APPX/ODBC FAQs

This document includes Frequently Asked Questions about installing and running the APPX/ODBC Server.

APPX/ODBC Server makes APPX files (and files in other databases that APPX knows how to get to) on any machine in your LAN available to Windows ODBC client programs such as Excel, Crystal Reports, and MS Access.

The following topics are addressed:

1) Installation of APPX/ODBC

1.1) What different configurations of APPX/ODBC are supported?

Two configurations of APPX/ODBC are supported: standalone and client/server.

Most commonly, we expect sites to use APPX/ODBC in the client/server network configuration, where the APPX/ODBC driver is installed on a client PC where programs like MS Access and Excel are run, and the APPX data sits on another machine, typically a server.

It is also possible to use APPX/ODBC on a machine which can access APPX data directly, either because that data is on a local drive, or because it is on a "mapped drive" accessible across the network.

If you have a choice, you will probably achieve better performance running APPX/ODBC in a client/server fashion, than by running it standalone against a network "mapped drive".

1.2) What kind of machines and network do I need for server and clients?

For the server, any machine capable of running APPX Presentation Server (appxd or WinAppxD) and APPX version 3.5 or later will work.

Please note that this excludes Novell Netware servers. If you wish to make data stored on a Novell Netware drive accessible to ODBC clients, you should install APPX/ODBC in the 'standalone' configuration, going against the mapped Netware drive, instead of using the client/ server configuration.

For the client, a machine running Windows 95, 98 or Windows NT is required. Windows 3.x is specifically not supported by APPX/ODBC.

Because file I/O will be taking place across the network, the faster your network is, the faster your client programs will be able to access APPX data. This might be the ideal time to think about justifying a 100mbit/sec "Fast Ethernet" upgrade.

1.3) What software do I need on the data server in addition to APPX?

a. APPX Presentation Server. This is 'appxd' on UNIX systems, and WinAppxD on NT systems. Under UNIX, it's fairly self-contained. Under NT, you need a couple extra non-APPX pieces installed, in order to get it up and running. See the WinAppxD FAQ for details.

b. The TCP/IP network protocol. APPX Presentation Server requires TCP/IP to communicate with clients.

1.4) What software do I need on the clients who will be running programs like Excel and MS Access, in addition to APPX/ODBC?

a. Windows XP, 2000, NT, 98, or 95. Windows 3.x is not supported.

b. The TCP/IP network protocol. The APPX/ODBC client uses TCP/IP to communicate with APPX Presentation Server.

1.5) Where are the instructions for installing WinAppxD?

See the APPX/ODBC Overview for an index into documentation on APPX/ODBC.

1.6) My /tmp/serverio.log is getting too big. How do I turn it off?

"When Running APPX/ODBC, a logfile is being created in /tmp/serverio.log, even though APPX NET LOG is not set. Normally this wouldn't be such a big problem, but the file is growing very rapid (one 825 record query => 1/2 meg logfile). How can I get rid of this file?

==> You should be able to redirect the log file to the null device thru the use of a symbolic link. Remove the log file and create a symbolic link as follows:

     cd /tmp
     ln -s /dev/null serverio.log

You should be root user when you create the symbolic link.

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