How to set up a Domain in Relativity Server using Server Explorer for Mac

This is a HowTo topic about Data Abstract

This how-to will guide you through the steps for setting up a new Domain in Relativity Server, using the Server Explorer for Mac. (If you are using Windows, you can find information on how to perform the same task using the Relativity Server Admin Tool here.)

Assuming you already have your Relativity Server listed in Server Explorer, the first step for adding a new domain is to fold open the server's node in the left-hand source list and select the "Domains" node:

When you fold the node open, you will see a list of all the domains that already exist below it.

There are two ways to add a new domain to your server: you can either create a fresh, empty domain, or you can import an existing domain .relativityDomainConfig file that you previously exported. For this how-to, we will focus on creating a new domain, but you can read more about Exporting and Importing domains here.

To create a fresh domain, click the Add New Domain button, which brings up a sheet asking for the name of your new domain:

Type in a name and click "Add Domain". The name you choose must be unique; the "Add Domain" button will not enable until a valid name is entered.

Once the new domain is added, it will appear in the source list on the left, alongside any domains that might already have existed before.

You can select the new domain and fold open its tree node to reveal more details. In particular, you will want to review the "Setup" subnode, where you can configure various settings for the domain.

In particular, you will want to configure the login providers that will be used to access the domain. There are two providers to configure:

• The Data Login Provider controls how your client applications will authenticate with the domain to access and work with data. By default, this is set to the Static Login Provider, which works against a static list of usernames and passwords that can be changed by clicking the "Configure" button. The default login for a freshly created domain is the username "Data" and the password "Relativity".

• The Developer Login Provider can optionally be configured to give developers access to this domain via Server Explorer and Schema Modeler (if they don't already have the server-wide Admin Login). By default, this is set to inherit the settings of the Admin Login, but you can configure this separately, if you have additional developers who you want to grant access to work with this domain, but not grant access for the entire server.

You can read more about Relativity Server Login Providers in their dedicated topic, as well as in the "Relativity Server & Server Explorer for Mac" chapter of the The Book.

A common next step after creating a domain is to set up one (or possibly more) Connection(s) to a back-end database. Do do this, select the "Connections" subnode of your domain in the source list, and then click the "Add New Connection" button. The "Connection" sheet comes up, and immediately launches into the "Build Connection String" wizard, which leads you through creating a connection string step by step, first selecting a database driver/type and then additional, driver-specific parameters such as database server address, database name or filename, and database username and password.

You can validate the connection information via the "Test" button, before clicking "OK" to finish. Once you click "OK", the "Build Connection String" wizard closes, and you return to the "Connection" sheet. You can see the Connection String you created in the middle, alongside a default name for the connection, and a Connection Type.

It is a good idea to change the name of the connection to something short but descriptive that will uniquely identify the connection within your Domain. This could be the name of the database, or the name of the database server — it really depends on your plans for the connection and any future connections you might add.

You can also provide an optional description for the connection, or go back into the "Build Connection String" wizard, if necessary.

Click "OK" to dismiss the "Connection" sheet, and your connection is ready to be used.

As you can see in the screenshot below, Relativity Server will automatically verify the connection and let you know if it is valid; if not (such as in this example, where no database server was installed on the machine running Relativity Server), the appropriate error message will be displayed, and the connection will stop with a red "X" in the source list.

If you fixed the error condition (for example by installing the database server, or maybe by going back in and adjusting the connection string), you can force a re-test by clicking the "Test Connection" button.

Read More

• Domains, Connections, and Relativity Server and Server Explorer in general are covered in much detail in the "Relativity Server & Server Explorer for Mac" chapter of the The Book.