide a summary view, along with the option to add a new schema to the domain.
Selecting a concrete schema node will show an information page about this schema, including buttons to open the schema for editing in Schema Modeler or to browse the data exposed by this schema in DA SQL Explorer. You also have the option to select a table from the 'Preview Table popup button to test or browse its data. (Server Explorer will fetch at most 100 rows for the preview).
Error Log
(TODO: write)
Non-Relativity Servers
As mentioned before, Server Explorer also allows you to work with custom-written Data Abstract Servers that do not use Relativity. Because Custom DA Servers are usually pretty static and do not offer any (standardized) configuration mechanisms, the information provided for these servers is limited to listing the available services exposed by the server.
For any Data Service (indicated by the metallic "Schema" icon), a view similar to Relativity Schemas is offered, allowing you to either open the service's schema as a (read-only) document, or to open DA SQL Explorer to explore data on the server (if DA SQL is supported by the server). The 'Preview Table' popup button is also provided to allow quick access to data.
If the server requires authentication (as all production servers should) and uses the standardized Login Infrastructure of Data Abstract, you can provide login information in the two fields at the bottom.
Because Custom DA Servers may handle login in several different ways, Server Explorer is flexible in how you enter the information. You can
- Enter a complete login string in the top field.
- Enter a complete login string minus the password in the top field and type your password into the bottom field.
- Enter a username in the top and the password in the bottom.
If you choose the second two options, your password will be stored securely on the system's Key Chain and will not be visible.
See Also
Product: RemObjects Data Abstract
Available Editions: Data Abstract for .NET, Xcode, Delphi, Java and JavaScript
