Client/Server file system

Overview

Usually, not all users have the same authorizations, and the settings and available macros can also depend on the user or the user group. LogWeb/Ajax administers these configurations in a hierarchical client/server file system:

• The file system encompasses all configuration data such as templates, macros and other settings in configuration directories dependent on their priority.
• The file system makes user-specific and group-specific areas available for the users on the central server.
• Access is accelerated by an integrated cache system.

All configuration directories are created to correspond with the basic configuration provided, but they only contain data customized by you and by users of your system. A distinction is automatically made between four categories:

• The user directories//UserData/USER (highest priority)
  contain only the specific data of the corresponding user and they are created automatically, if necessary. All users usually "fill" their directories with their own individual settings.
• The group directories //GroupData/GROUP
  contain only the data common to all members of the individual user group, and they are also created automatically if necessary. In these directories, you can make your group-specific changes available but you can also grant write permissions to individual users.
• The custom file //CustomData
  contains your company-specific changes and can also be empty. If you save your changes here, they are applied to the entire company and the users cannot change them.
• The basic configuration config. (lowest priority)
  contains all default settings. You do not make any changes here.

The users can save and access their individual settings and templates in the designated areas on the central LogWeb/Ajax server.

• Each user can read templates and other data from all directories that concern the user.
• However, users can save their templates only in their own user or group directory (if you have authorized them to do so).
• Only the administrator can, for example, copy files from a group directory into another directory.
• Alternatively, you can grant privileged users the right to join another group with _ChangeGroup and thereby give them access to any group data.
• User files are not "superior" to preset group files, custom files and basic data. Unlike user files, all "higher" files are marked by a preceding asterisk (*), for example *default.js.

Thus, the file system works together with user administration:

• In the user administration service, you set up authorized users.
• You create groups of users that have the same user profile.
• You grant users and/or groups write access.
• If you do not have these requirements, use an "empty user administration service" that is already pre-configured in the default settings.

The default settings already include a pre-configured "empty file system", which you can immediately use for an initial test.

For productive use, you only need to specify the server paths to the custom, group and user data in the basic settings.

Default file system

The standard default settings already include a preconfigured "empty file system", which you can use for an initial test. The corresponding basic settings are:

CustomData = custom
UserData   = userdb/data/userdata
GroupData  = userdb/data/groupdata

For productive use, you only need to determine the server paths to the custom, group and user data in the basic settings.

Depending on the use case, you can make user-specific templates and macros available in the custom directory or in one of the group directories.

Note:

• Changes to the basic settings are only applied after the Web application is restarted.
• You need to reference data paths to directories outside the Web application; this enables easier updates and backups in the future.

Basic directory paths

The basic settings for the file system are made in the central configuration file WEB-INF/ajax.ini:

Note:

• All specified paths can also be located outside the Web application but must be accessible from the Web application.
  For example, you can refer to the directory //data/userdirs or c:/userdata for UserData.
• The configuration directories specified here contain the data modified by you (or the users) and they are structured like the config system directory.
• If these directories are empty, the parameters from the config system directory are used.
• Missing configuration directories are automatically created if (authorized) users create data.

Configuration directories

The structure of all configuration directories is identical and is shown using the following basic configuration config as an example:

config
|                               // Root: General data
|   _ajax.jsp                      // starts the emulation window
|   doLogin.jsp                    // displays the logon dialog
|   enterVTPwd.jsp                 // displays user logon for VT
|   login-error.jsp                // displays error messages during logon
|   showLinks.jsp                  // displays the available host connections
|   suspendedSession.jsp           // displays messages about suspended sessions
|   valid.properties               // example of a sample file with all data
|   hardcopy.css                   // style sheets
|   ...                            // miscellanous media files
|
+-- 3270                        // terminal specific files: IBM 3270
|   +-- keyboard                   // keyboard templates
|   |       default.js
|   |
|   +-- macro                      // macro files
|   |   \-- auto                      // auto-start macros
|   |           _default.js              // hardware settings
|   |
|   +-- menu                       // menu templates
|   |       default.js
|   |
|   \-- toolbar                    // toolbar templates
|           default.js
|
+-- 5250                        // terminal specific files: IBM 5250
+-- 9750                        // terminal specific files: FSC 9750
+-- 97801                       // terminal specific files: SNI 97801
+-- vt                          // terminal specific files: xterm, VTxxx
|
+-- _login                      // login files
|       *.ini                      // connection templates
|       *.valid                    // optional: parameter checks for this connection
|       valid.properties           // optional: parameter checks for all connections
|
+-- _lang                       // language specific files
|   +-- de                         // language "german"
|   |       default.js                // base menu ("overlay")
|   |       lwtext.js                 // messages (status line, ...)
|   |       claim.gif                 // other media files
|   |
|   \-- en                         // language "international"
|       ...
|
\-- _macro                      // global macros
|   \-- auto                       // globale auto-start macros
|           _colors.js                // system colours
|           _hardcopy.js              // hardcopy printing
|           _preferences.js           // default settings
|           _mail.js                  // default mail behaviour
|
\-- _spool                     // transformation rules for WebSpool
        filter.xml                // rule sets for file transformations
        spool-filter_1_0.dtd      // XML scheme of filter.xml

Characteristics:

• Only the default system directory config must contain all files mentioned above and must be located in the Web application.
• The other configuration directories
  • //CustomData
  • //GroupData/GROUP
  • //UserData/USER
  only contain their specific files.
  They can be partially or completely missing, and they are automatically created during write access.
• They do not have to be located in the Web application. Instead, they are accessed using the references in the basic settings.
• The user directories //UserData/USER only contain terminal-specific data. That is, they do not contain the subdirectories mentioned above.
  • _login: login help files
  • _lang: language-specific help files
  • _macro: global macros
  • _spool: WebSpool filter rules
  and not the general root data.

Cache: important when directly modifying files

For faster access, the cache directory

cache/GROUP

is automatically created for each user group. These directories are created by combining data from the configuration directories

• config
• //CustomData
• //GroupData/GROUP.

in the specified order.

Example: The directory cache/admin contains the final configuration of the user group admin.

In addition, the cache/_ directory is created, which contains only the combined configuration directories config and //CustomData and acts as a master cache for all groups.

Note the following when changing the file structure directly on the server:

• The existing structure of the configuration directories cannot be changed.
• User data (directory((UserData) and the profile files of the user administration service are not stored in the cache; therefore, changes are immediately applied.
• All other changes are only applied after the Web application is restarted.
• Alternatively, you can regenerate the cache during operation.

Therefore, we recommend that you use the provided programs whenever possible, for example, the connection wizard: the cache structure is then automatically updated.