APPX Client/Server Installation and Configuration

Overview:

APPX/Client lets users run the user-interactive portion (keyboard, mouse, and monitor) of the APPX Development and Runtime Environments on local PCs as thin clients, with the bulk of applications running on an APPX/Server. APPX/Client runs under Windows 95, Windows 98, Windows NT, Windows 2000, and Windows XP, as well as several distributions of Linux.

APPX/Server resides on a central UNIX, Windows, or Linux server. It connects to APPX/Client over a TCP/IP link, which can run over the Internet. APPX/Server waits for APPX/Clients to log in to it. After authenticating Clients, it launches an APPX Application Server session to service each remote Client.

APPX Application Server processes are identical to locally invoked copies of APPX, except that the APPX/Client at the other end of the TCP/IP connection handles keyboard screen and mouse operations. Also, facility is provided to run processes on the remote Client.

In addition to APPX/Client, APPX/Server can also service APPX/Net Clients. APPX/NET allows APPX Applications running on remote platforms (Windows or Unix) to access APPX data on local platforms (including data accessible locally via APPX/RDMS back end connections).

Thus, APPX/Server can service both thin APPX/Clients and APPX/NET Client processes on remote processors. APPX/Server runs on all APPX platforms except VMS.

To install and configure APPX/Client and APPX/Server, do the following:

1. Install APPX/Client on Client PC
2. Install APPX/Server for Unix, or...
3. Install APPX/Server for Windows
4. Invoke APPX/Client from Client PC
5. Create Multiple APPX/Servers
6. Notes
7. Deault Keymap

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Installation and Configuration

Install APPX/Client on Client PC.

Copy the appx.exe engine from an existing copy of APPX for Windows (release 3.3 or greater) to your Client PC. Make sure that the release version of APPX for Windows that you are using on your client matches the release version you are running on your UNIX or NT server.

If you don't have a copy of appx.exe readily available, you can download it:

From here for APPX Release 3.5 or

From here for APPX Release 4.x

(The Windows Client is ~1.6 meg.)

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Install APPX/Server for Unix ("appxd")

Get a Product Registration for APX / GCS.

The GCS (GUI Client/Server) Product Registration is a lower level registration to your main APPX Registration. Product Registrations are editable from the APPX Main Menu via 3) System Administration, 1) System Setup, 1) System Registration. Then press ENTER to edit your Product Registrations.

To request a GCS Product Registration, send an email to Tech Support ( techsupp@appx.com).

Check for presence of APPX/Server components.

There are two components to APPX/Server: the 'appxd' daemon, and the 'start-appxd.sh' shell script. The script is used to invoke the 'appxd' daemon. Both components reside in the 'tools' directory ($APPXPATH/../tools/).

The "root" user must run 'start-appxd.sh'. It launches the appxd daemon that then runs in background, waiting for APPX/Clients to start up. When new APPX/Clients link up with appxd, they spawn new APPX/Server sessions, one per client.

'appxd' must be owned by root, and have its 's' bit set.

These may be accomplished by:

• chown root appxd
• chmod 755 appxd
• chmod u+s appxd

Modify 'start-appxd.sh' to specify the correct APPXPATH.

In 'start-appxd.sh', you will find a statement ...

• APPXPATH="//data"

If APPX is installed in /usr/appx, you would modify this to ...

• APPXPATH="usr/appx/data"

Set your TCP/IP Socket Port to assign to the Application Server

You will find the statement ...

• APPX_PORT=8060

If you are running only a single server from your system (as is usually the case), you will probably be able to leave this APPX_PORT set to 8060 (an arbitrary number). The important thing is that your Socket Ports be unique.

Optional: You may want to put a 'memo' entry into the /etc/services system file, reserving socket port #8060, or whatever port# you choose, in order to avoid possible future conflicts with socket ports used by other server applications.

Point APPX_SERVER to the desired APPX Engine.

Typically this is ...

• APPX_SERVER=$APPXPATH/../appx

Make sure the APPX_SERVER appx engine actually exists at the path indicated in the last step.