Vista Plus Server Admin Guide-Waternmark PDF

Vista Plus
Server Administration Guide

This guide tells Vista Plus administrators how to capture
reports, use the Server Administration and vadmin clients,
and perform other administrative functions.
VP050502-AG-EN-02
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Program Version: 5.5.2
Document Version: En-02
Publication Date: September, 2011
Table of Contents
Chapter 1
Welcome to the Vista Plus Server ............................................................................................... 1
What is Vista Plus? ................................................................................................................... 2
Server Administration Clients ................................................................................................. 3
The Vista Plus Server Administration Client .................................................................... 3
The vadmin Client............................................................................................................. 3
Server Client Highlights ........................................................................................................... 4
Viewer Client Highlights.......................................................................................................... 5
About This Book ....................................................................................................................... 6
Chapters in This Guide ..................................................................................................... 6
Conventions in This Guide ............................................................................................... 8
Vista Plus Products .................................................................................................................. 9
Chapter 2
Administrators Overview .......................................................................................................... 11
Introduction ........................................................................................................................... 12
Report Capture ..................................................................................................................... 13
Report Storage ...................................................................................................................... 14
Report Security ...................................................................................................................... 16
Data Security................................................................................................................... 16
Functional Security ......................................................................................................... 17
Controlling Access Outside Vista Plus .......................................................................... 18
Report Distribution................................................................................................................. 20
Chapter 3
Using the Vista Plus Server Admin Client.................................................................................. 21
Vista Plus Server Administration Client Overview .............................................................. 22
The Server Admin Screen ..................................................................................................... 23
Menus............................................................................................................................... 24
Toolbars............................................................................................................................ 25
Starting Server Admin ........................................................................................................... 27
Connecting to a Vista Plus Server................................................................................. 27
Logging into a Vista Plus Server .................................................................................... 28
Vista Plus Server Administration Guide
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Using Server Admin ............................................................................................................... 30

Standard Procedures ..................................................................................................... 30
Setting Operation Options............................................................................................. 36
Closing Server Admin............................................................................................................ 40
Logging Off a Vista Plus Server ..................................................................................... 40
Console Files .......................................................................................................................... 41
Chapter 4
Managing Folders ...................................................................................................................... 43
Folder Overview .................................................................................................................... 44
Creating Folders .................................................................................................................... 45
How to Add Folders........................................................................................................ 45
Linking Folders and Creating Folder Hierarchies ............................................................... 46
How to Link Folders ......................................................................................................... 46
Linking Reports and Bundles to Folders .............................................................................. 48
How to Link Reports and Bundles to a Folder.............................................................. 48
Unlinking Folders .................................................................................................................... 50
How to Unlink Objects from Folders.............................................................................. 50
Modifying Folders .................................................................................................................. 51
How to Modify Folders ................................................................................................... 51
Deleting Folders..................................................................................................................... 52
Viewing Folder Lists and Information .................................................................................. 53
Viewing a Folder Hierarchy ........................................................................................... 53
Chapter 5
Managing Reports...................................................................................................................... 55
Reports Overview.................................................................................................................. 56
Creating Reports ................................................................................................................... 57
How to Create a Report ................................................................................................ 57
Linking Reports to Folders ..................................................................................................... 61
How to Link Reports to Folders ...................................................................................... 61
Unlinking Reports from Folders ............................................................................................. 62
How to Unlink Reports from Folders .............................................................................. 62
Modifying Reports ................................................................................................................. 63
How to Modify a Report ................................................................................................ 63
Deleting Reports and Generations ..................................................................................... 64
Viewing Report Lists and Information ................................................................................. 65
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Chapter 6
Capturing Report Generations.................................................................................................. 67
Capture Overview ................................................................................................................ 68
Introducing the Capture User ....................................................................................... 69
Introducing Capture Tools............................................................................................. 69
Capture Procedure Overview............................................................................................. 71
Capturing with rcapture ...................................................................................................... 73
Capturing with dircapture ................................................................................................... 74
Unique Options for dircapture ...................................................................................... 75
Capturing with a Vista Plus Print Queue............................................................................. 76
Capturing with Vista Plus lp.................................................................................................. 77
Capturing with the Vista Plus Capture Printer Port............................................................ 78
Capture Options ................................................................................................................... 80
Configuration File Options ............................................................................................. 80
Report and Folder Name Options ................................................................................ 81
Destination Warehouse Options ................................................................................... 83
Page Size Options........................................................................................................... 83
Other Report Characteristic Options ........................................................................... 84
Miscellaneous Options ................................................................................................... 87
Report Names........................................................................................................................ 88
Supported File Formats ......................................................................................................... 89
How Vista Plus Recognizes File Formats ....................................................................... 91
Color in Reports............................................................................................................... 93
Fonts in Reports ............................................................................................................... 93
Working with Capture Configuration Files.......................................................................... 97
What Goes Into Capture Configuration Files .............................................................. 97
Adding Rule Sets to Capture Configuration Files...................................................... 101
Adding Rule Sets from Vista Plus Windows Client ..................................................... 102
Chapter 7
Managing Groups .................................................................................................................... 103
Groups Overview ................................................................................................................ 104
Creating Groups ................................................................................................................. 105
How to Create a Group .............................................................................................. 105
Start and End Dates............................................................................................................ 107
Adding Users to a Group.................................................................................................... 108
How to Change the Users in a Group ........................................................................ 108
Modifying Groups................................................................................................................ 110
How to Modify Groups ................................................................................................. 110
Deleting Groups .................................................................................................................. 111
Viewing Group Lists and Information................................................................................ 112
Table of Contents
Chapter 8
Managing Users........................................................................................................................ 113
Users Overview .................................................................................................................... 114
Vista Plus Administrators............................................................................................... 114
Normal Users.................................................................................................................. 114
Creating Users ..................................................................................................................... 115
How to Create a User................................................................................................... 116
Home Folders and Primary Groups............................................................................. 120
Passwords ...................................................................................................................... 121
Start and End Dates ..................................................................................................... 123
Adding Users to Groups...................................................................................................... 125
How to Change the Groups a User Belongs to......................................................... 125
Modifying Users.................................................................................................................... 127
How to Modify Users ..................................................................................................... 127
Deleting Users ...................................................................................................................... 128
Viewing User Lists and Information.................................................................................... 129
Monitoring User Licenses and Logins ................................................................................ 130
How to List Logged in Users ......................................................................................... 130
How to Check the Total User License......................................................................... 131
Chapter 9
Managing Generation Filters .................................................................................................. 133
Generation Filters Overview .............................................................................................. 134
Setting Generation Filters ................................................................................................... 135
How to Set Generation Filters...................................................................................... 135
Changing or Removing Generation Filters ...................................................................... 137
How to Change or Remove Filters.............................................................................. 137
Chapter 10
Managing Access Permissions ............................................................................................... 139
Access Permissions Overview ............................................................................................ 140
User vs. Group Permissions ........................................................................................... 141
Access Permission Levels.................................................................................................... 142
Assigning Access Permissions............................................................................................. 144
How to Assign Access Permissions .............................................................................. 144
Chapter 11
Managing Page Security......................................................................................................... 149
Page Security Overview..................................................................................................... 150
Page Security Procedure Overview ........................................................................... 150
Creating Page Securities.................................................................................................... 151
How to Create Page Securities................................................................................... 151
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Condition Expressions ......................................................................................................... 154

Rules for Expression Entry.............................................................................................. 156
Modifying Page Securities.................................................................................................. 157
Assigning Page Securities................................................................................................... 158
How to Assign Page Securities .................................................................................... 158
Deleting Page Securities .................................................................................................... 160
Chapter 12
Managing Volumes and Devices ........................................................................................... 161
Volume / Device Overview ............................................................................................... 162
Using Volumes for Online Storage .............................................................................. 162
Using Volumes and Devices for Offline Storage ....................................................... 163
Using Volumes for Web Server Storage...................................................................... 164
Using Volumes with Web View .................................................................................... 165
Creating Devices ................................................................................................................ 166
How to Create Devices ............................................................................................... 166
Modifying Devices .............................................................................................................. 167
How to Modify Devices................................................................................................ 167
Deleting Devices ................................................................................................................. 168
Creating Volumes ............................................................................................................... 169
How to Create Volumes .............................................................................................. 169
Modifying Volumes ............................................................................................................. 171
How to Modify a Volume............................................................................................. 171
Chapter 13
Managing Migration ................................................................................................................ 173
Migration Overview ............................................................................................................ 174
How Report Generations are Migrated ..................................................................... 174
Procedure Overview .................................................................................................... 174
Creating Migration Rule Sets ............................................................................................. 176
Migration Action Chart ................................................................................................ 177
How to Create Migration Rule Sets ............................................................................ 178
Migration Actions.......................................................................................................... 181
Migration Parameters................................................................................................... 183
Migration Sources and Destinations........................................................................... 184
Rule Set Example .......................................................................................................... 185
Modifying Rule Sets ............................................................................................................. 186
How to Modify a Rule Set ............................................................................................ 186
Deleting Rule Sets................................................................................................................ 187
Assigning Migration Rule Sets to Reports .......................................................................... 188
How to Assign Migration Sets to a Report.................................................................. 189
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Table of Contents
Migrating Report Generations........................................................................................... 190

Running VMIdentify ...................................................................................................... 190
Running VMTransport ................................................................................................... 191
Performing Migration from Viewer Clients........................................................................ 193
Performing Archive Actions from Vista Plus Viewer Clients ..................................... 193
Performing Restore Actions from Vista Plus Viewer Clients...................................... 193
Performing Delete Actions from Vista Plus Viewer Clients ....................................... 194
Chapter 14
Managing Warehouse Parameters......................................................................................... 195
Warehouse Parameters Overview .................................................................................... 196
Setting Warehouse Parameters......................................................................................... 197
How to Set Warehouse Parameters ........................................................................... 197
Warehouse Parameter Descriptions ................................................................................. 204
Chapter 15
Managing Remote Printers ...................................................................................................... 215
Remote Printer Overview ................................................................................................... 216
Special Setup for Remote Printing .............................................................................. 216
Creating Printers .................................................................................................................. 218
Parameters for Print Commands ................................................................................ 218
How to Create Printers ................................................................................................. 219
Modifying a Printer .............................................................................................................. 221
How to Modify a Printer ............................................................................................... 221
Assigning Printer Definitions................................................................................................ 222
How to Assign Print Definitions..................................................................................... 222
Chapter 16
Managing SmartAlarms........................................................................................................... 223
SmartAlarm Overview......................................................................................................... 224
Creating SmartAlarms ........................................................................................................ 225
How to Create SmartAlarms ....................................................................................... 225
SmartAlarm Actions ............................................................................................................ 228
Conditional Alarm Triggers................................................................................................. 231
Modifying SmartAlarms ...................................................................................................... 232
How to Modify a SmartAlarm ...................................................................................... 232
Deleting SmartAlarms ......................................................................................................... 233
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Table of Contents
Chapter 17
Managing Bundles ................................................................................................................... 235
Bundling Overview.............................................................................................................. 236
How Bundles are Created and Distributed ............................................................... 236
Phases in the Bundling Cycle ...................................................................................... 237
Bundling Procedure Overview .................................................................................... 238
Creating Bundle Definitions ............................................................................................... 239
How to Create Bundle Definitions .............................................................................. 240
Linking Bundles to Folders................................................................................................... 245
How to Link Bundles to Folders .................................................................................... 245
How to Unlink a Bundle from a Folder ........................................................................ 245
Assigning Access Permissions for Bundles......................................................................... 246
Modifying Bundle Definitions ............................................................................................. 247
How to Modify a Bundle Definition............................................................................. 247
Bundle Components........................................................................................................... 248
Creating Banner Pages ............................................................................................... 249
Generation Types ......................................................................................................... 252
Distribution Types................................................................................................................. 253
Distribution Actions.............................................................................................................. 254
Creating Bundle Instances................................................................................................. 257
Distributing Bundle Instances ............................................................................................. 258
Redistributing Instances ............................................................................................... 258
Modifying Bundle Instances............................................................................................... 259
Deleting Bundle Definitions and Instances....................................................................... 260
Viewing Bundles in Vista Plus Clients................................................................................. 261
Chapter 18
Epurposing ................................................................................................................................ 263
Epurposing Overview.......................................................................................................... 264
Report Rendition File Format and Storage ................................................................ 265
Creating Report Renditions................................................................................................ 266
The CreateRendition Command................................................................................ 266
Epurposing Actions....................................................................................................... 267
Using CreateRendition ................................................................................................. 268
Deleting Renditions ............................................................................................................. 271
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Table of Contents
Chapter 19
PortalVue Connector ............................................................................................................... 273
Vista Plus and Portals .......................................................................................................... 274
Setting Global Warehouse Options .................................................................................. 275
Delivering Information to the Portal Application............................................................. 277
Listing the Reports Available to a User or Group ...................................................... 277
Listing Subscribed Reports ........................................................................................... 278
Formatting vadmin Output for Portals ....................................................................... 279
Creating Renditions on the Web Server ........................................................................... 281
Storing Renditions on the Web Server ........................................................................ 281
Web Server Rendition Storage .................................................................................... 282
Web Server File Security ............................................................................................... 284
Subscribing to Reports ........................................................................................................ 286
Using Server Admin....................................................................................................... 287
Using the Subscribe Command .................................................................................. 290
Unsubscribing from a Report ....................................................................................... 292
Tying It All Together ............................................................................................................. 294
Summary: Portal-related vadmin Commands................................................................. 296
Chapter 20
ImageVue Capture .................................................................................................................. 297
ImageVue Capture Overview........................................................................................... 298
Setting Up ImageVue Capture ......................................................................................... 299
Downloading the ImageVue Capture Files .............................................................. 299
Adding the Release Script........................................................................................... 300
Specifying the Release Script...................................................................................... 301
Finishing the Setup........................................................................................................ 303
Capturing Scanned Files .................................................................................................... 304
Chapter 21
Activity Logging and Reporting .............................................................................................. 305
Overview .............................................................................................................................. 306
Setting Activity Logging Options ....................................................................................... 307
How to Set Logging Options with Server Admin ....................................................... 308
How to Set Logging Options with vadmin ................................................................. 309
Generating Activity Reports .............................................................................................. 310
Listing Available Reports .............................................................................................. 310
Running a Report.......................................................................................................... 310
Table of Contents
Chapter 22
Using vadmin ............................................................................................................................ 317
Overview of vadmin ........................................................................................................... 318
How vadmin Connects to the Server ......................................................................... 318
Running vadmin Commands ............................................................................................ 319
Security for vadmin....................................................................................................... 319
Command Format and Guidelines ............................................................................ 323
Creating and Running Batch Files for vadmin................................................................. 325
Getting vadmin Help .......................................................................................................... 327
Complete vadmin Command List .................................................................................... 328
vadmin Command List by Function ........................................................................... 328
Alphabetic Command List .......................................................................................... 330
Appendix A
Glossary .................................................................................................................................... 389
Appendix B
Configuration Files.................................................................................................................... 399
Overview .............................................................................................................................. 400
The client.cfg File ................................................................................................................ 401
Entries in the client.cfg File .......................................................................................... 401
The server.cfg File................................................................................................................ 405
The Database Configuration File ...................................................................................... 419
Appendix C
Localization............................................................................................................................... 421
Overview .............................................................................................................................. 422
Localization Procedure Overview..................................................................................... 423
Server Host Locales ............................................................................................................. 424
Locale Names............................................................................................................... 425
Locale Support for the Euro......................................................................................... 425
Vista Plus Locales ................................................................................................................ 428
Setting the Default Locale........................................................................................... 429
Assigning a Locale to a Report................................................................................... 429
Creating New Locales ................................................................................................. 430
Character Sets..................................................................................................................... 432
What Determines the Character Set? ....................................................................... 432
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Table of Contents
Character Sets in Vista Plus ................................................................................................ 433

Text Reports ................................................................................................................... 433
ASA Reports................................................................................................................... 434
PCL Reports ................................................................................................................... 434
PostScript Reports ......................................................................................................... 435
Setting the Default Character Set .............................................................................. 438
Assigning a Character Set to a Report ...................................................................... 438
Viewer Client Considerations ............................................................................................ 440
Windows Client ............................................................................................................. 440
Web View ...................................................................................................................... 440
Summary: Effects of Localization ...................................................................................... 443
Appendix D
Customizing Web View ............................................................................................................ 445
Customization Overview .................................................................................................... 446
Changing the My Vista Contents...................................................................................... 447
Appendix E
LDAP Authentication ................................................................................................................ 449
Overview .............................................................................................................................. 450
Configuration ...................................................................................................................... 451
Using LDAP Authentication ................................................................................................ 453
Changing Individual Users to Use LDAP Authentication .......................................... 453
Changing Many Users to Use LDAP Authentication ................................................. 453
Adding LDAP Users to Vista Plus.................................................................................. 454
Log Files.......................................................................................................................... 454
Appendix F
TransVue Tagging..................................................................................................................... 455
Overview .............................................................................................................................. 456
Adding Index Values to a TransVue File ........................................................................... 457
TransVue Index Value File Format............................................................................... 457
Using rcapture for TransVue Tagging ......................................................................... 458
Using vp_load_index for TransVue Tagging............................................................... 458
Using TransVue Tagging from Kofax Capture ........................................................... 459
Searching for TransVue Tagging Values........................................................................... 463
Appendix G
Starting and Stopping the Vista Plus Server ........................................................................... 465
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Appendix H
Backing Up Vista Plus............................................................................................................... 469
Backing Up on UNIX ............................................................................................................ 470
Backing Up With the Vista Plus Server Stopped ........................................................ 470
Backing Up With the Vista Plus Server Running ......................................................... 472
Restoring the Vista Plus Data....................................................................................... 474
Backing Up on Windows .................................................................................................... 477
System-level Backup .................................................................................................... 477
Database-level Backup............................................................................................... 479
Index.......................................................................................................................................... 487
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xiv
Chapter 1
Welcome to the Vista Plus Server

This chapter introduces the Vista Plus product, describes this books organization and
conventions, and tells you how you can get more information and technical help for Vista
Plus.
In This Chapter
What is Vista Plus? .................................................................................... 2
Server Administration Clients ................................................................. 3
Server Client Highlights ........................................................................... 4
Viewer Client Highlights .......................................................................... 5
About This Book ........................................................................................ 6
Vista Plus Products .................................................................................... 9
What is Vista Plus?
What is Vista Plus?

Vista Plus is an extremely robust, easy to use client/server application for distributing,
viewing, and managing reports and documents online. It allows you to automatically
capture corporate reports as soon as they are generated and store them in a central report
warehouse. Users throughout your enterprise can connect to the warehouse with
Windows or HTML-based viewer clients to access business-critical data as soon as reports
are generated. They no longer need to wait for printing and distribution.
Reports from different production environments, including SAP R/3, Oracle, PeopleSoft,
BAAN, and others, can reside together in the same report warehouse. The reports can be
in text or graphical formats, such as PCL or PostScript. They are displayed in Vista Plus
viewer clients (Vista Plus Web View and Vista Plus Windows Client) just as they appear in
their native format. With the optional epurposing feature, you can even integrate report
viewing into your own portal or other Web site.
Captured reports can stay in the Vista Plus report warehouse for as long as you need
them. This saves you from having to rerun reports, duplicate processes, and consume
valuable CPU cycles. When you no longer need immediate access to reports, you can
archive them to offline storage locations. Archived reports can be restored to the
warehouse at any time.
The server administration clients included with the server provide Vista Plus
Administrators with efficient tools for managing every aspect of the report warehouse,
including folders and reports, users and groups, and user and group access to folders and
reports.
Vista Plus viewer clients provide users at all levels with an easy-to-use interface for
viewing report data. A variety of navigation features allow users to look through long
reports much faster than they can page through a paper printout. Powerful data mining
tools allow users to zero in on the information they need. Users can quickly search for and
extract data, download and copy data to other desktop applications, e-mail or print
reports, and more.
Both Vista Plus Web View and the Windows Client include comprehensive online help. In
addition, the Windows Client is covered in the Vista Plus Windows Client Users Guide.
Note
The Vista Plus server software runs on supported versions of UNIX and
Windows; the supported versions are listed in the Release Notes for your
version of Vista Plus. Whenever UNIX or Windows is mentioned in this
guide, it refers to one of the supported versions.
Server Administration Clients
Server Administration Clients

The Vista Plus server is designed to work on today's global networks, with full support for
leading UNIX platforms and server versions of Windows. Server software includes the
server itself, report capture tools, and two clients for managing the report warehousethe
Vista Plus Server Administration client and the vadmin client. Information entered with
one client is available from the other. Most features are available from both clients.
However, some functions can be performed from only one or the other.
The Vista Plus Server Administration Client

This client, also called the Server Admin client, is a Microsoft Management Console
(MMC) snap-in that runs on supported versions of Windows. It provides a graphical user
interface (GUI) for managing the report warehouse and allows you to perform one
management function at a time for folders, reports, users, user groups, etc. For the basics
of running the Vista Plus Server Administration client, see Chapter 3.
The vadmin Client

This client runs on UNIX or supported versions of Windows server. It provides a
command-line utility for managing the report warehouse. All vadmin commands can be
run in batch mode, allowing you to perform multiple management functions at once for
multiple folders, reports, users, etc. For instructions on using vadmin, see Chapter 22.
Server Client Highlights
Server Client Highlights

Here are some highlights of the management capabilities provided by server
administration clients. As you set up your Vista Plus report warehouse on the server, you
can:
Set up folders to organize reports in the way thats most efficient for your company. If
you will be storing reports from different production applications, you can set up
different folders for each application. Vista Plus allows you to store reports from a
variety of applications in the same report warehouse.
Set up reports that correspond to the reports generated on your system. When you
capture reports, you can use a variety of options to specify which source files should
be captured as generations to each Vista Plus report.
Create user groups for users with the same information needs. This allows you to
efficiently assign the same folders and reports to these users.
Control user and group access to folders, reports, and report pages. This provides a
degree of control impossible to achieve through manual distribution of paper
printouts.
Control which generations of a report are available in Vista Plus viewer clients.
Different generations of the same report can be available to different users.
Specify how and when report generations are migrated out of the report warehouse to
archive locations.
Set up SmartAlarm actions to notify users automatically when new generations are
captured to reports.
Specify a variety of print options (printer definitions) and printer lists for remote
printing (users print to remote printers through the Vista Plus server).
Create report bundles for distributing multiple reports together.
Create report subscriptions: have new report generations delivered to the proper
users automatically via e-mail or a Web site.
Viewer Client Highlights
Viewer Client Highlights

Here are some highlights of how Vista Plus viewer clients make it easy for users at all skill
levels to view the business critical data stored in the report warehouse. Working from
Vista Plus Web View or Windows Client, users can:
Quickly scroll through data or jump to any page, no matter how long a report is.
Search report data to quickly zero in on specific information. Users can create indexes
and regions which streamline searches by looking through part of a report instead of
an entire report.
Extract the data found by a search into separate windows or into subreports, and save
extracted subreports as new reports.
Search for one or more values in multiple reports at once by using global indexes. This
is available in Web View only.
Download report data and save it in formats compatible with other desktop
applications. Before users download, they can define columns for programs such as
spreadsheet applications. Data is automatically displayed in these columns when the
downloaded file is opened.
Print entire reports or selected report pages. Users can print to local printers (printers
they print to through their PC or the network) and remote printers (printers they print
to through the Vista Plus server).
Add notes to reports and send them along with reports to other users.
E-mail entire reports or selected report pages in a number of file formats to anyone
with an e-mail addressnon-Vista Plus users as well as other Vista Plus users.
Create and use report hyperlinks: a hyperlink may take you to another page of the
current report, to another report, or to any URL, or perform a global index search. The
Windows Client offers a more limited hyperlink ability.
Manage folders and reports. Users with the highest access permission levels can add,
delete, link, and unlink folders and reports.
Archive or delete report generations and restore generations that have been archived.
Vista Plus Web View installs on a supported Web server and runs in supported Web
browsers; see the Vista Plus Server Installation Guide for details. The Vista Plus Windows
Client runs on supported versions of Windows; see the Release Notes for your version of
Vista Plus.
About This Book
About This Book

This book describes how to use the vadmin and Vista Plus Server Administration clients,
and how to capture reports on the server host or remote hosts. For installation instructions
for the server and associated software, please see the Vista Plus Server Installation Guide.
For information on the Vista Plus viewer clients, please see the client help file or the Vista
Plus Windows Client Users Guide.
The Vista Plus Server runs on a host computer using a supported version of UNIX or
Windowsplease see the Release Notes for your version of Vista Plus for the operating
system versions supported. This manual assumes you are familiar with your operating
system and know how to use its basic commands and features, such as the vi editor on
UNIX and Windows Explorer on Windows.
Chapters in This Guide
Chapter 1
An overview of the Vista Plus server and client software and of this
manual
Chapter 2
Issues you may want to consider when planning your report warehouse,
including report capture, storage, security, and distribution
Chapter 3
Using the Vista Plus Server Administration client
Chapter 4
Managing folders
Chapter 5
Managing reports
Chapter 6
Capturing files to reports in your Vista Plus report warehouse
Chapter 7
Managing user groups
Chapter 8
Managing users
Chapter 9
Managing generation filters
Chapter 10
Managing page security
Chapter 11
Managing access permissions
Chapter 12
Managing volumes and devices for online and offline storage
Chapter 13
Managing migration of report generations from the report warehouse to

archive locations
Chapter 14
Managing warehouse parameters
Chapter 15
Managing remote printers
Chapter 16
Managing the SmartAlarm actions that can automatically alert users that
new generations have been captured to reports
Chapter 17
Managing report bundles
About This Book
Chapter 18
Using the epurposing feature, which lets you convert Vista Plus reports
into HTML or Adobe Acrobat pdf files
Chapter 19
Using PortalVue Connector, which lets you connect Vista Plus to a portal
application, making it possible to easily access Vista Plus reports through
a Web page
Chapter 20
Setting up ImageVue Capture, which lets you scan images directly into
the Vista Plus report warehouse using Kofax Ascent Capture
Chapter 21
Using the activity logging and reporting features
Chapter 22
Using the vadmin command-line server administration client
Appendix A
A glossary of some Vista Plus and general computing terms
Appendix B
A description of the client.cfg and server.cfg configuration files
Appendix C
A discussion of issues relating to localization of Vista Plus
Appendix D
Customizing the behavior and appearance of the Web View client
Appendix E
Configuring and using the LDAP Authentication module
Appendix F
Using the optional TransVue Tagging feature
Appendix G
How to start and stop the Vista Plus server process
Appendix H
How to back up and restore Vista Plus data
About This Book
Conventions in This Guide

To make our information and procedures easier to understand, this guide uses a standard
set of typefaces and icons. These conventions are:
Dialog Box
Dialog box titles are in standard type with the first letter of each word capitalized.
command
The names of commands are shown in bold.
Field name
The names of fields and buttons on dialog boxes are in bold type. We use the
same capitalization as on the dialog box.
username
UNIX user names are given in italics.
file path
Directory and file names and paths are in italics; so are Vista Plus user, group,
report, folder, and other item names.
display
Text and prompts displayed on your screen are in this Courier typeface.
syntax
When were talking about the syntax of a command you type, the command line
is shown in this bold Courier typeface. It is generally, but not always, also set off
from other text. Parts of the line may also be in italics and/or enclosed in
brackets, as discussed below.
We also use this typeface for entries you type at the operating system prompt or
in a dialog box field.
variables
If part of a syntax statement is given in italics, you dont type the word shown,
but substitute a value for it instead. For example:
copy myfile
Myfile is in italics because you dont actually type myfile, you substitute the
proper file name.
[options]
Optional parts of a command syntax or program entry are in brackets. When

entering the command, do not include the brackets.
references
When we refer to part of a command syntaxfor example, to explain possible

entries for a parameterthe first reference is in this bold italic typeface. Further
references are in normal type unless that would be confusing, in which case they
are also in bold italic type.
emphasis
At times, particularly important text is in this bold italic typeface to draw your
attention.
Vista Plus Products
Vista Plus Products

The Vista Plus server is part of a family of products available from Open Text Corporation.
For information on any of these products, contact your Open Text Corporation
representative.
Vista Plus Server
Home to the Vista Plus report warehouse. Users

throughout your enterprise use Vista Plus Web View or
Vista Plus Windows Client to connect to the server to view
reports. Designed for today's global networks, the Vista
Plus server runs on leading UNIX platforms and
supported server versions of Windows.
Vista Plus Web View
Installs on the Web server and can be used by anyone with

a supported Web browser. It allows both remote and local
users to view Vista Plus reports. It provides an intuitive
user interface for report viewing by users at all skill levels.
Vista Plus Windows Client
Runs in supported versions of Windows. Like Web View, it

provides an intuitive user interface for report viewing by
users at all skill levels. It includes report capture tools for
capturing files from PCs.
Vista Plus Interface for

Oracle Applications
Automatically updates your report warehouse with Oracle

Applications users, responsibilities, and reports. Captures
reports generated by any Oracle Applications module,
including Financials, Manufacturing, and more. It
transparently communicates with Oracles Concurrent
Manager, job schedulers, and multi-platform spoolers.
Vista Plus Interface for SAP Automatically matches user, group, and authorization
profiles, as well as SAP R/3 report tree structure
R/3
information, between the SAP R/3 application and Vista
Plus. It also provides automated, ongoing synchronization
of these elements without any code modifications to the
SAP R/3 system. This ensures error-free updates and
report data security. This tight integration with SAP R/3
assures Vista Plus users timely and accurate access to SAP
R/3 information from virtually anywhere.
Vista Plus Interface for
PeopleSoft
Automatically matches user, group, and authorization

profiles between the PeopleSoft application and Vista Plus.
It also provides automated, ongoing synchronization of
these elements without any code modifications to the
PeopleSoft system. This ensures easy updates and report
data security. This tight integration with PeopleSoft
assures Vista Plus users timely and accurate access to
PeopleSoft information from virtually anywhere. Reports
generated by PeopleSoft HR, Financials, and other
modules or by users using Crystal Reports, SQRs, or
custom reports can all be captured into Vista Plus.
Vista Plus Products
Vista Plus Output Manager Provides a LAN and Web-based solution for centrally
managing the distribution and tracking of print output in
(formerly known as
mid-to-large distributed environments. It ensures delivery
QMaster)
of information across a heterogeneous environment of
destination devices (printers, faxes, e-mail, storage,
archives and files) regardless of physical location.
10
Chapter 2
Administrators Overview
As a Vista Plus Administrator, there are several areas of report management you will
probably want to consider when setting up your report warehouse and setting the options
which control exactly how Vista Plus operates in your installation. This chapter includes
brief discussions of four broad areas: report security, report capture, report storage, and
report distribution.
In This Chapter
Introduction .............................................................................................. 12
Report Capture ........................................................................................ 13
Report Storage .......................................................................................... 14
Report Security ........................................................................................ 16
Report Distribution ................................................................................. 20
11
Introduction
Introduction
Greatly simplified, the purpose of Vista Plus is to get the right report data to the right
users, and only the right users. To help this happen, you define characteristics for your
Vista Plus reports and users, and collect both reports (into folders) and users (into groups)
which have characteristics in common.
Vista Plus is designed to be flexible and adaptable to the needs of many different
organizations. The discussions in this chapter are very general, and may not address all of
the specific questions you need to answer when deciding how best to use Vista Plus in
your situation. You have probably already discussed your Vista Plus implementation with
your salesperson and Open Texts pre-sales consultants. For specific assistance in
applying the concepts described in this chapter to your use of Vista Plus, please contact
Vista Plus customer support, as described on the copyright page. They may be able to
answer all of your questions, or may put you in touch with our professional services
group for more in-depth consulting.
This chapter divides the issues involved in setting up a Vista Plus report warehouse into
four areas: report capture, storage, security, and distribution. This division is somewhat
arbitrarythere are large areas of overlap between these subjects. Many of the subjects
discussed in one section could just as easily be described in another; this is especially true
of security and distribution. For example, user groups are discussed in the security
section, but since you can control who receives report bundles and who is notified by a
SmartAlarm action through groups, they are also very involved in report distribution.
Keep this in mind when reading this chapter: these subjects are all interconnected, and
you need to make sure a decision you make about report capture methods doesnt
compromise security, or that a security setting doesnt prevent a report from being
distributed to someone who needs it.
Note
12
If you are unfamiliar with any of the Vista Plus terms used in this chapter
user, group, folder, report (as used in Vista Plus), access permission, and so
onyou can refer to the glossary in Appendix A for a brief definition. Each
section also includes references to the chapters (or, in some cases, other
documents) where you can look for more information about the subjects.
Report Capture
Report Capture
Vista Pluss main function is to take a report file and, instead of printing it, store it so you
can access it online. This is called capturing the report; each captured report becomes a
Vista Plus report generation. Everything else in Vista Plus is either support for or an
extension of this central function.
Vista Plus includes several different capture tools: programs that offer different methods for
capturing report files. Which tool or tools to use depends on the type of reports you run,
where you run them, and how you want to work:
You can create one or more output devices your users can print to, like any other
printer on the network. Instead of being printed, reports sent to these devices are
captured to Vista Plus.
On a UNIX host, you can replace the standard lp command with one which captures
all files to Vista Plus in addition to printing them.
You can use the rcapture command to capture one or more files.
You can capture some or all of the files in a directory. On UNIX, you do this with the
dircapture command; on Windows you use the PC capture tools graphical interface.
No matter which capture tool you use, you can capture various formats of report files: text
files, PCL (HPs Printer Control Language) files, or PostScript files. In most cases, Vista
Plus will automatically recognize the files format and process it correctly; you can also
use an option to tell Vista Plus exactly what kind of file you are capturing.
Other capture options determine the report and folder to capture each file to, as well as
other report characteristics, such as the paper size, the description to give the generation,
and more. You can include these options on the command line when using the rcapture
command, or can create capture configuration files which recognize specific
characteristics of the report and set options for that capture accordingly. Capture
configuration files can make it easy to capture files to the correct reports with a minimum
of effort.
Note
The Vista Plus ERP interfacesadditional products which make it easier for
Vista Plus to work with Oracle E-Business Suite, SAP R/3, or PeopleSoftall
include special report capture tools which automatically capture reports run
from the ERP package.
For More Information
On capture tools, report file formats, capture options, and capture configuration files,
see Chapter 6.
On capturing using the ERP interfaces, see the documentation for each interface.
13
Report Storage
Report Storage
When you capture a report it is stored in the Vista Plus report warehouse. What exactly
does that mean? Where is the report warehouse, and whats in it?
When you capture a report, information is stored in two places:
In the Vista Plus database, tables are updated to indicate the new generation exists; if
you created the report or linked it to new folders during capture, the database is also
updated to reflect that. The Vista Plus database contains the definitions of all the
reports, folders, users, groups, access permissions, SmartAlarms, and so on that you
create in Vista Plus; it does not contain any report data.
In the Vista Plus report warehouse, the report data itself is stored in a new
subdirectory created just for this generation. This subdirectory contains all the text
and graphics for the generation and any indexes or page securities the report has
defined. It can also hold the original report file, or you can choose not to store the
original file in Vista Plus.
The directory where the files that make up the Vista Plus database are stored depends on
the database management software you use with Vista Plus.
The report warehouse consists of one or more volumes that you define (the first one is
created during installation; you can add others any time). Each volume corresponds to a
directory path available from the Vista Plus server hostit can be physically on the server
host or on another host accessible on the network. Vista Plus builds a directory structure
beneath the volumes root path to hold report generation files.
When designing your report warehouse, you should make sure the volumes will have
enough space to hold all of your report generations. You can define several volumes, on
different file systems, and tell Vista Plus to automatically start capturing to the next
volume when the previous one is full; this is called volume rollover. When calculating the
number of volumes to use and the size of each, remember that because of indexes, page
securities and other information, a report generation in Vista Plus can occupy three to
fouror moretimes the space of the original report file. The number and size of
volumes you need depends on how many reports you capture, how often, how big they
are, and how long you want to keep the information easily available.
If all your report data stayed on the report warehouse forever, you could fill up all the
storage space on almost any system. So, Vista Plus includes migration processes.
Migration lets you move generations out of the report warehouse to offline devices you
define: these can be other disk paths, optical disks, or magnetic tape devices. You define
migration rulessuch as if any generation hasnt been used in a month, move it to
tapeand assign them to reports. The migration process then compares each generation
to the rules for its report and decides what, if anything, to do with it. By migrating
generations to offline disk or tape instead of deleting them (which migration can also do),
you make it possible for users to restore them to the report warehouse if the data is
needed again.
14
Report Storage
Creating and assigning migration rules, then running the migration processes regularly, is
an important part of Vista Plus administration. Its important to create and assign
migration rules that consider the types of data in each report and the needs of your users.
The data in some reports goes out of date quickly, while that in other reports may be
useful for months or years.
Obviously, you do not need to have migration rules created and defined before you start
using Vista Plus, but you will probably want to start moving old generations out of the
report warehouse fairly soon. It not only saves space, it also makes it easier and quicker to
find and access the new generations containing current data.
Note
Be sure to adjust any operating system settings which could limit Vista Pluss
ability to store files. For example, some file management systems can set a
maximum size for a single file of 1 GB; both large report files and Vista Plus
database files in large installations can exceed this.
On volumes, see Chapter 12.
On warehouse configuration settings and options, see Chapter 14.
On migration, see Chapter 13.
On the report warehouse directory structure, see the Vista Plus Technical Addendum.
15
Report Security
Report Security
Security in Vista Plus can be divided into two areas: controlling access to report data, so
each user sees only what he or she should, and controlling access to Vista Plus functions,
so only those who should be able to can set options, enter data, capture reports, and so on.
You will also want to make sure users cannot access data from outside Vista Plus.
Data Security
Vista Pluss report data security features are designed to be both powerful and flexible:
there are several ways to control access to reports, and to data within reports. This allows
each installation to choose the method or methods that work best in their situation.
Vista Plus stores report data in generations; each generation belongs to a report; and each
report is found in one or more folders. You provide security by controlling access at one or
more of these levels: folder, report, generation, or data (page within the generation). And
you can control it based on either individual users or user groups.
Before laying out the report warehouse, you should
know what users will need access to which reports
and data. You can then place users with identical or
similar needs into groupseach user can belong to
one or more groups (or none). You can also create a
folder structure which groups reports into folders,
and those folders into other folders, based on the
users who will need to access them. While it is not
right for every situation, basing security on groups
and/or folders rather than individual users and reports can make it easier to administer.
Part of a sample folder structure is shown to the right.
Each group or user is assigned a Home folder; a user can see only reports that are in the
Home folder or one of its subfolders. For example, considering the above sample folder
structure, accounting managers could be in a group with Accounting as the Home folder,
while a payroll clerk has Payroll as his or her Home folder.
Besides controlling report access through the folder structure, you can also keep users or
groups from seeing individual reports, even those that are in folders they can access, by
setting their permissions for the report to No Access.
16
Report Security
Finally, you can limit the access each user has to specific report generations, and to pages
within each generation:
You can use generation filters to limit the generations each user can see and open. For
example, you can set a report so each user can see only generations that he or she, or
members of his or her group, captured.
Page securities use the value of a report index to determine which pages of a report a
user has access to. For example, if a company-wide report has data on various branch
offices, you can base a page security on the office name or number, so people in each
office see only the data that applies to them.
While the folder structure, report permissions, generation filters and page securities let
you safeguard data from those who should not be allowed to see it, they serve another
function as well: they make it easier for users to find the data they do need to use. Because
they are limited to only the data that applies to them, they do not have to wade through
dozens of reports or hundreds of pages to find the information they want.
On groups, see Chapter 7.
On creating and linking folders, see Chapter 4.
On creating and linking reports, see Chapter 5.
On generation filters, see Chapter 9.
On page securities, see Chapter 11.
On setting security defaults, see Chapter 14.
Functional Security
The previous section describes how to limit users to just the data they should be able to
see. The other aspect of Vista Plus security then comes into play: what can they do with
the data they can access? The two main features in this area are user types and access
permissions.
Each Vista Plus user is either a normal user or an Administrator. The two main differences
between these user types are:
Administrators can use the Server Admin client; normal users cant. If vadmin
security is turned on, only Administrators can use that client as well. Administration
clients let users add, delete, or change any type of Vista Plus datareports, folders,
users, permissions, and so onso be sure only trusted administrators have access to
Administrator user names and passwords.
In viewer clients (the Windows Client and Web View), Administrators have the
highest permission for all the reports and folders in their folder tree; normal users
have the default permission for all folders and reports unless it is changed by an
Administrator.
17
Report Security
In viewer clients, what users can do with the reports they can access is controlled by access
permissions. The permission levels available are No Access, View, Distribute, Modify, and
Delete. For example, a user with View permission for a report can open it and search for
data, but cannot print the report or download it to his or her workstation; a user with
Distribute permission for the same report can do these things. You can set the default
permission for reports and folders; it is generally either View or Distribute. Administrators
have Delete permission for all reports and folders, regardless of any other setting; any
Administrator can change a users permission for any report or folder using either
vadmin or Server Admin. For a complete list of whats allowed at each permission level,
see page 142.
On setting user types, see Chapter 8.
On access permissions, see Chapter 10.
On vadmin security, see page 319.
Controlling Access Outside Vista Plus

In addition to securing report data inside Vista Plus, you may want to make sure your
Vista Plus data cannot be accessed or deleted from outside Vista Plus. The most important
step for doing this is controlling access through the database management system
(DBMS)--either Oracle or MySQL. There is a DBMS user name, set during installation,
which Vista Plus uses when communicating with the DBMS. Make sure no one logs in
with this user name; generally, except for the administrator, no one else needs to know
this name and password. Other DBMS users should not be given permission to access the
Vista Plus database. Since the DBMS root user can access any database, make sure only
trusted administrators know the root password.
One other possible security concern deserves mention: if you use epurposing to write
renditions of Vista Plus reports to a Web server, make sure to set the Web server security to
keep unauthorized users from accessing these files outside Vista Plus. See page 284for
more information.
18
Report Security
Client Data Encryption

The Vista Plus server and clients continually exchange information: capture clients send
report data to the server, the server sends captured reports to be displayed by the
Windows Client or Web View, and so on. This data is generally being sent across your
internal network or, in some cases, the Internet, and could conceivably be intercepted. You
can choose to have Vista Plus data encrypted when it is sent between the server and a
client.
You select whether to encrypt information sent between the server and each client
separately: for example, you may want to have information encrypted during capture but
not when being sent to the Windows Client. There are five different ENCRYPT
statements you can add to the server.cfg file; each one controls encryption for a different
client. These statements are described with the rest of the server.cfg statements, on
page 405. When encryption is selected for a client, it is two-way; information is encrypted
when going both from the client to the server and from the server to the client.
Warning
The encryption options encrypt data only while it is being sent between the
server and clients; they do not encrypt data stored in the Vista Plus database
or in captured report files.
Also, if you choose to encrypt information between the Vista Plus server and
Web View, Vista Plus encrypts it only between the Vista Plus server and the
Web server where Web View is installed. Vista Plus settings have no effect on
the information that is then sent from the Web server to the users
workstation. Data security between the Web server and the client
workstations is controlled by the Web server software, not by Vista Plus.
Note
Passwords being sent from a client to the server are always encrypted.
19
Report Distribution
Report Distribution
The previous section described how to keep report data from those users who shouldnt
be able to see it. What about the other side of that issue: making sure users who do need
the data get it?
The most basic way to do this has to do with the folder/report structure: make sure all the
reports a user needs to see are linked to a folder he or she can access. But there are three
Vista Plus features specifically intended to get data to those who want it, as fast as
possible:
SmartAlarms can automatically e-mail or print a report generation to selected users,

or perform other actions, as soon as it is captured. You can have SmartAlarms that
activate whenever a generation is captured, or that activate only if certain data is
found in the report: if sales figures are above or below a certain level, if a customer
youre particularly interested in is mentioned, and so on. So when the report data
needs immediate attention, it is brought to the attention of the right users.
Bundling gathers report generations and distributes them to groups or users as a

single unit. For example, you can have a bundle containing all the monthly payroll
reportsas soon as all the reports are captured, the latest generations are e-mailed to
or printed for the company controller, or whatever user or users you select. You can
define the reports and generations to include in the bundle, the actions to take when
the bundle is distributed, and more. Bundles are linked to folders, so users can also
access them through viewer clients.
Report subscriptions allow users to request an HTML or PDF rendition of a report be

e-mailed to them each time a new generation is captured. With the PortalVue
Connector feature you can tie report subscriptions to a Web portal application to make
Vista Plus reports available through the portal.
20
On SmartAlarms, see Chapter 16.
On bundling, see Chapter 17.
On report subscriptions, see page 286.
Chapter 3
Using the Vista Plus Server Admin Client

This chapter covers the basic principles of using the Vista Plus Server Administration
client, the Microsoft Management Console (MMC) snap-in that provides a graphical
interface for managing the report warehouse.
In This Chapter
Vista Plus Server Administration Client Overview ........................... 22
The Server Admin Screen ....................................................................... 23
Starting Server Admin ............................................................................ 27
Using Server Admin ............................................................................... 30
Closing Server Admin ............................................................................ 40
Console Files ............................................................................................ 41
21
Vista Plus Server Administration Client Overview
Vista Plus Server Administration Client Overview

The Vista Plus Server Administration client is a Microsoft Management Console (MMC)
snap-in. MMC is an application framework from Microsoft which allows you to run
various tools to administer your computers hardware and software, and, in the case of
Vista Plus Server Admin, the Vista Plus report warehouse.
You can run Server Admin on supported versions of Windows. With Server Admin, you
can connect to and manage any or all Vista Plus servers on your network.
As an MMC snap-in, Server Admins configuration is controlled by a console file. The
console file contains information such as which Vista Plus servers to connect to. You can
customize the console file, and create multiple files containing different information. See
page 41 for more about console files.
The rest of this chapter discusses the general aspects of using the Server Admin client to
administer your Vista Plus data. First, it discusses the various parts of the screen display.
Then, it describes how to start the client and connect to the Vista Plus report warehouse,
followed by descriptions of some procedures youll use repeatedly as you work in Server
Admin and options which affect Server Admins operation. Finally, it describes how to
work with console files.
22
The Server Admin Screen

The picture below shows a typical Server Admin display:
Youll learn how to connect to a Vista Plus server and display information later in this
chapter. But first, the following sections describe the various parts of the screen display.
23
Menus
There are two MMC menu bars, each with three menus. The top one is the Main menu bar;
there is always just one of these. The bottom menu is the Console Window menu bar; if you
open multiple windowsyou can do this to look at data from more than one Vista Plus
server at the same timethere is a menu bar for each
The Main menu bar contains Console, Window, and Help
menus. The features on each menu let you do the
following:
Console: Create and save console files, and change the console file youre using. You
can also set high-level MMC options, though this should not be necessary in Server
Admin. Finally, you can exit Server Admin through this menu.
Window: Create a new console window and control how the console windows are
displayed.
Help: Access the Server Admin help file, which includes general MMC help, connect
to certain Microsoft Web sites, and see version information.
Each Console Window menu bar contains Action, View, and

Favorites menus. The features on each menu let you do the
following:
24
Action: Perform various actions on the selected object; the exact actions vary
depending on the object type. The Action menu is always exactly the same as the
context pop-up menu displayed when you right-click an object.
View: Change the way objects are displayed in the details pane. You can also display
or hide the various toolbars and the status bar.
Favorites: Let you save the current selection as a favorite. This saves only the server
you are logged in and the type of object you are viewing. It does not save the window
configuration or where you are in the object list. You can also edit and delete favorites
from here, and select a favorite to display.
Toolbars
There are also two toolbars: the Main toolbar and the Console Window toolbar (the
Console Window toolbar is actually made up of two smaller toolbars).
The buttons on the Main toolbar are:
New Console: Create a new, empty console file. We suggest you use this option
only if you are familiar with MMC administration.
Open Console: Open an existing console file.
Save Console: Save the current console settings to the current console file.
New Window: Open a new window. Using multiple windows can let you look at
two types of object, or data from two different servers, at the same time.
The buttons which can appear on the Console Window toolbar are listed below. Some
buttons appear only when an object is selected, or not selected, in the details pane. Some
appear only when a certain type of object is selected. The toolbar never contains all of
these buttons at the same time.
Back: Return to the previously selected object view; for example, if you were
looking at users, then shifted to groups, Back returns you to the user list.
Forward: After youve used the Back button, returns to the next object view. To
continue the above example, clicking Forward returns you to the group list.
Up: Up one level
Show/Hide: Hide or display the console tree pane and favorites tab.
Delete: Delete the selected object(s). Appears only when one or more objects
which can be deleted are selected.
Properties: Display properties for the selected object. Appears only when an
object is selected.
Refresh: Refresh the list of objects shown in the detail pane; this shows the latest
changes and additions and reorders the objects.
Export list: Export the list of objects currently shown in the detail pane to a tab- or
comma-delimited text file.
Help: Launch the MMC/Server Administration help file.
New: Create a new object of the selected type. Appears only when an individual
object is not selected.
Permissions: Display the access permissions for the selected object. Appears only
when an object which can have permissions associated with it is selected: a user,
group, report, folder, bundle, or page security.
Groups: Display the groups the user belongs to; appears only when a user is
selected.
25
Users: Display the users who belong to the group; appears only when a group is
selected.
Console Tree
The left pane is called the console tree because it shows the branches you have taken to get
to the object you are working with. At the top level, it shows the snap-ins that are
currently active. Unless you add others, for Server Admin this is only Vista Plus
Server Administration. Under this snap-in, it lists the Vista Plus servers you have
created connections to. When you are logged into a host, you can expand the hosts entry,
as shown, to list the types of objects you can work with on that server.
If you have multiple hosts defined, they are all listed in the
tree, as shown to the right. When you log onto a host, its icon
changes from the red dot to the green arrow. In the example,
the user is logged in localhost but not Development.
The sample screen on page 23 shows the console tree
expanded as far as possible. You cannot show individual Vista Plus objects in the console
tree, only object types. Individual objects are always listed in the right-hand pane.
Note
You can display a favorites list instead of the console tree by clicking the
Favorites tab. You can save any Vista Plus server-object type combination
for example, the user list on the Development serveras a favorite by selecting
Add to Favorites from the Favorites menu. Selecting the favorite then
displays that object list (you will be asked to log in to the server if you arent
already logged in). Saving views as favorites can be useful in certain
situations if you are administering more than one Vista Plus server.
Details Pane
The right pane is called the details pane. It lists the objects contained in the selected node of
the console tree. In the picture on page 23, the details pane lists the folders found on
localhost.
You can select whether to display objects in the details pane using large or small icons or
in a list. The sample screen display shows the Details format. How to select the list format
is described on page 31.
26
Starting Server Admin

You start the Server Administration client as you would any other application: generally
by selecting it from the Start, Programs menu or clicking its desktop icon.
Tip
If you have multiple console files, you can create separate desktop icons for
each one. See page 41.
Connecting to a Vista Plus Server

Before you can log into a Vista Plus server host and work with its data, you must first
define the host connection to Server Admin. You can create as many server connections as
you like, and, once they are created, can log into any one, or more than one, server at any
time. You create a server connection by giving it a name and telling Server Admin the
Vista Plus host and port to connect to and the default user name.
To create a connection to a Vista Plus server

1.
Right-click Vista Plus Server Administration in the Console tree. Or, see the
Tip at the end of this procedure.
2.
From the pop-up menu, select New Server Connection.
3.
Type the Connection Name for this connection. This entry will appear in the list of
servers in the console tree.
4.
Type the Host Name for the Vista Plus server host. This can be either the host name or
its IP address.
5.
Type the Port Number for the Vista Plus report warehouse. The default is 7980, but it
could be different. If there are two or more Vista Plus installations on the server host,
be sure to enter the correct port number.
27
6.
Type the default Login Name you want for this connection. This name will be entered
into the Vista Plus login screen automatically when you select this connection, but you
will be able to change it when logging on.
7.
Click Finish to save this connection
You can repeat this process to create connections for all the Vista Plus report warehouses
you may want to connect to. To log in to a Vista Plus server, see the next section.
Tip
Instead of right-clicking and using the pop-up menu, you can click
Vista Plus Server Administration, then either select New
Server Connection from the Action menu or click the Create a new server
connection toolbar button.
Logging into a Vista Plus Server

Once youve defined the Vista Plus servers to connect to, you can log into one or more of
them. As with most procedures, Server Admin offers more than one way for you to log in.
Tip
28
When you run Server Admin for the first time, log in as the default Vista Plus
Administrator: use Admin as the user name and password. Only users
designated as Administrators can run this client. After you log in the first
time, you can create additional Vista Plus Administrators and log in as
another Administrator the next time.
To log into a Vista Plus server

1.
Do either of the following:
Click Vista Plus Server Administration to list the servers in the details
pane, then do one of the following:
Right-click the server to connect to and select Login from the pop-up
menu.
Select the server to connect to and select Login from the Action menu.
Click the plus sign next to Vista Plus Server Administration to list the servers in
the console tree, then do one of the following:
Click the server to connect to. This method works only the first time you
click the server after starting Server Admin or after logging off.
Right-click the server to connect to and select Login from the pop-up
menu.
Select the server to connect to and select Login from the Action menu.
2.
On the Log On to Vista Plus Server dialog, type your Password. You can also change
the User name if the one shown is not the one you want.
3.
Click OK.
Once youve logged in, the icon next to the server name becomes a
green arrow, and a plus sign appears before it. Click the plus sign to
list the types of objects on the server.
You can repeat this procedure to log into another Vista Plus server. You may be logged
into any number of servers at once.
29
Using Server Admin
Using Server Admin

The next few sections describe some aspects of Server Admin which are the same
everywhere in the application. In many situations, Server Admin offers multiple methods
to accomplish the same taskfor example, there are several ways to view an objects
properties. Since these methods are the same throughout Server Admin, they are
described only here. The individual procedures elsewhere in this manual will say only
that you need to list a type of object, select an object, or create a new object; if you do not
remember how to do this, refer back to this section. These standard procedures also
include controlling the way objects are displayed and what information is displayed for
them.
Following the section on standard procedures are instructions on setting the global
operation options available in Server Admin.
Standard Procedures
No matter what type of object you are working withusers, reports, permissions, and so
onthese procedures are the same.
Listing Objects
To list any type of objectusers, reports, or anything elsein a report warehouse, use one
of these procedures:
1.
If you havent already done so, log into the Vista Plus host, as described on page 29.
2.
Either:
In the details pane, double-click the type of object you want to list.
In the console tree, click the plus sign next to the server name, then click the
type of object to list.
Tip
30
To refresh a list of objects, make sure no object in the list is selected

and click the Refresh button. If you have an object selected when you
click Refresh, only the information for that object is refreshed.
Using Server Admin
Changing the Object List Format

You have a choice of formats for the object list in the details pane: Large
Icons, Small Icons, List, or Detail. These are similar to the choices you have
in Windows Explorer and other Windows features.
To change the format of the object list, from the View menu, select the list
format you want.
Note
When you change the list format, it sets the new format for the current object,
and for any other object type you have not selected a format for. Any object
type you have previously set is not affected. For example, if, when you first
call up Server Admin you set the folder list to small icons, all lists are set to
small icons. If you then set the user list to detail, all lists except folders are set to
detail. Since you had previously selected small icons for folders, to change the
folder list format you must set the new format while displaying the folder list.
Working with Columns

In Detail format, columns show various information about the listed objects: For example,
you can view users names, descriptions, types, Home folders, and more. You can change
the columns shown, their order, their widths, and sort by any column.
To change the columns shown:
1.
From the View menu, select Choose Columns. This option is

available only if you are in Detail view.
The columns currently included are in the right hand list; other
available columns are in the list on the left.
31
Using Server Admin
2.
3.
You can do any of the following:
To remove a column from the list, select it and click Remove.
To add a column to the list, select it and click Add.
To change a columns position, select it and click Move Up or Move Down.

Move Up moves the column to the left on the screen; Move Down moves it to
the right.
Click Reset to undo any changes youve made but have not yet saved.
Click OK to save your changes.
You can also re-order columns directly in the detail pane. Just drag the column heading to
the desired location.
To change a columns width, drag the separator to the right of the column heading in the
detail pane.
You can sort the list according to any displayed column by clicking the column heading.
Click the heading again to reverse the sort order.
Selecting Objects in Dialog Box Lists

You can sort object lists in dialog boxes, such as a list of folders to link a report to, by
clicking a column heading; click the heading again to reverse the order.
You can go to a particular part of the list by typing the first character or two of the object
name.
To select a single object, you can:
Click it, then click OK.
Double-click it.
Type its name in the field.
To select multiple objects:
Click the first object, then hold down the Shift key and click the last object. Click OK.
Hold down Ctrl and click multiple individual objects, then click OK.
Type the object names in the field, separated by semicolons. Click OK.
You can also combine these methods, typing some names and selecting others.
Certain lists do not allow multi-selection; these are noted in the appropriate procedure.
Tip
32
You can create a new object directly from the object list dialog box. Click the
New button, then fill in the fields on the Add Object... (report, folder, user,
etc.) wizard. After saving the new object, you can select it from the object list.
For example, from the list of reports in a folder, you can create a new report,
then link it to the folder.
Using Server Admin
Selecting Objects in the Details Pane

To select a listed object, click it.
You can select multiple objects by clicking the first object, then holding down the Shift
key and clicking the last object. You can also hold down Ctrl and click multiple individual
objects.
When multiple objects are selected in the detail pane, the only action available is to delete
them.
Viewing an Objects Properties

To display an objects properties, either just to review them or to edit the object, do one of
the following:
Double-click the object in the details pane.
Right-click the object in the details pane and select Properties from the pop-up menu.
Select the object in the details pane and select Properties from the View menu.
Select the object in the details pane and click the Properties toolbar button.
For some object types, you can go directly to the specific properties which are most
used by selecting a different action from the View menu or pop-up menu or by
clicking a toolbar button. For example, you can go directly to the permissions list for a
report, folder, user, group, or bundle by selecting Permissions from the menu or clicking
the Permissions button. To see the specific actions available for an object, right-click it and
look at the top of the pop-up menu.
Tip
When selecting objects from a list in a dialog boxfor example, selecting

users to place in a groupyou can view an objects properties by selecting it
in the list and clicking the Properties button.
Creating a New Object

To add an object to the report warehouse, do one of the following:
Select the object type in the console tree and click the Create new object button.
Select the object type in the console tree and select New object from the Action
menu.
Right-click the object type in the console tree and select New object from the pop-up
menu.
Select the server connection in the console tree. Select the object type in the detail
pane and click the Create new object button.
Select the server connection in the console tree. Select the object type in the detail pane
and select New object from the Action menu.
Select the server connection in the console tree. Right-click the object type in the detail
pane and select New object from the pop-up menu.
33
Using Server Admin
Any of these methods takes you to the first page of a wizard which will guide you
through entering the information for the new object. For example, heres the first page
when adding a report:
The first page generally includes the object name and other general information; later
pages let you enter different types of informationwhatever is needed for the object. The
pages of the wizard match the tab pages of the Properties dialog for the object.
To complete the wizard, fill in the information and click Next to continue. In some fields
you will be able to either type the information or display and select from a list of objects.
For example, when adding a report, you can select the migration rule sets to use with it.
The chapters on individual object types include detailed instructions on entering the
information for each object.
Tip
34
You can also create a new object directly from an object list dialog box: for
example, if youre adding a user to groups and realize that a group you need
doesnt yet exist. Click the New button, then fill in the fields on the add
object (report, folder, user, etc.) wizard. After saving the new object, you can
select it from the object list.
Using Server Admin
Entering Names and Descriptions

Here are some things to keep in mind when you add items to your report warehouse with
the Server Admin client:
Names and descriptions can consist of multiple words.
User, group, folder, report, bundle, and page security names can be up to 128
characters long; other names can be up to 64 characters. Descriptions can be up to 255
characters long.
All object names and user passwords in Vista Plus are case-sensitive. This means they
must be entered using the same combination of upper and lower case that was
specified when they were created.
You can use only characters found in the 256-character character set in use on the
server. Characters from double-byte character sets, such as those found in Chinese,
Japanese, or Korean, are not supported in item names, descriptions, or other fields.
If Vista Plus uses an Oracle database with the Unicode character set, do not use any
extended characters (generally, accented letters or the euro symbol) in report names or
other object names. You will not be able to create SmartAlarms, page security sets, and
so on, for any report which has an extended character in its name. The other Oracle
character sets which support extended characters (see the Vista Plus Server Installation
Guide) do not have this limitation.
Deleting Objects
1.
Select the object or objects to delete.
2.
Do one of the following:
3.
Click the Delete toolbar button.
Right-click a selected object and select Delete from the pop-up menu.
From the Action menu, select Delete.
If you have the option set to ask for confirmation (see Setting Operation Options,
page 36), respond to the confirmation prompt.
35
Using Server Admin
Getting Online Help

The online help available for Server Admin contains both general MMC information
(provided by Microsoft Corporation) and detailed information on all Server Admin
features. You can call up the online help in two ways:
Select Help Topics from the Help menu or click the Help button. This displays a
general MMC help topic and the help table of contents. You can select a topic
from the table of contents or click the Index or Search tab.
From any dialog box, press F1 or click the Help button and then click any field.
This displays information about the current screen display. It also displays the
table of contents, index, and search tabs so you can change to other topics if all the
information you want is not shown.
The Server Admin help file also includes information on capture programs.
Setting Operation Options

Server Admin offers several general options which let you control various aspects of its
operation, such as the level of detail in the log file and whether object lists are sorted
before they are displayed. You can change any of these options at any time, or leave the
default settings. Your settings are saved when you save the console file (see page 41), so if
you have changed options settings be sure to save the console file before you close Server
Admin.
In MMC, these settings are considered the properties of the snap-in modulein this case,
Vista Plus Server Admin. You view and change them by following the procedure below.
To set operation options:

1.
In the console tree, select Vista Plus Server Administration.
2.
Display the Properties dialog by doing any one of these:
3.
36
Select Properties from the Action menu.
Click the Properties button.
Right-click Vista Plus Server Administration and select Properties from

the pop-up menu.
The General tab page shows version and copyright information. To change the option
settings, click the Warnings tab.
Using Server Admin
4.
Check the Delete box to have Server Admin ask for confirmation when you delete an
item.
5.
Click the Event Logging tab.
6.
Select the logging level:
Errors Only Lists only errors encountered by the software.
Normal Lists errors plus certain other status messages. This level is
appropriate for most situations.
Debug Includes all messages listed for Normal setting, plus detail
information useful for debugging errors. In most cases, use this setting only if
asked to do so by Vista Plus customer support.
This setting determines the types of information you want recorded in the Server
Admin log file on your workstation. This is separate from the server log file
maintained on the Vista Plus server.
Tip
To see error messages, you can also add the Windows Event Viewer snap-in to
your MMC console file (see page 41 for information about console files). The
Event Viewer displays Server Admins logging output.
37
Using Server Admin
38
7.
Click the Options tab.
8.
The options on this page affect how lists of items are loaded from the report
warehouse. You may want to adjust them if item lists (such as the users or folders in
the warehouse) seem to load slowly, or if lists are not being sorted before display and
you want them to be. Sorting lists slows down list display because all the items to be
listed must be retrieved and sorted before any items can be displayed. If a list is not
sorted before display, it will display more quickly as items can be retrieved in
chunks until enough have been retrieved to fill the screen display. You can set these
options:
Load collections... When retrieving items from the server for a list, Server
Admin will request this many at a time. If you sort lists before they are
displayed (see the next field), set this number fairly high, as the whole list must
be retrieved before it can be sorted, and retrieving many smaller chunks takes
longer than retrieving a few large chunks. If you clear the checkbox, the entire
list is retrieved at once. This setting affects only lists of users, groups, reports,
folders, page securities, and volumes, and only lists which contain all the
objects in a warehouse. If you are loading a different type of item, or a subset of
an itemfor example, the subfolders of a particular folderall items are
retrieved at once.
Skip startup sorting... If a list contains more than this many items, it will not
be sorted before it is displayed. Sorting large lists can make them take longer to
display. You may want to raise this setting if list sorting is more important than
the time it takes to load them, or lower it to have lists load as fast as possible. Set
Using Server Admin
this field to 1 to never have lists sorted before display; clear the checkbox to
have all lists sorted.
9.
Skip sorting after... If a list contains more than this many items, it will not be
resorted after you add an item to it (for example, after creating a new user).
Where the item appears in the list will depend on whether the entire list has
been downloaded (see Load collections, above). Set this field to 1 to never
have lists sorted after a new item is added; clear the checkbox to always have
lists sorted after a new item is added.
Skip list pre-sorting... When listing items for you to choose from (for
example, when listing groups so you can add a user), the list will be sorted by
item name if it contains fewer items than set here. For large numbers of items,
sorting can significantly slow performance. You may want to raise this setting if
list sorting is more important than the time it takes to load them, or lower it to
have lists load as fast as possible. Set it to one to never have selection lists presorted or clear the checkbox to have all selection lists sorted.
Skip list pre-filtering... When listing items for you to choose from, Server
Admin will filter out items which are not legal choices--such as groups a user
already belongs to--if there are fewer than this many items in the list. Prefiltering requires Server Admin to load the entire list before displaying any
items, and therefore can slow down the list display. Set this to one to never have
selection lists pre-filtered or clear the checkbox to have all selection lists filtered.
Use modal dialogs By default, when you add a new object or look at the
properties of an existing one, the Server Admin Client opens a modeless
dialog box. A modeless dialog is not attached to the main MMC window: it
displays separately in the task list, and you do not have to close it to return to
the MMC window. In fact, you can return to the main window, select a different
object, and open another dialog box without closing the first one. If you check
this box, Server Admin uses modal dialogs instead: they are connected to the
main MMC window, and you cannot return to the main window or open
another dialog without first closing the dialog you are working with.
When all the options are set the way you want, click OK.
10. Be sure to save the console file to preserve your new settings. See the next section.
Note
When a list is pre-sorted, it is sorted in the same order you used last time you
viewed that type of item.
Tip
You can always sort any list by clicking on a column heading, even if the list
was not sorted when it initially displayed.
39
Closing Server Admin
Closing Server Admin

When you are done using the Server Admin client, you can close it as you would any
other Windows program. You can also log off a Vista Plus server and close the connection
to that server without closing Server Admin.
You can close Server Admin in any of the standard Windows ways: click the close button
at the top right of the window; select Exit from the Console window; or press ALT+F4.
If you have any Server Admin dialog boxes openif youre in the middle of adding an
object or are looking at any objects propertiesyou will receive a message telling you to
close all property pages before closing Server Admin.
If Server Admin is not in the exact same state when you close it as it was when you
opened itor when you last saved your console fileit will ask if you want to save your
console file with the new settings. This will happen if you are listing objects from a
different Vista Plus server, or even if you are just listing a different type of object on the
same server: for example, if you had the user list displayed when you started Server
Admin but now have reports displayed. See the next section for more about console files.
Logging Off a Vista Plus Server

To log off and close the connection to a Vista Plus server without closing Server Admin, do
one of the following:
Right-click the server and select Logoff from the pop-up menu.
Select the server and select Logoff from the Action menu.
Either of these methods closes the connection to that server, but leaves Server Admin
running. You can log back on to the server at any time, as described on page 28.
40
Console Files
Console Files
This chapter has mentioned console files several times. What exactly is a console file? A
console file stores configuration information for MMC: what snap-ins are active, what
options are set, and so on. For Vista Plus Server Admin, the console file also stores the
options described above and information about the Vista Plus servers to connect to,
including host, port, default user name, and the current status of the connection: are you
logged in and what objects, if any, are listed? In a sense, when you save a console file, the
file contains a snapshot of the state of MMC. When you open the console file later, it
returns MMC to that same state.
Server Admin includes the default console file winadmin.msc (all console files have the msc
extension). This file defines an MMC console with Server Admin as the only snap-in. As
you define Vista Plus servers and set options, you can save all your changes to this file, or
you can create multiple console files with different names. The desktop icon created when
Server Admin is installed uses winadmin.msc, so if you create a different console file, youll
need to either switch console files after starting Server Admin or create a desktop shortcut
to the other file (or start the file in some other way, such as through Windows Explorer).
Since you can define and connect to multiple Vista Plus servers through a single console
file, most users will not need additional files.
If you save a console file while you are logged into and displaying information from a
Vista Plus server, when you start Server Admin using that console file, it will display the
log on screen. If you had more than one window open, it will display the log on screen for
each server you were displaying items from.
You may want to create console files which include items in addition to Server Admin in
the console tree: MMC snap-ins such as the Windows Event Viewer (as mentioned on
page 37) or URLs so you can open a Web page in the details pane. Or you can save these
additional items in the default console file if you want them always available. See the
MMC help file for instructions on adding snap-ins or URLs to the console tree.
The following procedures describe saving console files and switching between them.
To save the current console file
Press Ctrl+S or, from the Console menu, select Save.
If you make changes which affect the console file and do not save the file, you will be
prompted to save it before exiting Server Admin.
To create a new console file
To save the current settings as a new console file, from the Console menu, select Save
As.
To create a new, blank console file, from the Console menu, select New. If you do this,
the new console file will not have Vista Plus Server Admin defined as a snap-in; you
will have to add it. See the MMC help for information on adding a snap-in to a
console file.
41
Console Files
To change the console file you are using
42
1.
From the Console menu, select Open.
2.
Navigate to the desired directory and select the msc file to open.
3.
Click Open.
Chapter 4
Managing Folders
This chapter covers managing the folders in your Vista Plus report warehouse.
In This Chapter
Folder Overview ...................................................................................... 44
Creating Folders ...................................................................................... 45
Linking Folders and Creating Folder Hierarchies .............................. 46
Linking Reports and Bundles to Folders ............................................. 48
Unlinking Folders .................................................................................... 50
Modifying Folders ................................................................................... 51
Deleting Folders ....................................................................................... 52
Viewing Folder Lists and Information ................................................. 53
Note
You can manage folders using either the Server Admin client or vadmin. In
addition, some folder functions can be performed using Vista Plus Windows
Client or Vista Plus Web View. This chapter gives procedures for Server
Admin. See Chapter 22 for vadmin commands, the Vista Plus Windows Client
Users Guide for Windows Client functions, or the Web View online help.
43
Folder Overview
Folder Overview
Folders contain reports, other folders, and bundle definitions. They provide a way to
group related reports or subfolders together. Some companies set up folders by
department (Accounting, Marketing, Sales) or time increment (Year End Reports,
Quarterly Reports, Monthly Reports); others set them up to correspond to modules of
report generating software such as PeopleSoft or SAP R/3.
Each folder can serve as a parent folder, a subfolder, or both. Subfolders are shown below
parent folders in Vista Plus viewer clients. Parent folders and subfolders are said to be
linked. Each folder can be linked to multiple folders, as either a parent or a subfolder; this
means the same folder may appear in more than one other folder.
One folder is assigned to each user or group as a Home folder. This is displayed at the top
of viewer client folder lists; each user can see only those folders and reports which are
linked, directly or indirectly, to the Home folder. You can assign any folder as the Home
folder for a user or group. As you create and link folders, be sure to link all the
appropriate subfolders to folders that will be treated as Home folders.
The concept of the Home folder allows you to let users see only the folders and reports
they need to; you dont have to give them access to everything in your report warehouse.
44
Note
The MAIN folder included with Vista Plus is the default root folder from
which all other folders in your report warehouse descend. You can change the
name and description of this folder, if you want. If you use one of the Vista
Plus ERP interfaces, check the documentation for your interface before
changing the name; some of the interfaces require the root folder to be MAIN.
Tip
We recommend you do not use the ampersand character (&) in folder names.
This character displays as an underscore in Windows dialog boxes and list
boxes, which could confuse users.
Creating Folders
Creating Folders
Folders must be created before you begin capturing files from your system to reports in
your warehouse. If you try to capture a file to a folder that doesnt exist, the file is sent to
the Users New Reports folder in the capture users Home folder; User is the Vista Plus user
designated as capture user when a file is captured. See page 69 for more on capture users.
After you create a folder, you can link other folders, reports, and bundles to it, as
described in the following sections. You can also assign permissions for the folder to users
and groups; see Chapter 10.
How to Add Folders

1.
Create a new folder using any of the methods on page 33.
2.
In the Name field, enter a name for the new folder (up to 128 characters). This will
appear in the Folder Name column in Vista Plus viewer clients.
3.
In the Description field, enter a descriptive title for the folder (up to 255 characters).
This will appear next to the folders icon in Vista Plus viewer clients.
4.
Click Finish to create the folder.
Managing Folders
45
Linking Folders and Creating Folder Hierarchies

Linking folders to folders is how you add subfolders to parent folders and create Home
folder hierarchies. Home folders and the folders they contain are shown in hierarchical
fashion in the Windows Client; you see one level of the hierarchy at a time in Web View.
Before you begin linking folders, decide which ones should serve as Home folders and
how folders should be organized within them:
1.
Top of the hierarchy The Home folder assigned to a user

or group is shown at the top of the Vista Plus Explorer
window. In the example, the Accounting Folder is the Home
folder.
2.
Level two The subfolders linked directly to the Home

folder are indented below it. In the example, the Accounts
Payable and Accounts Receivable folders are at level two in the
hierarchy.
3.
Level three The subfolders linked to folders in the Home

folder are indented below their parent folders. In the
example, regional folders are at level three in the hierarchy.
Notice that while the Accounts Payable and Accounts Receivable folders are subfolders to the
Accounting folder, they are parent folders to the regional folders. And, since each folder
can be linked to multiple folders, any of these folders, including the Accounting Folder,
may also appear in other Home folders.
Tip
Each user must be assigned a Home folder, a primary group (this gives a user
the groups Home folder), or both. If a user is assigned a Home folder
individually, this Home folder is the only one he or she can display as a Home
folder. If you want this user to have access to the Home folders assigned to
other users, be sure to link these folders to his or her Home folder.
How to Link Folders
46
1.
Display the properties (see page 33) of the folder to use as the parent folder.
2.
Click the Links page.
3.
Click the Subfolders button. This lists the folders linked to this folder.
4.
Click Add. This lists all folders in the report warehouse.
5.
Select the folder or folders to link to this folder.
6.
Click OK.
Managing Folders
47
Linking Reports and Bundles to Folders

As in the physical office, folders in Vista Plus are for storing other objects: reports and
bundles (groups of report generations distributed togethersee Chapter 17). You place
reports and bundles in folders by linking them to the folder. You can link any number of
reports and bundles to a folder, and can link any report or bundle to more than one folder.
You may want to link a report to more than one folder so different users or groups can
access it in different ways; you can also assign generation filters so a report displays
different generations in different folderssee Chapter 9.
Note
Important! When you link a report or bundle to a folder, it is accessible to all

users who can see that folder, unless their access permissions prevent them
from seeing it. Be careful not to expose a report to users who should not be
able to see it.
How to Link Reports and Bundles to a Folder
48
1.
Display the properties (see page 33) of the folder.
2.
3.
Click Reports or Bundles. This displays the reports or bundles linked to the folder.
4.
Click Add. This lists all the reports or bundles in the warehouse.
5.
Select one or more reports or bundles to link to the folder.
6.
Click OK.
7.
Click Close to return to the Links page. To link more reports or bundles, return to step
3.
Tip
You can add a report or bundle to multiple folders at once by starting from
the report or bundle properties instead of the folder properties. See page 61
for reports and page 245 for bundles.
You can create a new report from the Select Reports dialog by clicking New.
Managing Folders
49
Unlinking Folders
Unlinking Folders
You can remove a subfolder, report, or bundle from a folder at any time by unlinking it.
This simply removes the object from the folder so it is no longer shown under it in viewer
client windows. It does not delete the folder, report, or bundle from the report warehouse.
It is still available in any other folder it may be linked to and it can be relinked to the same
folder or another folder at any time.
How to Unlink Objects from Folders
50
1.
Display the properties (see page 33) of the parent folder.
2.
3.
Click the Subfolders, Reports, or Bundles button. This lists the objects of that type
linked to this folder.
4.
Select the object or objects to remove.
5.
Click OK. You can return to step 3 to unlink objects of a different type.
Modifying Folders
Modifying Folders
You can change a folder's name or description at any time. You can also modify links to
other folders, reports, and bundles, and access permissions. Changing a folders name or
description changes it for all appearances of the folder. This means that if a folder is linked
to multiple parent folders in the report warehouse, its name or description is changed in
all the folders its contained in.
Tip
If your users use the Web View favorites feature, your folder list will include
folders with names in the format __fav__ID, where ID is the user ID. These
folders contain each users favorite reports; do not modify them.
How to Modify Folders

1.
Display the properties (see page 33) of the folder.
2.
Select the tab page containing the information to add or change:
3.
General The Name and Description fields; described in How to Add

Folders, earlier in this chapter.
Links Add or remove subfolders, reports, and bundles, as described in the

preceding sections.
Security Permissions for users and groups, as described in Chapter 10.
When youve finished your changes, click Close.
Managing Folders
51
Deleting Folders
Deleting Folders
You can delete folders from your report warehouse as needed. Deleting a folder
permanently removes it from the warehouse. It also removes all links between the folder
and its parent folders, subfolders, reports, groups, and users. Any access permissions
assigned individually to users or groups for the folder are deleted. Deleting a folder does
not delete the subfolders or reports it contains from the warehouse.
You delete a folder as you do any other object in Server Admin; see page 35. You can also
delete folders from the Vista Plus Windows Client, Web View, or using vadmin.
52
Warning
If you delete a folder that is assigned as a Home folder to one or more users or
groups, those users will not be able to log in to Vista Plus because their Home
folder will no longer be available. You must assign new Home folders to these
users.
Tip
If your users use the Web View favorites feature, your folder list will include
folders with names in the format __fav__ID, where ID is the user ID. Deleting
these folders deletes all of a users My Vista favorites; you should usually do
it only if you are also deleting the user.
Viewing Folder Lists and Information

You can list the folders in your warehouse and view a folders properties like you can any
other object; see page 30 and page 33. To view specific information about a folder:
To see the subfolders, reports, or bundles linked to a folder, view the folders
properties. On the Links page, click the appropriate button.
To view any report permissions assigned to users or groups, select the Security page
of the folders properties and click Users or Groups.
Viewing a Folder Hierarchy

You cannot see the folder hierarchy (the tree structure formed by linking reports) by using
Server Admin. Displaying the tree structure lets you see how the folders are linked. To see
the folder tree structure, you must either look in the Vista Plus Windows Client (see the
Vista Plus Windows Client Users Guide) or use the vadmin command as described below.
Web View shows only one level of the folder hierarchy at a time.
To view folder hierarchies with vadmin

Issue the c=Tree command from the UNIX or DOS prompt:
# ./vadmin c=Tree [folder=Folder Name] [report=y] [long=y]
The folder parameter specifies the folder the display should start from. If you dont
specify a folder, all folders are shown.
Setting the report parameter to y lists the reports contained in each folder.
Setting the long parameter to y shows complete folder and report names. Without this
option, only the first 20 to 30 characters of each name are shown.
See Chapter 22 for more information on vadmin and the Tree command.
Tree command output for root folder MAIN

MAIN
Managing Folders
Main Folder
SALES
Sales Folder
MARKETING Marketing Folder
JULY
Julys marketing report
JUNE
Junes marketing report
ACCOUNTING
Accounting Folder
JULY
Julys accounting report
JUNE
Junes accounting report
53
54
Chapter 5
Managing Reports
This chapter covers managing the reports in your Vista Plus report warehouse.
In This Chapter
Reports Overview .................................................................................... 56
Creating Reports ...................................................................................... 57
Linking Reports to Folders ..................................................................... 61
Unlinking Reports from Folders ........................................................... 62
Modifying Reports .................................................................................. 63
Deleting Reports and Generations ........................................................ 64
Viewing Report Lists and Information ................................................. 65
Note
You can manage reports using either the Server Admin client or vadmin. In
addition, some report functions can be performed using Vista Plus Windows
Client or Vista Plus Web View. This chapter gives procedures for Server
Admin. See Chapter 22 for vadmin commands, the Vista Plus Windows Client
Users Guide for Windows Client functions, or the Web View online help.
55
Reports Overview
Reports Overview
Where folders provide a way of grouping reports, reports provide a way of grouping
generations. Generations are the individual report files captured from your system to
your report warehouse.
Typically, each generation is an update to a report that is generated periodicallydaily,
weekly, monthly, or annually. For example, each generation of a Vista Plus report called
Inventory might be a weekly inventory report.
Reports are linked to the folders that contain them. Each report in your warehouse can be
linked to multiple folders. If you want to distribute multiple report generations together,
you can package them in report bundles, as described in Chapter 17.
The reports in a folder are displayed in Vista Plus viewer clients when the folder is
opened. The generations contained in a report are listed under it when the report is
opened. A reports generation list is updated as new generations are captured to it.
Tip
We recommend you do not use the ampersand character (&) in report names.
This character displays as an underscore in Windows dialog boxes and list
boxes, which could confuse users.
If you plan to use epurposing and PortalVue Connector to access report
renditions through a Web portal application, you may not want to use any of
these characters in report names:
\ / : ^ # ? < > | (space)
These characters cause problems with epurposing actionsmany of them are

not allowed in URLs and would keep the rendition files from being
downloaded from the portal. If you do use them in report names, turn off
userptname to use the report ID instead of the report name for renditions.
Please see see Chapter 18 for more information on epurposing and see
Chapter 19 for more on PortalVue Connector.
Note
56
Typically, each generation of a report uses the same file type (ASCII text, PCL,
etc.) and general page layout. If you capture generations with different file
types and/or layouts into the same report, operations which depend on file
type or page layoutsuch as index searching, SmartAlarms, or, in some
cases, printingmay give unexpected or incorrect results.
Creating Reports
Creating Reports
A report can be created before you capture its first generation, or at the same time. To
create reports before capture, you can use vadmin, the Server Admin client, Web View, or
the Windows Client. This chapter covers creating reports before capture using the Server
Admin client. See Chapter 6 for how to create reports during capture.
You set some report characteristics while creating the report; others cannot be specified
until after the report is saved, or until after the first report generation is captured. These
characteristics are described under Modifying Reports, starting on page 63. You also
link reports to folders after the report is created; see page 61. If you create reports during
capture, you can automatically link them to folders then. See Chapter 6.
How to Create a Report

1.
Create a new report using any of the methods on page 33.
2.
On the General page, enter the following information:
Name This will appear in the Report Name column in viewer client
windows. It can be up to 128 characters. See page 88 for some guidelines about
report names.
Description This will appear in viewer client windows (up to 255

characters). If no description is specified for individual generations captured to
this report, this description will also be used for those generations.
Default printer This remote printer is used if the user remote printing the
report doesn't select a printer, or if the user or group the report is being printed
for (by a SmartAlarm action) doesn't have a remote printer assigned and no
printer is selected in the alarm action. SmartAlarms are described in Chapter 16.
Managing Reports
57
Creating Reports
3.
58
Click Next. On the Capture page, enter the following information:
Default Capture Volume This is optional; you can type the volume name or
select it from the volume list. The report will be captured to this volume unless
a specific volume is selected during capture. If you dont set a default capture
volume, the report will be saved to the first available volume as defined in
warehouse configuration (see page 209). For more information about volumes,
see Chapter 12.
Character set and Locale Enter these only if they should be different than the
warehouse default. You generally don't need to specify a character set for PCL
or PostScript reports (except for PostScript reports which use certain extended
character sets), as the report file contains the character set information. The
locale determines how Vista Plus recognizes certain numeric formats in the
report. You cannot change these settings once the report is created. See
Appendix C for more information on character sets and locales.
Creating Reports
4.
Click Next. On the Migration page, you can enter the following migration rule sets.
Automatic Used for the report during migration if there is no On-Demand

rule for the report.
On-Demand Used only during the next migration after it is entered, and
removed from the report after the migration.
Client-Requested Used to determine the volume or device to archive the

generation to when a user archives a generation from a viewer client.
Migration rules determine what migration actions are taken for a reports generations
as they age and when they are taken. Generations can be archived, compressed, or
deleted. These are all optional; if you leave any field blank, the report uses the
warehouse default rule set for that type. See Chapter 13 for more information about
migration.
Managing Reports
59
Creating Reports
5.
Click Next. On the Security page, select:
Default permission Set a specific permission if its different than the

warehouse default. Permissions are discussed in detail in Chapter 10.
Page security required for access Check the box to prevent users without a
page security for this report from viewing it, no matter what permission they
have.
You cannot set user and group permission for the report until after you have saved it.
6.
Click Finish to add the report to the warehouse.
7.
You can now link the report to folders and select other report options and settings by
following the procedure for modifying the report, as described below.
Tip
60
You can create a new report and automatically link it to a particular folder by
displaying the folders properties, clicking Reports on the Link page, then
clicking Add.
Linking Reports to Folders
Linking Reports to Folders

Linking a report to a folder adds it to that folder. Each report can be linked to multiple
folders in the warehouse, including more than one folder in one Home folder hierarchy.
Tip
You can use generation filters to control which generations of a report appear
in each folder it is linked to. See Chapter 9 for more information on
generation filters.
How to Link Reports to Folders

1.
Display the properties (see page 33) of the report.
2.
Select the Links tab, then click Folders. This lists all the folders the report is currently
linked to.
3.
Click Add.
4.
Select one or more folders to link the report to.
5.
Click OK.
Tip
You can add multiple reports to a single folder at once by starting from the
folder properties instead of the report properties. See page 48.
Tip
You can create a new folder from the Select Folders dialog by clicking New.
Tip
Do not link any reports to the __fav__ID folders used for Web View favorites;
to be created properly, subscriptions must be created through Web View.
Managing Reports
61
Unlinking Reports from Folders
Unlinking Reports from Folders

You can unlink reports from folders at any time. Unlinking a report from a folder simply
removes it from the folder; it does not delete it from the warehouse or affect its links to
other folders.
How to Unlink Reports from Folders
62
1.
2.
Select the Links tab, then click Folders. This lists all the folders the report is currently
linked to.
3.
Select the folder or folders to remove the report from.
4.
Click OK.
Modifying Reports
Modifying Reports
After creating a report, you can change the settings youve given it (except for those noted
below) and set other characteristics for it. This section describes the general procedure for
modifying report characteristics; many of the characteristicssuch as page securities,
generation filters, and SmartAlarmsare described further in other chapters.
How to Modify a Report

1.
2.
3.
General The report name, description, and default printer, as described

under How to Create a Report, above.
Capture The capture volume, character set, locale, paper size, and lines per
page. Only the capture volume can be changed after the report is created.
Migration The migration actions are taken for a reports generations as they
age and when they are taken. Generations can be archived, compressed, or
deleted. If migration sets are not assigned to a report individually, its
generations are migrated based on the default migration sets in warehouse
parameters. See page 188.
Generation Filters Which generations are shown in report generation lists in

Vista Plus viewer clients; they can be based on capture date, capture user, or
number of generations. See Chapter 9.
Page Securities User access to individual report pages. It works with report
security and access permissions. Click the New button to define page securities
for a report. See Chapter 11.
SmartAlarms Automatically notify users when new generations are

captured to a report; they can be based on the value of a report index. Click the
New button to define SmartAlarms for a report. See Chapter 16.
Security Access permissions determine how much access users have to a

report. You can set a default for the report and assign permissions for users and
groups whose permission should be higher or lower than the report default. See
Chapter 10.
The Security page also contains the Page security required for access box. If
this box is checked, users without a page security assigned cannot see any of the
report, no matter what their access permission is; if this box is cleared, users
with permission for the report but no page security can see the entire report.
Whether it is on or off, users who are assigned a page security for the report can
see only the pages allowed by the page security.
Links What folders is the report linked to? See the previous sections for
instructions.
When youre done, click OK.
Managing Reports
63
Deleting Reports and Generations
Deleting Reports and Generations

You have several options if you want to delete a report, or only some report generations,
from the report warehouse:
64
To remove a report and all its generations, you can delete it as you would any other
object in Server Admin; see page 35. You can also delete a report using vadmin (see
Chapter 22), with Web View, or with the Windows Client. When you delete a report,
all of its links, access permissions, page securities, and SmartAlarms are also deleted.
You can move generations to offline storage or delete them using report migration.
Migration archives or deletes generations based on parameters such as days since
capture or days since the generation was last viewed. Migration is described in
Chapter 13.
You can also delete individual generations directly using functions in Web View and
the Windows Client; see the documentation for those clients.
Viewing Report Lists and Information

You can list the reports in your warehouse and view a reports properties like you can any
other object; see pages 30 and 33. To view specific information about a report:
To see the folders a report is linked to, select the Links page of the reports properties
and click Folders.
To see the reports linked to a certain folder, view the folders properties. On the Links
page, click Reports.
To view any report permissions assigned to users or groups, select the Security page
of the reports properties and click Users or Groups.
Tip
Managing Reports
To view generation lists for reports, use the vadmin ShowReport command
or view reports from Vista Plus viewer clients. To view lists of reports along
with Home folder hierarchies, use the vadmin Tree command with the report
option. See page 386.
65
66
Chapter 6
Capturing Report Generations

This chapter covers capturing files from your system to reports in your Vista Plus report
warehouse.
In This Chapter
Capture Overview ................................................................................... 68
Capture Procedure Overview ................................................................ 71
Capturing with rcapture ......................................................................... 73
Capturing with dircapture ..................................................................... 74
Capturing with a Vista Plus Print Queue ............................................ 76
Capturing with Vista Plus lp ................................................................. 77
Capturing with the Vista Plus Capture Printer Port .......................... 78
Capture Options ...................................................................................... 80
Report Names .......................................................................................... 88
Supported File Formats .......................................................................... 89
Working with Capture Configuration Files ......................................... 97
67
Capture Overview
Capture Overview
To copy files from your system to reports in your Vista Plus report warehouse, you capture
them with Vista Plus capture tools. Source files can be captured from the Vista Plus server
host (UNIX or Windows), from remote hosts (UNIX hostsincluding remote OSF1 UNIX
hostsWindows servers, and HP 3000 hosts running the MPE operating system), and
from Vista Plus Windows Client PCs. See Introducing Capture Tools, below.
Each source file captured is added as a generation to a report in your Vista Plus report
warehouse. Reports can be created either before files are captured (see page 57) or during
the capture process. When you create a report during capture, the first generation is
captured to it at the same time.
To tell capture tools which source files to capture, you specify one or more filenames or
directories on a command line or in a PC capture window. To tell capture tools which
Vista Plus reports to capture to, you have a choice of two methods:
68
Command Line/Report Profile Methods You specify Vista Plus reports on a

command line or, when capturing from a workstation, in a Report Profile. Source files
are captured to the Vista Plus report specified; they do not need to meet any
conditions to be captured.
Capture Configuration File Method You specify Vista Plus reports in rule sets in
capture configuration files. A source file is captured to a report if it meets all the
conditions in the rule set for the report.
Note
Important! A file can be captured only if it is readable by the user and/or

group that owns Vista Plus. If Vista Plus is not running as the root user, be
sure the user or group specified during installation can read all files you want
to capture.
Note
Vista Plus cannot capture a report if the reports original file size is greater
than 2 GB. This is a limit imposed by operating system characteristics and is
independent of the disk space or memory space available.
Capture Overview
Introducing the Capture User

When you run a capture tool, the capture tool logs in to the Vista Plus server using a user
name, just like any other Vista Plus user. This user name becomes the capture user for
report generations captured while the capture tool is logged in using it. You designate the
capture user in the client.cfg file or with the -u option on the capture command line. (In PC
capture, you designate the capture user in a Server Profile). The user name in the client.cfg
file is the default capture user; any user designated on the command line or in a Server
Profile overrides this default. The user named Capture included with Vista Plus is entered
as the default in the client.cfg file. You can change this to another user name, if you want.
The user designated as capture user must have at least Modify permission for the folders
and reports you plan to capture to. The name of the capture user for a report generation is
shown in the Creator column in viewer client windows. You can use capture user names
to define generation filters and user capture rules. The names in user capture rules are
matched against the name of the capture user being used by the current capture tool.
Introducing Capture Tools

Vista Plus includes a variety of capture tools. Some can be used for capture from UNIX,
some for capture from Windows servers, and some for capture from Windows
workstations. All capture tools can capture to both UNIX and Windows server hosts.
rcapture This command line capture tool captures one or more individual files
from the Vista Plus server host or a remote host. It can be issued alone or in a batch
script. (For capture from UNIX, Windows servers, and MPE)
dircapture This command line capture tool captures all the files in one or more
directories. Capture can be done as needed or repeated automatically at user-specified
time intervals. dircapture can capture from a UNIX server host or from remote UNIX
hosts. (For capture from UNIX)
Vista Plus print queue This print capture tool captures files sent to a particular
print queue with the UNIX lp command and the -ddest option. Files are captured
instead of printed. You can have one or more Vista Plus print queues per report
warehouse on a host. (For capture from UNIX)
Vista Plus lp This print capture tool captures files sent to any UNIX print queue
with the UNIX lp command. To use this tool, you install Vista Plus lp and issue the
UNIX lp command. Vista Plus lp runs in place of UNIX lp and tries to capture all
reports sent to all queues. Files are printed as well as captured. (For capture from
UNIX)
Vista Plus Capture Printer Port This print capture tool capture files sent to a
printer from any Windows application. Files are captured instead of printed. It is
installed on a supported Windows server host. You can print to it from that host, and,
by printing over a network, from other Windows servers and workstations. The
Capture Printer Port is the Windows counterpart of the Vista Plus print queue. (For
capture from Windows servers or workstations)
69
Capture Overview
PC File Capture This Windows-based GUI capture tool captures one or more files
from a Windows server or workstation. It is optionally installed with Vista Plus
Windows Client. File Capture is the GUI counterpart of rcapture. See the Vista Plus
Windows Client Users Guide for details. (For capture from Windows servers or
workstations)
PC Folder and Auto Capture These Windows-based GUI capture tools capture all
the files, or selected files, from one or more directories from a Windows server host or
workstation. Capture can be done as needed or repeated automatically at userspecified time intervals. Folder Capture and Auto Capture are optionally installed
with Vista Plus Windows Client. Together, they are the GUI counterpart of dircapture.
See the Vista Plus Windows Client Users Guide for details. (For capture from Windows
servers or workstations)
Capture Tools by Platform

UNIX
Windows
Server
rcapture
dircapture
Vista Plus lp
Vista Plus print queue
Tools to use for capture from:
Vista Plus Capture Printer Port
Windows
Workstation
*
(available through
sharing)
70
File Capture
Folder & Auto Capture
Capture Procedure Overview

Here is an overview of the basics involved in capturing files from your system to reports
in your Vista Plus report warehouse. Most of these procedures have to be performed only
once, or only when you begin capturing new reports.
1.
If you plan to capture with one of the optional print capture tools the Vista Plus
print queue, Vista Plus lp, or the Vista Plus Capture Printer Port, make sure that tool is
installed. (See the Vista Plus Server Installation Guide for installation instructions.)
2.
Check entries in the client.cfg files on each computer you plan to capture from and
make changes, if needed. client.cfg files contain the host name of the server to capture
to, the port used for Vista Plus, and the name of the capture user. Capture tools use
this information to log in to the Vista Plus server. For most capture tools, check the
client.cfg file in the Vista Plus installation directory. If you are using the Vista Plus
Capture Printer Port on a Windows host, check the client.cfg file in the Windows
system directory. client.cfg is described on page 401.
3.
Decide which users to use as capture users and make sure these users have at least
Modify permission for folders and reports. You can leave Capture entered as the
default capture user in client.cfg files, specify a different user as the default, or specify
a user on the command line or in Server Profiles when you capture reports (this
overrides client.cfg):
If you want to use the user Capture as capture user, assign that user at least
Modify permission to folders and reports (see Chapter 10, ). An easy way to give
Capture the highest permission to all folders and reports is to make it a Vista
Plus Administrator.
If you want to use a Vista Plus Administrator as the capture user, you dont
need to assign permissions; an Administrator has the highest permission to all
folders and reports.
If you want to use a Normal user as the capture user, assign that user at least
Modify access permission to folders and reports.
4.
If you plan to capture from PCs, create Server and Report Profiles on each PC. Server
Profiles specify server login information (host name, port number, capture user).
Report Profiles specify capture options. See the Vista Plus Windows Client Users Guide.
5.
If you plan to use a capture configuration file for report capture, add rule sets for your
Vista Plus reports to this file. The capture.cfg file is the default configuration file; you
can create as many alternative files as needed:
To add rule sets to the capture.cfg file, you can work from either the Vista Plus
Windows Client or the Vista Plus server host. To add rule sets to alternative
configuration files, you must work from the server.
Before you add rule sets to the capture.cfg file from Vista Plus Windows Client,
you must capture at least one generation to the reports you want to capture to.
You can do this using any capture tool.
71
6.
Check the capture volumes and the report compression settings in warehouse
configuration. Compressing reports as they are captured can save warehouse space.
See Chapter 14.
7.
Capture source files using the capture tools available for the platform you are
capturing from. Specify options (the reports and folders to capture to, etc.) on the
command line, in capture configuration files, or in Report Profiles, depending on
which capture tool you are using.
8.
If you create reports during capture, afterward you can assign page security, user and
group access, generation filters, migration rule sets, print definitions for remote
printing, and SmartAlarms for report capture notification. All of these topics are
discussed elsewhere in this manual.
Tip
72
When capturing a new PCL or PostScript report for the first time, especially
when capturing from an application you have not previously captured from,
be sure to carefully test page security definitions and any other search-based
features, such as SmartAlarms or bounding box capture rules. Some
applicationsespecially applications which perform line-spacing operations
such as right-justificationmay split individual words into two or more text
objects within the report file. When this happens, Vista Plus cannot reliably
search these reports: while some searches will work correctly, others may not.
For example, we have seen this behavior in some Microsoft Word documents.
Changing the printer driver used to generate the report file, or adjusting
settings within the application, may correct the problem and allow searchbased features to work in Vista Plus.
Capturing with rcapture
Capturing with rcapture

Use the rcapture command-line capture tool as needed to capture one or more individual
files from the Vista Plus server host or remote host. You can specify options on the
command line, in a capture configuration file, or both. Command line options override
the same options in a file.
Tip
On a Windows host, you can also capture individual files using the PC File
Capture tool, which is installed with Vista Plus Windows Client.
To capture files with rcapture

Issue the rcapture command at the UNIX or DOS prompt on the Vista Plus server host or
a remote host with the names of one or more source files and any options:
# ./rcapture [-a] [-B] [-ccreate time] [-Ccharacter set] [-dreport]
[-D] [[-ffolder]...] [-FIndexfile] [-gfile] [-hhost] [-iformat]
[-IIndex=value] [-lvolume] [-Llocale] [-m] [-n] [-oport] [-plines]
[-rrule set] [-tdescription] [-uuser] [-v] [-wsize] [-xprepend file]
filenames
You must include -a, -d, -g, or -n, or Vista Plus will not know what report to capture to.
Capture options are described starting on page 80. The -F and -I options are part of the
optional TransVue Tagging feature. They are described in Using rcapture for TransVue
Tagging on page 458.
Warning
As with all Vista Plus commands, rcapture and its options are case-sensitive.
Be sure to enter options in the correct case. This is especially important with
the -d (report name) and -D (delete source file) options.
Tip
If the installation directory for Vista Plus executables is not included in your
path, change to that directory before running rcapture.
Note
On a UNIX host, rcapture can be run by any UNIX user. If you want, you can
change its permission settings to restrict its use. If you do this, be aware that
the Vista Plus print queue uses rcapture, so only users with access to rcapture
will be able to capture reports using a Vista Plus print queue. You may want
to set up a group of users (including lp) who are allowed to capture to Vista
Plus and give only that group permission to use rcapture.
73
Capturing with dircapture

Use this command-line capture tool to capture all the files in one or more directories from
the Vista Plus UNIX server or a remote UNIX host. You can run it as needed or have it
repeat at a time interval you select.
The first time dircapture is run, either on a one-time basis or an ongoing basis, it tries to
capture all files in a directory. After the first time, it captures only new files or files that
have been changed since the last capture. In either case, it skips files that have been
changed in the last three minutes from the time it starts to run.
You can specify the C, D, -L and g options on the command line for dircapture, and
three options that are unique to this tool: -r (repeat), -l (lock), and -R (Recursive). All other
options must be specified in a capture configuration file. dircapture looks in the default
file (capture.cfg) unless you include g to specify an alternative file.
Also, dircapture automatically captures files under the name of the capture user specified
in the client.cfg file in the installation directory. You cannot specify a capture user on the
command line.
To keep dircapture from capturing files that are being created or modified, you should
create or modify them in one directory, then move them to another directory and specify
this as the directory to capture from. If your report generating application supports file
locking, you can also use the -l (lock) option. This tells dircapture to skip reports that are
locked while being created or modified. If reports are not locked, it tells dircapture to put
a lock on them to prevent modifications during capture. See Unique Options for
dircapture on page 75.
Tip
On a Windows host, you can perform directory capture using the PC Folder
Capture tool, which is installed with Vista Plus Windows Client.
To capture files with dircapture

Issue the dircapture command at the UNIX prompt of the Vista Plus server host or a
remote host with the names of one or more source directories and any options:
# ./dircapture [-Ccharacter set] [-D] [-gfile] [-l] [-Llocale]
[-rinterval] [-R] directory names
74
Unique Options for dircapture

These three options can be used only on the dircapture command line, not in capture
configuration files. The other options for dircapture, some of which can be used in
configuration files, are described in the main Capture Options section starting on page
80.
Lock
-l
Skips reports that are locked. If reports are not locked, it tells dircapture to put a lock on
them to prevent modifications during capture. Any reports that are skipped will be
captured the next time dircapture captures their directory. Any reports locked by
dircapture are unlocked after they are captured. The -l option is effective only if your
report generating program supports locks. If it does not support locks, specifying -l will
not keep dircapture from capturing reports that are being created or modified and it will
not prevent modifications to reports during capture. In both cases, reports may be only
partially captured.
Repeat Capture
-rinterval
Captures reports automatically, on an ongoing basis. With it, specify the time interval at
which capture should be repeated:
every@n (after the number of minutes specified by n)
hourly@mm (hourly at the number of minutes after the hour specified by mm)
daily@hh:mm (daily at the time specified by hh:mm; using 24-hour time).
Recursive
-R
Captures from all directories that descend from directories specified on the command line.
75
Capturing with a Vista Plus Print Queue
Capturing with a Vista Plus Print Queue

You can capture files from the Vista Plus server host by sending them to a Vista Plus print
queue with the UNIX lp command. Files are captured instead of printed. You can specify
options on the command line, in a capture configuration file, or both. Command line
options override the same options in a file.
You can have one or more Vista Plus print queues for each Vista Plus report warehouse on
a host; you may want to have more than one queue for a warehouse so you can set
different priorities or options for each queue. Each queue automatically captures to its
own warehouse. However, if you specify a different warehouse in the client.cfg file or on
the command line, a queue will capture to that warehouse instead.
The default Vista Plus print queue is named vista; you can also create other print queues
with different names. See the Vista Plus Server Installation Guide.
To switch from a Vista Plus print queue to Vista Plus lp, you must remove all Vista Plus
print queues. See the Vista Plus Server Installation Guide.
Because lp assigns a temporary file name to files in the print queue, file name capture
rules will not work correctly with a Vista Plus print queue.
To capture files with a Vista Plus print queue

Issue the UNIX lp command with the ddest option to specify the print queue (for
example, lp -dvista), the names of one or more source files, and any of the options
available. Issue the command from the directory where the queue is installed on the Vista
Plus server host.
# lp ddest [-oa=1] [-oC=character set] [-od=report] [[-of=folder]]
[-og=file] [-oh=host] [-oi=format] [-ol=volume] [-oL=locale] [-om=1]
[-on=1] [-oo=port] [-op=lines per page] [-ot=description] [-ou=user]
[-ow=size] [-ox=prepend file] filenames
Capture options are described starting on page 80; the options listed above are the only
ones available with the print queue. Specify options as follows:
Put an o in front of the option and an = (equal sign) between the option and its value,
as shown. For example: -od=SALES. Do not use = in a value; use it only to separate an
option and its value.
Set options that dont need a value, such as oa (use the default capture configuration
file), to 1 to enable them. For example: -oa=1
Note
76
If the UNIX lp command syntax is incorrect, a captured file is stored in the

Users New Reports folder in the capture users Home folder.
Capturing with Vista Plus lp
Capturing with Vista Plus lp

Use this print capture tool to capture files sent to any UNIX print queue with the UNIX lp
command. Files are printed as well as captured. Vista Plus lp automatically tries to
capture all files sent to all UNIX print queues. Capture can be successful even if a print
request fails.
Vista Plus lp automatically looks in the default capture configuration file (capture.cfg) for
capture options; it does not use options specified on the command line. Because a capture
user cannot be specified on the command line for this capture tool, it automatically
captures files under the capture user name specified in the client.cfg file in the installation
directory.
Vista Plus lp can be associated with only one warehouse on the Vista Plus server host; it
automatically captures to that warehouse. Although it cannot be installed on remote
hosts, you can set up queues on those hosts to redirect jobs to the server host.
To stop capturing with Vista Plus lp at any time and simply print files with UNIX lp, you
can either disable Vista Plus lp (see below) or uninstall it (see the Vista Plus Server
Installation Guide). After disabling Vista Plus lp, you can re-enable it at any time.
To switch from using Vista Plus lp to using a Vista Plus print queue, you need to uninstall
Vista Plus lp. See the Vista Plus Server Installation Guide.
To capture files with Vista Plus lp

Issue the UNIX lp command as normal on the Vista Plus server host. When installed, Vista
Plus lp runs in place of UNIX lp and attempts to capture all files printed. No print queue
configuration or special commands are needed.
To dynamically disable or enable Vista Plus lp

1.
Log to the directory where Vista Plus lp is installed.
2.
Disable or enable Vista Plus lp as follows:
To disable Vista Plus lp, remove the file lp_capture_is_on with the command
below:
# rm lp_capture_is_on
To enable Vista Plus lp, create the file lp_capture_is_on with the command
below:
# touch lp_capture_is_on
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Capturing with the Vista Plus Capture Printer Port

The Vista Plus Capture Printer Port emulates a Windows printer. You capture files by
printing them from any application that runs in a supported version of Windows. Files are
captured to the report warehouse on the Vista Plus server host instead of being printed.
While the Capture Printer Port can only be installed on a Windows server host or remote
host, you can use it to capture from Windows workstations by turning on printer sharing
for the capture port printer on the Windows host where it is installed and printing to it
across the network.
The Capture Printer Port automatically looks in the default file (capture.cfg) for capture
options; it does not use options specified on the command line or in any other capture
configuration file. For the capture user name to use, it looks in the client.cfg file in the
Windows system folder (the default is \Winnt\system32). It does not use capture user
names specified on the command line.
By default, all reports captured with the Vista Plus Capture Printer Port have these
characteristics:
The description is blank.
The source file name is taken from the title bar of the Windows application the file
was printed from.
You can change this behavior, and set other report and generation characteristics, by
adding entries to the client.cfg file in the Windows system directory; see page 401.
If the capture process fails on the Windows side, the file stays in the print queue of the
printer it was sent to. Check to make sure the entries in the client.cfg file in the Windows
system folder are correct, then reprint the file. If capture fails on the server side, check the
server error log, server.debug.log.
Note
Important! In most cases, you should not use the Capture Printer Port to
capture Windows application files, such as Word documents or Excel
spreadsheets, as TransVue files. The Capture Printer Port captures files that
have been submitted to a Windows print queue and processed by a Windows
printer driver. This changes the format of the file and means it will probably
not behave as expected after capture. To capture Windows files as TransVue
files, use rcapture or the PC capture tools.
If for some reason you do want to use the Capture Printer Port for TransVue
capture, be sure to thoroughly test the file type and printer driver you are
using.
Note
78
If enabled, encryption of report files occurs when the file is captured from the
printer queue to the Vista Plus report warehouse. If you are printing over a
network, the print file is not encrypted when transferred between the
workstation and the print server.
Tip
You can have more than one Windows printer defined to use the Capture
Printer Port. You may want to do this so you can use different printer drivers
to create files to be captured, or for other reasons.
To capture with the Vista Plus Capture Printer Port

1.
Open a file in any Windows-based application.
2.
Select Print from the File menu.
3.
Select the printer associated with the printer port from the printer list.
4.
Click OK to send the file to the printer. It is captured to the Vista Plus report specified
in the first rule set it matches in the capture configuration file on the Vista Plus server
host.
Tip
If at any time you have unexpected problems capturing using the capture
printer port, we suggest you remove and reinstall it. Instructions for
removing and installing the capture port are in the Vista Plus Server Installation
Guide.
79
Capture Options
Capture Options
Capture options specify information such as which report and folder a file should be
captured to, the description to use, and more. Some options can be entered only on the
command line; some can be entered only in capture configuration files; some can be used
with both. The dircapture tool has several unique options; see the section on dircapture.
The options are grouped into the following categories:
Configuration file options
Report and folder name options
Destination warehouse options: host, port, and user
Page size options: paper size and lines per page
Other report characteristic options: file format, character set or locale, description,
capture volume, migration rule set, and creation time
Miscellaneous options: background capture, deleting the source file, displaying

program version, and prepending files
Warning Capture options are case-sensitive. Be sure to enter options in the correct
case, especially the -d (report name) and -D (delete source file) options.
Note
If any option value, such as a report or file name, contains a space, you must
enclose it in double quotes.
Tip
Several capture options use bounding box definitions to define the exact area
of a report page where informationsuch as the report name or description
should be found. Anything which affects where text appears on a report
pagefor example, changing printer drivers or upgrading the application
software that produces the reportcan change the values that get included in
the bounding box. Be sure to test any capture options that may be affected
after any change to the software that produces a report.
Configuration File Options

Use Default File For command line only
-a
Tells capture tools to look in the default capture configuration file (capture.cfg) for report
names and capture options. You dont need to enter the name of a capture configuration
file with it.
Use Configuration File For command line only

-gfile
Tells capture tools to look in the named capture configuration file for capture information.
The file must reside on the same host as the report warehouse you are capturing to.
80
Capture Options
Report and Folder Name Options

Report Name For command line and capture configuration files
-dreport
Specifies the report to capture to. If the report does not already exist, it is created during
capture. For new reports, also specify a folder with -f (if you dont, new reports are added
to the Users New Reports folder in the capture users Home folder). If the report name
includes a space, you must enclose it in double quotes. Also, see Report Names on page
88.
You can extract the report name from the text of the source file by using d with a
bounding box or row and column, as described below.
Extract Report Name For capture configuration files only

-d(Page,(Bounding Box),Length) or -d(Page,Row,Column,Length)
Lets you use text from the source file as the report name. To specify the text, enter the page
and either a bounding box or the row and column where the text is found:
For the bounding box, enter four coordinates, defining, in order, the left, top, right,
and bottom. The left and right coordinates are distance from the left margin; top and
bottom are distance from the top margin. There are 7200 units per inch. For example,
for a bounding box that starts two inches from the left margin and one inch from the
top margin, and is three inches wide and inches high, the coordinates are
(14400,7200,36000,12600).
When creating capture rules from Vista Plus Windows Client, you can draw the
bounding box.
For a row and column, specify the page number and the row, and column where the
text starts. When calculating the row to use, do not count blank lines. Only lines with
text count as rows. If any row may or may not have text, we recommend you use a
bounding box rule instead of row/column. You can use this form only with ASCII or
ASA format reports (see page 89).
With either a bounding box or a row and column, length is the number of characters to use
as the report name.
81
Capture Options
Report Name from File Name For command line and capture
configuration files
-n
Uses the source file name as the Vista Plus report name when you create a report during
capture. Be sure to specify f with it to add the new report to a folder (if you dont, the
report is added to the Users New Reports folder in the capture users Home folder). You
cannot add this option to the capture file using Vista Plus Windows Client.
Note
If the KEEPSLASH option in server.cfg is on, the report name could include the
entire path to the report file, not just the file name itself. See the section on
report names on page 88.
Folder Name For command line and capture configuration files

-ffolder
Links the report to folder during capture. You can link either an existing report or one
created during capture. If an existing report is already linked to folders, you do not need
to use f, though you can use it to link the report to additional folders. f can be repeated
up to 10 times to link the report to multiple folders.
If no folder is specified for a report created during capture, or if the folder doesnt exist,
the report is added to the Users New Reports folder in the capture users Home folder.
If the folder name contains a space, you must enclose the name in double quotes. You can
extract the folder name from the text of the source file by using f with a bounding box or
row and column, as described below.
The capture user must have at least Modify permission for the folder you are linking the
report to.
Extract Folder Name For capture configuration files only

-f(Page,(Bounding Box),Length) or -f(Page,Row,Column,Length)
Lets you use text from the source file as the folder name. To specify the text, enter the page
and either a bounding box or the row and column where the text is found:
(14400,7200,36000,12600).
bounding box.
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For a row and column, specify the page number and the row, and column where the
Capture Options
as the folder name.
The capture user must have at least Modify permission for the folder you are linking the
report to. The folder must already exist; if it doesnt, the report is linked to the Users New
Reports folder in the capture users Home folder.
Destination Warehouse Options

Host For command line only
-hhost
Specifies the host name of the Vista Plus server host. It overrides the host entry in the
client.cfg file in the installation directory.
Port For command line only

-oport
Tells the capture tool to connect to a certain port on the Vista Plus server host. It overrides
the port entry in the client.cfg file in the installation directory.
User For command line only

-uuser
Tells the capture tool to log in and capture reports under the name of a certain Vista Plus
user. It overrides the capture user entry in the client.cfg file in the installation directory.
Page Size Options

Lines Per Page For command line and capture configuration files
-plines
Specifies the maximum number of lines per page for reports created during capture of
ASCII files. It is ignored during capture to existing reports. If p is not specified, a default
based on the warehouse default page size (and the lines per inch setting in server.cfg, if
any) is used.
This option does not affect remote printing of captured reports. If there are no page breaks
in the report file, remote printing will use the default lines per page setting.
Tip
Use p only with file name and user name capture rules. Because of the way a
file is processed during capture, this option does not work properly with
bounding box or row/column rules.
When using itxtl to capture landscape text reports, Vista Plus calculates the
lines per page based on the page size. If you override this using p, be sure to
base your setting on the page width. For example, use 51 for 8.5 wide paper.
83
Capture Options
Paper Size For command line and capture configuration files

-wpapersize
Sets the paper size for reports created during capture. It has no effect when capturing to
an existing report. Paper sizes are listed in the warehouse parameters section. See Chapter
14.
Tip
Use w only with file name and user name capture rules. Because of the way
a file is processed during capture, this option does not work properly with
Other Report Characteristic Options

Source File Format For command line and capture configuration files
-iformat
Specifies the format of the file to be captured. Format is one of the following:
txt ASCII text
txtl ASCII text (landscape)
asa ASCII text with ASA
pcl PCL, use default parser
cpcl PCL, use Vista Plus 5.x parser
pcl5c PCL 5c, use Vista Plus 5.x parser
pcl5e PCL 5e, use Vista Plus 5.x parser
4pcl PCL, use Vista Plus 4.x parser
ps Postscript, use default parser
cps Postscript, use Vista Plus 5.x parser
4ps PostScript; use Vista Plus 4.x parser
ps3 PostScript level 3, use Vista Plus 5.x parser
tv TransVue
Usually, the -i option is not necessary. Vista Plus automatically recognizes the format a
source file is in. However, you can use -i to force capture in a certain format. When you use
-i, all captured files must be in the same format. See page 89 for more information.
Tip
Use i only with file name and user name capture rules. Because of the way a
Use the -itxtl option to capture landscape text reports. If you dont use itxtl,
all text reports are captured in portrait orientation.
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Capture Options
Create Time
For command line only
-cmm/dd/yyyy:hh:mm:ss
Specifies the creation date and time to use for a file (shown in the File Time column in
viewer clients). Your time overrides the operating system time stamp. For example, if the
file was created elsewhere and copied to the host, you could use c to set the file time to
the original file create time instead of the transfer time. Enter it as follows:
mm is two digits for month
dd is two digits for day
yyyy is four digits for year (must be at least 1980 and earlier than 2038)
hh:mm:ss is two digits for hour, two digits for minute, and two digits for seconds
(optional if you leave this off, the time defaults to 12 noon)
Create Time Equals File Time For command line only

-m
Uses the date and time the print file was created (this is shown as the File Time in viewer
clients) as both the Create Time and the Last Access Time for the generation. This lets you
base migration rules on the time the original file was created rather than when it was
captured.
If you use m with c, the time you enter in c is used as both the Create Time and Last
Access Time.
Volume For command line and capture configuration files

-lvolume
Specifies the online volume to capture the report to. For example, -lhard disk
captures to the volume named hard disk. If you dont use this option, the capture volume is
determined by the warehouse configuration setting or the volume specified for the report.
If you include this option, the capture will fail if there is not enough room on the specified
volume; it will not roll over to the next volume.
Tip
Use l only with file name and user name capture rules. Because of the way a
Rule Set For rcapture only; not supported with print queue
-rruleset
Allows you to assign automatic migration rule sets to reports during capture. You can
assign a rule set to a new report created during capture or change the rule set for an
existing report:
Put quotation marks around the rule set name if it contains spaces.
85
Capture Options
Report Description For command line and capture configuration files

-tdescription
Specifies a description for a new generation or for a report created during capture. Each
generation can have a different description. If no description is specified for a generation,
the reports description is used. Put quotes around descriptions with more than one word.
You can extract the description from the text of the source file by using t with a bounding
box or row and column, as described below.
Extract Description For capture configuration files only

-t(Page,(Bounding Box),Length) or -t(Page,Row,Column,Length)
Lets you use text from the source file as the report description. To specify the text, enter
the page and either a bounding box or the row and column where the text is found:
(14400,7200,36000,12600).
bounding box.
For a row and column, specify the page number and the row and column where the
as the description.
Character Set For command line only

-Ccharacter set
Defines the character set the original report file is in; use only if this is different than the
default character set. Supported only for ASCII text files, and PostScript files which use
certain extended character sets; all PCL and most PostScript files contain character set
information.
Use only when creating a report during capture, not when capturing to existing reports.
See Appendix C for more information, including a list of supported character sets.
86
Capture Options
Locale For command line only

-Llocale
Defines the locale to use when capturing the file: this determines characteristics such as
the thousands separator, currency symbol, and so on. Use only if this is different than the
default locale.
Use only when creating a report during capture, not when capturing to existing reports.
See Appendix C for more information.
Miscellaneous Options
Background Capture For rcapture only; not supported with print queue
-B
Perform the capture as a background task on the server. This frees the job requesting the
capture to perform other tasks while the capture is taking place.
Warning
The -B option does not work on IBM AIX server hosts. If you include it on an
AIX host, the file will not be captured.
Delete Source File For rcapture only; not supported with print queue
-D
Deletes the source file after it is captured into Vista Plus. Be very careful using this option.
Version For rcapture only; not supported with print queue

-v
Displays the version number of the capture tool.
Prepend File For command line and capture configuration files

-xfile
Prepends the specified file to the beginning of the captured report file when it is stored in
the Vista Plus warehouse. It is generally used with text reports to include a standard set of
PCL commands at the beginning of each captured report. These commands could set font
size, page orientation, and so on. File must exist in the prefiles subdirectory of the Vista
Plus installation directory on the host the report is being captured to. For more
information, please see the Vista Plus Technical Addendum.
87
Report Names
Report Names
You define the name of the report youre capturing to using the d option. You can specify
an existing report or create a new one. When youre creating a new report using d, keep
these characteristics in mind:
A report name can be up to 128 characters long.
We recommend you dont use an ampersand (&) in a report name. It displays as an

underscore in Windows dialog boxes and list boxes, which could confuse users.
By default, slashes ( / ) are not allowed in report names; if you include a slash with
the d option, only the part of the name after the slash is used. To allow slashes in
report names, you must enter the statement KEEPSLASH=1 in the server.cfg file. For
example, if you capture using the option dname/with/slash, the created report
name will be slash if KEEPSLASH is not turned on and name/with/slash if it is.
Also, if you plan to use epurposing and PortalVue Connector to access report
renditions through a Web portal application, you may not want to use any of these
characters in report names:
\ / : ^ # ? < > | (space)
These characters cause problems with various epurposing actionsmany of them are
not allowed in URLs and would keep the rendition files from being downloaded from
the portal. If you do use them in report names, you should turn off userptname in
warehouse configuration to use the report ID instead of the report name for
renditions.
88
Characters from double-byte character sets, such as those found in Chinese, Japanese,
or Korean, are not supported in report names.
extended characters (generally, accented letters or the euro symbol) in report names.
You will not be able to create SmartAlarms, page security sets, and so on, for any
report which has an extended character in its name. The other Oracle character sets
which support extended characters (see the Vista Plus Server Installation Guide) do not
have this limitation.
Supported File Formats

Vista Plus supports both plain text and graphical file formats. Many graphic elements are
supported, including boxes, lines, shading, logos, and fonts in varying styles and sizes
(see page 93). Color is supported in some cases. In most cases, captured files appear in
Vista Plus viewer client windows just as they appear in their native formats.
Formats Supported by Vista Plus

ASCII Text
This is the plain text format. Reports in this format contain only
text without any formatting or graphics. Reports that contain
long lines (more than 80 characters for 8.5 wide paper) should
be captured with the -itxtl option. If you capture reports that
contain long lines without itxtl, they will be captured as
portrait instead of landscape.
If you have a problem with columns displaying over each other
at the right side of the page, you should capture those reports in
landscape using itxtl. If you have problems with lines
displaying over each other at the bottom of the page for
landscape reports, try adjusting the p (lines per page) setting.
This setting should normally be 51 or less for landscape reports
on 8.5 wide paper; the setting will vary for other paper sizes.
When possible, try to avoid using tab characters in captured text
files, especially multiple tabs on a single line. Large numbers of
tab characters can greatly increase the size of the captured file.
Also, all tabs are treated as eight spaces wide, which may cause
text not to align correctly.
ASCII Text with

ASA Characters
This is the plain text format used for fixed character size line
printers. Reports in this format contain plain text as well as ASA
carriage control characters that determine vertical movement
when they are printed. The first character of each line is
assumed to be a control character and is not printed. Vista Plus
conforms to XPG4, POSIX standards.
PCL
This is the printer control language format commonly used for

HP LaserJet printers. Reports in this format contain text and
graphics as well as printer instructions. Vista Plus supports PCL
5, 5c, and 5e, as well as HPGL/2, an extension of the PCL
format. Please note that Vista Plus does not support all fonts in
PCL reports or all commands available in all versions of PCL
for example, the Condensed option is not supported. Also, it
does not support some non-standard types of PCL. As a result, a
PCL report may look different in Vista Plus than it does in its
native mode.
89
Formats Supported by Vista Plus

PostScript
This is the page description language format used for highresolution printers, such as many laser printers. Reports in this
format contain text and graphics as well as instructions that
describe what to print on each page.
Vista Plus supports PostScript Level 2 and Level 3. PostScript
files captured to Vista Plus should be DSC-compliant and pageindependent; if they are not, they may not remote print
properly, though they will still display in viewer clients. Only
the lowest level of DSC compliance is required. See the note and
tip at the end of this table.
TransVue
TransVue files are captured to the Vista Plus report warehouse in

their original format, without any processing or conversion into
Vista Plus report format. The TransVue feature lets you capture
spreadsheets, word processor documents, and so on, and
distribute them like Vista Plus report generations.
Note
In general, all the generations of a report should have the same original file
format. Mixing formatsfor example, capturing text and PostScript files as
generations of the same reportcould keep features which depend on page
format or the location of information, such as SmartAlarms or index
searching, from working.
Tip
For best results when capturing PostScript files, the printer you use to create
the PostScript files for capture should have certain options set:
Set PostScript Output Format to PostScript (optimize for portability ADSC).
Set PostScript Language Level to Use PostScript Level 2 features.
Set Data Format to Ascii Data.
Do not select Send CTRL +D after job or Send CTRL +D before job.
All of these options except the first are found on the Advanced PostScript
Options dialog.
Note
Some PostScript features are supported only in certain cases:

The %%PageOrder comment is supported during remote printing only
when printing all pages.
When remote printing only part of a report, either by choice or because of
a page security, unpredictable problems may occur. This is because
PostScript can define a command at any point in the print file, then use
that command on other pages of the file. If the page containing a
command definition is not in the page range being printed, any page
which uses the command may not print correctly. For example, if a
command defined on page 1 is used on page 3, and you are printing page
3 but not page 1, the report may not remote print correctly.
90
How Vista Plus Recognizes File Formats

Vista Plus automatically recognizes the original format of each source file you capture,
even when you capture files in different formats at the same time. In general, you do not
need to specify a source files format. However, if you want to force capture in a certain
format, you can use the -i option to specify that format.
For example, you might want to specify a format if you know a text file could be mistaken
for a PCL file because it contains printer control characters. You also might want to use i
if you know a PCL file could be mistaken for a text file because the printer control
characters are at the end of the file instead of the beginning.
One case where you should always specify the -i option is when you capture landscape
text reports. If you dont include itxtl, all text reports are captured in portrait orientation.
For both PCL and PostScript report files, Vista Plus includes two parsers (the parser is the
program that interprets the report file and converts it to Vista Plus format). One set of
parsers is new for Vista Plus 5.x, and can process newer print file formats, such as PCL 5e
and PostScript level 3. In most cases, you will want to have Vista Plus use these newer
parsers. However, they may not capture some older reports correctly; in that case, you can
tell Vista Plus to use the previous, Vista Plus 4.x parsers. We recommend you use the 4.x
parsers only for legacy reports you know capture correctly using them, or if told to do so
by Vista Plus customer support.
You can select a particular parser with the -i option, as listed below. The default parsers
for the report warehouse are set in the server.cfg file; see page 405. In most cases, the
defaults should be the 5.x parsers.
You can specify these formats with the -i option:
-itxt ASCII text
-itxtl ASCII text, landscape
-iasa ASCII text with ASA
-ipcl PCL, use default parser
-icpcl PCL, use Vista Plus 5.x parser
-ipcl5c PCL 5c, use Vista Plus 5.x parser
-ipcl5e PCL 5e, use Vista Plus 5.x parser
-i4pcl PCL, use Vista Plus 4.x parser
-ips PostScript, use default parser
-icps PostScript; use Vista Plus 5.x parser
-ips3 PostScript level 3, use Vista Plus 5.x parser
-i4ps PostScript; use Vista Plus 4.x parser
-itv TransVue file
91
In most cases, you can use the general ipcl or ips format setting for PCL or PostScript
files (or dont specify any format and let Vista Plus auto-recognize the format). Use the
more specific settings, such as ipcl5e, only if you are certain of the files format and it is
not being captured correctly with the more general setting.
Tip
Use the -i option only when all the files specified for capture are in the same
format. All files will be captured in the format specified with -i, no matter
what their original format is. Keep in mind that if you use wildcards in
specifying filenames, all files captured may not be in the same format.
Note
If you have the NO_ASA=1 flag set in the client.cfg or server.cfg file, as
described in Appendix B, ASA reports will be saved as ASCII text reports
unless you use the iasa option.
Note
If you use auto-recognition (do not include any i option), and Vista Plus is
not able to identify the file type, it displays a warning message and processes
the file as if it was a PCL file; this gives the best results with most
unrecognizable files. If this happens, we recommend you check the captured
generation; it may be unusable.
TransVue Recognition
The TransVue feature captures files in their native formats. To specify TransVue file
capture, include the itv option. If you dont use any i option, the capture program looks
in the special.cfg file to see what files to treat as TransVue files. This file has these
characteristics:
On UNIX servers, it is in the Vista Plus installation directory; on Windows servers, it is

in the bin subdirectory. For PC Capture Tools, it is in the Vistacap directory.
It is a plain ASCII text file.
Each line contains one file extension, in all upper case, without the period, and
nothing else.
special.cfg is created the first time any file, TransVue or not, is captured to the report
warehouse. By default, it includes these common file extensions:
ART
AVI
BMP
DOC
DOCM
DOCX
DOT
DOTM
DOTX
GIF
HTM
HTML
MPG
POTM
POTX
PPAM
JFIF
JPE
JPEG
JPG
PPS
PPSM
PPSX
PPT
PPTM
PPTX
RTF
SLDM
SLDX
THMX
TIF
WBK
WRI
XLA
XLAM
XLC
XLK
XLM
XLS
XLSB
XLSM
XLSX
XLTM
XLTX
Files with an extension listed in special.cfg are treated as TransVue files during capture
when i is not used. To add or delete extensions from special.cfg, edit it like any other text
file, using vi, Notepad, or a similar program.
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Warning
special.cfg is used only by rcapture, dircapture, and the PC capture tools

(which use rcapture). Vista Plus lp and the Vista Plus print queue capture files
from the system print queue. The operating system may assign a temporary
name with a different extension to the file in the queue, which would cause
the file to be captured incorrectly. To capture TransVue files with either of
these tools, use the i option in capture.cfg, or, for the Vista Plus print queue,
include oiTV on the lp command line.
Note
Important! In most cases, you should not use the Vista Plus Capture Printer
Port to capture TransVue files. Use rcapture or the PC Capture Tools instead.
Color in Reports
Vista Plus includes limited color support. Color images in PCL and PostScript reports may
be rendered in color in Web View depending on the setting of the Parser_Color statement
in the server.cfg file (see page 413). Image formats which can be rendered in color include
GIF, JPG, and BMP. Graphics, such as charts, which are drawn by applications may not be
rendered as these types of images; if not, they will not be rendered in color. The Windows
Client does not support color images.
Vista Plus supports colored text in reports in both Web View and the Windows Client.
While color graphics other than the images discussed above are not supported, some
graphic elements, such as horizontal and vertical lines, may be rendered in color in some
cases; this can be affected by the server.cfg Parser_ConvertPaths setting (see page 413).
Fonts in Reports
In addition to text and graphics, PCL and PostScript report files contain font information:
the text size, typeface, bold or italic, and so on. In most cases, Vista Plus can interpret this
information and display report generations using fonts that are the same, or close to, the
fonts that would be used if the report was printed.
Vista Plus accomplishes this by supporting many common fonts, and by mapping some
fonts it doesnt support to similar fonts it does support. For example, a font which is
similar to Times New Roman could be mapped to Times New Roman. Report display in the
Windows Client or Web View would then use Times New Roman characters instead of the
original report font.
Font support can be confusing and apparently contradictory: what appears to be the same
font in two reports may actually be two fonts which are very slightly different and have
similar but not identical names; these differences can come from the application the files
are created from or from the printer driver used to create them (different versions of an
application or printer driver may produce different fonts). For example, there are fonts
available on Windows called Times, Times New Roman, and Tms New Rmn.
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Complicating matters further, some fonts are sent to Vista Plus as bitmap fonts (this
depends on the printer driver and what fonts the software believes are available to the
printer). In a bitmap font, each letter, number, and other character is actually a stored
picturea bitmapof the character, not the standard numeric code used for the character
in other fonts. Some print files include the font name and numeric character values in
addition to the font bitmaps; you may be able to map these fonts to non-bitmapped fonts,
as described in the next section. Other fonts contain only the bitmaps; they cannot be
mapped, as the information necessary to translate them into another fontthe numeric
values for the charactersisnt available. (This is a simplification of how bitmap fonts are
processed into Vista Plus. Which parser you are using also has an effect, and, in some
cases, only some characters in a font are treated as bitmaps.)
It is generally desirable to avoid bitmap fonts in Vista Plus. Because characters are stored
as pictures rather than the character values, you cannot search bitmap font text in a report
or use it in an index. That means it cannot be used as the basis for a SmartAlarm or page
security. Bitmap fonts also generally make the stored report file larger, so the report takes
longer to display. Whenever possible, we recommend you map a bitmap font to a font
supported by Vista Plus, as described in the next section. To see if a font is a bitmap font,
display the report in Web View or the Windows Client and select text-only display.
Characters in a bitmap font will disappear.
To ensure the best possible reproduction of your PCL and PostScript reports in Vista Plus,
capture a test generation of each report and view it using both Web View and the
Windows Client (if you will have users using both clients). If the font is not displayed
correctly, see if you can modify the report to use a font the client can display. If you have
reports from different applications which use the same font, we recommend you check
both reports, as different applications, or different combinations of application and printer
driver, may include different font information, causing Vista Plus to display the same
font differently.
If it is not feasible to change the fonts used in a report, you may be able to add the reports
font to Vista Pluss font mapping list, as described in the next section.
Font Mapping
Font mapping tells Vista Plus what font to use when a report contains a font which Vista
Plus clients are not able to display; it allows Vista Plus to capture and display reports even
if they use a font which it does not understand.
You set font mapping rules in the FontMapTables.txt file in the Vista Plus server installation
directory. It is an ASCII text file; you can edit it using Notepad or a similar program (on
Windows) or vi or another editor (on UNIX). Each line in the file contains two font names.
Whenever the first font is found in a report, Vista Plus changes it to the second font. Each
line also contains one of four client names.
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The client name determines when Vista Plus performs the font mapping: when the file is
being captured into the report warehouse or when it is being read from the report
warehouse to be displayed by Web View or the Windows Client:
If the client name is Capture, the font is changed during capture, and the report is
stored in the report warehouse in the mapped font, not in its original font. In this case,
the first font name is the source font which Vista Plus does not support, the second
name is a font Vista Plus does support.
If the client name is WebView or Windows, the font is changed when the report is
being read and displayed by that client. This allows you to have a report use different
fonts when displayed by Web View or the Windows Client, which could be desirable
if not all users can display the same fonts. The first font name is the font found in the
Vista Plus report file (which could be the result of mapping the original report font);
the second font may be one which Vista Plus does not support, but which the client
workstation does.
If the client name is Rendition, the font is changed only when a PDF rendition of the
report is created, either when the report is downloaded as PDF from Web View, or
when the report is renditioned using epurposing.
The format of a line in FontMapTables.txt is:

Input Font Name=Mapped Font Name, Client
Text in the Input Font Name is translated to the Mapped Font Name. Client determines
when this is done, as described above. You can use the * wildcard in the input font name
to map more than one font to the same output font. For example, in some PostScript
reportsnotably those with Asian languagesTrueType fonts are stored with names
consisting of TT followed by a number. In some cases, you may want to map all of these
fonts to one output font; you can do this by entering an input font name of TT*.
Here are some sample lines:
NimbusRoman9=Times New Roman, Capture
Times New Roman=HTML Font # 5, WebView
TT*=STSong-Light, Rendition
The first line means that all text which is marked as NimbusRoman9 in the file being
captured is stored by Vista Plus as Times New Roman. The second causes all text stored as
Times New Roman to be displayed by Web View as HTML Font # 5. The same reports will
display in the Windows Client using Times New Roman (unless there is another line in
FontMapTables.txt mapping that font for the Windows Client). The third sample takes all
fonts starting with TT and maps them to the font STSong-Light when a report is
downloaded to a PDF file. (ST-Song-Light is a simplified Chinese font; Appendix C
discusses how Vista Plus supports extended character sets.)
You can include blank lines and comment lines in FontMapTables.txt; any line starting with
the # character is a comment.
The FontMapTables.txt file provided with Vista Plus includes mapping statements for
many common fonts; you can view the file to see which fonts are mapped by default.
95
When adding your own statements, be sure to map to fonts that are similar in size (both
height and width) to the original font. If the mapped font is appreciably smaller or larger,
the report display may become unattractive or unreadable. This is especially true if the
mapped font is larger; text objects may overlap due to the larger character size.
Note
The input font name for all font mapping during capture must be the exact
font name as passed to the Vista Plus parser software. This may be different
than the font name as it appears in the source document, as the printer driver
or other software may change the font name to one it supports.
If a font will not display correctly, you may be able to find the font name
being passed to the parser. Please contact customer support for assistance, as
described on the copyright page. Unfortunately, in some cases the font name
is not passed to the capture process as part of the print file; in this case, you
will not be able to map the font as Vista Plus has no way of knowing the
original font name.
96
Working with Capture Configuration Files

Capture configuration files are one way to specify which Vista Plus reports your source
files should be captured to and which capture options to use. The other way is to specify
reports and options on a command line or, for PC capture, in Report Profiles.
When you specify reports and options in a capture configuration file, you also specify
capture rules for each report. Together, rules and options (which include a report name)
make up a rule set. A source file is captured to a certain report if it meets all the rules in the
rule set for that report; options are then applied.
The main advantage of capture configuration files is that they allow you to save capture
information for multiple reports for repeated use. This comes in handy if you plan to
capture to a standard set of reports. You dont need to re-enter capture information each
time you capture.
The default capture configuration file included with Vista Plus is capture.cfg. You can add
rule sets to this for as many reports as needed. You can also create as many alternative
files as needed.
dircapture, Vista Plus lp, and the Capture Printer Port automatically look in the capture.cfg
file for capture information; all other capture tools can be directed to look in either
capture.cfg or another capture configuration file (with the -a or -g option, respectively).
Capture tools look in the file on the host you are capturing to.
Note
Capture options can be specified on the command line, in a capture

configuration file, or both. If the same option is specified in both places, the
value for the option on the command line overrides the value for the option in
the configuration file.
Also, when using the Vista Plus Capture Printer Port, some capture options
can be overridden by settings in the client.cfg file. See page 401.
What Goes Into Capture Configuration Files

A capture configuration file can contain multiple rule sets. There is one report per rule set
(more than one set can capture to the same report). Rule sets consist of one or more rules
and one or more options (including a report option). A source file is captured to a report if
it meets all the rules in the reports rule set; options in the rule set are then applied:
Rules specify the conditions a source file must meet to be captured to a certain Vista
Plus report. There is one condition per rule. A condition can be a source file name,
capture user name, or a text value.
Options specify which report a file should be captured to. They can also specify
which folder or folders a file should be captured to (up to 10), the description to use
for a new report or generation, and more. There is one collection of options for each
rule set; each rule does not have its own options.
Rule sets are listed in capture configuration files in the order they are added. During the
capture, source files are checked against rule sets in the order they are listed and captured
97
to the report for the first rule set they meet (but see the important note on page 98). If a file
does not meet any rule set, it is captured according to the default rule set. If no default rule
set is defined, the file is not captured. The capture.cfg included with Vista Plus comes with
a default rule set already defined. You can modify this as needed.
Tip
Each rule set must have an option to set the report name: either n or some
form of d.
Note
A pound sign (#) marks a comment. Anything following a pound sign on a

line is ignored, so dont include one in a capture rule or option.
Rule Set Formats

When you add rule sets to capture configuration files from the Vista Plus server, you must
use the format shown below. When you add rule sets from the Vista Plus Windows Client,
this format is used automatically. Rules precede options and all options for a rule set must
be entered between one set of brackets.
Format
Example
#Rule Set 1
# comments (optional)
one or more rules
[capture options]
#Rule Set 1
#Example of a Row, Column Rule
1,9,17,"Zinc Metal"
[ -d"July" -f"Inventory" ]
#Rule Set 2
# comments (optional)
one or more rules
[capture options]
#Rule Set 2
#Example of a Bounding Box Rule
1,(28560,3720,42060,6120),"ACME CORP"
file:Oct*
[ -d"October" -f"Sales" ]
#Default Set
default:
[-d"GENERAL" options]
#Default Set
default:
[ -d"GENERAL" -f"MAIN" ]
Types of Capture Rules

The different capture rules that can be added to rule sets are described below. When you
add rules from the server, enter them in the formats shown (these formats are used
automatically from Vista Plus Windows Client). You cannot use both bounding box rules
and row/column rules in one rule set.
Warning
98
Because of the order in which Vista Plus processes captured reports, a file is
checked against all filename and user name rules first, in the order the rule
sets appear in the configuration file. If it is not captured under any of these
rules, it is checked against bounding box and row/column rules, again in the
order the rule sets appear in the file. Any match with a filename or user name
rule, regardless of the rule sets location in the file, takes precedence over a
bounding box or row/column rule match.
Also, if you have multiple bounding box or row/column rules which refer to
different pages for the same report, make sure the rules are in order by page
number. If they are not, some rules may be ignored.
Note
Extended characters (those with an ASCII value above 127, such as the euro
symbol and accented letters) are not officially supported in capture rules. If
the reports being captured use the same character set as the capture
configuration file, rules containing these characters should work; however, if
the character sets are different they may not. We recommend you carefully
test any capture rule which contains an extended character.
Filename Rules
These use a filename as a condition. To be captured, a source files

name must match the one specified in the rule. You can use full or
relative paths. One wildcard character (*) can be used anywhere in
the filename.
Rule Format: file: filename
Example: file: inventory.rpt
User Name Rules
These use the name of the capture user as a condition. To be

captured, a source file must be captured by the capture user
specified in the rule.
Rule Format: user: user name
Example: user: Chris
Text Value /
Bounding Box
Rules
These use report text defined by a page and bounding box as a

condition. To be captured, a source file must contain this text in the
bounding box and page specified. For the bounding box, enter four
coordinates, defining the left, top, right, and bottom. The left and
right coordinates are distance from the left margin; top and bottom
are distance from the top margin. There are 7200 units per inch. You
can draw bounding boxes from Vista Plus Windows Client. To
match the example, a file would need to contain Daily in the
bounding box on page 13.
Rule Format: page, bounding box, text to match
Example: 13,(14400,28800,30000,42000),Daily
99
Text Value /
Row, Column
Rules
These use report text defined by page, row, and column as a

condition. To be captured, a source file must contain this text in the
page, row, and column specified. This type of rule can only be used
to capture ASCII or ASA text files. To match the example, a file
would need to contain the text Weekly Inventory in row 40,
column 10 on page 1.
Rule Format: page, row, column, text to match
Example: 1, 40, 10, Weekly Inventory
When calculating the row to use, do not count blank lines. Only
lines with text count as rows. If any row may or may not have text,
we recommend you use a bounding box rule instead of row/
column.
Default Rule
This rule does not use a condition and should only occur once in a
capture configuration file, in the default rule set. Files that dont
match any other sets are captured to the report for this set. The
capture.cfg comes with a default rule set already defined. The report
specified for this is the GENERAL report included with Vista Plus. If
you dont specify a folder in options for the default rule set, files are
captured to the Users New Reports folder in the capture users Home
folder.
Rule Format: default:
[-dGENERAL other options]
Example:
100
default:
[-dGENERAL fMAIN ]
Tip
With TransVue files, or when using the i, -l, or p capture option, use only
file name and user name capture rules. Because of the way a file is processed
during capture, bounding box and row/column rules do not work properly
with these options or TransVue files.
Tip
If you create a bounding box rule with a text string that includes multiple
spaces between words, the rule may display in capture.cfg with only one
space. This is due to the internal structure of PCL and PostScript reports. The
capture rule will work correctly; it is only the way it appears in capture.cfg that
is affected.
Tip
Anything which affects where text appears on a report pagefor example,

changing printer drivers or upgrading the application software that produces
the reportcan change the values that get included in a defined bounding
box. Be sure to test any capture rules that may be affected after any change to
the software that produces a report.
Adding Rule Sets to Capture Configuration Files

To add rule sets to the capture.cfg file, you can work from either the Vista Plus server host
or from the Vista Plus Windows Client. (See the Vista Plus Windows Client Users Guide.) To
edit the default rule set or to create alternative capture configuration files, you must work
from the server host.
Capture configuration files are stored in the installation directory on the server host. The
capture.cfg file is included with Vista Plus. You can create other capture configuration files
as desired. They should be stored in the Vista Plus installation directory.
To add rule sets from the server

1.
Log in to the server host using a login with write permission for the file you want to
modify.
2.
Run a text editor such as vi or Notepad and open a capture configuration file in the
Vista Plus installation directory. The default configuration file is capture.cfg.
3.
Add a comment to a rule set, if you want, by entering a pound sign (#) and typing the
comment beside it.
4.
Create the first rule for a rule set using any of the available rule types, as described in
the previous section.
5.
Repeat Step 4 for each rule you want to add to the rule set. Remember that you cant
use bounding box rules and row/column rules in the same rule set.
6.
Add options to the rule set using any of the options available for capture
configuration files. Keep the following in mind:
If the rule set is for an existing report, be sure to use the d option to specify
which report the source files should be captured to.
If the rule set is for a report that will be created during capture, be sure to use
the d option or the n option to specify a name for the report. Also use the f
option to specify which folder or folders (up to 10) a new report should be
linked to.
Do not use the i, l, or p option with a bounding box or row/column rule;

because of the way the captured file is processed, these options do not work
with these rule types.
7.
Put a blank line after each rule set.
8.
Repeat Steps 3 through 7 for each rule set you want to add to the capture
configuration file. If you create multiple bounding box or row/column rules for a
report, make sure the rules are in order by page number. If they are not, some rules
may not be processed.
101
9.
Modify the default rule set (for capture.cfg) as needed or create the default rule set (for
an alternative file) by entering the line below. Do not specify a matching condition
after default. Add options for the default rule set using any of the options available
for capture configuration files. See Step 6 above.
default:
Tip
We recommend you do not enter bounding box rules by typing them into the
capture configuration file, especially if the text to match contains multiple
spaces. Due to the internal structure of PCL and PostScript reports, it can be
very difficult to determine the correct number of spaces in the text string,
which could keep the rule from matching correctly. Instead, use the Windows
Client to create these rules.
Adding Rule Sets from Vista Plus Windows Client

Before you can add rule sets for a report to the capture.cfg file from Vista Plus Windows
Client, you must capture at least one generation to the report, with data (it cannot be a
blank file), using a command line or PC capture tool. You then use this generation in
defining rule sets from Vista Plus Windows Client After you define rule sets, you can
delete the original generation if you want and begin capture according to the rule sets.
To add rule sets from Vista Plus Windows Client

1.
Capture generations using rcapture. Specify the source file name on the command
line and use the d or n option to set the report name and the f option to link the
report to a folder.
Tip
102
You can also use PC capture tools to capture the first generation to a report, as
described in the Vista Plus Windows Client Users Guide. Or, use dircapture to
capture all the files in one or more directories; see page 74. Specify the reports
and folders to capture to in the capture configuration file; see page
2.
Run Vista Plus Windows Client and log in as an Administrator so you have full access
permissions. You need at least Modify permission to define rule sets for reports in Step
3.
3.
Open reports in Vista Plus Windows Client and create rule sets for them as described
in the Vista Plus Windows Client Users Guide.
4.
If you want to delete any preliminary reports or first generations, use the delete
functions available in Vista Plus Windows Client. Deleting a report also deletes all of
its generations.
5.
If you created multiple bounding box or row/column rules for a report, edit the
capture.cfg file to make sure the rules are in order by page number. If they are not,
some rules may not be processed.
Chapter 7
Managing Groups
This chapter covers managing Vista Plus user groups.
In This Chapter
Groups Overview .................................................................................. 104
Creating Groups .................................................................................... 105
Start and End Dates ............................................................................... 107
Adding Users to a Group ..................................................................... 108
Modifying Groups ................................................................................. 110
Deleting Groups ..................................................................................... 111
Viewing Group Lists and Information ............................................... 112
Note
Groups can be managed using either the Server Admin client or vadmin. This
chapter gives procedures for Server Admin. See Chapter 22 for vadmin
commands.
103
Groups Overview
Groups Overview
Groups are an efficient way to organize users with the same information needs. You can
give users access to the same folders and reports by adding them to a group and assigning
a Home folder to the group. All group members then have access to that folder and its
contents. You dont need to assign it to each user individually.
Groups are also an efficient way to assign SmartAlarm actions and default remote printer
definitions. You simply specify a group for a SmartAlarm or assign a printer definition to
the group. You dont need to assign one to each user individually.
You can create as many groups as needed, adding one group for each set of users with
related information needs. Users can belong to one or more groups. Group members
share:
Home folders Group members have access to the groups Home folder and all the
folders and reports it contains. A Home folder is assigned to the group when the
group is created.
Access permissions Generally, all members of a group have the same permissions
for folders and reports. These can be the default permissions or permissions assigned
to the group. Higher permissions assigned to users individually override group
permissions; if the group uses the default permission, any permission assigned to a
user, higher or lower, overrides the default.
Communications capability All members of a group can communicate with other

members by attaching online notes to reports andif they use the Windows Client
by sending messages. Users who do not belong to at least one group cannot send
messages or notes.
Each user can belong to a primary group and one or more secondary groups (if a user is not
assigned a primary group, he or she must be assigned a Home folder). Generally, users are
automatically logged in to Vista Plus as members of their primary groups. If they belong
to multiple groups and the Require user to choose group membership at logon
warehouse parameter is selected, they select which group to log in under. The Home
folder of the login group is automatically displayed.
As users work in Vista Plus, they can change to a different group at any time. When users
change groups, the new groups Home folder is displayed and they are given that groups
access permissions. Although users can operate in Vista Plus as a member of only one
group at a time, they can communicate with members of all their groups at all times.
Note
104
If a user has an individual Home folder, he or she always sees it rather than
the Home folder of the group he or she is logged in as a member of. If you
want a user to see the groups Home folder, do not assign an individual
Home folder to that user.
Creating Groups
Creating Groups
As you create groups, you must assign each group a Home folder. You can also assign a
default remote printer and start and end dates that determine how long a group record is
valid. See page 107 for more information on start and end dates.
After you create groups, you can:
Add users to the group (see page 108). The group becomes one of the users
secondary groups. You can also select groups for a user, including the users primary
group, through the users properties. See Chapter 8.
Assign the group access permissions for folders, reports, or bundles, and page
securities, if these should be different than the default permissions; see page 144.
Create report subscriptions for the group. Subscriptions are described starting on
page 286.
How to Create a Group

1.
Create a new group using any of the methods on page 33.
2.
Name This identifies the group everywhere groups appear in Vista Plus (up
to 128 characters). This is required.
Description This is for your information only (up to 255 characters).
Default printer This remote printer will be used for bundle and SmartAlarm
print actions for the group, if no printer is specified in the action or bundle
definition.
Managing Groups
105
Creating Groups
3.
4.
Click Next. On the Account page, enter the following information:
Home Folder Type or select the folder to use for this group. This is required.
You can create a new folder to use as the group Home folder by clicking
Browse, then clicking New.
Disable until Check this box to set the first day group members can log in to
Vista Plus. Then type or select the date and time in the fields beside the
checkbox. Users will not be able to log in as a member of this group until the
specified time on the specified day.
Disable after Check this box to set the last day group members can log in to
Vista Plus. Then type or select the date and time in the fields beside the
checkbox. Users will not be able to log in as a member of this group after the
specified time on the specified day.
Click Finish.
You can continue by assigning users to the group or setting other group parameters, as
described later in this chapter.
Tip
106
When typing a date, use a four-digit year between 1980 and 2037.
Start and End Dates
Start and End Dates

By default, groups are valid when they are created and remain valid indefinitely. User
membership in a group is valid when it is assigned and remains valid indefinitely. If you
want a group or group membership to become valid or invalid at a certain time, you can
set a start date, end date, or both. Use them together for groups or group memberships
that are only needed for a certain period of time.
You can set start and end dates for groups when you create or modify them using vadmin
or the Server Admin client. You can set start and end dates for user membership in groups
when you add users to groups. To set start and end dates for user names, see Chapter 8.
The allowable range for both start and end dates is from 1980 through 2037.
Tip
Use end dates to deactivate a group instead of deleting it. If the group is ever
needed again, you can reactivate it by removing or changing the end date.
Note
Users who are logged in as group members when the group reaches its end
date are not automatically logged out. However, once they switch groups or
log out, they cannot log back into the deactivated group.
Start Dates
If a start date is set for a user, the user cannot log in until that date.
If a start date is set for a group, no user can log in as a member of that group until the
start date.
If a start date is set for a users membership in a group, the user cannot log in as a
member of that group until the start date. If the user belongs to another group, he or
she can log in as a member of that group.
If a start date is set for a users primary group, the user cannot log in as a member of
that group until that date. However, if the user belongs to one or more secondary
groups and group selection at login is allowed, the user can log in as a member of
another group.
End Dates
If an end date is set for a user, the user cannot log in after that date.
If an end date is set for a group, no user can log in as a member that group after that
date. If the user belongs to another group, he or she can log in as a member of that
group
If an end date is set for a users membership in a group, the user cannot log in as a
member of that group after that date.
If an end date is set for a users primary group, the user cannot log in as a member of
that group on or after that date. However, if the user belongs to one or more
secondary groups and group selection at login is allowed, the user can log in as a
member of another group.
Managing Groups
107
Adding Users to a Group

Each user can belong to one or more groups, one of which may be his or her primary
group. Primary groups are assigned when you create users (see page 115) or through the
users properties. You can add one or more users to a groupor remove users from the
groupthrough the groups properties; while doing so, you can also access the users
properties and set his or her primary group.
While adding users to a group, you can set start and end dates for each users
membership in the group, if desired. See the previous section for the effect of a
memberships start and end dates.
How to Change the Users in a Group
108
1.
Display the properties (see page 33) of the group. You can also select the group
and click the Users in Group button to go directly to the Users page (skip step 2).
2.
Click the Users tab. This displays the users currently in the group.
3.
To add users to the group:
Click Add. This displays a list of users.
Select the user or users to add.
Click OK.
4.
5.
6.
7.
To remove users from the group:
Select the user or users to remove.
Click Remove.
To set a start and/or end date for one or more users membership in the group:
Select the user or users.
To set a start date, check the Membership disabled until box and type or select
the date and time.
To set an end date, check the Membership disabled after box and type or select
the date and time.
To change a users primary group:
Select the user.
Click Properties.
Click the Groups tab.
Select the group you want to make the primary group (the user must already be
a group member).
Click Set Primary.
Click OK.
Click OK.
Tip
Managing Groups
You can add a user to multiple groups at once by starting from the user
properties instead of the group properties. For instructions on this and more
information about setting the primary group, see page 125.
109
Modifying Groups
Modifying Groups
After creating a group, you can change the settings youve given it and set other
characteristics for it. This section describes the general procedure for modifying group
characteristics; some of the characteristicssuch as access permissions and subscriptions
are described further in other chapters.
Changing a group name changes it in all windows. Changing the groups Home folder
changes it for all group members who dont have individual Home folders.
How to Modify Groups

1.
Display the properties (see page 33) of the group.
2.
3.
110
General The group name, description, and default remote printer, as

described above under How to Create a Group.
Account The groups Home folder assignment and start and end dates, as
described earlier in this chapter.
Users Add or remove users from the group; see the previous section.
Subscriptions You can have report generations automatically delivered to

group members when they are captured. Subscriptions are described on
page 286.
Security The groups access permissions for folders, reports, and bundles,
and page securities assigned to the group. Permissions are described in Chapter
10; page securities in Chapter 11.
Deleting Groups
Deleting Groups
You can delete group records as needed. Deleting a group permanently removes it. It also
removes all links between the group and its members, Home folder, and folders and
reports. Any access permissions assigned to the group are cleared. Deleting a group does
not delete the groups members from the warehouse.
If you think you might need a group later on, you can use end dates to deactivate the
group instead of deleting it. You can easily reactivate the group by removing or changing
the end date. This saves you from having to recreate it.
To remove a group, delete it as you would any other object in Server Admin; see page 35.
Note
Managing Groups
You cannot delete a group if any users have it as their primary group.
111
Viewing Group Lists and Information
Viewing Group Lists and Information

You can list the groups in your warehouse and view a groups properties like you can any
other object; see pages 30 and 33. To view specific information about a group:
112
To view all users in a group, display the groups properties and select the Users page.
To view any folder, report, or bundle permissions, or page securities assigned to a

group, display the groups properties and select the Security page. Click the button
for the type of permissions you want to see.
Chapter 8
Managing Users
This chapter covers managing Vista Plus users.
In This Chapter
Users Overview ..................................................................................... 114
Creating Users ........................................................................................ 115
Adding Users to Groups ...................................................................... 125
Modifying Users .................................................................................... 127
Deleting Users ........................................................................................ 128
Viewing User Lists and Information .................................................. 129
Monitoring User Licenses and Logins ................................................ 130
Note
Users can be managed using either the Server Admin client or vadmin. This
chapter gives procedures for Server Admin. See Chapter 22 for vadmin
commands.
113
Users Overview
Users Overview
There are two types of Vista Plus usersAdministrators and Normal users. Normal is the
default user type. Both types of users can belong to Vista Plus groups. Groups provide an
efficient way of organizing users with related needs and assigning them Home folders
and access permissions. See Chapter 7.
Vista Plus Administrators

These are the users who manage your report warehouse. Administrators automatically
have the highest access permissions to all folders and reports in the warehouse. They
perform most management functions using server administration clients. They can also
perform a number of management functions using the Vista Plus Windows Client or Web
View.
You need at least one Vista Plus Administrator in your warehouse. A default
Administrator (Admin) is included with Vista Plus. You can create additional
Administrators, as needed. However, for the security of your warehouse, most users
should be Normal users. Also, we recommend that you change the default
Administrators password from Admin to something more secure.
Normal Users
These are the users who view reports with Vista Plus viewer clients. They can be anyone
in your company at any skill level or corporate level. The folders and reports Normal
users can access are the ones contained in a Home folder assigned to them or to one of
their groups. Their access permissions for folders and reports can be either the default
permissions or permissions assigned to them or one of their groups by an Administrator.
Tip
114
Giving certain Normal users higher access permissions to certain folders and
reports allows them to manage them from the Windows Client or Web View
and take on some of the responsibilities of a Vista Plus Administrator.
Creating Users
Creating Users
As you create users, you must assign a Home folder, a primary group, or both. You can
also assign passwords, set password expiration parameters, set start and end dates that
determine when a user name is valid, and enter other information. See the sections later in
this chapter for more information on assigning Home folders, primary groups,
passwords, and start and end dates.
Vista Plus passwords are optional for login from viewer clients. You may assign them or
not assign them, depending on the needs of your company (you can also have Vista Plus
use Windows or UNIX passwords, or have passwords checked by a third-party
authorization program). If passwords are assigned, they can be modified by a Vista Plus
Administrator or by the users they are assigned to at any time.
Tip
On each Vista Plus server, each user record must be unique. If you are using
multiple Vista Plus servers, you may want to avoid using the same user
names on more than one server to avoid confusion. However, this means each
person will have a different user name for each Vista Plus server he or she
logs on to.
After you create users, you can:
Add users to one or more secondary groups; see page 108.
Assign access permissions to users if these should be different from default

permissions; see page 144.
Note
Managing Users
In addition to user-record entries, another factor that affects login is the

Require user to choose group membership at logon setting in warehouse
parameters. This determines whether users must select which group they log
in under. See page 204.
115
Creating Users
How to Create a User
116
1.
Create a new user using any of the methods on page 33.
2.
Enter the following information in the General page:
Login name Enter a Vista Plus name for the user (up to 128 characters). This
is used for login. It also identifies the user in address lists for notes, messages,
bundles, and SmartAlarm print actions. It will replace <user> tokens in the
banner pages of any bundles the user receives. (Required)
Full name Enter the users full name. This will replace <user-full-name>
tokens in the banner pages of any bundles the user receives.
Description Enter a description for the user (up to 255 characters). This will
replace <user-desc> tokens in the banner pages of any bundles the user
receives.
Default printer This remote printer will be used for bundle and SmartAlarm
print actions for the user if no printer is specified in the action or bundle
definition.
Creating Users
3.
Click Next. On the Account page, enter the following information:
User type Leave Normal selected for all Normal users. This is the default.
Select Vista Plus Administrator to create an Administrator.
User Authorization From the list, select the type of password authorization
to use for this user; the default is Vista Plus password. See page 121.
Disable Until Select this checkbox if you want to specify the first day the
user can log in to Vista Plus. Then type or select the date and time in the fields
beside the checkbox. The user cannot log in until the specified time on the
specified day.
Disable After Select this checkbox if you want to specify the last day the user
can log in to Vista Plus. Then type or select the date and time in the fields beside
the checkbox. The user will not be able to log in after the specified time on the
specified day.
Tip
Managing Users
When typing a date, use a four-digit year between 1980 and 2037.
UNIX ID Enter any UNIX ID available for the user. If there is a UNIX ID
matching the user name, enter it here; otherwise set this to 0. This UNIX ID is
used to run UNIX commands as SmartAlarm and bundle actions for alarms and
bundles created by this user, and during printing.
Password Specify a password for logging in to Vista Plus clients (up to 26

characters). Passwords are optional for normal users; they are required for
Administrators. For security reasons, passwords are encrypted and asterisks
instead of characters appear as you type. (Use only if User Authorization type is
Vista Plus Password or Any)
117
Creating Users
Note
4.
118
Re-Enter Password If you entered a password, re-enter it here to verify the

password. If the entry here does not match the entry above or if this field is left
blank, an error message appears. You must re-enter the password in one field or
both. (Required if theres an entry in Password)
Because of the way Vista Plus encrypts passwords, some passwords with 2426 characters are not accepted and cause an error. This should be rare; if it
does happen, just try a different password.
Force change at next login Check this box to force a user to change his or her
password the next time he or she logs in to Vista Plus. You can force a change no
matter what is selected for password expiration. (Use only if User Authorization
type is Vista Plus Password)
Expires after days Check this box if you want the users password to
expire every so many days. Then enter the number of days in the field next to
the checkbox. If you dont check this box, the password is good indefinitely.
(Use only if User Authorization type is Vista Plus Password)
Click Next. On the Address page, you can enter the following optional information:
E-mail Type the users e-mail address. You must enter this to be able to email reports to the user as SmartAlarm or bundle actions.
Address Type the users mailing address. This will replace <user-addr> or
<user-addr#> tokens in the banner pages of any bundles the user receives.
Department Type the users department. This will replace <user-dept>

Telephone Type the users phone number. This will replace <user-phone>
Fax Type the users fax number. This will replace <user-fax> tokens in the
banner pages of any bundles the user receives.
Creating Users
5.
6.
Click Next. On the Groups page, enter the following information:
Primary Group Type or select the group name. (Either this or a Home folder is
required.)
Always use primary group home folder Check this button to have the user
use the Home folder for his or her primary group.
Always use this home folder To give the user a personal Home folder, check
this button and type or select the folder name in the field. (Either this or Primary
Group is required.)
Click Finish.
You can continue by selecting additional groups for the user or setting other user
parameters, as described later in this chapter.
Managing Users
119
Creating Users
Home Folders and Primary Groups

Each user must be assigned a primary group, a Home folder, or both. Users cannot log in
to Vista Plus without either a primary group or a Home folder.
Primary Group Only

If a user has a primary group and no Home folder, when the user logs in to Vista Plus he
or she is logged in as a member of the group and the groups Home folder is displayed. If
the Require user to choose group membership at logon warehouse parameter is selected,
the user must choose which group to log in under; the Home folder of the selected group
is displayed. After logging in, the user can change to any group he or she belongs to, and
the Home folder of the new group is displayed.
If both the user and the group are assigned access permission for a folder or report, the
user gets the higher of the permissions; if the group uses the default permission for a
folder or report, any permission assigned to the user, either higher or lower, overrides the
group permission.
Home Folder Only

If a user has a Home folder but no primary group, the Home folder is displayed when the
user logs in to Vista Plus; he or she is not logged in as a member of any group. Any time
after logging in (or during login if the warehouse parameters allow it), the user can
change to a secondary group. The individual Home folder displays even when the user is
logged in as a member of a secondary group.
When a user is logged in not as a group member, the access permission for all folders and
reports is the permission assigned to the user individually. When the user logs in as a
secondary group member, his or her permission is the higher of the groups permission or
the individual permission.
Both Primary Group and Home Folder

A user with both a primary group and a Home folder logs in to Vista Plus as a member of
the primary group. The users Home folder is displayed, not the groups Home folder. He
or she can switch groups any time after logging in (or select a secondary group at login if
the warehouse parameters allow it). However, the users individual Home folder always
displays, not the groups Home folder.
If both the user and the group are assigned access permission for a folder or report, the
user gets the higher of the permissions; if the group uses the default permission for a
folder or report, any permission assigned to the user, either higher or lower, overrides the
group permission.
Tip
120
Users with individual Home folders can only display their own Home folder.
To give these users access to other Home folders, include the Home folders as
subfolders in the users Home folder.
Creating Users
Passwords
Vista Plus Administrators must always enter a password to use the Server Administration
client. At your option, you can also require a password for vadmin (see page 319). Users
must enter a password when logging in to the Vista Plus Windows Client or Web View.
For each user, you can either:
Assign a password just for Vista Plus.
Use the users UNIX or Windows password.
Use a password assigned through another custom program. Use this option if you
want to use the optional LDAP authentication module on a UNIX server. LDAP
authentication is described in Appendix E, LDAP Authentication.
Have Vista Plus check all of these types of passwords when determining whether to
let a user log on.
You select the password type in the User Authorization field on the Vista Plus Server Info
tab.
Tip
If you want to let a user use Web View or the Windows Client without
entering a password, select Vista Plus Password as the User Authorization
type and leave the password fields blank.
Using UNIX or Windows Passwords

These options tell Vista Plus to check the users password entry against the password
used by the operating system on the Vista Plus server host. If you select this option, there
must be a UNIX or Windows user record with exactly the same name as the Vista Plus
user name; the password for this user name is the password the user must enter to log into
Vista Plus. If there is no matching UNIX or Windows user name, this user will not be able
to log into Vista Plus.
A Windows network can have multiple domains; you can have Vista Plus check Windows
passwords against domains other than the one the Vista Plus server is on. This is how
Vista Plus determines what domain to check the user name and password against:
If the Vista Plus user name does not include a backslash (\), the entire user name is
taken as the Windows user name and checked against the same domain the Vista Plus
server is on. For example, if the user name is Chris, the password is checked against
the password for the user Chris on the current Windows domain.
If the Vista Plus user name includes a backslash (\), the part of the user name before
the backslash is the Windows domain, and the part after it is the user name on that
domain. For example, if the Vista Plus user name is Corporate\Chris, the password is
checked against the password for the user Chris on the Windows Corporate domain.
If you want to use Windows password authorization, for any users who are not found on
the same domain as the Vista Plus server, you must enter their Vista Plus user names as
Domain\User, where Domain is the Windows domain where the user name is found and
Managing Users
121
Creating Users
User is the Windows user name. When logging in, the user must type the full
Domain\User user name.
Note
Important! For Vista Plus to be able to check user names on other Windows
domains, there must be two-way trust between the domain the Vista Plus
server is on and any domain where users will be authorized.
Note
While these options use the passwords stored by the operating system, the
user must still enter his or her Vista Plus user name and the password when
starting Vista Plus. The user may use a different name to log on to the host
and to Vista Plus, as long as the Vista Plus user name exists as a UNIX or
Windows user name.
Using a User-Supplied Authorization Method

This option means you have your own password authorization method for this user to use
when logging in to Vista Plus. For more information about creating your own
authorization module, please see the Vista Plus Technical Addendum.
If you use the optional LDAP authentication module, select this method. For the
additional setup required to use LDAP, please see Appendix E.
Using Vista Plus Passwords

If you use passwords assigned in Vista Plus, you enter a password when you create the
user. Either you or the user can change this password at any time. Also, you can force the
password to expire at a regular interval, or when the user next logs in.
Password Expiration on a Regular Basis: You can force users to change their
passwords on a regular basis by selecting the Expires after n days option in user
records. If the expiration interval is 30, a users password will expire every 30 days. If
the user changes his or her password before its due to expire, the interval starts over
from that point.
When a password expires, the Set Password dialog automatically appears the next
time the user logs in. The user must enter a new password in this dialog. Vista Plus
then automatically logs the user off and back in using the new password.
One-time Password Expiration: You can force a user to change his or her password
the next time he or she logs in. To do this, select the Force change at next login
checkbox in user records. Typically, you might select this before a user logs in to Vista
Plus for the first time. This gives him or her a chance to specify his or her own
password.
When the Force change checkbox is selected for a user, the Set Password dialog
appears the next time he or she logs in. After the user logs in with a new password,
the Force change checkbox is cleared. You can force a change whether or not a
regular password expiration interval has been set. If you force a user to change his or
her password before any regular expiration interval is due to occur, the interval will
start over from that point.
122
Creating Users
Note
Passwords can be up to 26 characters long, can include spaces, and are casesensitive. For security reasons, passwords are encrypted and are shown as
asterisks instead of letters.
Because of the way passwords are encrypted, some passwords with 24-26
characters are not accepted and cause an error. This should be rare; if it does
happen, just try a different password.
Using Any Authorization Method

With this method, when a user enters a password, Vista Plus checks it against its own
password file, then against the password for the user name on the host operating system,
then against any user-defined authorization system. If it finds a match in any of these
places, the user is logged in.
We recommend you use this method only if it is absolutely necessary. Since each
password entered may be checked against two or more user lists (the Vista Plus database
and the host operating system), it is not very efficient. In particular, if a user mistypes a
password, it may take some time before the program returns and allows the user to retype
the password.
Start and End Dates

By default, user records are valid as soon as they are created and users can log in to Vista
Plus right away. User records remain valid indefinitely. If you want user records to
become valid or invalid at a certain time, you can set start dates, end dates, or both. Use
them together for users who will only need access to Vista Plus for a certain period of
time. You can set start and end dates for users when you create or modify them. To set
start and end dates for groups and user membership in groups, see Chapter 7.
The allowable range for both start and end dates is from 1980 through 2037.
Tip
You can use end dates to deactivate a user record instead of deleting it. If the
record is ever needed again, you can quickly reactivate it by removing or
changing the end date. You dont need to recreate the user.
Note
Users who are logged in at the time of their end dates are not automatically
logged out. However, once they log out, they will not be able to log back in.
Start Dates
If a start date is set for a user, the user cannot log in until that date.
If a start date is set for a group, no user can log in or operate as a member of that
group until the start date.
If a start date is set for a users membership in a group, the user cannot log in or
operate as a member of that group until the start date.
Managing Users
123
Creating Users
If a start date is set for a users primary group, the user cannot log in as a member of
that group until that date. If the user belongs to one or more secondary groups and
group selection at login is allowed, the user can log in as a member of another group.
End Dates
124
If an end date is set for a user, the user cannot log in on or after that date.
If an end date is set for a group, no user can log in or operate as a member that group
after the end date.
If an end date is set for a users membership in a group, the user cannot log in or
operate as a member of that group after the end date.
If an end date is set for a users primary group, the user cannot log in or operate as a
member of that group on or after that date. If the user belongs to one or more
secondary groups and group selection at login is allowed, the user can continue to log
in as a member of another group.
Adding Users to Groups

When you create a user, you can assign a primary group for him or her. After you create
and save a user you can add him or her to as many groups as desired. Once the user
belongs to more than one group, you can select any of the groups the user belongs to as
his or her primary group. You can also remove a user from any group at any time.
How to Change the Groups a User Belongs to

Tip
You can add multiple users to a group at one time by starting from the
groups properties instead of the users. See page 108.
1.
Display the properties (see page 33) of the user. You can also select the user and
click the Groups button to go directly to the Groups page (skip step 2).
2.
Click the Groups tab. This displays the groups the user currently belongs to.
3.
To add the user to a group:
Managing Users
Click Add. This displays a list of groups.
Select the group or groups to add the user to.
Click OK.
125
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
To remove the user from a group:
Select the group or groups to remove the user from.
Click Remove.
To set a start and/or end date for the users membership in a group (see page 123):
Select the group or groups to set the dates for.
To set a start date, check the Membership disabled until box and type or select
the date and time.
To set an end date, check the Membership disabled after box and type or select
the date and time.
To change a users primary group:
Select the group.
Click Set Primary.
To select the primary group Home folder or an individual Home folder:
Always use primary group home folder or Always use this home folder.
If you selected this home folder, type the folder name or click Browse and
select it.
Click OK.
Tip
126
Before deleting a user from his or her primary group, either set another group
as primary or select an individual Home folder for the user.
Modifying Users
Modifying Users
You can modify users as needed by changing entries in user records, including user name,
password, user type, Home folder, and primary group. You can also modify users
secondary group assignments, access permissions, and default print definition
assignments. Changing a users name changes it in all groups the user belongs to and in
all windows.
How to Modify Users

1.
Display the properties (see page 33) of the user.
2.
Select the tab page containing the information to add or change (the General,
Account, and Address pages are described in more detail in How to Create a User
starting on page 116):
3.
General The users login name, full name, description, and default remote
printer.
Account The user type, authorization method, start and end dates, UNIX ID,
and password, if any.
Address Mailing and e-mail address, phone, and fax number. The e-mail
address is used for SmartAlarm and bundle actions and report subscriptions;
the other information may appear on bundle banner pages.
Groups Change the users group memberships and primary group and
Home folder assignments. See the previous section.
Subscriptions You can have report generations automatically delivered to

users when they are captured. Subscriptions are described on page 286.
Security The users access permissions for folders, reports, and bundles, and
page securities assigned to the user. Permissions are described in Chapter 10;
page securities in Chapter 11.
Click OK.
Managing Users
127
Deleting Users
Deleting Users
You can delete user records as needed. Deleting a user record permanently removes the
user. It also removes the user from all groups and removes all links between the user and
his or her folders and reports. Any access permissions assigned to the user are cleared.
After a users record is deleted, the user cannot log in to Vista Plus.
If you think you might need a user record later on, you can use end dates to deactivate the
user instead of deleting it. You can quickly reactivate the user by removing or changing
the end date. This saves you from having to recreate it.
To remove a user, delete the user as you would any other object in Server Admin; see
page 35
128
Warning
Do not delete the user records included with Vista Plus. These are the Admin,
demo, and Capture users.
Tip
If you delete the user who created a bundle instance, you will not be able to
distribute the instance. You may want to give the user name an end date
rather than deleting it. Bundles are discussed in Chapter 17.
Tip
If you use activity logging and reporting (see Chapter 21), be careful about
deleting users. After you delete a user, any actions performed by that user
before it was deleted will no longer show on any activity report. You may
want to give the user name an end date rather than deleting it.
Tip
If your users use the Vista Plus Web View favorites feature, you may want to
delete each users favorites folder after deleting the user. Before deleting the
user, note his or her user IDits shown at the bottom of the General page of
the user properties. The name of the favorites folder for the user is
__fav__UserID. For example, for user ID 501, the favorites folder is __fav__501.
Viewing User Lists and Information
Viewing User Lists and Information

You can list the users in your warehouse and view a users properties like you can any
other object; see pages 30 and 33. To view specific information about a user:
To view all the groups a user belongs to, display the users properties and select the
Groups page.
To view any folder, report, or bundle permissions, or page securities assigned to a

user, display the users properties and select the Security page. Click the button for
the type of permissions you want to see.
Managing Users
129
Monitoring User Licenses and Logins

You can monitor user logins to Vista Plus through Server Admins Licensing feature,
which lists the users who are currently logged in. You can also sees the number of users
currently logged in and the number of licenses available, allowing you to compare the
two. All license and login information displayed is for the host and port you are currently
connected to. If you log into a different host and/or port, information will be for that
report warehouse.
How to List Logged in Users
130
1.
Login to the server if you arent already.
2.
Click Licensing in the console tree.
3.
You can right-click in the detail pane and select Refresh to update the user list.
How to Check the Total User License

1.
Login to the server if you arent already.
2.
Right-click Licensing in the console tree.
3.
Select Properties from the popup menu.
The Total user licenses is the maximum number of licenses available for a host. Each login
to Vista Plus, including capture processes, uses one license. Users cannot log in after all
available licenses are in use. When a user logs out of Vista Plus, a license is freed up.
The Active user count is the number of users currently logged in to Vista Plus servers on a
host. It reflects logins from the Server Admin client, Windows Client, and Web View.
Managing Users
131
132
Chapter 9
Managing Generation Filters

This chapter covers managing generation filters.
In This Chapter
Generation Filters Overview ............................................................... 134
Setting Generation Filters ..................................................................... 135
Changing or Removing Generation Filters ........................................ 137
Note
Generation filters can be managed using either the Server Admin client or
vadmin. This chapter gives procedures for Server Admin. See Chapter 22 for
vadmin commands.
133
Generation Filters Overview
Generation Filters Overview

Generation filters allow you to control which generations of a report are available in a
particular folder in Vista Plus viewer clients. By default, all generations are available. If
only certain generations should be available, you can set generation filters to filter a
reports generation list by user, group, capture date, and other parameters.
When you set generation filters, you specify both the report and a folder it is linked to.
Each report can have different filters in different folders. This means that a reports
generation list in one folder can be different from its list in another folder. For example,
you can set a report to show generations captured by a particular user in one folder, and
generations captured by members of a particular group in another folder.
Once an Administrator has set generation filters for a report, Normal users can set
generation list preferences from viewer clients. Where generation filters determine which
generations are available in a folder, generation list preferences determine which of the
available generations are displayed for each user. Users can specify that only generations
for certain capture dates be displayed; that a certain number be retrieved at one time from
the report warehouse; or that only online or offline generations be displayed. See the
viewer client documentation for more information.
Warning
Generation filters affect only which generations are available to a user in Web
View and the Windows Client. They do not effect SmartAlarm actions. For
example, if a report has generation filters set to show users only generations
captured by a member of one of their groups, but a user has a SmartAlarm set
to print each new generation of the report, the alarm action will print all
generations of the report, not just the generations allowed by the generation
filter. If you use generation filters to control access to report generations, be
very careful in creating SmartAlarms for those same reports.
Favorites created through Web View respect the generation filters set for the
folder the report was accessed through when it was made a favorite. For email favorites, the user will get a message when any generation is captured,
but the link in the message will open the most recent generation allowed by
the generation filter.
See Chapter 16 for more information about SmartAlarms.
Note
134
Unless the FILTER_GENS_IN_REPORT_LIST flag in server.cfg is set (see

page 409), generation filters do not affect which generation shows in a report
list in Web View or the Windows Client; information for the absolute most
recent generation is always shown. If the user opens a generation list window
or expands the report, generation filters are applied, and only the correct
generations for that user are listed.
Setting Generation Filters

You set generation filters from the reports properties dialog. If you want to set filters for
the report in multiple folders, you select each folder and the filters for it in turn. Because
generation filters are set by folder, a report must be linked to one or more folders before
you can set them.
How to Set Generation Filters

When setting generation filters, keep in mind that if you set more than one filter for a
report in a folder, the filters work together. For example, if you specify both a day of the
week and a specific Vista Plus user, only generations captured on that day, by that user,
will be shown in a reports generation list. Generations captured on the right day but by a
different user, or vice-versa, will not.
1.
Display the reports properties (see page 33).
2.
Click the Generation filters tab.
3.
Select the folder to set generation filters for.
135
4.
5.
To show only the most recent generations or generations captured within a certain
number of days: check the Filter by most recent box and select one of the following:
Most recent generations List only the most recently captured generations.
Type or select the maximum number of generations to display.
Most recent days List only generations captured within this many days
before the list is being viewed. Type or select the number of days.
To filter generations according to the user who captured them, check the Filter by
creator box. and select one of the following:
Current user Each user will see only generations he or she captured.
User List only generations captured by a specific user. Type or select the user
name.
Users in current group Each user will see only generations captured by a
member of the group he or she is logged in as a member of. If the user changes
groups, he or she will see a different generation list.
Users in group List only generations captured by a member of a specific

group. Type or select the group name.
Note
6.
7.
136
A generation is captured by the user designated as the capture user at the

time of capture. A capture user is designated in a client.cfg file, on the
command line, or, for PC capture, in a Server Profile. See page 69.
To filter by a particular day or date, check the Filter by date box and select one of the
following:
Day of the week List only generations captured on a particular day of the
week. Select the day.
Day of the month List only generations captured on a particular day of the
month. Select the day, from 1-31.
Last day of the month List only generations captured on the last day of a
month.
Date range List only generations captured before and/or after the dates you
specify. You can select a Before date, an After date, or both.
Tip
To include generations captured in a certain date range, enter both Before and
After dates. The Before date should be later than the After date. For example,
to list generations captured during April, you would enter: Before May 1 and
After March 31.
Click the Apply button to save the filters for this folder and stay on this properties
page so you can set other generation filters or report properties, or click OK to save
the filters and close the properties dialog.
Changing or Removing Generation Filters

You can alter or remove the filters assigned to a report in a folder at any time. Changing
the filters assigned to the report in one folder does not have any effect on its filters in any
other folder.
How to Change or Remove Filters

1.
Display the reports properties (see page 33).
2.
Click the Generation filters tab.
3.
Select the folder to change or remove generation filters for.
4.
For each type of filter:
5.
To add a new filter, check the box and set the value, as described in the previous
section.
To change the value, type or select the new value.
To remove the type of filter, clear the checkbox. To completely remove

generation filtering in this folder, clear all three checkboxes.
Click OK or Apply to save your changes.
137
138
Chapter 10
Managing Access Permissions

This chapter covers managing user access permissions for folders, reports, and bundles,
and assigning groups and users page securities.
In This Chapter
Access Permissions Overview ............................................................. 140
Access Permission Levels ..................................................................... 142
Assigning Access Permissions ............................................................. 144
Note
Access permissions can be managed using either the Vista Plus Server
Administration client or vadmin. This chapter gives procedures for the Vista
Plus Server Administration client. See Chapter 22 for vadmin commands.
139
Access Permissions Overview

Access permissions determine what actions users and groups can perform on folders,
reports, and bundle instances in Vista Plus viewer clients.
Vista Plus Administrators automatically have Delete permission for all objects from all
Vista Plus clients. Normal users have the warehouse default access permissions for the
folders, reports, and bundles in their Home folders. You can change this in three ways:
To give all users more or less access to all reports, folders, or bundles, you can change
the default folder and report permissions by modifying the warehouse parameters, as
described in Chapter 14.
To give all users different access to a particular report, you can change the default
access for the report, as described in Chapter 5.
To give certain users or groups more or less access to certain reports, folders, or
bundles, you can assign higher or lower permissions for those reports; see page 144.
Permissions assigned to users or groups override default access permission.
If you want to offload Administrator tasks to certain Normal users, give these users
Delete permission for some folders and reports. This allows them to manage those folders
and reports from Vista Plus viewer clients.
If a Normal user creates a folder or report from a viewer client, he or she automatically has
the highest permission (Delete) for it. Also, a user has Delete permission for reports created
during capture using his or her name as the capture user.
140
Tip
You can assign any group or user one page security per report. To be able to
view the pages in the set, users also need View Only permission, or higher, for
the report. Page securities are discussed in Chapter 11.
Note
Security for bundles is discussed further on page 246.
User vs. Group Permissions

All group members have the groups access permissions for folders and reports. If one
group members permission for a folder, report, or page security should be different from
that of the group, you can assign permission to the member individually.
A user's permissions will be different from his or her groups access permissions in these
cases:
If the group uses the default permission for a folder or report and the user has been
assigned a permission, the individual permission, higher or lower, overrides the
default.
If both the user and the group have been assigned a permission for a folder or report,
the user receives the higher of the two permissions.
If a page security is assigned to the user for a certain report, it overrides any one
assigned to the group for the report.
Note
Normally, users have the permissions of the group they are operating under
currently. The permissions they have through one group may be different
than the permissions they have through another. If you want to allow users to
operate at all times with the highest explicit permissions of any of the groups
they belong to, add a line that reads ALLGROUPS=1 to the server.cfg file.
Even with this flag set, a lower explicitly assigned permission still overrides a
higher default permission.
141
Access Permission Levels

There are five access permission levels. No Access is the lowest level; Delete is the highest.
The functions allowed by each permission level vary for folders and reports. Permission
for the reports in a folder can be different from permission for the folder itself. Permission
for a report applies to all generations of that report. This table shows what the various
permission levels allow for folders, reports, and bundles: each level allows the actions
listed for it, as well as all the actions listed for the lower levels. For example, a user with
Modify permission for a report can also perform all the actions listed for View and
Distribute permissions.
Folders
Reports
Bundles
Delete
Delete any folder

Delete a report or report
(except a Home folder) generation
Delete an instance
Modify
Change names and

descriptions
Change report names

and descriptions
Create an instance
Link or unlink reports,

bundles, and folders
Add and save columns
Delete components
from an instance
Modify an instance
Add and delete indexes

Delete an empty folder (but see the second note
(except a Home folder) below)
Archive generations
Restore generations
(Windows Client)
Distribute
N/A
Print a report
Download a report
Copy and paste from a
report
E-mail a report
Print an instance
(including having it
printed as a
distribution action)
Distribute an instance
Add notes to a report

Use Store Report
function
Restore a generation
(Web View only)
View Only
View a folder
View a report
Link or unlink a report
(must have Modify
permission for the
folder)
No Access N/A
142
View bundle instances

and components
Link or unlink a bundle
(must have Modify
permission for the
folder)
Cannot view a report;

Cannot open the
report does not appear in bundle
viewer clients
In addition, any user may be assigned a page security for a report, which means he or she
can see only some of the report pages. A user can be assigned a page security no matter
what his or her permission is for the report. Page securities are covered in Chapter 11. If
the FILTER_PAGE_SEC_GENS option is set in server.cfg (see page 409) and a user has a
page security assigned which does not allow him or her to see any pages in any
generations of a report, the user will not see the report in the report list in the Windows
Client or Web View. If a user can see pages in some generations but not others, the
generations where the user can't view any pages will not be listed.
Note
Users need at least Distribute permission to receive an e-mail attachment or

have a report printed for them as a SmartAlarm or bundle distribution action.
The Distribute and Modify permissions do not apply to TransVue reports; any
user who can view a TransVue file can copy, print, or modify and save it, since
the file is viewed in its native application instead of in Vista Plus.
Note
If an index is used in a page security definition, only an Administrator can

delete it.
143
Assigning Access Permissions

You can assign permissions to groups and users whose permissions should be higher or
lower than the default for specific reports, folders, or bundles. You can also assign page
securities to groups and users who should have access to only certain pages in reports.
The procedures below describe how to view, change, or remove the permissions assigned
to groups or users. When you remove a permission for a user or group, the user or group
returns to using the default permission for that object.
Note
An access permission is automatically deleted when you delete the user,

group, folder, report, bundle, or page security it is assigned to or for.
How to Assign Access Permissions

Every permission involves a user or group and a report, folder, or bundle. Therefore, you
can assign permissions either through the group or user properties or through the folder,
report, or bundle properties. In general, you would want to work from user or group
properties if you want to assign permissions to multiple objects to one user or group, and
from the report, folder, or bundle properties if you want to change permissions for a single
object for multiple users or groups.
Note
144
When working through the user or group properties, you can also assign
page securities. For more information about page securities, see Chapter 11.
To assign permissions through the user or group properties:

1.
Display the properties (see page 33) of the user or group. You can also select the
user or group and click the Permissions button to go directly to the Security
page (skip step 2).
2.
Click the Security tab.
145
3.
Click the button for the type of object to assign permissions for: Folders, Reports,
Bundles, or Pages. This lists any permissions already assigned to this user or group
for this type of object.
4.
To assign a permission for one or more objects that arent listed:
5.
6.
146
Make sure no object in the list is selected.
In the Permission field, select the permission level to assign. (Skip this step if
you are assigning a page security.)
Click Add
Select the reports, folders, bundles, or page securities from the list.
Click OK.
To change permission for one or more listed objects:
Select the object or objects to change the permission for.
In the Permission field, select the permission level to assign.
To remove the permission for an object so the user or group will use the default
permission:
Select the object or objects to remove the permission for.
Click Remove.
7.
Click Close when youre done with this type of object. To assign permissions for a
different type of object, return to step 2.
Note
All changes you make are saved immediately, even if you click Cancel to
close the users or groups Properties dialog.
To assign permissions through the report, folder, or bundle properties:

1.
Display the properties (see page 33) of the report, folder, or bundle. You can also
select the report, folder, or bundle and click the Permissions button to go
directly to the Security page (skip step 2).
2.
147
3.
Click Users to assign permissions to users or Groups to assign permission to groups.

This displays the users or groups already assigned a permission for this object.
4.
To add a permission for one or more users or groups:
5.
6.
7.
Make sure no user or group is selected in the list. In the Permission field, select
the permission level to assign.
Click Add
Select the users or groups from the list.
Click OK.
To change the permission for one or more users or groups:
Select the users or groups to change the permission for.
In the Permission field, select the permission level to assign.
To remove the permission for a one or more users or groups so the users or groups
will use the default permission for this object:
Select the users or groups to remove the permission for.
Click Remove.
Click Close.
Note
148
All changes you make are saved immediately, even if you click Cancel to
close the objects Properties dialog.
Chapter 11
Managing Page Security

This chapter covers managing page security.
In This Chapter
Page Security Overview ....................................................................... 150
Creating Page Securities ....................................................................... 151
Condition Expressions .......................................................................... 154
Modifying Page Securities ................................................................... 157
Assigning Page Securities .................................................................... 158
Deleting Page Securities ....................................................................... 160
Note
Page security can be managed using either the Vista Plus Server
149
Page Security Overview
Page Security Overview

Page security lets you control exactly which parts of a report users can see. You can define
page securities for a report, then assign different ones to users or groups so each user sees
only those pages you want. Page security interacts with report access and security
settings. Report access and security are discussed in Chapter 10, but you should keep
these characteristics in mind when creating page securities:
Users with No Access permission for a report cant see any pages in the report, even if
you assign them a page security.
If the report has Page security required for access on, users who arent assigned a
page security cannot see any pages in the report, no matter what their permission is
for the report.
This chapter describes defining page securities and assigning them to users or groups
from the page securitys properties dialog. You can also assign securities through the user
or group properties dialog; since this is the same method used to assign access
permissions, it is covered in Chapter 10please see page 144. Each group or user can
have permission for only one page security per report.
Page Security Procedure Overview
150
1.
Check the reports security setting and default access permission.
2.
Create one or more indexes in the report using a Vista Plus viewer client or, for ASCII
text files, vadmin. See the Vista Plus Windows Client Users Guide, the Web View online
help, or page 339 of this guide.
3.
Create page securities as described in this chapter.
4.
Assign page securities to users and groups as needed. See page 158 or page 144.
Creating Page Securities

As you create a page security, you specify one or more conditions a page must meet to be
included in it. If theres more than one condition, you also select the logic to use between
them: do both conditions have to be true? Only one? Or some other combination? The
combination of all the conditions for the page security is the condition expression. The
condition expression defines exactly what a page must contain in order to be part of the
page security. Condition expressions and how they are used by Vista Plus are discussed
starting on page 154.
Each report can have multiple page securities. You can assign each user or group a
different one to give each user access to only the pages he or she should be able to see.
Each user or group can be assigned only one page security per report.
You can also create page securities which give access to either no pages in the report (the
user wont be able to view the report at all) or all pages of the report. You can use these
sets with the report permission and the Page security required for access setting to let
some users see all or none of the report while others see only certain pages.
Tip
Before you create a page security that uses a condition expression, you need
to define one or more indexes for the report. You can do this using either a
Vista Plus viewer client or, for ASCII text reports, vadmin. See the Vista Plus
Windows Client Users Guide, the Web View online help, or page 339 of this
guide.
Note
Creating or modifying a page security for a report decompresses all

generations of the report.
How to Create Page Securities

1.
Create a new page security using any of the methods described on page 33.
2.
151
Name A name for the page security (up to 128 characters). This name will
appear in access permission windows. It should help you remember what the
set is for, so you may want to include the name of the report it is for.
Type Select either:
Grant access if condition expression met Show pages that meet the
conditions in the expression you enter.
Grant access to all pages Show all pages to users assigned the security.
Grant access to no pages Show no pages to users assigned the security.
Report Type or select the name of the report you are defining page security
for.
3.
If Type is expression met, click Next and continue. If Type is all pages or
no pages, click Finish; the security is complete.
4.
Create the first condition as follows (you can also type an expression in the Condition
box; see the Tip at the end of this procedure):
152
Select the Index to use from the list.
Select an Operator.
Type the Value to match. If the Operator is IN or OUT, type the Start and End of
the range. If the index is numeric, and your entry has any non-numeral in it (for
example, a decimal point, thousands separator, or minus sign), enclose the
entry in quotes.
Click the Add button.
5.
To add further conditions to the expression:
Select the Logic to use between the previous condition and this one.
Select the Index to use from the list.
Select an Operator.
Type the Value to match. If the Operator is IN or OUT, type the Start and End of
the range. If the index is numeric, and your entry has any non-numeral in it (for
example, a decimal point, thousands separator, or minus sign), enclose the
entry in quotes.
Click the Add button.
6.
Repeat step 5 for each condition. By default, each new condition is added at the end of
the expression. To add a new condition between two others, click in the text box and
position the insertion point immediately before the logical operator where you want
the new condition inserted.
7.
Click Finish to save this page security. This also applies the set to each report
generation, so there may be a delay before the dialog closes.
Note
For a page security to work, any index it uses in a condition must have been
applied to all generations of the report. You can re-index a report using the
vadmin reindex command or with a Vista Plus viewer client.
Tip
You can also enter the condition expression by typing it in the Condition box.
If you choose to do this, be sure to format each condition correctly and to use
the proper logical operator between conditions. If the expression is invalid,
you will receive an error message when you try to save the page security. See
the next section for a detailed discussion of how the condition expression
works and the format to use.
Tip
You can use all operators with both text and numeric indexes. When you use
less than or greater than with text, remember that numerals and most
punctuation are less than all letters. See Rules for Expression Entry on
page 156.
Tip
You can also create a page security from the reports Properties dialog. On the
Page Securities page, click New. On the page securitys General page, the
report name is set to the current report and cannot be changed. Other than
that, the procedure is the same as the one above.
153
Condition Expressions
When you define a page security, you want it to consist of a set of pages which contain a
certain value or combination of values. For a simple example, you could want a set
consisting of pages which have the department number of 10. Or, slightly more complex,
you could define a set consisting of pages which contain either a department number
between 20 and 50 or an employee number between 200 and 500.
You define the pages you want in the set by creating the expression for the page security.
The expression consists of one or more conditions; if there are two or more conditions,
there is a logical operator between each two:
Each condition defines what must be true for a page to be included. A condition
contains the name of an index, the value to look for in the index, and one of these
operators:
Operator
Meaning
equal to
<
less than
>
<=
greater than
less than or equal to
>=
greater than or equal to
IN
in the range of
OUT
outside the range of
For example: Department = 10 is the condition for the first example above, while
the second example has two conditions: Department IN 20-50 and Employee IN
200-500.
Each logical operator defines whether both, either, or exactly one of the conditions on
either side of it must be true for the page to be included in the set. There are three
choices for logical operators:
AND: Both conditions must be true.
OR: Either condition can be true, or both can be true.
XOR: Only one condition can be trueif both are true, the page is not included.
In the second example, the condition would be OR, since we said the page belonged
in the set if either the employee number or the department number was in the range
given. If we used AND instead, a page would be included in the set only if it
contained both a department number between 20 and 50 and an employee number
from 200 to 500; if it had only one or the other, it would not be included.
Most expressions will be fairly simple, either with only one or two conditions, or with
multiple conditions, but having the same logical operator for all of thembecause you
want to find either pages with all of the values you list (AND between each two
154
conditions), or with any one of the values (OR between each two conditions). However,
you can create complex expressions using more than one type of operator. If you do, all of
the AND operators are evaluated first, followed by OR, followed by XOR; within each
type, operators are evaluated from the beginning to the end of the expression. If you want
to change this order, you can do so by using the Condition text box to place parentheses
around the part of the expression to evaluate first.
For example: say someone is authorized to see only information relating to departments
20 or 50, and only activity in the South region. The expression for this would look like this:
(Dept = 20 OR Dept =50) AND Region = South
The parentheses are necessary so the department numbers are evaluated first; the region
condition must be true no matter what the department number is. To understand how the
order affects the final result, lets look at what happens when the example above is
evaluated, assuming the department is 20 and the region is North. Since the region is not
South, this page should not be included in the page security:
First, evaluate each condition: The first is TRUE; the second and third are FALSE. This
leaves:
(TRUE OR FALSE) AND FALSE
Because the OR expression is in parentheses, it is evaluated next. Since one of the

conditions is TRUE (the department number is either 20 or 50), the expression is
TRUE. The result is:
TRUE AND FALSE
Since only one of the conditions is true, the AND expression is FALSE, and the page is
not included in the set. This is correct.
How would this change if you didnt place parentheses around the OR expression? The
condition expression would then be:
Dept = 20 OR Dept =50 AND Region = South
The conditions still evaluate to:

TRUE OR FALSE AND FALSE
But, since there are no parentheses, we now evaluate the AND expression first. It is
FALSE, since both of its values are FALSE (the department number is not 50, and the
region is not South). This leaves:
TRUE OR FALSE
This is TRUE, since one of the values around the OR is TRUE, and the page with this value
would be included, incorrectly, in the set. Changing the order of evaluation changed the
result. Be very careful when constructing complex expressions so the conditions and
operators are evaluated in the order which gives you the results you want.
155
Rules for Expression Entry

When adding or editing an expression in the Condition box, keep these rules in mind:
You can put parentheses around any condition or group of conditions so that part of
the expression is evaluated first.
There must be exactly one logical operator between each two conditions.
Spaces between values and operators do not matter. You can enter either
Index=Value or Index = Value.
156
For the IN and OUT operators, you must enter a value range. Enter the beginning and
ending values separated by a dash: Customer IN 300-500. If the values are text, not
numeric, surround each value with quotes: Company IN Aaa Bzz.
Index names are case-sensitive.
All values for string indexes must be enclosed in quotes.
A value for a numeric index must be enclosed in quotes if it contains any non-numeral
(a decimal point, thousands separator, minus sign, or currency symbol).
All text matching is not case-sensitive, even if the index was created as a case-sensitive
index.
All text sorting (when using the IN, OUT, <, or > operators with text) is done using the
ASCII character values.
You can include the * (one or more characters) and ? (a single character) wildcards in
the text to search for.
If an index name contains a space, you must enclose the entire name in quotes. For
example: Company Name=Acme, Inc.
If a value contains a quote, you must precede the quote with a backslash (\).
Otherwise, Vista Plus will interpret the quote as the end of the value.
Tip
Until you are comfortable with typing expressions following the rules and
behavior in this section and the preceding one, we recommend you create
condition expressions using the fields in the Create Condition area of the
Conditions page, editing only as needed to enter parentheses to ensure
correct precedence.
Note
The syntax used for condition expressions is unique to Vista Plus; it is not the
same as SQL syntax. In particular, the IN operator has a different meaning in
Vista Plus than it does in SQL.
Modifying Page Securities
Modifying Page Securities

You can edit a page security after youve created it. You may want to add or edit existing
conditions in the expression or refine the logic the security uses.
Tip
You can list just the page securities for a particular report by displaying the
Page Securities page of the reports Properties dialog. You can then display
the securitys properties and continue as described below.
To modify a page security:

1.
Display the properties (see page 33) of the page security.
2.
On the General page, you can change the name or type. You cannot change the report
the security is for. If you selected the wrong report, you must delete the security and
create a new one.
3.
On the Conditions page, there are several ways to edit the condition expression:
To add a new condition:
To add the condition anywhere except at the end of the expression, click in the
Condition text box. Place the insertion point where you want the new
condition; it must be just before an existing logic operator.
Select the Logic, Index, and Operator.
Type the Value. If the operator is IN or OUT, type the Start and End values.
Click Add.
Tip
You can also add a new condition by clicking in the Condition text box,
moving the insertion point to where you want the condition, and typing it.
To change an existing condition:
Click in the Condition text box.
Make the change to the condition as you would in a text editor.
To delete an existing condition:
Click in the Condition text box.
Delete the condition as you would in a text editor.
4.
On the Security page, you can assign this security to users or groups. See the next
section.
5.
Click OK.
157
Assigning Page Securities

Until you assign a page security to one or more users or groups, it has no effect. Once you
assign it, the users it is assigned to (or all users in the groups it is assigned to) see only the
pages in the security whenever they view a generation of the report. A security affects all
generations of a report, including those captured both before and after it is created and
assigned.
You can assign the same page security to multiple users and/or groups. You can assign
any user or group only one page security for any single report.
Note
If both a user and his or her group have page securities assigned for a report,
the security assigned to the user overrides the one assigned to the group. If a
user without an individual page security belongs to more than one group, the
page security for his or her current group is used, unless the server.cfg file
contains the statement ALLGROUPS=1. In that case, Vista Plus uses the first
page security it finds for any of the users groups, no matter what group he or
she is currently operating under. server.cfg file settings are described starting
on page 405.
How to Assign Page Securities

You can assign a page security to a user or group either through the page securitys
properties or through the user or group properties. This section describes how to use the
page securitys properties. How to assign page securities through the user or group is
described on page 145.
158
1.
Display the properties (see page 33) of the page security.
2.
3.
Click Users or Groups. This displays the users or groups currently assigned this
security.
4.
To assign the security to additional users or groups:
5.
6.
Click Add
Select the user or users (or group or groups) to assign the security to.
Click OK.
To remove this security for users or groups:
Select the users or groups to remove the security from.
Click Remove.
Click OK.
159
Deleting Page Securities
Deleting Page Securities

You can delete page securities as needed. Deleting a page security removes all links
between the set and reports, groups, and users.
To remove a page security, delete it as you would any other object in Server Admin; see
page 35.
160
Note
If you delete all page securities for a report with Page security required for
access on, no users will be able to view any pages in that report. If you want
users to be able to view the report or report pages, you can turn off Page
security required for access, create new page securities for the report, or
both.
Note
If you delete a report index, all references to it are removed from any page
security expression. If the page security refers to only the deleted index, the
page security is also deleted.
Chapter 12
Managing Volumes and Devices

This chapter covers managing the volumes and devices used for storing Vista Plus
reports.
In This Chapter
Volume / Device Overview ................................................................. 162
Creating Devices .................................................................................... 166
Modifying Devices ................................................................................ 167
Deleting Devices .................................................................................... 168
Creating Volumes .................................................................................. 169
Modifying Volumes ............................................................................... 171
Note
Volumes and devices can be managed using either the Vista Plus Server
161
Volume / Device Overview

Vista Plus report generations are stored on volumes and devices. Volumes are file systems
or directories and can be defined as either online or offline when you create them. Online
volumes are used for warehouse storage; offline volumes are used for archive storage.
Generations are captured to online volumes; they are moved to offline volumes by
migration processes.
Volumes reside on physical devices. Multiple volumes can reside on one device. On a
UNIX host, three types of devices can be usedhard disk, optical disk, and tape (tapes
and optical disks can only be offline volumes). On a Windows host, you can only define
hard disk devices; in some cases, you can define an optical disk to Vista Plus as an offline
volume on a hard disk; see page 164.
Report generations stored online in the warehouse can be accessed at any time with Vista
Plus viewer clients. Generations that have been archived to offline locations must be
restored before they can be accessed with viewer clients.
When you install the server, records for an online volume (Hard Disk) and two devices
(Hard Disk and Tape Drive) are automatically created (the Tape Drive is created only on
UNIX hosts, not Windows). The volume is located on your Vista Plus server hard disk; the
path to this is entered based on the report repository path specified during installation of
the Vista Plus server.
Vista Plus also supports Web volumes and Web View volumes. Both of these volume
types define directories on the Web server: Web volumes are used by the epurposing
commands; Web View volumes are used by Web View e-mail favorites (subscriptions). See
Chapters 18 and 19 for more information on epurposing and subscriptions.
Note
Important! All devices used for online and offline storage must reside on the
host where the Vista Plus server is installed. If you are using multiple
volumes for online storage, these can be located on the same device or on
different devices. However, be sure to read the next section before deciding to
put multiple online volumes on the same device.
Using Volumes for Online Storage

Report generations are captured to an online volume. By default, the Hard Disk volume is
the only online volume, but you can have as many as you want. In the warehouse
parameters, you can designate up to five volumes as the defaults for the warehouse (see
page 209). If you dont specify a volume for a report capture, Vista Plus captures to the
first default volume with enough space available: you set the maximum percentage of a
volume which should be used (this is called the high-water mark). When the high-water
mark on the first default volume is reached (see the important note below), Vista Plus
starts capturing reports to the next volume. Existing generations remain on the volumes
they were captured to; they are not moved from one volume to another.
You can select a specific online volume for a report to be captured to, as described in
Chapter 12. This does not have to be one of the five default online volumes. If this volume
162
reaches the high-water mark, further generations are captured to the first available default
volume. You can also specify a volume during capture, either in a configuration file or on
the capture command line. If you do this, and the volume is full, the capture fails; the
report is not captured to another volume.
Warning
Volume rollover occurs when Vista Plus determines that capturing a file
would cause the volume to exceed the high-water mark. Thus, a large report
may roll over to the next volume, while a smaller report doesnt, since there is
enough room for it below the high-water mark.
During high-water mark calculations, the available space is determined based
on the file system (UNIX) or disk volume (Windows) that the Vista Plus
volume resides on. If the high-water mark is 90%, Vista Plus will continue
capturing to a volume until the file system or disk volume it is on is 90% full.
This means that putting more than one of the default volumes on the same
file system or disk volume defeats the purpose of the rollover volumes. If all
default Vista Plus volumes are on the same file system, rollover will never
occur: since the calculation is based on the file system, when one volume
reaches the high-water mark, they all do.
If any volumes are on the same file system as the Vista Plus database
directory, do not set the high-water mark for those volumes to 100%. If you
do, the volume may take up all available space on the file system, preventing
Vista Plus from adding new information to the database. This may cause
problems during report capture or any other function (adding users, folders,
and so on) which writes to the database.
Using Volumes and Devices for Offline Storage

As report generations age, they can be archived to offline volumes on various devices. You
specify which volumes and devices they should be archived to in migration rule sets.
Generations are archived to these destinations by migration processes when they meet the
parameters in their migration rule sets. See Chapter 13 for more on migration and
migration rule sets.
You can set up different volumes and devices for progressively storing generations farther
offline as they age. You might set up an offline volume on a hard disk for archiving
generations 30 days after capture, an offline volume on an optical disk for archiving
generations 60 days after capture, and an offline tape device for archiving generations 90
days after capture. Keep in mind that tapes are used once by migration processes and
must be replaced each time migration processes are run. If they are not replaced,
generations from the last migration will be overwritten with generations from the next
migration. Each tape uses a different volume name.
Generations can be restored from an offline volume on a hard disk immediately. Before
they can be restored from an offline volume on an optical disk or tape, you may need to
mount the disk or tape.
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Setting Up to Archive to an HSM System

If you plan to archive to an HSM (Hierarchical Storage Management) system, set up an
offline volume on a hard disk for the system. To do this, create a device record for the hard
disk. Then create a record for the volume and enter the name of the hard disk as the device
in the volume record. When you create rules for archiving to the HSM system, you specify
this volume as the destination; see page 184.
When you migrate generations to the offline HSM volume, this is what Vista Plus does:
When you archive a generation to the HSM volume, Vista Plus writes a compressed
tar file to the HSM.
When you restore a generation from the HSM volume, Vista Plus requests the
compressed tar file and the HSM retrieves the file as it normally would.
No operator intervention is required. Vista Plus does not directly interface with the HSM;
it simply writes and retrieves files as if the HSM were just another directory on the
system. Any movement of files within the HSM is transparent to Vista Plus.
Setting Up to Archive to Optical Disk

You can set up to archive to optical disk in one of two ways, depending on the access
method for your optical device:
If your optical device can be accessed as if it were a directory, set up an offline volume
on a hard disk for the device. To do this, add a device with hard disk as the type. Then
add the volume and enter the name of the hard disk in the device name field.
If your optical device cannot be accessed as if it were a directory, set up an offline

volume specifying optical disk as the device. To do this, add a device for the optical
disk. Then add the volume and enter the name of the optical disk in the device name
field.
When you create rules for archiving to the optical disk, you can specify the volume or
device as the destination.
Using Volumes for Web Server Storage

Web volumes are used to store report renditions created through epurposing rendition
commands or, more commonly through report subscriptions. A Web volume definition
consists of the volume name, a directory path, and a URL:
The directory path from the Vista Plus server to the directory where you want to store
report renditions. This must be a UNC path. Do not use a mapped drive; drive
mappings are user-dependent and a service started under a network account, as the
Vista Plus server service is, does not have access to the mapping information.
The URL for the directory specified by the path.
This allows the Vista Plus server to store the rendition in the proper location on the Web
server, and to create a URL pointing to the specific rendition file.
164
Web volumes are essentially a convenience feature: after giving a single name to the
directory/URL combination, you specify only the volume name each time you want to
create a rendition or subscription in that directory. Volume names are shorter than the
directory /URL combination, and therefore easier to type, faster to send across a network,
etc. Also, if either the directory or the URL where you are storing renditions changesfor
example, if your company changes its domain nameyou can just change the definition
of the Web volume and all existing subscriptions immediately start to use the new URL;
you do not need to change each one individually.
Note
If you define multiple Web volumes, keep in mind that Vista Plus does not
support subscriptions on multiple Web servers. If the same user or group
subscribes to the same report on more than one Web volume, Vista Plus
cannot distinguish between the two: an attempt to delete one of the
subscriptions could delete the other.
Tip
You can define a Web volume with a directory but no URL. When you do this,
any renditions created on that volume are stored in the exact directory named
in the volume definition, not in subdirectories as described on page 282. Also,
since there is no starting URL, the rendition commands cannot return the
URL to the created rendition. You can use this type of volume definition if
you have a directory where you want to store renditions for a purpose other
than portal access to a Web server.
Using Volumes with Web View

Web view volumes contain only the URL to the Web View installation directory on the
Web server. Web View volumes are not used for storage of any files; they are used by the
Vista Plus server solely to build the URL for a Web View report subscription (e-mail
favorite).
The URL in a Web View volume definition must exactly match the URL users use to
access Web View, or users will not be able to create e-mail subscriptions. For example, if
you have a Web View volume with a URL of admin.companyname.com/vp_web/ but users
do not include the domain name when starting Web Viewthat is, they enter admin/
vp_webthey will not be able to create subscriptions.
There are two ways to avoid this situation:
Include a fully qualified path in the Web View volume definition (as in
admin.companyname.com/vp_web/, above), and supply only this URL to users as a way
to start Web View. In general, we recommend this solution.
Create separate Web View volumes for each path users might use to start Web View.
For example, you could have Web View volumes for both the URLs mentioned above,
plus another one for the URL using the actual IP address of the admin Web server.
If Web View is installed on more than one Web server, create a Web View volume for each
server. The links created in subscription e-mails will always access Web View on the
server the user was using when he or she selected the report as an e-mail favorite.
165
Creating Devices
Creating Devices
Creating a device consists solely of adding a record for the device in Vista Plus; the device
itself must exist on your Vista Plus server host. If you plan to use only the default devices,
you dont need to set up records for additional devices. However, to ensure that you have
enough online and offline storage, you might want to set up additional volumes on the
default devices. See the next section.
How to Create Devices

1.
Create a new device using any of the methods on page 33.
2.
Enter information in each field:
3.
166
Name A name for the new device (up to 64 characters). Be sure the name you
enter is different from the default device names (Hard Disk and Tape Drive). You
cannot save a new device under the name of an existing device.
Description A description for the device (up to 255 characters).
Media type Select Hard Disk, Tape, or Optical Disk. Always select Hard
Disk if you are running the Vista Plus server on a Windows host.
Device path The physical path to the device if you specified a tape device in
the preceding step. This information is used in migrating generations.
Size (kilobytes) The storage space available on the device; do not enter more
than is available. This is used during migration to tape, optical disk, or an
offline volume on a hard disk device: VMTransport checks it to see how much
space is available for files. When the space you specify (not necessarily the
actual space available) is full, VMTransport stops migrating files to the device.
If a disk device will contain only online volumes, you can enter any number;
this entry is not used when calculating the high-water mark for online volumes.
Click Finish.
Modifying Devices
Modifying Devices
You can modify a device definition at any time. The most frequent reason for modifying a
device would be to change the description, though you could also change the path to a
tape device or its maximum size (for example, if you have a new tape drive).
Tip
If you are running the Vista Plus server on UNIX and your tape drive name is
different from that of the default tape drive (/dev/rmt/0m), be sure to modify
the device definition for the tape drive to use the correct name.
How to Modify Devices

Warning
Be extremely careful when modifying a device definition! If you change the

device type and the device is being used by any active volumes, you could
keep report capture or migration to those volumes from working.
1.
Display the properties (see page 33) of the device.
2.
Make your changes to any field. The fields are described under How to Create
Devices, above.
3.
Click OK.
167
Deleting Devices
Deleting Devices
While you can delete devices, there is rarely any need to. If you do delete a device, make
sure it is not being used. If you delete a device which an active volume is using, you could
lose all the data stored on the volume.
To delete a device, use any of the methods described on page 35.
168
Creating Volumes
Creating Volumes
Creating a volume consists of adding a record for the volume and specifying the volume
type. Online or offline volumes must exist on a physical device on your Vista Plus server
host or accessible over the network; Web volumes generally exist on the Web server. Any
online volume you create can be designated as one of the volumes used for report
warehouse default storage. You specify the default volumes in warehouse parameters, as
described on page 209. You can specify different volumes whenever a current volume
becomes full.
Note
While you can create a volume on a tape device, there is no reason to do so. In
migration rules, you specify only the tape device name; you must use a new
tape volume name each time migration is run.
How to Create Volumes

Note
1.
If you plan to migrate generations to archive locations on hard disk or optical

disk, you must create offline volumes. Only a default online volume is
included with Vista Plus.
Create a new volume using any of the methods on page 33.
169
Creating Volumes
2.
3.
Fill in the necessary fields:
Name A unique name for the new volume (up to 64 characters).
Description A description for the volume (up to 256 characters).
Volume type Select one of these types; you cannot change the type after
youve saved the volume:
Online if the volume will be used for storing generations in the report
warehouse.
Offline if the volume will be used for storing archived generations.
Web if the volume will be used to store renditions on a Web server.
WebView if the volume will be used for Web View e-mail favorites.
Device Used only for online and offline devices. Type or select the name of
the device the volume is on. For online volumes, use only disk or optical disk
devices; tape devices are not listed.
Path The root path of the volume. This can be up to 60 characters. For Web
volumes, this is the UNC path to the Web server directory. Do not use a mapped
drive letter. Drive mappings are user-dependent and a service started under a
network account, as the Vista Plus server service is, does not have access to the
mapping information. This is not used for Web View volumes.
URL For Web volumes, the URL for the Web server directory specified by the
Path entry. For Web View volumes, the URL to the Web server on which the
Web View software is installed. For Web View volumes, be sure to include a
trailing slash ( / ) in the URL.
Click Finish.
Warning
170
For online and Web volumes, Vista Plus creates a directory structure to hold
report information underneath the root path you enter. Do not change the
permissions on any of the files or directories Vista Plus creates or it may keep
Vista Plus from working.
Modifying Volumes
Modifying Volumes
In general, you will not need to modify volume definitions frequently. However, you may
want to change a volume description or the root path for the volumefor example, if the
Web server directory structure changes, you may need to redefine the root path for a Web
volume.
How to Modify a Volume

1.
Display the volumes properties (see page 33).
2.
Make your changes to any field. The fields are described under How to Create
Volumes, above.
3.
Click OK.
Note
You cannot delete a volume. If you no longer want to use a particular volume,
you can change its name to indicate it should not be used.
171
Modifying Volumes
172
Chapter 13
Managing Migration
This chapter covers migrating report generations, including archiving them to offline
locations. It describes creating migration rule sets, assigning them to reports, and running
In This Chapter
Migration Overview .............................................................................. 174
Creating Migration Rule Sets ............................................................... 176
Modifying Rule Sets .............................................................................. 186
Deleting Rule Sets .................................................................................. 187
Assigning Migration Rule Sets to Reports ......................................... 188
Migrating Report Generations ............................................................. 190
Performing Migration from Viewer Clients ...................................... 193
Note
Migration rule sets can only be created with the Server Admin client, as
described in this chapter. They cannot be created using vadmin, though they
can be assigned to reports with vadmin, as described in Chapter 22.
173
Migration Overview
Migration Overview
Report migration allows you to manage report generations as they age, moving them out
of the warehouse as needed. You can use it to compress generations to save warehouse
space; to delete online, offline, or restored generations; or to archive generations that are
no longer needed. Archiving older generations moves them out of the warehouse to make
room for new ones, but keeps them available in offline storage. If you need archived
generations again, you can restore them any time.
To restore generations, you need to work from Vista Plus Windows Client or Web View.
You can also issue archive requests from these clients. See page 193.
How Report Generations are Migrated

What makes report migration automatic are migration rule sets and migration processes.
These save you from having to check when generations are old enough for migration
actions and from having to perform these actions yourself. instead, you simply define
migration rule sets and run two migration processes. The first process checks generations
to see if they meet parameters in the migration rule sets. When they do, the second
process performs the specified migration actions. When generations are archived, they are
migrated to the volumes and devices specified in their rule sets. See Chapter 12 for
information on creating volumes and devices.
Different rules in the same rule set can progressively migrate generations from one
storage location to another. For example, one rule set might include a rule to archive to
optical disk 30 days after capture; and a rule to archive to tape 60 days after capture.
Generations are migrated based on the default migration rule sets in warehouse
parameters (see page 211) or on the rule sets assigned to their reports. Individually
assigned rule sets override the warehouse defaults.
The two processes that carry out migration actions are VMIdentify and VMTransport.
They work together and should be run back-to-back from the Vista Plus server host:
VMIdentify checks generations against rule sets and creates lists of generations that
are ready for migration. It can be run as needed, or automatically at a user-specified
interval.
VMTransport carries out migration actions based on the lists created by VMIdentify.
It must be run manually after VMIdentify runs.
Procedure Overview
Here are the basic steps involved in migrating report generations. Detailed information is
provided in the sections or chapters referred to below.
174
1.
Set up volumes and devices for online and offline storage, if you havent done so
already. See Chapter 12.
2.
Create migration rule sets. See the next section.
Migration Overview
3.
Specify default migration rule sets in warehouse parameters. See page 197.
4.
Assign migration rule sets to reports that should be migrated based on rule sets other
than the default. See page 188.
5.
Run VMIdentify and VMTransport to migrate generations based on migration rule

sets. VMIdentify can be run as needed or on an automatic, scheduled basis. See page
190.
Managing Migration
175
Creating Migration Rule Sets

You can create migration rule sets at any time. Creating them before you begin capturing
reports allows you to assign rule sets during the capture process by using rcaptures -r
option. See page 85.
Each migration rule set consists of one or more migration rules. Rules consist of
combinations of the following (see the sections later in this chapter for more on actions
and parameters):
Migration action What should be done to the report generations. The actions
available are compress, migrate, or delete. There are four different delete actions, for
online, offline (two actions affect offline generations), or restored generations. See the
chart below.
Source and destination locations Where (which volumes and devices) generations
should be migrated from and to. You only need to specify sources and destinations for
migrate actions. On a UNIX host, three types of devices can be usedhard disk,
optical disk, and tape. Windows hosts can use only hard disks.
Migration parameters When a generation should be migrated: a number of days

since it was captured, a number of days since it was last viewed, or after a certain
number of online, offline, or restored generations is exceeded.
You can use each rule set as an Automatic, On Demand, and/or Client Requested rule set;
a rule set could be the Automatic rule set for one report and an On Demand set for
another. See page 188 for information on how each type of set is used.
Besides creating new rule sets, you can modify the standard migration rule set included
with Vista Plus. By default, this set contains one rule: to compress generations one day
after they were last opened in a Vista Plus viewer client.
176
Migration Action Chart
If you want to
Use this Action

or Function
Use this Source and

Destination
Use this Parameter
Compress
Generations
Compress action
None
Days Since Capture

Days Since Last Access
Number of Gens
Archive
Generations
Migrate action
Online or offline
volume as source
Days Since Capture

Number of Gens
or
Archive Generation Offline volume or

function from viewer device as destination
client
Move Online
Generations
Migrate action
Online volume as
source
Different online
volume as destination
Days Since Capture

Number of Gens
Restore
Generations
Restore function
from viewer client
None
None
Delete Online
Generations
Delete Online
Generation action
None
Days Since Capture

Number of Gens
or
(Delete Generation function

does not use parameters)
Delete Generation
function from viewer
client
Delete Restored
Generations
Delete Restored
Generation actiona
None
Days Since Capture

Number of Gens
Delete Archived
Generations
Delete Offline
None
Generation or Delete
Offline Generation
from Database action
Days Since Capture

Number of Gens
a.This action affects only temporarily restored generations, not permanently restored ones.
See page 213.
Tip
Managing Migration
To delete a report and all of its generations at once, use the Server Admin
client (see page 64) the vadmin DeleteReport command (page 354), or a
viewer client.
177
How to Create Migration Rule Sets

1.
Create a new rule set using any of the methods on page 33.
2.
On the General page, enter the following:
3.
178
Name A name for the new migration set (up to 64 characters). This will be
shown in the migration set list. This name is for your information only; it isnt
required, and you can give more than one set the same name, though that could
cause confusion when assigning sets to reports.
Description A description for the new migration set (up to 255 characters).
Click Next. This displays the Rules page, with no rules shown in the list.
4.
Click New to add a migration rule.
5.
On the migration rule General page, enter the following:
Name A name for the rule (up to 64 characters).
Action The action to perform when the condition (see the next step) is met.
The actions are (see page 181 for more information on any action):
Migrate Archives generations to an offline location or moves them to a

different online volume. You then need to select a source and destination
location.
Compress Compresses generations to a smaller size.
Delete Online Generation Removes online generations from the

database and deletes them from online storage.
Delete Offline Generation Removes archived generations from

archive storage and removes data about them from the Vista Plus
database. This action can be used only for generations that have been
archived.
Delete Restored Generation Removes temporarily restored

generations from the report warehouse, but leaves data about them in the
Vista Plus database and leaves archive copies in offline storage.
Delete Offline Generation from Database Removes information

about the generations from the Vista Plus database. The archive copies
stay in offline storage.
Warning Be very careful using any delete action, especially Delete Online Generation.
The generations you delete are gone from your system and cannot be
recovered from within Vista Plus. (After Delete Restored Generation, you
can still restore the generation from its offline location.)
Managing Migration
179
Source For the Migrate action only, select the source volume; this can be
either an online or offline volume. Generations will be migrated by this rule
only if they are found on this volume. See the tip at the end of this procedure.
Destination Select Volume for a migration to disk or optical disk; select

Device for a migration to tape:
Volume For a migration to disk action, the disk volume to move or

copy the generation to.
Device For a migration to tape, the tape device to move the generation
to.
6.
Click Next.
7.
On the Parameters page, enter one of the following conditions by checking the box
and selecting or typing a value. The migration action will be taken only if the
condition is met:
Days since capture Perform the action if it has been at least this many days
since the generation was captured.
Days since last access Perform the action if it has been at least this many
days since the generation was accessed in a Vista Plus viewer client.
Number of generations to retain Perform the action if there are this many or
more generations of the type (online, offline, or restored) affected by the rule.
The oldest generations past this maximum will be affected.
Tip
While you can specify more than one condition in the same rule, we
recommend you use only one condition per rule; see page 183.
8.
Click Finish. This returns you to the Rules page for the migration set, with the new
rule listed.
9.
Return to step 4 if you want to add more rules to this set.
10. Click Finish on the migration set Rules page when youve added all the rules to this
set.
Tip
180
If you have (or will have) report generations on multiple online volumes, you
must create separate migration rules for each source volume. This is
especially important if you are using automatic volume rollover during

capture, as you may not know what volume a report's generations are
captured to.
Migration Actions
The migration actions available allow you to progressively migrate generations as they
age. In one rule set, you might include rules that compress current generations, archive
older generations, and delete generations that are no longer needed. All actions are
performed when migration processes are run.
Compress actions leave generations online in the warehouse. Migrate actions move them
out of the warehouse to offline locations, from one online volume to another, or from one
offline volume to another. The delete actions remove online, offline, or restored
generations from the warehouse.
Migration Actions
Migrate
Moves generations out of the warehouse and archives them on an

offline volume. Can also move generations from one online volume
to another online volume, or migrate them from one offline location
to another offline location. If the generation is not already
compressed, it is compressed before it is migrated (it is not
compressed if it is being moved from one online volume to another).
Delete Restored
Generation
This action affects only generations that have been archived, then
restored to the report warehouse when the restore method in
warehouse parameters was set to Temporary. It removes these
generations from the report warehouse, but leaves data about them
in the Vista Plus database and archive copies in offline storage.
Generations deleted in this way show as offline in viewer client
windows.
Temporarily restored generations which arent deleted by a
migration rule are automatically deleted when theyve been back
online for the number of days specified in the warehouse parameter.
If the restore method was set to Permanent when a generation was
restored, it is treated like an online generation and is not affected by
this action.
See page 213 for more information about the restore method
warehouse parameter.
Delete Online
Generation
Deletes selected online generations. Data about them is deleted from

the Vista Plus database; the generations are deleted from online
storage.
Be very careful using this action. The generations you delete are
gone from your system and cannot be recovered from within Vista
Plus.
Managing Migration
181
Migration Actions
Delete Offline
Generation
Deletes migrated generations from offline storage and data about

them from the Vista Plus database (the generation is not deleted if it
is on a tape device; it is still removed from the Vista Plus database).
This action has no effect on online generations.
Delete Offline
Generation from
Database
Removes information about offline generations from the Vista Plus

database. The data for the generations remains in offline storage, but
they will not appear in either online or offline generation lists. You
can no longer access the generation using Vista Plus. This action has
no effect on online generations.
Compress
Combines all files for a generation into one compressed file.

Compress migration rules can both compress generations that have
never been compressed and recompress generations that have been
decompressed. You have the option to compress generations when
they are captured; see page 207. If they have been compressed during
capture or by a migration rule, generations are decompressed when
opened in a viewer client or when a page security for their report is
added or modified.
Compression can save disk space: how much depends on the type
and content of your generations. In general, text reports save the
most space when compressed (as much as 80%), while reports with
lots of graphics and/or many page securities may save only 10-15%.
Note that the migrate action also compresses generations. You do not
need to compress a generation if it will also be migrated.
Note
182
If you use epurposing, report renditions are not archived. If you need a
rendition of a generation that has been archived and restored, you must
recreate it.
Migration Parameters
The parameters in migration rules determine when migration actions are taken. To keep
the migration rules clear and easy to follow, we recommend you use only one parameter
per rule, but you can specify two parameters, or all three. If you do use more than one
parameter, any generation which meets any one (or more) of them is added to the list for
the migration action.
As you specify parameters, keep in mind that they may be compared to either online or
offline generations, depending on VMIdentifys -o (offline) option.
Migration Parameters
Days Since Capture
Minimum umber of days after a generation was captured

that a migration action should be taken. For the Delete
Restored Generation action, this is based on the restore
date unless CAPTURE_DATE is set in the server.cfg file.
Minimum number of days after a generation was last

opened in a Vista Plus viewer client that a migration action
should be taken. If a generation has never been viewed,
this is compared to the number of days since it was
captured.
Number of Generations to Retain
Maximum number of a reports generations that should be

kept online or offline. A migration action will be taken for
the oldest online or offline generations over this number.
When you use this parameter with the Delete Restored
Generations action, it counts only restored generations, not
other online generations. The generations to keep are
based on the restore date unless CAPTURE_DATE is set in
the server.cfg file.
Note
Managing Migration
In migration parameters, a day equals 24 hours from the time VMIdentify is

run, not necessarily a calendar day. For example, if you set the Days Since
Last Access parameter to one, a generation accessed 25 hours ago will be
migrated, but one accessed 23 hours ago will not.
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Migration Sources and Destinations

The sources and destinations you specify in migration rules refer to certain volumes on
certain devices (see Chapter 12 to set up volumes and devices). Which source and
destination you specify for a rule depends on the action for that rule:
For Compress actions, you do not need to specify a source or destination. All online
generations are checked automatically.
For Migrate (archive) actions, specify an online or offline volume as the source and an
online or offline volume as the destination. For UNIX, an offline volume for source
can be on hard disk or optical disk; the destination can be a disk volume or tape
device. For Windows, an offline volume must be on hard disk.
For all of the Delete actions, no source or destination is needed.

Note
Important! If you use more than one online volume for storage, especially if
you define default volumes for rollover during capture, be sure to create
migration rules with each of your online volumes as the source volume. If
you dont, some generations may never be migrated.
Migrating to a Tape Device

On a UNIX server, you can migrate to any offline tape device you have defined. When
migrating to tape, remember that the migration process can use each tape only once; it
cannot append to a tape, so if you re-use a tape, you will erase any information on it.
When you archive to tape, you are prompted for a tape volume name. Each volume name
must be unique. Vista Plus will prompt you for the correct tape volume if you restore a
generation from tape.
Archiving to tape uses the UNIX tar command; VMTransport cannot archive to tape any
file larger than is allowed by tar.
Specifying Volumes and Devices for Archiving to an HSM System

To archive to an HSM (Hierarchical Storage Management) system, specify an offline
volume on a hard disk. This should be the offline volume created for this system when
you set up volumes and devices. When a generation is archived to this location, a
compressed tar file is written to the HSM. If a request is made to restore the generation,
Vista Plus accesses the compressed tar file and the HSM retrieves the requested file as it
normally would. No operator intervention is required. Vista Plus does not directly
interface with an HSM; it simply writes and retrieves files as if the HSM were just another
directory on the system.
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Specifying Volumes and Devices for Archiving to Optical Disk

To archive to optical disk, specify one of two destinations, depending on the access
method for your optical device. These locations should be set up when you create
volumes and devices:
If your optical device can be accessed like a directory, specify the offline volume you
created for the device. The volume should be on a Vista Plus hard disk device.
If your optical device cannot be accessed like a directory, specify an offline volume on
an optical disk device as the destination. When generations are archived to this
location, Vista Plus will write to the mounted volume using the UNIX cp command. It
will not interface directly with the optical device, so some intervention will be needed
(replying to requests for media and mounting media).
Rule Set Example

Here is an example of the type of rules that might go into one rule set:
Action
Parameter
Source
Destination
Compress
Days Since Last Access = 1
N/A
N/A
Migrate
Days Since Capture = 30
Online
Volume
Offline Volume on
Hard Disk
Delete Offline
Generation From
Database
Number of Generations to
Retain = 200
N/A
N/A
This rule set would perform these actions for a report:
Compress all online generations one day after they were last opened in a Vista Plus
viewer client.
Archive all online generations to an offline volume on hard disk 30 days after they
were captured into Vista Plus.
Delete all generations older than the most recent 200 stored on an offline volume on
hard disk (youd need to run VMIdentify with the -o option to check offline
generations and perform this action).
Managing Migration
185
Modifying Rule Sets
Modifying Rule Sets

You can change any aspect of a migration rule set at any time: you can change its
description, modify or delete the rules it contains, or add new rules. The changes take
effect the next time migration is run, for all reports which use the rule set.
How to Modify a Rule Set
186
1.
Display the rule sets properties, as described on page 33.
2.
On the General page, you can change the Name and/or Description.
3.
To modify the rules included in the set, click the Rules tab.
4.
To create a new rule for the set, click New and follow steps 5-8 of the procedure for
creating a rule set, which starts on page 178.
5.
To modify an existing rule, select it and click Properties. You can then modify it; your
choices are described in the procedure for creating a rule set.
6.
To delete one or more rules, select them in the list and click Delete.
7.
When youre finished with your changes, click OK.
Deleting Rule Sets
Deleting Rule Sets

When you delete a rule set, any reports which had been using that set revert to using the
warehouse default rule set.
You can delete a migration rule set using any of the methods described on page 35.
Managing Migration
187
Assigning Migration Rule Sets to Reports

You can assign three migration rule sets to each reportan Automatic set, an On Demand
set, and a Client Requested set. You can also designate three default rule sets in warehouse
parameters. When you run the migration processes, VMIdentify uses only one of these
rule sets for each report generation. It decides what rule set to use for each generation
according to the following rules:
1.
If a generation has been marked for archiving to tape in a viewer client, the
destination is taken from the Client Requested rule set for its report. If the report does
not have a Client Requested set, the default Client Requested rule set is used.
2.
For all other generations, VMIdentify uses the On Demand rule set for the report if
one has been assigned.
3.
If there is no On Demand rule set, VMIdentify uses the reports Automatic rule set.
4.
If the report has not been assigned an Automatic rule set, VMIdentify uses the
default On Demand rule set.
5.
If there is no default On Demand rule set, VMIdentify uses the default Automatic
rule set.
Keep this process in mind when you assign rule sets of each type:
Automatic Automatic rule sets should contain the rules you normally use for the
report (or for all reports for the default Automatic set). They are used if no On
Demand set has been assigned when VMIdentify runs. Automatic sets remain in
effect until you clear or replace them.
On Demand To use a different rule set for a single run of VMIdentify, assign it as
the On Demand rule set for a report or in warehouse parameters. VMIdentify will use
it instead of the Automatic rule set for the report. After it runs, VMIdentify removes the
set assignment. The next time VMIdentify runs, it returns to using the Automatic rule
set, unless you re-assign an On Demand set
Client Requested Client Requested rule sets apply only to generations for which
archiving has been requested from a viewer client (see the Vista Plus Windows Client
Users Guide or the Web View online help,). The rule set is used only for the
destination of the first rule with a Migrate action; the generations are migrated to this
location. Any parameters entered for the Migrate action are ignored, as are any other
rules in the rule set.
Note
188
Since On Demand rule sets are cleared after VMIdentify runs, if you run
VMIdentify again before running VMTransport, generations are migrated
based on the Automatic rule setthe On Demand set is cleared before
VMIdentify is run the second time. This also happens if you run VMIdentify
for online generations, then for offline. You must re-assign On Demand sets
before the second run if you want to use them.
How to Assign Migration Sets to a Report

1.
Display the reports properties, as described on page 33.
2.
Select the Migration tab.
3.
For each rule set type to assign, either type the rule set name or click Browse and
select the rule set from the list. You do not have to assign all three types. When each
rule set is used is described in the previous section.
4.
Click OK.
Tip
Managing Migration
You can assign automatic migration rule sets to reports during capture using
the -r (migration rule set) option. You can also use the -r option to change rule
sets for existing reports. See page 85.
189
Migrating Report Generations

Generations are migrated by the VMIdentify and VMTransport processes. Generally,
each time you run VMIdentify, you must run VMTransport after it. Before you begin
migrating generations, decide how often you need to run VMIdentify and VMTransport.
Depending on the volume of data in your warehouse, a daily, weekly, or monthly interval
may be appropriate.
Running VMIdentify
VMIdentify checks report generations against migration rule sets and creates lists of the
generations that need to be migrated for each migration destinationone for each volume
and one for each device (there is only one list for all tape drive destinations). VMIdentify
lists are stored in *.lis files in the vmfiles subdirectory of the Vista Plus installation
directory. These files are recreated and the generation lists are updated each time
VMIdentify runs. You can find the names and format of the lis files in the Vista Plus
Technical Addendum.
By default, VMIdentify checks all online generations. It checks offline generations instead
if you include the -o option. To check both online and offline generations, you must run
VMIdentify twice: once without and once with the -o option. You can schedule either or
both of these commands to run automatically through the host operating system; see the
user tip at the end of the next section.
190
Note
If a generation meets the parameters for two different rules in its rule set,
VMIdentify lists it for both actions, and VMTransport will perform both
actions. For example, if a rule set includes rules to compress generations one
day after they were viewed and migrate them 30 days after capture, a
generation will be compressed and migrated if it meets both conditions.
Tip
To see what generations would be migrated based on current rule sets,

without actually migrating them, run VMIdentify, but dont run
VMTransport. Look at the VMIdentify.log file or the lis files to see what
generations were selected. If necessary, adjust your migration rules (be sure to
re-assign any On Demand rule sets), then run VMIdentify again. When the
generations you want are selected, run VMTransport.
Tip
Extremely high numbers of generations can cause problems with

VMIdentify. Increasing the amount of virtual memory available on the Vista
Plus server will increase the number of generations that can be processed
successfully, but in most situations we do not recommend having more than
50,000 online generations of a report.
To run VMIdentify
Log in as the user that owns Vista Plus and issue the VMIdentify command with at least
one option:
# ./VMIdentify [-i] [-o] [-v] [PORT=xxxx]
i Runs VMIdentify once immediately.
o Tells VMIdentify to look at offline generations instead of online generations. You

must also include the -i option.
v Displays which version of VMIdentify is installed.
PORT=xxxx You must include the port number if you are on a Windows host and
the Vista Plus server is running on a port other than 7980.
Tip
If Vista Plus is owned by root, you must log in as the actual root user. Vista
Plus does not recognize pseudo-root users created by the sudo, su, or pseudo
command.
Tip
You can use the task scheduler (on a Windows host) or a cron job (on a UNIX
host) to schedule VMIdentify to run automatically at intervals. If you do this,
remember to run VMTransport after each run of VMIdentify.
If desired, you can schedule two VMIdentify tasks, one without the o option
to identify online generations and one with o for offline generations. If you
do this, make sure one task will finish before the other one starts. There
cannot be two instances of VMIdentify running at the same time.
Running VMTransport
VMTransport processes the generation lists created by VMIdentify and carries out the
migration actions specified. It processes all lists unless you specify a list file. Once
VMTransport processes a list, it removes the list from the vmfiles subdirectory. You cannot
schedule VMTransport as you can VMIdentify; you must run it by issuing the
VMTransport command.
Except when running VMTransport for an individual lis file (see below), you cannot run it
twice in a row without running VMIdentify. You must run VMIdentify to create new
migration lists before running VMTransport again.
Note
Managing Migration
When migrating to tape, VMTransport creates a volume on the tape and

prompts you to enter a volume name. You must enter a unique volume name
each time you run VMTransport.
191
To run VMTransport
Log in as the user that owns Vista Plus and issue the VMTransport command:
# ./VMTransport [path/listname] {PORT=xxxx]
listname is the name of one of the lis files created by VMIdentify. Include it if you want
VMTransport to process only one of the lists created by VMIdentify. If the file is not in the
vmfiles subdirectory, you must include the full path (including the drive on a Windows
host) to the file. To process all lists in the vmfiles subdirectory, do not include any list file
name or path.
You must include PORT=xxxx if you are on a Windows host and the Vista Plus server is
running on a port other than 7980.
Warning
VMTransport cannot migrate a generation if it is in use by another process:

for example, if anyone is viewing it. Also, VMTransport locks generations as
it processes them, so no other user can open a generation while it is being
processed.
Warning
Do not kill the VMTransport process. If you do, or if the Vista Plus server
goes down during VMTransport, the generations being archived may end up
in an unstable state. Contact Vista Plus customer support for help, as
described on the copyright page.
Tip
If Vista Plus is owned by root, you must log in as the actual root user. Vista
Plus does not recognize pseudo-root users created by the sudo, su, or pseudo
command.
Note
If there are problems communicating with a tape or optical diskfor

example, if there is no tape mountedmessages may be sent from the
operating system to the system console, not to the workstation where you are
running VMTransport. If you are running VMTransport through a cron job
on UNIX, with messages going to a log file, this could repeat until the log file
takes up all available space.
VMTransport may write files to your temp directory. If the temp directory
appears full, do not stop VMTransport; it will delete the files before it
finishes. On UNIX, VMTransport uses the temporary directory named in the
TMPDIR server.cfg command; on Windows, it uses the one named in the TMP
command. On either operating system, if the server.cfg command is not found,
it uses the temporary directory named in the warehouse parameters.
If the destination device fills up, remaining generations are not migrated.
They are listed in the VMTransport.log file, and will be selected again the next
time VMIdentify runs. Also, any other operations, such as deletions, are not
performed. When a device is considered full is determined by the device size
entered when the device was defined to Vista Plus.
VMTransport cannot migrate generations from more than 32,000 reports at
once.
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Performing Migration from Viewer Clients

You can request or perform migration actions from Vista Plus Windows Client and Web
View: you can archive, restore, and delete generations. See the Vista Plus Windows Client
Users Guide or the Web View online help for more on restoring generations.
Performing Archive Actions from Vista Plus Viewer Clients

The Archive Generations function in Vista Plus Windows Client and Web View allows you
to archive generations as needed, perhaps at a different point than they would be archived
based on On Demand or Automatic Rule sets.
This function handles generations differently depending on the destination location
specified in the Client Requested rule set assigned to their report:
If the destination is on a disk device, the generations are archived immediately

without waiting for VMTransport to run.
If the destination is a tape device, it marks the generations so VMIdentify selects and
VMTransport archives them the next time they run. This makes it easier for you to
have the proper tape mounted when the generations are archived.
Remember, only the destination location for the first Migration action is used from a
Client Requested Rule set. Any parameters for this action are ignored, as are any other
rules in the rule set.
Any On Demand or Automatic migration rule sets assigned to a report or specified in
parameters are ignored for generations selected for archiving from a viewer client.
However, these rule sets are still used for other generations.
Note
After an archive request is made from a viewer client, a Migration Results

window appears with a status message. The message will tell you whether
the generation was migrated to a volume on a disk device or is waiting to be
migrated to tape. It will read Archive rule undefined if no Client
Requested migration rule set is available.
Performing Restore Actions from Vista Plus Viewer Clients

The Vista Plus Windows Client and Web View Restore Generation function allows you to
put archived generations back online in the Vista Plus report warehouse. It is the only way
to restore generations; they cannot be restored with migration rule sets and migration
processes.
The restore function issues a restore request to the Vista Plus server. It does not use a rule
set. When generations are restored after a request is made depends on where they are
archived:
Generations archived on a disk device are restored right away.
Generations archived on a tape device are restored the next time VMTransport is run
from the Vista Plus server with the tape device mounted.
Managing Migration
193
The restore method in warehouse parameters determines how a generation is treated after
it is restored. If the restore method is set to Permanent, the generation is treated like any
other online generation. It is not subject to the Delete Restored Generation migration
action. It will be remigrated when it meets the conditions for a Migration migration action.
Any changes you make to the generation after restoring it are included in the newly
migrated copy.
If the restore method is set to Temporary, the generation will be removed by migration
after the number of days set in the warehouse parameter. It could be removed sooner
based on a Delete Restored Generations action in a migration rule set. Any changes you
make to the generation after restoring it are lost when it is deleted. It cannot be
remigrated.
See page 213 for more details on how the restore method affects how restored generations
are treated.
Note
After a restore request is made from a viewer client for generations archived
on a tape device, a Migration Results window appears with a status message.
The message will read Awaiting restore.
When a generation is restored, its Create Time is changed to the time it was
restored, causing it to appear at the top of generation lists in viewer clients.
You can set CAPTURE_DATE=1 in the server.cfg file to keep the original
create time.
Performing Delete Actions from Vista Plus Viewer Clients

The Vista Plus Windows Client and Web View Delete Generations function allows you to
delete online generations from the Vista Plus report warehouse. It permanently removes
individual generations. Generations are deleted immediately; a rule set is not used.
You can also delete generations during migration using the Delete Online Generations
and Delete Offline Generations actions.
194
Chapter 14
Managing Warehouse Parameters

This chapter covers managing report warehouse parameters.
In This Chapter
Warehouse Parameters Overview ....................................................... 196
Setting Warehouse Parameters ............................................................ 197
Warehouse Parameter Descriptions .................................................... 204
Note
You can manage warehouse parameters with Server Admin or with vadmin.
This chapter gives procedures for the Server Administration client; see
Chapter 22 for vadmin commands.
In addition to the parameters you can change with Server Admin, there are
defaults for locale and character set which can be set only with vadmin. See
Appendix C for more information.
195
Warehouse Parameters Overview
Warehouse Parameters Overview

Vista Plus looks at a number of parameters to control various aspects of warehouse
operation. There are Vista Plus default settings for all warehouse parameters. You can
change some or all of these settings.
If you want to define your own settings for warehouse parameters, you can do this at any
point during warehouse setup. However, there are a few parameters you might want to
modify before performing other warehouse functions:
196
Before you create reports, make sure the Default paper size and Default access
permissions are correct.
Before you begin capturing source files to Vista Plus, you might want to make sure the
Compress reports after capture parameter and Retention of originals are set the way
you want.
Before you begin migrating generations, you might want to select Default migration
rule sets if there are reports that dont have individually-assigned rule sets.
Setting Warehouse Parameters

Follow the procedure in this section to set warehouse parameters with the Vista Plus
Server Administration client. Each parameter is described briefly in the procedure; for
more detailed descriptions, see the sections following the procedure, starting on page 204.
How to Set Warehouse Parameters

1.
Display the parameters for the Vista Plus server. You can right-click on the server in
the console tree and select Properties from the popup menu.
2.
On the General page set the following:
Temp directory Vista Plus uses this directory to store temporary files. The
default is /tmp on UNIX or system volume:\temp on Windows. (System volume is
the volume containing the Windows system software, normally C:).
The General page also shows host, port, and version information for the server.
197
3.
Click the Security tab. On this page, you can set the following:
Folders The permission to use for folders when a user or group doesnt have
a specific permission assigned. The default is View Only.
Reports The permission to use for reports when the report, user, or group
doesnt have a specific permission assigned. The default is View Only.
Bundles The permission to use for bundles when a user or group doesnt
have a specific permission assigned. The default is View Only.
Require password to use vadmin Check this box to require a Vista Plus
Administrator user name and password whenever a vadmin command is
entered.
Require user to choose group at login Check this box to force users to select
which group they log in to Vista Plus as a member of. The Change Group dialog
will appear when users log in and they must select a group from there.
Allow warehouse-wide repository searches If this box is checked, the

Windows Client repository search feature is enabled; if it is cleared, repository
search is disabled.
Note
198
Important! If you select Require user to choose group at login, all users must
be members of at least one group. Any user who does not belong to a group
will not be allowed to login.
4.
Click the Network tab. On this page, you can set the following:
Logoff inactive clients after To log off Vista Plus viewer client users
automatically after a certain period of inactivity, check the box and enter a time
interval; this should be an even multiple of the ping interval. To disable inactive
logoff, clear the checkbox; it is cleared by default. You should turn this option
on if any of your users use Vista Plus Web View. See page 205 for more
information.
Client/Server ping interval If you want the Vista Plus server and its clients
to test their connection at a certain interval, enter that interval. The default is 15
minutes. If you enable inactive logoff, the ping interval should be evenly
divisible into the logoff interval. See page 205.
Connection type Should clients connect to the server using short-lived or

persistent connections, or should individual users choose their connection
type? Short-lived connections generally consume fewer server resources.
Connection duration How long should short-lived connections remain open

without activity? This only closes the connection between the client and server;
it does not log the client off.
199
5.
Click the epurposing tab. On this page, you can set the following:
Report subdirectory naming Use the report name or the report ID to name
subdirectories when storing renditions on the Web server?
Prepend host name and port to report subdirectory When checked,

epurposing creates separate directory trees on the Web server for renditions
from different Vista Plus report warehouses.
For more information on epurposing and PortalVue Connector, see Chapters 18 and
19, respectively.
6.
200
Click the Capture tab. On this page, you can set the following:
Retention of originals For each report format, check the box if you want to
save reports in their original formats as well as in Vista Plus format. If you save
report files in their original format, you can remote print them from viewer
clients; if you dont save the original files, you cannot remote print that type of
report. Also, for some types of capture problems, Vista Plus customer support
may request a copy of the original report file.
If you will never remote print files in a certain format, you may want to clear
the checkbox for that format. This saves warehouse space.
7.
Default Paper Size Select the page size to use as the default during report
capture; you can override this default for specific reports.
Compress reports after capture To compress source files when they are
captured to Vista Plus, check this box. It is selected by default if you answered
Yes to compressing reports during server installation.
Click the Volumes tab. On this page, you can set one or more default capture volumes
and how full Vista Plus should allow the volumes to get:
To add volumes, click the Add button. On the Select Volumes dialog, select one
or more volumes from the displayed list and click OK.
To remove a volume from the list, select it and click Remove. This does not
delete the volume; it merely removes it from the capture rollover list.
To change the order of the volumes, select the volume you want to move, then
click Move Up or Move Down.
High water mark When a volume becomes this full, no more generations
will be captured or restored to it. You should not generally set this to 100.
201
8.
9.
Click the Archive tab. On this page, you can set the default migration rule sets:
Automatic This rule set is used for reports you have not assigned a rule set
to.
On-Demand This set is used instead of the default Automatic set the next
time VMIdentify runs. It is then cleared; when VMIdentify runs again, it will
use the Automatic rule set unless you enter another On Demand rule set.
Client requested The default Client Requested set determines the

destination volume for generations for which archiving has been requested
from a viewer client, and which dont have a Client Requested set assigned to
their report.
Automatic archive interval Determines how often the VMIdentify process

runs when it is set to repeat automatically. The default is 24 hours.
Click the Restore tab. On this page, you can set the following:
202
Permanent restores Treat restored generations exactly like online

generations. They will not be removed from the report warehouse by Delete
Restored Generations actions in migration rule sets, but can be remigrated by
Migration actions.
Temporarily retain Remove restored generations after a certain number of

days; set the number of days in the field. Generations could be removed sooner
than this based on Delete Restored Generation actions in migration rule sets.
They cannot be remigrated by Migration actions.
10. Click the Logging tab. On this page, you can set the following:
Days to retain log data How long should events be kept in the log tables in
the database? Once events are cleared from the log tables, you can no longer get
reports on them.
Events to log Check the box for each type of event you want logged in the
Vista Plus database. You can use vadmin commands to run Vista Plus standard
reports listing the events you log; if you do not log a type of event, you cannot
print reports on it. The standard reporting feature is described in Chapter 21.
Log report captures and access If this box is checked, each time a generation
is captured, or opened, Vista Plus records the date, time, and user in a daily log
text file. This information is not accessible directly from Vista Plus, but you can
use other programs, such as text editors, to view or analyze the log file. This
logging is entirely separate from the database logging feature. In most cases, we
recommend you use database logging instead.
11. Click OK. To make sure the changed settings take effect for all users, stop and restart
203
Warehouse Parameter Descriptions

The tables that follow list all the warehouse parameters available in Server Admin. Each
table corresponds to a page in the servers Properties dialog.
General Parameter
Temp directory
Note
This is the directory used for temporary storage of Vista Plus

files, including newly captured generations and generations
waiting to be archived. The default is /tmp on UNIX and
system volume:\temp on Windows. (System volume is the disk
where the Windows software is installed, usually C:.) The
directory must have enough free space for all files in one
archive action and be at least three times the size of the largest
file you capture.
If you want, you can add a TMP (on a Windows server) or TMPDIR (on a
UNIX server) command to the server.cfg file to specify a different directory as
the temporary directory for migration (it will also be used for some image
files during capture and by certain other features). If you do, then the
directory you specify here does not need to be large enough to handle all files
in a migration.
Security Parameters
204
Folders
This is the default access permission for folders. The default

entry is View Only. Access permissions assigned to a user or
group override the default permission.
Reports
This is the default access permission for reports. The default

entry is View Only. Access permissions assigned to a user or
group override the default. You can also assign different
defaults to individual reports through the report properties,
see Chapter 5.
Bundles
This determines the default access permission for bundles.

The default entry is View Only. Access permissions assigned
to a user or group override the default permission. You may
want to set this to Distribute if you frequently print bundles as
a distribution action or if you want most users to be able to
print bundles.
Security Parameters
Require password to
use vadmin
vadmin, Vista Pluss command-line administrative client, can

be set to require an Administrator user name and password.
When a name and password are required, they can be entered
as part of the command, in response to a prompt, or before
entering a series of commands.
When a name and password are not required, anyone with
access to vadmin on the server host or any remote host can
perform any vadmin command. For more information on
passwords and vadmin security issues, see page 319.
Require user to choose Checking this box causes the Change Group dialog to appear
at login in viewer clients, forcing users to choose which group
group at login
to log in under. When this is not selected, users always log in
as members of their primary groups, but can change groups
after logging in. When this option is selected, a user who does
not belong to a group cannot log into Vista Plus.
Allow warehouse-wide The repository search feature in the Windows Client lets users
search all generations of all reports in one or more folders (up
repository searches
to the entire report warehouse). These searches can take a long
time and use considerable server resources. If this box is
cleared, repository search is disabled for all users.
For more information on access permissions, see Chapter 10.
Network Parameters
Logoff inactive clients
after
This specifies the time-out interval for Vista Plus viewer client
users. To log clients off the server automatically if there is no
activity for a specified time, check the box and set the interval.
By default, the box is not checked.
This setting should be an even multiple of the ping interval
if the ping interval is 15 minutes, the logoff interval should be
one of 30, 45, 60, and so on. If it is not, while the client
connection will be properly dropped by the server, users may
not receive an accurate message saying they have been logged
off due to inactivity. Instead, they may receive a
communication error the next time the client pings the server,
since the server has ended the connection.
We strongly recommend you use this option if users use Vista
Plus Web View to view reports. If a user does not log off a Web
View session before closing the browser or going to another
URL, his or her user session is not closed by the Vista Plus
server. If you do not use inactive logoff, eventually all your
user licenses could be taken up by users who have not logged
off of Web View.
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Network Parameters
Client/server ping
interval
This determines the time interval at which connections are

tested between the Vista Plus server and Vista Plus viewer
client users. The default is 15 minutes. To minimize network
traffic, it should be no less than this.
As noted above, if inactive logoff is enabled, the ping interval
should be an even division of the logoff interval.
206
Connection type
Two types of connections are possible between the Vista Plus

server and any of its client programs: persistent and shortlived. A persistent connection exists for as long as the client
program is connected to the server. A short-lived connection
is opened whenever the client requests information from the
server and closed after the server sends the data back to the
client. A persistent connection can give slightly better
performance to the client using it. However, since persistent
connections remain open longer, they use more resources on
the Vista Plus server. You can set the connection type to shortlived, persistent, or user-selectable. When user-selectable is
set, Windows Client users can select a connection type, Web
View uses short-lived connections, and other clients use
persistent connections. For more information, see the Vista Plus
Technical Addendum.
Connection duration
When using short-lived connections, this is how long the

connection stays open if there is no activity. This can be set
from 1-30 seconds; setting it much higher than one or two
seconds can greatly reduce the benefits of using short-lived
connections. For more information, see the Vista Plus Technical
Addendum.
epurposing Parameters
Report subdirectory
naming
When storing renditions on a Web server, epurposing creates a

directory structure which can include either the name or the
ID of the report being renditioned. Using the report name
makes it easier to find reports in the structure; using the ID
keeps the total path to the files shorter, which can be
important, as there is a limit to the total path length. For more
information see page 275.
Prepend host name

and port
When creating the rendition directory structure, Vista Plus can

create all user/group/report directories under a directory
named for the server and port: for example, /development/7980/
. This allows you to store report renditions from two report
warehouses under the same Web server directory but in their
own separate directory structures. If you are only epurposing
from one report warehouse, this is probably not necessary,
and merely increases the length of the path to the rendition
files. For more information see page 275.
Capture Parameters
Retention of originals
ASCII
PCL
Postscript
ASA
These parameters allow you to save captured source files.

All checkboxes are selected by default. Leave a checkbox
selected if you plan to remote print files in that format or
use SmartAlarms to e-mail the original report file, as
described in Chapter 16. If you clear a checkbox, original
files are not stored for that format, and you cannot remote
print that type of report file or e-mail it with a SmartAlarm
(you can still e-mail a shortcut to the report). You should
also save the original file for any format you are using for
bundle banner pages which contain tokens (see page 249).
Finally, if you experience certain capture-related problems,
Vista Plus customer support may ask you for the original
file.
Not saving the original files saves warehouse space.
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Capture Parameters
Default paper size
This sets the paper size to use if no other size is specified

during capture. This determines the paper size used for the
report in viewer clients and when local printing. It has no
effect on remote printing, which uses the paper size in the
original report. Possible settings (sizes are in inches) are:
Letter (8.5 by 11)
Legal (8.5 by 14)
Ledger (11 by 17)
Tabloid (11 by 17)
Statement (5.5 by 8.5)
Executive (7.25 by 10.5)
A3 (11.69 by 16.54)
A4 (8.27 by 11.69)
A5 (5.83 by 8.27)
B4 (10.12 by 14.33)
B5 (7.17 by 10.12)
10x14 (10 by 14)
Compress reports after

capture
This compresses report generations when they are

captured. Compressing generations saves warehouse space.
Generations are decompressed when they are opened in
Vista Plus viewer clients; this makes it take a little longer
the first time a user opens the generation.
If most or all generations are opened shortly after capture,
you may not want to select this option, as it would not
really save space; it would only slightly delay when the
space was used: from when the generation was captured to
when it was opened. If you do use this option, be sure to
adjust the high-water mark for the volumes you are
capturing to so there is enough room to decompress
generations for viewing. See page 210.
In addition to being decompressed when opened,
generations are also decompressed when you add or
modify a page security for their report. Page security is
described in Chapter 11.
You can recompress generations with a compress migration
rule; the Standard Migration Rule Set compresses
generations one day after they were last opened.
208
Volumes Parameters
Default capture volumes
You can specify up to five default online volumes. When a

generation is captured with no specific volume requested, it
is saved to the first default volume. If the first volume does
not have room for the generation (it has reached the highwater mark), the generation is saved to the second listed
volume, and so on.
If a specific volume has been assigned to the report, the
generation is captured to that volume, unless the volume
has reached the high-water mark. If it has reached the highwater mark, the generation is treated as if no volume was
specified, and captured to the first default volume which
has room. The volume assigned to a report can be one of the
default volumes or another online volume.
If you specify a volume during captureeither on the
command line or in a configuration filethe generation
will be captured only to the specified volume. If the volume
has reached the high-water mark, the generation is not
captured and there is an error message. The volume
specified can be one of the default volumes or another
online volume.
For information on creating volumes, please see Chapter 12.
209
Volumes Parameters
Volume High Water Mark
Generations will be captured to any volume only until the

volume is this full; the number must be a whole percentage
from 1 to 100. When capturing a file would exceed this
percentage, the volume rollover procedure, as described
above, takes place. See the important note below.
In general, you should not set the high-water mark to 100%.
You need to allow space above the high-water mark for
decompressing generations for viewing. Generations
cannot be rolled over to the next volume during
decompression; if there is no room on the volume, you will
receive an error. (If you compress generations during
capture, you need to leave more space over the high-water
mark, as most or all generations will be decompressed
sometime shortly after they are captured.) Note that how
much space compression saves-and, therefore, how much
space you need above the high-water mark for
decompressioncan vary widely depending on the type of
report. In general, text reports save the most space when
compressed (as much as 80%), while reports with lots of
graphics and/or many page securities may save only 1015%.
If a volume is on the same file system or disk volume as the
Vista Plus database, you also need to allow enough room
for the eventual size of the Vista Plus data. If the disk
containing the database fills up, you may not be able to add
any new users, reports, or other data to Vista Plus.
When a volume has reached its high-water mark and
volume rollover occurs during a capture, the message
volume xx full is written to server.debug.log. This does
not indicate a problem; it is just to notify you of the rollover.
Rollovers during a restore are logged to VMTransport.log.
The actual percentage of each volume used may be slightly
less than the high-water mark, due to the way Vista Plus
calculates the space required during capture.
Tip
Be sure to create migration rules for all online volumes to be sure to properly
migrate all generations. See Chapter 13 for more information.
The volume used for a restore is determined in the same way as when you
capture a generation without specifying a volume: if the report has a volume
assigned, the generation is restored to that volume; if the volume has reached
the high-water mark the restore rolls over to the first default volume, and so
on. If the report isnt assigned a capture volume, the generation is restored to
the first default volume with room beneath the high-water mark.
210
Note
Important! Volume rollover occurs when Vista Plus determines that

capturing a file would cause the volume to exceed the high-water mark. Thus,
a large report may roll over to the next volume, while a smaller report
doesnt, since there is enough room for it below the high-water mark.
The available space for a Vista Plus volume is determined based on the file
system (UNIX) or disk volume (Windows) it resides on. If the high-water
mark is 90%, Vista Plus will continue capturing to a volume until the file
system or disk volume it is on is 90% full. This means that putting more than
one of the default volumes on the same file system or disk volume defeats the
purpose of the rollover volumes. If all default Vista Plus volumes are on the
same file system, rollover will never occur: since the calculation is based on
the file system, when one volume reaches the high-water mark, they all do.
Archive Parameters
Default Migration Rules These are used for migrating generations of reports that are
not assigned migration rule sets individually. The Standard
Migration Rule Set included with Vista Plus is the default for
all three types; you can enter your own rule sets instead. The
Standard rule set compresses generations one day after they
were last opened in Vista Plus viewer clients.
Automatic This rule set is used for reports which dont
have a rule set assigned, if there is no default On Demand
rule set. It should be the rule set which applies to most
reports, most of the time. You can override the default
Automatic rule set for a single run of VMIdentify by
entering a default On Demand rule set.
On Demand This rule set is used instead of the
Automatic rule set for one run of VMIdentify, then
cleared. You can enter an On Demand set each time you
want to migrate based on a different rule set.
Client Requested This rule set is used when archive
requests are made from a Vista Plus viewer client for a
report which does not have a Client Request rule set. It is
used only to determine the destination volume for the
archived generations.
See Chapter 13 for more information on rule sets and
211
Archive Parameters
Automatic archive
interval
This is how often the VMIdentify process runs when it is set

to run automatically (see page 190). The default is 24 hours.
Leave enough time to run VMTransport after VMIdentify is
run.
We recommend you do not use this parameter; instead use a
cron job (on UNIX) or the task scheduler (on Windows) to
schedule VMIdentify. Scheduling the job through the
operating system means the schedule can be maintained even
if the server host is rebooted.
212
Restore Parameters
Generation Restore
Method
This tells VMIdentify how to treat restored generations

(generations that have been archived to an offline location and
then brought back online to the warehouse):
Permanent This tells VMIdentify to treat restored
generations like other online generations, as if they had
never been migrated and restored. This means they will
not be affected by the Delete Restored Generation
migration action. They will be remigrated when they meet
the conditions for a Migration migration action. Any
changes you make to the generation after restoring it are
included in the newly migrated copy.
There is one exception to this: if a migration rule tries to
remigrate a generation to the same device it was migrated
to before, and you cannot rewrite files on that device (for
example, its a WORM optical drive), the new copy of the
generation cannot be written, and changes made after it
was restored are lost.
Temporarily retain This tells VMIdentify to delete
restored generations after a certain number of days; set the
number of days in the field (the default is 5). Generations
could be removed sooner than this based on a Delete
Restored Generations action in their migration rule set.
Temporarily restored generations cannot be remigrated.
This means any changes you make to a restored
generationfor example, adding an online noteare lost
when the generation is deleted. If you store index values
in the database (see page 417), we do not recommend reindexing temporarily restored generations. Depending on
the type of change you have made to the index definition,
doing so can remove values for that generation from the
database. This means you will not be able to search the
generation after the restored copy is deleted. Re-indexing
may also cause index values in the database and the report
warehouse to become different, leading to global index or
generation searches either finding erroneous matches or
not finding matches they should.
The setting of this parameter at the time a generation is
restored controls how that generation is treated. If you change
this setting, it affects only generations restored after the
change.
See Chapter 13 for more information on migration.
213
Logging Parameters
Days to retain log data
Logged events will stay in the database for this many days.
Events are cleared from the log automatically by Vista Plus
twice a day, so events may stay in the log up to 12 hours after
the deadline is reached. Also, see the note below.
Events to log
This list includes all the types of events that Vista Plus can log
in the database and report on using the vadmin standard
reports feature. (Standard reports are described in Chapter
21.) Check the box for each type of event you want to track
and report on; see page 307. Since logging events increases the
size of your Vista Plus database and can slightly slow
performance, we recommend you track only events you plan
to run reports for.
Log report captures

and access
Check this box to have all report captures and report accesses
recorded in a text log file outside the Vista Plus database. A
separate log file for each day is created in the /logs
subdirectory of the Vista Plus installation directory. The file
name is /logyyyymmdd. There are two kinds of entries in the
file: one for report captures, one for report accesses:
time RptCapture,user,group,report,gen,size
time RptRead,user,group,report,gen
The format of time varies by country; in the US, it is mm/dd/
yyyy hh:mm:ss. Gen is the generation ID number; size is the
size of the captured file, in bytes. The other parts of the line
are self-explanatory.
You can view this information using any program which can
display a text file.
This option is available to maintain compatibility with earlier
versions of Vista Plus. We recommend you use the previous
field to log report captures and access in the Vista Plus
database, and use vadmin to report on them (see Chapter 21).
If you do not need to log this information in a separate text
file, turn this option off to save disk space.
Note
214
Clearing the events log is triggered when an event is logged, so if you clear all
boxes in the list so no events are logged, old events will not be cleared from
the log, either.
Chapter 15
Managing Remote Printers

This chapter covers managing the print definitions required for printing to remote
printers from Vista Plus.
In This Chapter
Remote Printer Overview .................................................................... 216
Creating Printers .................................................................................... 218
Modifying a Printer ............................................................................... 221
Assigning Printer Definitions .............................................................. 222
Note
You can manage remote printers using either the Server Admin client or
vadmin commands.
215
Remote Printer Overview

You can print from Vista Plus to either remote printers or local printers. You print to remote
printers through the Vista Plus server; you print to local printers directly or through your
network.
No special Vista Plus setup is required for local printers. Before you can print to remote
printers, print definitions must be set up for those printers. A print definition consists of a
printer name plus a print command (commands are shown as options in Vista Plus viewer
clients).
After you create print definitions for remote printers, users can select them when remote
printing in Vista Plus viewer clients. You can also assign printers and print commands to
users, groups, bundles, and SmartAlarm actions; see page 222.
Note
To be able to print to remote printers, you must save a copy of the original file
when you capture reports. Whether you do is determined by an option in
warehouse parameters, as described on page 207.
During remote printing, the server creates a temporary file in the Vista Plus
temporary directory defined in warehouse parameters. On a UNIX host, this
means the temporary directory must be accessible by others for remote
printing to work, since printing is performed by the lp user.
On a Windows Vista Plus server host, you must start the Vista Plus server
service under a network user account; see the Vista Plus Server Installation
Guide. Also, since remote print commands are performed using the server
service, all printers must be accessible under the Windows security context of
the service. For example, to print to a Netware printer, the Windows user
account that starts the server service must have the proper Netware
permissions to use the printer.
Special Setup for Remote Printing

To control certain aspects of remote print jobs, you can set special flags in the server.cfg file
on the Vista Plus server host and in the vista30.ini file on Vista Plus Windows Client
workstations.
216
Flag for Disabling Remote Print Results Message

If you want to disable the remote print results message that appears in Vista Plus
Windows Client after a remote print request is processed, you can set the
SHOW_PRINTRESULTS flag on client workstations. Disabling this flag allows users to
print multiple reports at once without having to clear the dialog after each report is
printed.
To set SHOW_PRINTRESULTS, enter the line below in the print_options section of
the vista30.ini file on a Vista Plus Windows Client workstation:
SHOW_PRINTRESULTS=0
The vista30.ini file is located in Winnt on Windows NT and 2000, and in Windows on
Windows XP.
Warning
When the remote print results dialog is turned off, it will not appear for any
remote print requests, including requests that were not successful. This
means you will not be notified if any errors occur.
Flag for Printing UNIX-style Text Files

If you remote print UNIX-style text files (e.g., files with line feeds, but no carriage returns)
or if you experience problems in remote printing text files, you can set the NORMALIZE
flag. This flag causes existing carriage return and line feed patterns to be replaced with
normal CR-LF patterns so text files remote print correctly. To set the NORMALIZE flag,
enter the line below in the server.cfg file on the Vista Plus server host:
NORMALIZE=1
If you dont experience problems with remote printing, dont set the NORMALIZE flag.
This improves performance and reduces disk space usage during capture.
Note
Setting NORMALIZE does not correct printing for generations youve

already captured; it can help newly-captured generations remote print
correctly.
PERFSKIP_ON Flag for Certain PCL Printing Problems

By default, when PCL files print they skip a small area at the bottom of each page known
as the perforation area. In rare cases, this causes text or graphics which should appear at
the bottom of a page to be moved to the next page when the reports are viewed or remote
printed from Vista Plus.
If you have this problem, and you are using the Vista Plus 4.x parser, you can set the flag
PERFSKIP_ON=0 in the server.cfg file on the Vista Plus server host and recapture the
affected reports. If you do not have this particular problem, do not set this flag. Also, this
flag has no effect when you are using the 5.x parser. See page 91 for a discussion of Vista
Plus parsers.
217
Creating Printers
Creating Printers
When you create remote printers, you include at least one print command for each printer.
The combination of a printer and a print command is called a print definition. Each print
definition contains:
Printer This identifies the printer in Server Admin and in viewer clients. It can
correspond to the name of an actual print queue or printer, but does not need to. The
actual queue or printer is specified in the print command.
Print command This specifies the exact command used to print. This would
generally be a UNIX or Windows print command including the printer or queue to
send the file to; it can also include command options such as portrait/landscape
orientation, compression, lines per page, number of copies, and so on. (Print
instructions in graphical files may override options in print definitions.) Any queue or
printer specified in a print definition must be set up on your system according to
manufacturer and network specifications and requirements. The print command can
also include some special parameters, as described below.
Tip
You can create multiple print commands for a single remote printer. For
example, you could define one command specifying portrait, normal, 10
copies; another specifying portrait, compressed, two copies, and so on.
Whenever the printer was used, the user would have his or her choice of print
commands.
Parameters for Print Commands

When entering the print command for a print definition, you can include one or more of
these parameters:
%d for the report name.
%p for the remote printer name.
%s for the print file path. If you do not use %s, Vista Plus puts the filename at the end,
as in standard UNIX lp and Windows print command strings.
%t for the report description.
%T for the generation description.
%u for the Vista Plus user name.
When a report is printed using a print definition that includes one or more of these
parameters in its command string, each parameter is replaced by the indicated
information. For example, consider this print command:
myprintcmd %s queue1 %u %d
When a report is remote printed using this remote printer definition, the path to the report
file is inserted in place of %s, the name of the Vista Plus user doing the printing (for
218
Creating Printers
example, Admin) is inserted in place of %u, and the report name (for example, Payroll) is
inserted in place of %d. The actual print command that is executed looks like this:
myprintcmd path-to-file queue1 Admin Payroll
In addition to using multiple parameters in the same command, you can also use the same
parameter more than once, if needed. For example, you could include the path to the
report file at two locations in the command.
How to Create Printers

1.
Create a new printer using any of the methods on page 33.
2.
On the General dialog, enter the following:
Name A name for the remote printer definition (up to 64 characters; it does
not need to correspond to a print queue or printer name). The name will be
shown in the Printers field anywhere a remote printer is selected.
Description A description for this printer (up to 255 characters).
219
Creating Printers
220
3.
Click Next.
4.
Since this printer is new, there are no print commands listed. To create a new print
command:
Click New.
Type a Name for this command. This is how users will select the command, so
it should uniquely identify this command.
Type the exact print Command to execute. This is the command Vista Plus will
execute when printing to this printer with this command. See Creating
Printers, earlier in this chapter.
Click Finish.
5.
To add more print commands for this printer, repeat step 4.
6.
Click Finish.
Modifying a Printer
Modifying a Printer
You can modify any aspect of a printer definition except the printer name; once youve
created a printer you cannot change the name. You can change the description, modify or
delete an existing print command, or add a new command.
How to Modify a Printer

1.
View the printers properties using any of the methods described on page 33.
2.
On the General page, you can change the printers Description.
3.
To change the print commands, click the Print Commands tab. You can then:
4.
To change an existing command, select it in the list and click Properties. Change
the command name or command and click OK.
To add a new command, click New and follow the instructions in step 4, above.
To remove one or more command, select them in the list and click Delete.
Click OK.
221
Assigning Printer Definitions
Assigning Printer Definitions

Vista Plus can automatically remote print a report generation for a user or group through
either a SmartAlarm action or a bundle distribution action. In either case, the user cannot
select the remote printer to use. So, how is the printer determined?
The answer is default print definitions. You can assign print definitions to users, groups,
bundles, and SmartAlarm actions. These definitions are used by bundle and SmartAlarm
printing, in this order:
If the bundle or SmartAlarm action has a print definition assigned, the bundles
printer is used and the users print definition is ignored.
If the user has a print definition assigned, and the bundle or SmartAlarm action does
not, the generation or bundle is printed on the users printer.
If the user doesn't have a printer assigned, but his or her primary group does, the
generation or bundle is printed on the group printer.
If neither the user nor his or her primary group has a print definition assigned, the
generation or bundle is not printed. In this case, select a printer as part of the
SmartAlarm or bundle action definition.
If the action prints for a group, a similar precedence is followed: the print definition
assigned to the bundle or SmartAlarm action is used; if the bundle or action says to use
the group printer, one copy of the generation or bundle prints using the group's default
printer definition. If the group doesnt have a default definition, the generation or bundle
is not printed. Any printers assigned to members of the group are not used.
How to Assign Print Definitions

Print definitions are assigned through the group, user, SmartAlarm, or bundle properties.
In each case, you select both a remote printer and one of its print commands. For specific
information, see Chapter 7 for groups, Chapter 8 for users, Chapter 16 for SmartAlarms,
or Chapter 17 for bundles.
222
Chapter 16
Managing SmartAlarms
This chapter covers managing SmartAlarms for report capture.
In This Chapter
SmartAlarm Overview ......................................................................... 224
Creating SmartAlarms .......................................................................... 225
SmartAlarm Actions ............................................................................. 228
Conditional Alarm Triggers ................................................................. 231
Modifying SmartAlarms ...................................................................... 232
Deleting SmartAlarms .......................................................................... 233
Note
SmartAlarms can be managed using either the Server Admin client or

vadmin commands.
223
SmartAlarm Overview
SmartAlarm Overview
SmartAlarms give you an easy, efficient way to alert users when new generations are
captured to their reports. Upon capture of a new generation, an alarm can automatically
send a message to users via their Vista Plus Explorer Inboxes or via e-mail. It can also
print the new generation or perform an operating system command.
You can set up SmartAlarms so actions are taken every time a new generation is captured
or you can take advantage of the options that make them smart and set them up so
actions are taken only when generations with certain information are captured. For
example, you might set up an alarm to send an e-mail message when totals fall above or
below a certain amount.
If you want SmartAlarm actions to be performed every time a new generation is captured
to a report, you make the alarm unconditional. If you want actions to be performed only
when generations that contain certain information are captured, you make the alarm
conditional. This type of SmartAlarm goes off when the information in a generation meets
certain conditions or triggers.
SmartAlarms are set up individually for reports. Each report can have multiple alarms
and each alarm can perform multiple actions. For example, the same SmartAlarm can
print the report for some users while sending e-mail messages to others.
Note
224
To use SmartAlarm e-mail actions on a Windows server host, you need to

make sure the VISTA-MAILER setting in the server.cfg file in the Vista Plus
installation directory is correct for your installation. See the Vista Plus Server
Installation Guide.
Creating SmartAlarms
When you create a SmartAlarm, you specify the report the alarm is for. The alarm is used
for that report only. You also specify the actions the alarm should take, the users and
groups the actions should be taken for, and the triggers that should set off conditional
alarms. See the sections following the procedure for more information on actions and
triggers.
Tip
Before you create conditional SmartAlarms which use index values, you need
to define one or more indexes for the report, using a Vista Plus viewer client
or, for ASCII text reports, vadmin. See the Vista Plus Windows Client Users
Guide, the Web View online help, or page 339 of this guide. We recommend
you test your indexes with a search before using them in SmartAlarms.
How to Create SmartAlarms

1.
Create a new SmartAlarm using any of the methods on page 33.
2.
3.
Name A name for the SmartAlarm (up to 64 characters). It cannot start with
Subscription; this is reserved for report subscriptions (see page 286).
Description A description for the SmartAlarm (up to 255 characters).
Type Select Trigger when new generation is captured for an

unconditional SmartAlarm or Trigger when conditions are met for a
conditional SmartAlarm.
Report The name of the report this alarm is for.
Click Next. If the alarm is conditional, continue with step 4. If it is unconditional, skip
to step 8.
225
4.
For a conditional alarm, you see the conditions list; since it is a new alarm, the list is
empty. Click New.
5.
To create a trigger, fill in the fields on the conditions General page:
Source Select either:
Number of Pages To base the alarm on the number of pages in the

generation.
Index To base the alarm on the value of a particular report index. Select
the index from the list.
Operator Select the operator to use when comparing the value: equal, greater
than, greater than or equal, less than, or less than or equal.
Value Select the value to compare the number of pages or index value to.
See page 231 for more information on how triggers work.
226
6.
Repeat steps 4 and 5 for each trigger you want to use. If you enter more than one
trigger, all triggers must be met for the alarm to be triggered.
7.
Click Next.
8.
On the Actions page, click New.
9.
On the actions General page, select an Action, enter the necessary information, and
click OK. The available actions, and the information they require, are described
briefly here. See page 228 for more information.
Run command Enter an operating system command in the Command field.

It will be performed on the Vista Plus server host when the alarm is triggered.
Send e-mail Select User or Group and type or select the user or group name.
Select the format to attach the generation in, and whether to include the file
itself or a URL or shortcut to it. If you attach a URL, select the Web volume; you
cannot send custom message text. For a file or shortcut, enter the message text
(up to 256 characters) in the Message field. You must enter a separate action for
each user or group recipient.
Send message via Vista Plus server Enter message text (up to 256
characters) in the Message field. Select User or Group and type or select the
user or group name. You must enter a separate action for each user or group
recipient. The message will be sent to the Vista Plus Inboxes of the selected
users.
Send broadcast message via Vista Plus server Enter message text (up to 256
characters) in the Message field. The message will be sent to the Inboxes of all
users logged into Vista Plus using the Windows Client when the alarm is
triggered.
Print Select User or Group and type or select the user or group name. Select
the printer to use for this recipient, or leave Use user/group default printer
selected to print using the users or groups default printer definition. You must
enter a separate action for each user or group recipient.
Generate rendition Select User or Group and type or select the user or
group name. You must enter a separate action for each user or group recipient.
Select the file format to create and the Web volume to place the rendition on.
10. Repeat steps 8 and 9 for each additional action you want to define.
11. Click Finish.
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SmartAlarm Actions
SmartAlarm Actions
One SmartAlarm can perform multiple actions. Each action is for only one user or group,
but you can enter the same action type for more than one user or group and more than one
action for the same user or group.
Smart Alarm Actions

Run command
Runs an operating system command on the Vista Plus server host.

The command is run in batch mode, so all output (stdout or stderr)
should be redirected to a file. On UNIX, if the Vista Plus server is
running as root, the command is performed under the privileges of
the UNIX ID entered for the Vista Plus user who creates the alarm. If
the user has no ID specified or 0 is used, or if the server is running as
a user other than root, the command is performed under the
privileges of the Vista Plus server.
On Windows servers, all alarm actions are performed under the
security context of the user account the Vista Plus server service is
running under. Since the action is performed by the service, you
should redirect all standard input, output, and error messages, and
the command should not display a user dialog. Some DOS
commands, such as dir and copy, should be executed using the
command prompt executable, cmd.exe. For example, use cmd /c
copy fileA fileB to copy fileA to fileB.
Send e-mail
E-mails the reportas the original file, a shortcut to the report, an

HTML, text, or PDF rendition, or a URL pointing to the renditionto
a user or group. For all formats except URL, the subject line of the
message is set by the ALARM_SUBJECT_LINE variable in the
server.cfg file, as described on page 405, and you can enter message
text of up to 256 characters. When sending a URL, you must specify a
Web volume where the rendition pointed to by the URL should be
stored.
All users or groups receiving the message must have at least
Distribute permission for the report and have an e-mail address
entered in Vista Plus. Page security is applied when the rendition is
created, or when the user opens the report or a shortcut, so all users
see only the correct pages. See the warning below for information on
how user and group permissions and page securities are applied.
To attach the original report file, the original file must be saved when
generations are captured. You can set this option in warehouse
parameters, as described in Chapter 14.
On UNIX, if the server is running as root, the e-mail action is
performed as the adm user; if the server is running as another user, it
is performed under the privileges of that user.
228
SmartAlarm Actions
Warning
For the e-mail action, the user or group must have at least Distribute
permission for the report. If sending to a group, only the group permission is
checked. Group members could receive the file even if their individual
permissions are lower than Distribute. Similarly, when sending to individual
users, only individual permissions are checked; if the user's group does not
have permission for the report, the user will still receive it.
When e-mailing an attached report or report rendition to a user, only a page
security assigned to the user individually or to his or her primary group is
applied; any security assigned to a secondary group is not. When e-mailing a
report to all users in a group, only a page security assigned to the group is
applied, any one assigned to an individual user within the group is not. If you
assign page securities to individuals, you should use individual alarm
actions to distribute reports, not group actions.
If a group receives e-mail with a shortcut attached, any user with No Access
permission for the report will not be able to open the shortcut.
Send message
via Vista Plus
server
Sends a Vista Plus message (up to 256 characters) to the Vista Plus
Explorer Inboxes of specified users and groups. Users can doubleclick the message to open the new generation.
Send broadcast
message via
Vista Plus server
Sends a Vista Plus message to the Inboxes of all users logged in to

Vista Plus using the Windows Client when the alarm is set off. Users
with at least View access to the report can double-click this to open
the new generation.
Users who are not logged in will not receive the message created by
this action. You can send a message to specific users, even if they are
not logged in when the report is set off, with the Send message via
Vista Plus server action.
229
SmartAlarm Actions
Print
Prints the new generation. The generation is sent to the remote

printer selected in the action or the default printer for the report,
user, or group; for a group, one copy is printed on the group printer.
If a page security has been assigned to the user or group, only pages
in the security set are printed. Selecting the print action for different
users and groups with access to different page securities creates a
bursting effect. The user or group must have at least Distribute
permission for the report being printed.
You must save the original files for report types you want to print
with alarm actions; see warehouse parameters. The printer you print
to should be compatible with the original file type of the captured
report (for example, dont print a report which was originally
PostScript to a printer which doesnt understand PostScript).
On a UNIX host, the system banner page attached to the print job
includes the user name only if the recipients Vista Plus user record
includes a UNIX User ID that is valid on the Vista Plus server host
and the Vista Plus server is being run by the root user.
Also on UNIX, if the server is running as root, the print command is
performed as the lp user; if the server is running as another user, it is
performed under the privileges of that user.
Generate
rendition
Note
230
Creates an HTML, text, or PDF rendition of the generation, or a

report shortcut (vsc file) and places it on the specified Web volume.
The user or group is used to determine the page security; no
notification is sent. This action is most often used in subscriptions
(see page 286).
The print and generate rendition actions are not affected by any generation
filters set for the report in any folder. For example, if a report has generation
filters set to show users only generations captured by a member of one of
their groups, but a user has a SmartAlarm set to print each new generation of
the report, the alarm action will print all generations of the report, not just the
generations allowed by the generation filter. If you use generation filters to
control access to report generations, be very careful in creating SmartAlarms
for those same reports. See Chapter 9 for more information about generation
filters.
Conditional Alarm Triggers
Conditional Alarm Triggers

The triggers that set off conditional SmartAlarms specify the value a generation must
contain or match for SmartAlarm actions to be performed. Values can be text, numeric, or
total page count. Text and numeric triggers also specify an index: the text or number must
be found in the index area of any report page. See the Web View help or the Vista Plus
Windows Client Users Guide for information on creating indexes.
There is one value per trigger, but you can specify more than one trigger for a single
alarm. If an alarm has multiple triggers, a generation must meet all of them for alarm
actions to be performed. If a generation matches only some values in a SmartAlarms
triggers, the alarm is not set off.
Trigger Values
Number of Pages
A total page count and one of the same operators used for
index triggers. For example, if >100 is specified, a new
generation must have more than 100 pages to meet the
condition.
Index
Checks an index for a specific value. You can use either a

numeric or a text index. The index is checked on each page of
the generation; if any page meets the condition, the alarm is
triggered.
With a numeric index, you can use any of these operators: =,
<, >, <=, >=.
With a text index, you can use only the equals (=) operator. If
the index is case-sensitive, the index value must match the
cases specified for the alarm to be triggered.
You can use the * (multiple characters) and ? (single
character) wildcards in the trigger text, as in client searches.
The trigger text must match the entire index value to trigger
the alarm. For example, if the index value is Acme, trigger text
of Ac will not match, while Acme will. To trigger on a partial
match, use the * wildcard as part of the trigger text. In the
example, Ac* will match Acme.
Tip
We recommend you test any index by searching it before using it in a

SmartAlarm trigger.
231
Modifying SmartAlarms
Modifying SmartAlarms
You can add, remove, or delete conditions or actions from a SmartAlarm at any time. You
can also change the alarms name or description. You cannot, however, change the report
the alarm is for. If you select the wrong report for an alarm, you must delete the alarm and
create a new one using the correct report.
How to Modify a SmartAlarm

1.
Display the alarms properties using any of the methods on page 33.
2.
On the General page, change the Name, Description, and/or Type, as desired. You
cannot change the report name.
3.
For a conditional alarm, to change, add, or delete conditions, click the Conditions tab.
4.
On the Conditions page:
To add a new condition, click New and follow the instructions in step 5 of
How to Create SmartAlarms, above.
To delete one or more conditions, select them in the list and click Delete.
To modify a condition, select it in the list and click Properties. Make your
changes and click OK.
5.
To change, add, or delete actions, click the Actions tab.
6.
On the Actions page:
7.
232
To add a new action, click New and follow the instructions in step 9 of How to
Create SmartAlarms, above.
To delete one or more actions, select them in the list and click Delete.
To modify an action, select it in the list and click Properties. Make your changes
and click OK.
When youre done with your changes, click OK.
Deleting SmartAlarms
You can delete a SmartAlarm using any of the methods listed on page 35. When you
delete an alarm, none of its actions will be carried out the next time a generation is
captured to its report. Deleting an alarm does not undo any of its past actions; any emailed shortcuts or report files will still be available.
233
234
Chapter 17
Managing Bundles
This chapter covers defining and distributing report bundles.
In This Chapter
Bundling Overview ............................................................................... 236
Creating Bundle Definitions ................................................................ 239
Linking Bundles to Folders .................................................................. 245
Assigning Access Permissions for Bundles ....................................... 246
Modifying Bundle Definitions ............................................................. 247
Bundle Components ............................................................................. 248
Distribution Types ................................................................................. 253
Distribution Actions .............................................................................. 254
Creating Bundle Instances ................................................................... 257
Distributing Bundle Instances ............................................................. 258
Modifying Bundle Instances ................................................................ 259
Deleting Bundle Definitions and Instances ....................................... 260
Viewing Bundles in Vista Plus Clients ............................................... 261
Note
You can manage bundle definitions with the Server Admin client and bundle
instances with the Vista Plus Windows Client or Web View. You can manage
both definitions and instances using vadmin. This chapter gives procedures
for Server Admin. See Chapter 22 for vadmin commands. Instructions for
managing instances are found in the Vista Plus Windows Client Users Guide
and the Web View online help.
235
Bundling Overview
Bundling Overview
Bundling is a convenient way to group multiple report generations together and
distribute them at the same time to one or more users. You can use it to package different
combinations of reports for different users. For example, you might bundle month-end
sales and inventory reports for users in accounting, just month-end sales reports for users
in sales, and just the pages with Western data from all these reports for users in the
Western regional office.
Once a report bundle is distributed, users can open it and view the reports and report
pages it contains in Vista Plus viewer clients.
How Bundles are Created and Distributed

Bundles are created based on bundle definitions. A bundle definition specifies what
components (report generations) go into bundle instances, when instances should be
distributed, and the actions that should be performed upon distribution. Bundle
definitions are linked to folders and are shown under their parent folder in viewer clients.
Multiple bundle instances can be created from the same definition. Bundle instances are the
bundles themselves. Each instance is a later version of the same bundle. New instances are
created to distribute new generations of bundle components.
Each bundle instance contains multiple components. Bundle components consist of report
generations and optional header, trailer, and separator pages (banner pages). In a viewer
client, components are shown when you open their bundle instance.
A bundle instance goes through a life cycle with several phases. The cycle starts when an
instance is created and ends when it is distributed. A new cycle can then begin for a new
bundle instance.
Bundle instances are automatically updated as report generations are captured and added
to them. When instances are distributed, various distribution actions are performed to
alert users that a new instance is available or to print the instance.
236
Bundling Overview
Phases in the Bundling Cycle
Status
Color
Bundling Cycle
In Progress
Blue
Begins when an instance is created. The components specified

in the bundle definition are collected into the bundle instance.
Report generations are collected automatically as they are
captured into Vista Plus.
Ready for
Distribution
Green
Begins when all required components have been collected into

a bundle instance. The instance waits to be distributed
manually or at a scheduled time. Bundles with automatic
distribution are in this phase only momentarily, since they are
distributed as soon as they are ready.
Distributed
Gray
Occurs when a bundle instance is distributed (manually,

automatically, or on schedule) and all distribution actions
have been performed. When the status of an instance is
distributed, the instance cannot be changed. It can,
however, be printed or redistributed. If a bundles distribution
type is automatic or scheduled, a new instance is created as
soon as the previous one is distributed and the bundling cycle
automatically begins again.
Changes to the generations in the bundle do affect a
distributed instance. If a generation is deleted, it is no longer
available from the bundle; if a user's page security for a report
changes, he or she will see the new pages; and so on
Late
Red
Occurs when a scheduled distribution time arrives but not all

required components have been collected. The instance
misses its scheduled distribution. You can modify the
distribution time for a late instance; see page 259. Only
instances with a scheduled distribution type can be Late.
The indicated colors are used only in the Windows Client, not Web View.
Managing Bundles
237
Bundling Overview
Bundling Procedure Overview

These are the major steps involved in creating and distributing report bundles. All steps
are covered in detail in the sections that follow. Steps 1 through 3 create a bundle
definition; Steps 4 and 5 create and distribute bundle instances.
1.
Create a bundle definition. Specify what components (report generations plus

header, separator, and trailer pages) should go into each instance of a bundle,
distribution type (manual, automatic, or scheduled), and distribution actions.
2.
Link the bundle definition to one or more folders. This lets users with access to the
folders view the bundle definition and its instances in Vista Plus viewer clients.
3.
Assign permissions to users who should have higher or lower bundle access. The
default permission for bundles is set in warehouse parameters, as described in
Chapter 14. You can assign higher or lower permissions to users and groups.
4.
Create bundle instances. If the bundle distribution type is manual, create instances
manually with vadmin or a Vista Plus viewer client. If the distribution type is
automatic or scheduled, you create the first instance manually; each following
instance is created automatically after the previous instance is distributed.
Components are collected into the bundle instance as they are captured. When all
required components are collected, the instance is ready to distribute and the instance
status changes to Ready.
5.
Distribute the bundle instance. If the bundle distribution type is manual, distribute it
manually using vadmin or a Vista Plus viewer client. If the distribution type is
automatic, bundle instances are distributed automatically as soon as they are ready. If
the distribution type is scheduled, bundle instances are distributed at the scheduled
time. After all distribution actions are carried out, the instance status changes to
Distributed. If the bundle distribution type is automatic or scheduled, a new bundle
instance is created and the bundling cycle starts over again automatically.
Note
238
To enable scheduled bundle distribution on a Windows host, you must start

the Schedule service or the Task Scheduler. To do so on Windows 2000, from
the Start menu, select Settings, Control Panel, Administrative Tools. Doubleclick Services, then select the Schedule service or the Task Scheduler and click
Start.
Creating Bundle Definitions

This section covers creating bundle definitions. As you create a definition, you specify the
information below; refer to the sections on each topic later in this chapter for more
information:
General Information This consists of the bundle name, description, default printer,
and active/inactive status. Bundle instances can only be created from a definition
when it is active. You can deactivate a definition at any point if you need to stop
generating instances for a while, but want to resume later.
Banners What files, if any, should be used for the bundles header, report
separators, and trailer? Banner pages can include tokens which are replaced with
information about the bundle or its recipients.
Bundle components The components included in bundle instances. Which reports

make up the bundle, and what order should they be in? For each report, you specify
what generation should be placed in each bundle instance: the latest available, the
next after the previous instance, and so on. You also select which components are
required and which are not.
Distribution type How bundle instances are created and distributedmanually,

automatically, or on a scheduled basis. If distribution is scheduled, you also specify
when an instance is to be distributed.
Distribution actions The actions performed when a bundle instance is distributed

and which users the actions are performed for. Distribution actions can consist of
sending a message to the Inboxes of selected users or all logged-in users; sending an
e-mail message to selected users; printing a bundle for selected users; and performing
an operating system command.
Managing Bundles
239
How to Create Bundle Definitions

Tip
240
To have a new bundle linked to a folder automatically, you can create it

through the folder. Display the folder's properties. On the Links page, click
Bundles, click Add, then click New to create a bundle. Continue from step 2,
below. When you save the bundle, it is linked to the folder you started from.
1.
Create a bundle using any of the methods found on page 33.
2.
Name Enter a name for the bundle (up to 128 characters). This will be used
for the bundle definition and, in viewer clients, its bundle instances.
Description Enter a description for the bundle (up to 255 characters). This
will be used for the bundle definition and, in viewer clients, its bundle
instances.
Default printer This printer will be used for print actions when the bundle is
distributed unless you select a specific printer in the action. If you leave this
blank, the user or group printer will be the default for print actions.
Allow instances of If this box is checked, instances of this bundle can be

created. You may want to keep people from creating instances until the
definition, including all distribution actions and permissions, is complete.
3.
Click Next. On the Banners page, do the following. For more information about
banner pages, see page 249:
Header To specify a report to use as a header page for the bundle, type or
select the report name.
Note Any text you enter here will replace the <header-note> token on
banner pages for this bundle. See page 249 for more information.
Separator To specify a report to use as a separator page between reports in

the bundle, type or select the report name.
Trailer To specify a report to use as a trailer page for the bundle, type or
select the report name.
Show headers, trailers, and separators in Vista Plus clients Check this box
if you want the header, trailer, and separators to be shown as components when
a bundle instance is expanded in a viewer client. If this box is cleared, banner
pages do not show in the component list, but will still print if the instance is
printed. You can change this for individual instances in Web View or the
Windows Client.
Managing Bundles
241
242
4.
Click Next to display the Components page. For more information about components,
see page 248.
5.
To add components to the bundle, click Add. Select the reports to add and click OK.
6.
To place components in the order you want, click a component, then click the Move
Up or Move Down button until it is in the correct position. The component order
determines how the components display in viewer clients and the order they print in
when the bundle is printed.
7.
Select each component in turn. For each one:
If it is required (the bundle should not be distributed without it), check the
Generation must be present box. If this box is not checked, the bundle can be
distributed without this component.
In Generation selection, select what generation should be included in each

bundle instance; see page 252 for more information. The choices are:
Most recent The most recent generation of the report. (Default)
Most recent not bundled The most recent generation since the one
used in the last bundle instance.
Next after last bundled The next generation after the one used in the
last bundle instance.
Day of the week The most recent generation captured on a certain day
of the week. Select the day of the week.
Day of the month The most recent generation captured on a certain

day of the month. Select the a day of the month.
8.
Last day of the month The most recent report generation captured on
the last day of the month.
Created by user The most recent generation captured by a certain

capture user. Type or select the user name in the User field.
To apply a page security to the component, select it in the Viewing page field.
This security will be used for any user or group who does not have a page
security assigned for this report.
Click Next. On the Distribution page, select one of the following.
Manual Instances are created and distributed only when requested from
Vista Plus Windows Client or Web View, or with vadmin. (Default)
Automatic Instances are distributed automatically as soon as they are ready;

a new instance is created after the previous one is distributed. The bundle must
have at least one required component with a generation type of Most recent
not bundled or Next after last bundle.
Scheduled Instances are distributed automatically at a scheduled time, if

they are ready (all required components are in the instance). A new instance is
created after the previous one is distributed. Set the date and time for
distribution:
Managing Bundles
Date Select Daily, Day of week (once a week on the selected day),
Day of month (once a month on the selected day), or Last day of
month. For Day of week or Day of month, select the day for
distribution.
Time Set the time the bundle distribution actions should be

performed. While you can enter the time to the second, on Windows
hosts the bundle will be distributed at the next full minute.
243
9.
Click Next to display the Actions page. Since this is a new bundle, there are no
actions. To create the bundle actions:
Click New.
On the actions General page, select an Action, enter the necessary information,
and click OK. The available actions, and the information they require, are
described briefly here; see page 254 for more information.
Run command Enter an operating system command in the Command

field. It will be performed on the Vista Plus server host when instances
are distributed.
Send e-mail Sends a shortcut to the bundle to the selected user or

group. Select User or Group and type or select the user or group name.
You must enter a separate action for each user or group recipient. Type
the message text in the Message field.
Send message via Vista Plus server Sends a message to the Vista Plus
Inboxes of the selected user or group; the user can double-click the
message to open the bundle. Select User or Group and type or select the
user or group name. You must enter a separate action for each user or
group recipient. Type the message text in the Message field.
Send broadcast message via Vista Plus server Enter message text in
the Message field. The message will be sent to the Inboxes of all users
logged into Vista Plus Windows Client when an instance is distributed.
Print Select User or Group and type or select the user or group name.
Select the printer to use for this recipient, or leave Use bundle/user/group
default printer. You must enter a separate action for each user or group
recipient.
10. Repeat step 9 for each action.

11. Click Finish on the actions General page.
12. Click Finish on the Actions page to save the bundle definition.
Now that the bundle definition is complete, you can link the bundle to folders and assign
user and group permissions for it.
244
Linking Bundles to Folders
Linking Bundles to Folders

After you create a bundle definition, you need to link it to the folders of the users and
groups who should have access to it. This makes the bundle visible in Vista Plus viewer
clients.
You can unlink a bundle definition from a folder at any time. Users will no longer see the
bundle definition in that folder. However, they will still have access to the definition if it is
linked to one of their other folders.
Tip
You can use distribution actions to alert users that new bundle instances are
available. Use the print action to distribute instances to users who dont have
access to the bundle through one of their folders.
How to Link Bundles to Folders

1.
Display the bundles properties using any of the methods on page 33.
2.
Select the Links tab.
3.
Click Folders.
4.
Click Add.
5.
Select one or more folders to link the bundle to.
6.
Click OK.
How to Unlink a Bundle from a Folder

1.
2.
Select the Links tab.
3.
Click Folders.
4.
Select one or more folders to unlink the bundle from.
5.
Click Delete.
6.
Click OK.
Managing Bundles
245
Assigning Access Permissions for Bundles
Assigning Access Permissions for Bundles

Assigning access permissions for bundles is optional. You only need to do this if you want
to give certain groups or users access permissions other than the default. (The default
permission for bundles is set in the warehouse configuration, as described in Chapter 14).
Vista Plus Administrators automatically have the highest access permissions for all
bundle definitions. To see what is allowed by each level of bundle permission, see
page 142.
In general, bundle and report permissions do not affect each other. Here are some ways
report permissions work within a bundle:
Recipients with No Access permission for a report cannot view the report when it is
included in a bundle; the generation is listed as a bundle component, but they cannot
open it. Other recipients can view the report.
Recipients who have been assigned a page security for a report can view only the
pages for that set when the report is included in a bundle, just as they can view only
those pages outside a bundle. Other recipients can view the entire report or the
bundle viewing pages security selected in the bundle definition. Keep in mind that
any page security assigned outside a bundle overrides any bundle viewing pages
specified inside a bundle.
If a user has at least Distribute permission for a bundle, he or she can print an instance,
including all components with at least View permission, which the user could not
normally print. Components the user has No Access permission for will not print.
You can assign bundle permissions either through the bundles properties or through the
users or groups properties. See page 144 for instructions.
246
Modifying Bundle Definitions
Modifying Bundle Definitions

You can change any part of a bundle definition after you create it: you can change the
bundle components, distribution method or actions, link it to new folders, and so on.
Follow the procedure below to change a bundle definition.
How to Modify a Bundle Definition

1.
2.
Select the tab containing the information you want to change (all pages except
Security and Links are described as part of How to Create Bundle Definitions,
starting on page 240):
3.
General Bundle name, description, and default printer, and whether

instances can be created.
Banners Does the bundle contain a header, footer, and/or separator?
Components What reports, and what generations of them, are included in

the bundle? Which ones are required?
Distribution When each bundle instance is distributed.
Action The actions taken when the bundle is distributed.
Security The users and groups that have permissions other than the default
for the bundle; see page 147.
Links The folders the bundle is linked to. See page 245.
When youre done making your changes, click OK.

Note
Most changes to a bundle definition do not change any existing instances of

the bundle. A bundle instance takes its properties from the bundle definition
when the instance is created.
However, changing the type of a component (for example, from Day of
Week to Day of Month) does affect existing instances; they will select the
component generation to include based on its new type.
You can modify individual bundle instances without affecting other instances
by using vadmin or a viewer client. Modifying one instance does not affect
the bundle definition; see page 259.
Tip
Managing Bundles
You may want to deactivate the bundle definition while you are modifying it.
247
Bundle Components
Bundle Components
Bundle components can include report generations plus banner pages: headers, trailers,
and separators. Because bundle components are really pointers to reports instead of
copies of reports, they take up minimal server space.
Banner pages can provide information about a bundle and its components, such as bundle
name and distribution time. They contain tokens or placeholders for this information.
Tokens are replaced with current information when an instance is distributed. Default
banner pages are included with Vista Plus. You can use these or create your own; see the
next section.
As you add components to bundle definitions, you can put them in the order they should
be printed and displayed. You can also specify the generation type for each component
and whether it is required. Required components must be collected before a bundle
instance can be distributed.
Components which are not marked as required are optionalif no generation of the right
type is available when an instance is distributed, the instance is distributed without the
optional component. For example, consider a bundle with an optional component with a
generation type of Next after last bundled. If, at the scheduled distribution time, all
required components are present, but no new generation of the optional component has
been captured since the last instance was distributed, the new instance will be distributed
without any generation of the optional component.
Bundle Components
248
Header
page
This provides summary information about the bundle such as name,

distribution time, and distribution list. When a bundle is printed, its header
page can serve as the banner for the print job. There is one header page per
bundle instance.
Separator
page
These separate components and provide summary information about the

report that follows the separator. Information can include report name and
the name of any page security applied to the component. There is one
separator page before each report in the bundle.
Reports
These are report generations. Which generations of a report are collected

depends on the generation type specified for that report; see page 252. You
can define bundle viewing pages for a report in a bundle; users who do not
have a page security assigned for the report will see only the pages in the
page security you select for the bundle. Users who do have a page security
assigned will see those pages instead.
Trailer
page
This marks the end of a bundle. When an instance is printed, its trailer page
can serve as the trailer for the print job. There is one trailer page per bundle
instance.
Bundle Components
Creating Banner Pages

To use banner pages in addition to the default pages included with Vista Plus, you can
either create your own or copy and modify the sample banner page reports. In either case,
you need to capture your banner page files into the Vista Plus report warehouse after you
create them.
As you create banner pages, you can insert any of the tokens available. Simply enter text
that should appear on the banner page, followed by a token in angle brackets: for
example, Bundle Name: <bundle-name>. Tokens are replaced with current
information when instances are distributed.
Default banner pages are in ASCII text. You can also create banner pages in any of the
other file formats supported by Vista Plus (ASA, PCL, or PostScript).
If you want to insert a logo or use other graphical elements such as fonts, rules, and boxes,
you need to use either PCL or PostScript. Please note that in banner pages created with
Microsoft Word, token names may be fragmented, which will prevent the token from
being recognized and replaced.
Tip
For token replacement to work, banner pages must be captured with Save
original file chosen for their file type in warehouse parameters. See page 207.
Tokens for Header and Trailer Banners Only

<group >
The name of the group the bundle is being printed for.
<user>
Vista Plus user name of the recipient, from the recipients user
record.
<user-addr>
All four lines of the recipients mailing address, from the user
record. The lines are separated with newline characters; use this
field only at the beginning of a line or the second through fourth
lines will not align correctly.
<user-addr1>
First line of the recipients mailing address, from the user record.
<user-addr2>
Second line of the recipients mailing address, from the user record.
<user-addr3>
Third line of the recipients mailing address, from the user record.
<user-addr4>
Fourth line of the recipients mailing address, from the user record.
<user-desc>
The recipients description, from the user record.
<user-dept>
Department of recipient, from the user record.
<user-fax>
The recipients fax number, from the user record.
<user-full-name>
Full name of recipient, from the user record.
<user-tel>
The recipients telephone number, from the user record.
Managing Bundles
249
Bundle Components
Tokens for Header, Trailer, and Separator Banners

<bundle-desc>
Description of the bundle and its instances.
<bundle-name>
Name of the bundle and its instances.
<create-time>
When the bundle instance was created.
<dist-list>
All users specified for distribution actions and what the actions are.
<dist-time>
When the bundle instance was distributed.
<dist-type>
Distribution type for the bundle and its instances.
<header-note>
A text message entered on the bundles properties General page.

This might consist of delivery instructions or comments on the
contents or purpose of the bundle.
<instance-id>
Bundle ID assigned by Vista Plus when the bundle definition is

created.
<instance-seq>
Sequence number of the bundle instance. Assigned by Vista Plus

when an instance is distributed.
<ready-time>
When the bundle instance became ready for distribution.
Tokens for Separator Banners Only

<generation-id>
ID of the generation included as a bundle component.
<order-seq>
Number indicating the bundle components order in the bundle.
<page-sec>
Name of the page security applied to the bundle component.
<report-name>
Name of the report the generation component is from.
Note
When the bundle is distributed, all tokens except those with recipient
information are filled in, and each banner page is captured as a generation of
a report called System-Separators. This gives the banner pages the
characteristics of that report, including its default security setting and page
size. This could be a problem if you have banner pages which use a page size
or security setting other than your warehouse defaults. System-Separators is
used only to store banner pages for distributed bundles; it is not linked to any
folder and is therefore not viewable in Vista Plus viewer clients.
The fields which contain recipient user fields are filled in only when the
bundle is remote printed, either as a distribution action or from a viewer
client. If you view the banner page from a viewer client you always see the
field names for these tokens. If the bundle is printed for a group as a
distribution action, the user tokens are not replaced, as there is no user
information.
250
Bundle Components
Default Banner Page Templates

Header:
B u n d l e
H e a d e r
===============================================================
Destination User:
<user-full-name>
Department:
<user-dept>
Address:
<user-addr1>
<user-addr2>
<user-addr3>
<user-addr4>
===============================================================
Bundle Name:
<bundle-name>
Description:
<bundle-desc>
Bundle Instance ID:
<instance-id>
Bundle Type:
<dist-type>
Create Time:
<create-time>
Ready Time:
<ready-time>
Distribution Time:
<dist-time>
Note:
<header-note>
Distribution List:
<dist-list>
Separator:
S e p a r a t o r
==========================================================
Report Name:
<report-name>
Report Generation:<generation-id>
Page Security Name:<page-sec>
==========================================================
Bundle Name:
<bundle-name>
Component Sequence:<order-seq>
Trailer:
E n d
O f
B u n d l e
===============================================================
Destination User:
<user-full-name>
Department:
<user-dept>
Address:
<user-addr1>
<user-addr2>
<user-addr3>
<user-addr4>
===============================================================
Bundle Name:
<bundle-name>
Description:
<bundle-desc>
Managing Bundles
251
Bundle Components
Generation Types
Generation type determines which generations of a report are collected for bundle
instances. Type is specified individually for each report component.
Bundle Generation Types

Most recent
The most recent generation of the report. This is the

default generation type.
Most recent not bundled
The most recent generation since the one used for the last
bundle instance. This keeps two bundle instances from
containing the same generation of a report.
Next after last bundled
The next generation after the one used for the previous
bundle instance.
Created by user
The most recent generation captured by a certain capture

user. You specify a Vista Plus user name.
Day of week
The most recent generation captured on a certain day of

the week. You specify a weekday.
Day of month
The most recent generation captured on a certain day of

the month. You specify a day of the month.
Fixed
One specific generation of the report. With this type, you

specify a generation sequence number. You can only
specify a fixed generation using vadmin. Use the vadmin
ShowReport command to list report generations and
their sequence numbers; see page 383.
Note
Except for Next after last bundled and Fixed generation types, a
component will be replaced by a more recent generation if one meeting the
definition is captured before the bundle instance is distributed.
Except for Most recent not bundled and Next after last bundled types, a
generation can appear in more than one instance. If no new generation, or no
generation meeting the criteria for the componentthe right capture user,
day of week, or day of monthis captured before the new instance is
distributed, the generation from the previous instance will be used again.
Note
252
If an optional component has a generation type of Most recent not bundled

or Next after last bundled, and no new generation has been captured since
the previous bundle was distributed, the instance will be distributed without
any generation of the optional component.
Distribution Types
Distribution Types
Distribution type determines how and when bundle instances are created and distributed.
Bundle Distribution Types

Manual
Manual bundle instances must be created and distributed manually

from a viewer client or with vadmin. To create an instance, a user must
have at least Modify access permission for the bundle definition. To
distribute an instance, a user must have at least Distribute access
permission for the bundle instance. Manual is the default distribution
type.
Automatic
Automatic bundle instances are distributed automatically as soon as all

required bundle components have been collected. If any non-required
components have not yet been collected, they aren't included in the
instance.
Scheduled
Scheduled bundle instances are distributed automatically at a scheduled

time. Distribution can occur on a certain day of the week or month, or
daily. Instances are distributed at the scheduled time if all required
bundle components have been collected.
Tip
For Automatic and Scheduled distribution types, the first bundle instance
must be created manually; it is distributed automatically when it is completed
or at its scheduled time. All subsequent instances are created automatically
immediately after the previous one is distributed. Therefore, there is always
exactly one In Progress (or Late) instance of a Scheduled or Automatic
bundle. There can be multiple In Progress instances of a Manual bundle, or
none.
Note
Any Automatic bundle must have at least one required component with a
type of either Most recent not bundled or Next after last bundled.
Managing Bundles
253
Distribution Actions
Bundle instances appear in the folders their bundle definition is linked to as soon as they
are created (see page 245); each component is added to the instance as it is captured. When
an instance is distributed, its distribution actions are performed: the instance may be
printed, a Vista Plus message or e-mail message with a bundle shortcut attached may be
sent to specific users and groups, and/or an operating system command can be run.
Print and command actions can be performed for all users. However, message actions
should only be performed for users who can access bundle instances in their folders. If a
message is sent to users who do not have access to a bundle in one of their folders, they
can read the message, but they wont be able to access the bundle instance.
Note
The distribution actions available for bundles are similar to SmartAlarm

distribution actions.
Note
The messages sent by the Send message and Send broadcast

message actions will be received only by users who use the Windows
Client; Web View users will not see them.
Bundle Distribution Actions

Send e-mail
Sends an e-mail message with a Vista Plus shortcut token

attached to specified users and members of specified groups.
Users with access to the bundle can double-click this to jump
to the new instance. If they are not currently logged in, the
Login dialog comes up first. E-mail addresses must be entered
in Vista Plus user records.
Send message via

Vista Plus server
Sends a Vista Plus message (up to 256 characters) to the

Inboxes of specified users and members of specified groups.
Users with access to the bundle can double-click the message
to jump to the new bundle instance.
Send broadcast
message via Vista Plus
server
Sends a Vista Plus message to the Inboxes of all users logged

in when a bundle is distributed. Users with access to the
bundle can double-click the message to jump to the new
bundle instance.
Users who are not logged in will not receive the message
created by this action. You can send a message to specific
users, even if they are not logged in when the instance is
distributed, with the Send message via Vista Plus server
action.
254
Bundle Distribution Actions

Run command
Executes an operating system command on the Vista Plus

server host. The command is run in batch mode, so all output
(stdout or stderr) should be redirected to a file. On UNIX, if
the Vista Plus server is running as root, the command is
performed under the privileges of the UNIX ID entered for
the Vista Plus user who creates the alarm. If the user has no ID
specified or 0 is used, or if the server is running as a user other
than root, the command is performed under the privileges of
On Windows servers, all alarm actions are performed under
the security context of the user account the Vista Plus server
service is running under. Since the action is performed by the
service, you should redirect all standard input, output, and
error messages, and the command should not display a user
dialog. Some DOS commands, such as dir and copy, should be
executed using the command prompt executable, cmd.exe. For
example, use cmd /c copy fileA fileB to copy fileA
to fileB.
Print
Prints the bundle instance: all components in the order listed.

Tokens in all banner pages are replaced with current
information when the bundle is printed. The bundle is printed
to the printer assigned in the distribution action; if the default
printer is used in the action, it is printed to the printer
assigned for the bundle, if there is one, or to the printer
assigned to the user or group: for a group, only one copy is
printed.
The user or group must have at least Distribute permission for
the bundle; if a user has only View permission for one or more
bundle components, they will print anyway. Any page
security assigned to the user or group for each component
the security assigned as the bundle viewing pages, if any, is
used for users without a page securityis applied.
In most cases, the entire bundleall components and banner
pagesis printed as a single print job. If this would result in a
print command too long for the host operating system, the
bundle is broken into two or more jobs.
Note
Managing Bundles
Printing bundles during distribution is remote printing. It will work only if

you saved the original files for the components (including any banner pages)
when they were captured into Vista Plus; see page 207 for more information
on the retention of originals setting. If a bundle includes TransVue files, they
will not print, since they cannot be remote printed. If the bundle includes
separators, the separators for any skipped files will print.
255
Also, all components must be compatible with the printer the bundle prints
on; do not print a bundle which contains a report that was originally
PostScript to a printer which cannot print PostScript files.
Finally, on a UNIX host, the system banner page attached to a bundle print job
includes the user name only if the recipients Vista Plus user record includes a
UNIX User ID that is valid on the Vista Plus server host.
256
Creating Bundle Instances
Creating Bundle Instances

How bundle instances are created depends on the distribution type specified in their
bundle definition:
If the distribution type is Manual, you need to create bundle instances with the
vadmin AddBundleInst command or with the Vista Plus Web View or Windows
Client Create Instance function. All users with at least Modify permission for a bundle
definition can create new instances from a viewer client.
If the distribution type is Automatic or Scheduled, you need to create the first instance
manually. Subsequent instances are created automatically; you cannot create a new
instance manually.
Once it is created, a bundle instance goes into the In Progress phase of the bundling cycle.
Bundle components are automatically collected into the new instance as the report
generations are captured into Vista Plus.
When all required components have been collected, the instance becomes Ready for
Distribution. If new generations of a bundles reports are captured while the instance is
waiting for distribution, these generations replace earlier generations in the instance,
unless the components generation type is Next generation after last bundle or Fixed.
See the Web View online help or the Vista Plus Windows Client Users Guide for instructions
on creating an instance using either viewer client.
Note
An icon for a new bundle instance appears in viewer clients as soon as the
creation phase begins. Users with access to the bundle can expand the icon
and view components as they are collected to the instance. However, an
instance is not officially distributed until all required components are
collected and distribution actions are performed.
When you create the first instance of an Automatic bundle, two instances may
get created. If generations of all the required components are available, the
first instance of the bundle will be completed and distributed immediately,
and a second, In Progress, instance will be created.
Managing Bundles
257
Distributing Bundle Instances
Distributing Bundle Instances

After all required components of a bundle instance have been collected and the instance is
in the Ready phase of the bundling cycle, the instance can be distributed. How and when
this happens depends on the distribution type in the bundle definition:
If the distribution type is Manual, you need to distribute it with the vadmin
DistributeBundle command or through a viewer client. All users with at least
Distribute permission for a bundle instance can distribute it from a viewer client.
If the distribution type is Automatic, the instance is distributed as soon as it is ready.
If the distribution type is Scheduled, the instance is distributed on the day and time
specified in the bundle definition, if all required components are present.
During distribution, all distribution actions are carried out. The tokens in any header,
separator, or trailer pages in the bundle instance are filled in with current information.
After an instance is distributed, its status changes to Distributed and the instance name is
shown in gray. No changes can be made to the components in a Distributed instance. This
ensures that a bundle instance is consistent for all recipients and that everyone views the
same contents. However, changes to the generations in the bundle do affect a distributed
instance. If a generation is deleted, it is no longer available from the bundle; if a user's
page security for a report changes, he or she will see the new pages; and so on.
on distributing an instance using either viewer client.
Note
If the user who created a bundle instance is deleted before the instance is
distributed, you will not be able to distribute the instance. To avoid, this, you
can set an ending date for the user name rather than deleting it. See page 123.
Redistributing Instances
Distributed bundle instances can be redistributed. This allows you to perform special
distribution actions for an instance. Distribution actions can be added with vadmin
AddActionParam (see page 331) before you redistribute. Bundle components, however,
cannot be modified.
Bundle instances can be redistributed manually from a viewer client or with vadmin, even
if their distribution type is Automatic or Scheduled. Redistributing an instance does not
create a new instance or overwrite the existing distribution message when it is
redistributed to the same users.
258
Modifying Bundle Instances
Modifying Bundle Instances

Normally, all instances of a bundle are created from the same bundle definition and have
the same components, distribution type, and distribution actions. However, you can
modify a bundle instance when its status is In Progress or Ready. Once an instance has
been distributed, it can no longer be modified, except to change distribution actions for
redistribution, as described in the previous section.
All properties of an instance can be modified. You might want to modify its contents by
adding or removing components on a one-time basis or by adding a header with special
delivery instructions. You might want to change distribution type from Scheduled to
Manual to delay distribution of a scheduled instance. You might want to modify
distribution actions by overriding a default printer definition for a user or group.
Modifying one instance does not affect other instances of a bundle and it does not change
the definition itself. Subsequent instances will be created based on the original bundle
definition.
To modify instances, you can use either a viewer client or vadmin. All users with at least
Modify permission for a bundle instance can modify it from a viewer client. Different
modifications can be made with each client:
From the vadmin client you can modify all properties of a bundle
instancecomponents, distribution type, distribution actions, and permissions.
From a viewer client you can modify some properties of a bundle instance
description, components, and distribution type (and date and time, if the type is
Scheduled). You cannot modify distribution actions. Also, the only generation type
available is Fixed. One advantage of the Windows Client is that you can add
components to an instance by dragging-and-dropping them from generation lists.
on modifying an instance using either viewer client.
Tip
Managing Bundles
To modify all new instances of a bundle definition, you can modify the
definition itself; see page 247. This will not affect any existing instances; it will
only affect instances created after the definition is modified.
259
Deleting Bundle Definitions and Instances
Deleting Bundle Definitions and Instances

If you no longer need a bundle, you can delete its bundle definition. Deleting a bundle
definition removes it from all folders it is linked to. It also deletes all bundle instances that
have been created from the definition, those that have already been distributed as well as
those waiting for distribution.
You can delete a single bundle instance whether or not it has been distributed.
You can delete a bundle definition using any of the methods on page 35. To delete a
bundle instance, you can use vadmin, Web View, or the Windows Client.
on deleting an instance using either viewer client.
Tip
260
If you want to stop generating bundle instances for a while and resume again
later, you can deactivate a bundle definition by clearing the Allow instances
of this bundle checkbox on the bundles General properties page.
Viewing Bundles in Vista Plus Clients

Bundles can be viewed using either Vista Plus Windows Client or Web View:
In Web View, bundles are listed in order with folders; to see the bundle instances,
expand the bundle. In the Windows Client, bundle definitions are in the folder list
pane, under the folders they are linked to. To display the bundle instances for a
definition, double-click the definition.
In Web View, instances are displayed when you expand the bundle. In the Windows
Client, instances are displayed in the report list pane in the order they were created;
the most recent first. To display the components in an instance, click the + button
beside it.
Bundle components are shown when their instance is expanded. You open any
component as you would any other report generation.
Bundle instances are displayed as soon as they are created. In the Windows Client,
instances that are In Progress are shown in blue; instances that are Ready for Distribution
are shown in green; instances that are Distributed are shown in black; instances that are
Late are shown in red. The icons of components that have not yet been collected are
grayed out.
For more information about viewing bundle instances, please see the Web View online
help or the Vista Plus Windows Client Users Guide.
Bundle #2 is a bundle definition.
My Bundle 2 is a bundle instance

created from the Bundle #2 definition
Bundle components in My Bundle 2.
Managing Bundles
261
262
Chapter 18
Epurposing
epurposing is Vista Pluss ability to take any report stored in Vista Plus format and
convert it to a new formateither HTML, text, or PDFallowing you to view it through
your Web browser or Adobe Acrobat Reader. This chapter describes how to convert Vista
Plus report generations into HTML, text, or PDF files.
In This Chapter
Epurposing Overview .......................................................................... 264
Creating Report Renditions ................................................................. 266
Deleting Renditions ............................................................................... 271
263
Epurposing Overview
Epurposing Overview
To open and work with a Vista Plus report generation, you need a Vista Plus client: either
Web View or the Windows Client. While you can use these clients from anywhere on your
intranet or the Internet, there may be times when you would rather have your report
information available in an industry-standard file format such as HTML or PDF (the
format used by Adobe Acrobat). With epurposing, you can turn any Vista Plus report
generation into an HTML, ASCII text, or PDF file simply by using a vadmin command.
While there are many reasons you may want to turn a Vista Plus report into an HTML,
text, or PDF file, remember that, when you do so, you lose the many advanced features
available in Vista Plus clients: index searches, report index hyperlinking, and so on.
epurposing does, however, maintain Vista Plus report page security. When you create a
file through epurposing (called a report rendition), Vista Plus applies the page security for
any user or group you specify. Thus, you can create many different renditions from one
report generation, each with the appropriate pages for its user or group.
You can use epurposing interactively, typing the vadmin command to create the file you
want. However, in most situations it will be most useful when controlled
programmatically and used with PortalVue Connector. The combination of epurposing
and PortalVue Connector allows you to create HTML, text, or PDF files and deliver them
immediately to the desktop of the user who requested them; you can also have new report
generations renditioned and delivered to specific users or groups automatically. For more
information on PortalVue Connector, please see Chapter 19.
epurposing is powerful, but it is also very simple: all it does is create a new file, in HTML,
text, or PDF format, holding the information from a Vista Plus report generation. It does
not make the new file available to users in any specific way. You can use PortalVue
Connector to tie the renditions into your portal application, or use any other method to
present the new files to users.
Warning
epurposing is not supported for reports which contain bitmap fonts. While
some reports containing bitmap fonts may epurpose correctly, others may
not. If a report generation contains a bitmap font which cannot be
renditioned, no rendition file will be created. This is true for both all rendition
formats.
You cannot use epurposing to create a rendition of a TransVue file, since
TransVue files are stored in their original file formats, not in Vista Plus format.
264
Note
Transparency is not supported in PDF files created with epurposing.
Note
You can also perform many epurposing actions using the vadmin
ReportAction command. This command is included for compatibility with an
earlier implementation of epurposing: we strongly recommend you use the
commands described in this chapter and Chapter 19 instead.
Note
Vista Plus Web View also allows users to access Vista Plus reports through a
Web browser. It does this by creating temporary HTML files containing one
page of the report at a time. Web View does not create HTML copies of entire
Epurposing Overview
reports, and does not store files on the Web server; it can download a PDF or
text file of a report to the users workstation. In some circumstances, Web
View will fill all of your users needs for Web access to reports; in others, you
will want to use epurposing and PortalVue Connector to create and store
HTML, text, or PDF renditions of report generations.
Report Rendition File Format and Storage

epurposing can create renditions of a Vista Plus report in HTML, text, or PDF format.
Since HTML files are frequently accessed over the Internet, weve given you two options
for this format:
A frame-based rendition consists of a separate HTML file for each page of the report.
This decreases download time, since only the pages actually viewed need to be
downloaded. When a user displays this format, links to all report pages are listed in a
frame at the left of the browser window.
A single-file rendition includes the entire report in a single HTML file. When a user
displays this format, links to all report pages are listed at the top of the browser
window. In a long report, or with a small browser window, this may mean that no
report text is visible when the file opens. The user can select the page to view or scroll
down to the beginning of the report.
The file or files created when a generation is renditioned are stored in the Vista Plus
warehouse in the same directory structure as the original generation files. This structure
and the rendition file names are described in the Vista Plus Technical Addendum. You can
also create renditions in any directory you can write to from the Vista Plus server; this lets
you use epurposing with PortalVue Connector to create and store renditions on a Web
server. See Chapter 19 for more information on PortalVue Connector.
Tip
Epurposing
For renditions with over 120 pages, we recommend you do not use the singlefile HTML format, as some of the page links may not function correctly.
265
Creating Report Renditions

You create report renditions using the vadmin CreateRendition (cr) command.
CreateRendition lets you specify all the characteristics of the rendition: file format to use,
where to store it, and the user or group it is for (this determines the pages included in the
rendition).
Report renditions can also be created through SmartAlarm actions. These SmartAlarm
actions can be created with Subscribe or using the AddAlarm and AddActionParam
commands, or with the Server Admin client. Since these SmartAlarm commands will
generally be created through the subscription feature of PortalVue Connector, they are
described in the following chapter.
The CreateRendition Command

CreateRendition works like any other vadmin command. You can enter it from the
command line or include it in a batch file. For more general information on using vadmin
commands, please see Chapter 22.
CreateRendition cr
Creates a rendition of a report; most recent generation is used unless a generation ID is included in
the command
Required
action
Action to Perform
Set to one of:
a to e-mail PDF rendition
d to store PDF rendition
e to e-mail Vista Plus shortcut (.vsc file)
f to store HTML rendition (frame-based)
h to store HTML rendition (single-file)
i to e-mail text rendition
s to store text rendition
t to e-mail HTML rendition (single-file)
ud to store PDF rendition and e-mail URL for it
uf to store HTML rendition (frame-based) and e-mail URL
for it
uh to store HTML rendition (single-file) and e-mail URL for
it
us to store text rendition and e-mail URL for it
v to create a Vista Plus Shortcut (.vsc file)
report
Report
The report to create the rendition for
266
May Be
Required
group
Group Name
Use page security for this group to determine the pages included
in the rendition; for e-mail actions, e-mail to all members of this
group; you must include either user or group; you cannot
include both
user
User Name
Use page security for this user to determine the pages included
in the rendition; for e-mail actions, e-mail to this user; you must
include either user or group; you cannot include both
volume
Web Volume
Name of Web volume to create rendition on; required if action is
ud, uf, uh, or us; optional with all other actions; see page 164
for more about Web volumes
Optional
format
Format of Command Output

Returns the output of the command in HTML format; use when
calling from a Web page; set to h for HTML table output or n for
an HTML table that is tagged for non-display; if you omit this
option, command output is in standard text format; see page 279
for more information
generation
Generation ID
Create rendition of this generation, not latest generation of
report; must be the ID of a generation of report
Note
For compatibility with previous releases, CreateRendition accepts the hdir

and surl parameters in place of volume, though we strongly recommend you
use volume for all renditioning to a Web server. hdir and surl are described in
the ReportAction parameters on page 380.
Epurposing Actions
The value for the action parameter determines the type of rendition file created. There are
five choices for file type:
An Adobe Acrobat PDF file
An ASCII text file
A single HTML file for the entire rendition
Frame-based HTMLa separate HTML file for each page of the rendition
A Vista Plus shortcut (.vsc) file
The other action values let you choose a delivery method for the rendition file thats
created. For all of the formats except Vista Plus shortcut, you can e-mail a shortcut to the
files URL by using the ud, uf, uh, or us action. The a, i, and t values attach the rendition
file itself (in PDF, text, or single-file HTML format) to an e-mail message. You cannot
attach a frame-based HTML rendition to a message, as there may be hundreds or
thousands of files in a large report.
Epurposing
267
The rendition file formats are discussed on page 265. The Vista Plus shortcut format is not,
strictly speaking, a rendition, since it does not include the actual report data. It is included
in the choices for CreateRendition to enable you to place shortcuts on the Web server for
use with PortalVue Connector and report subscriptions. See page 286 for more
information.
Using CreateRendition
CreateRendition creates report renditions; when designing a CreateRendition command
line, keep these rules and guidelines in mind (of course, you can abbreviate parameter
names, as with any vadmin command):
You must include the name of the report to create a rendition for: report=name
You must include the group or user to create the rendition for: group=group or
user=user. You cannot include both. Each command is for one group or one user.
The page security, if any, assigned to the group or user determines the pages included
in the rendition. If the rendition is stored on a Web server, this parameter also
determines the subdirectory it is stored in; see page 282.
You must also include the action parameter: action=type. This determines the type
of rendition created. In addition to determining the file type, action can also instruct
CreateRendition to e-mail the created rendition, or a URL to its location, to the user or
group.
You cant just create a rendition in the report warehouse and do nothing with it. The
command must either include volume or hdir to create a rendition outside the report
warehouse or use an action of a, i, or t to e-mail the created rendition to a user or
group.
The next few sections describe the various actions CreateRendition can perform.
Storing Renditions on a Web Server

Many installations want to store renditions on a Web server so they can be accessed by a
portal application. To do this, you define a web volume to Vista Plus, then include the
volume name in the CreateRendition command. Here is a sample of CreateRendition:
vadmin co=cr r=Bank us=Chris a=d vol=Webvolume1
This creates a pdf rendition of the latest generation of the Bank report, using the page
security, if any, assigned to the user Chris. In addition to storing it in the report warehouse,
it places it in a subdirectorybased on the report and user nameof the directory
specified in the definition of the web volume Webvolume1. See page 281 for more
information on creating renditions on a Web server, including how to define web
volumes.
When you use this format of CreateRendition, the URL to use to view the rendition is
included in the information returned to the person or program that entered the command.
This URL is based on the definition of Webvolume1.
268
Note
Important! To be able to store renditions on the Web server from a Windows

Vista Plus server host, the server service must be started under a network
account which has permission to write to the Web server. See the Vista Plus
Server Installation Guide for instructions on doing this.
Storing Renditions in a Specific Directory

Generally, when you include the volume parameter, as described in the previous section,
the rendition is placed in a subdirectory of the web volume directory based on the user or
group and the report name. This creates an orderly tree structure of renditions on the Web
server, as described on page 282. However, at times you may want to place a rendition in a
specific directory rather than into its location in a tree structure. You can do this by
defining a web volume without a URL as part of the definition. The rendition file (files for
a frame-based HTML rendition) is then placed directly in the hdir directory. For example,
consider this command:
vadmin co=cr r=Bank us=Chris a=d vol=Directvolume
This is the same CreateRendition format as in the previous section. However, if the
definition of Directvolume does not include a URL, this creates the rendition file bank.pdf in
the directory named in the Directvolume definition, not in a subdirectory. This use of
CreateRendition lets you place a rendition in a specific directory you choose; you can
then open it, edit it, etc. The directory must already exist.
If the userptname option in warehouse parameters is off, the file name is based on the
report ID instead of the report name. See page 282 for more information.
Tip
Epurposing
You can also create a rendition in a specific directory by using the hdir
parameter in CreateRendition. For any directory where you will be storing
multiple renditions, we suggest you create a web volume and use the volume
parameter, as described above. This makes entering the command easier; if
you are using automated scripts to create the renditions, it also makes it easier
to change the destination, as you merely update the volume definition. See
page 164 for more on web volumes.
269
E-Mailing Renditions or URLs

As discussed in Report Rendition File Format and Storage on page 265, you can e-mail
either the rendition file itself or a URL to its location to the user or group named in the
CreateRendition command. You do this by selecting the appropriate value for action. For
example, this command e-mails the URL for the HTML rendition of the Quota report to all
members of the Sales group:
vadmin co=cr r=Quota g=Sales a=uh vol=Webvolume2
Since a frame-based HTML rendition may have hundreds of files, or more, you cannot email the rendition as an attachment. However, you can e-mail the URL to a frame-based
rendition.
Note
270
When you e-mail a single-file HTML rendition, any images in the report are
not included. A report could have dozens or hundreds of images, each of
which is a separate file; it is not practical to include these files in the e-mail.
Deleting Renditions
Deleting Renditions
In most situations, you will not need to delete report renditions frequently. Renditions
stored in the Vista Plus report warehouse are removed from online storage when their
generation is archived or deleted. In any other directoryfor example, on a Web server
renditions are stored by report, not by generation; renditions exist only for the latest
generation of a report. This means that as new generations are captured, old renditions are
replaced with new ones, and the total space used stays approximately the same (of course,
disk usage increases as more reports are renditioned and as more users subscribe to a
report, increasing the number of renditions of that report).
Though no regular clearing of renditions is generally necessary, there are occasions when
you may want to delete renditions: if a report is no longer used, you can recover the space
its renditions take up on the Web server, and so on. There are separate commands to
delete renditions on the Web server and in the Vista Plus report warehouse:
To delete renditions from the Web server, use DeleteWebRenditions. This deletes the
specific rendition you specify.
DeleteWebRenditions dwr
Deletes a report rendition from the Web server
Required
action
Type of Rendition
Set to one of:
d for PDF rendition
f for HTML rendition (frame-based)
h for HTML rendition (single-file)
s for text rendition
ud for PDF rendition and e-mailed URL
uf for HTML rendition (frame-based) and e-mailed URL
uh for stored HTML rendition (single-file) and e-mailed URL
us for stored text rendition and e-mailed URL
v for a Vista Plus Shortcut (.vsc file)
report
Report
The report to delete the rendition for
volume
Web Volume
Name of Web volume to delete rendition from
May Be
Required
Epurposing
group
Group Name
Group to delete rendition for; you must include either user or
group; you cannot include both
271
Deleting Renditions
user
User Name
User to delete rendition for; you must include either user or group;
you cannot include both
Optional
format

calling from a Web page; set to h for HTML table output or n for an
HTML table that is tagged for non-display; if you omit this option,
command output is in standard text format; see page 279 for more
information
For example:
vadmin co=dwr r=Bank us=Chris a=d vol=Webvolume1
This deletes the PDF rendition of the Bank report for user Chris from the Web server
directory named in the definition of Webvolume1.
DeleteWebRenditions does not delete renditions from the Vista Plus report
warehouse.
To delete renditions from the report warehouse, use the DeleteReportRenditions

command. This deletes all the renditions for a report or for a specific report
generation.
DeleteReportRenditions drr
Deletes report renditions from the Vista Plus report warehouse
Required
report
Report Name
Delete renditions of this report; if you also include id, only
renditions of that generation are deleted; if you do not include id, all
renditions of all generations of this report are deleted
Optional
id
Generation ID
Delete all renditions of the generation with this ID; do not delete
renditions of other generations of report
verify
Verify Deletion
Specifying verify=n will delete without asking for confirmation
For example, to delete all the renditions of the Sales report, you would enter:
vadmin c=drr r=Sales
This removes the renditions of the Sales report from the report warehouse; if there are
any renditions of this report on the Web server, they remain there.
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Chapter 19
PortalVue Connector
PortalVue Connector works with epurposing to allow you to make reports and electronic
documents stored in Vista Plus available through a Web portal.
PortalVue Connector is an optional component of Vista Plus. It must be installed at your
site before you can use any of its features.
In This Chapter
Vista Plus and Portals ........................................................................... 274
Setting Global Warehouse Options ..................................................... 275
Delivering Information to the Portal Application ............................ 277
Creating Renditions on the Web Server ............................................. 281
Subscribing to Reports .......................................................................... 286
Tying It All Together ............................................................................. 294
Summary: Portal-related vadmin Commands .................................. 296
Note
PortalVue Connector works closely with Vista Pluss epurposing feature. For
more information about epurposing, please see Chapter 18.
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Vista Plus and Portals
Vista Plus and Portals

A Web portal application is a way to present information to a user. Vista Plus is a way to
store information. PortalVue Connector connects Vista Plus to a Web portal application so
you can easily present information stored in Vista Plus to users through your Web portal.
PortalVue Connector is a collection of vadmin commands and options for vadmin
commands. Its functions fall into three connected categories:
Information Delivery: PortalVue Connector can return information about Vista Plus
users and reports to the portal application in an HTML format that the application can
then use for further processing or present to the portal user in any desired format.
Creating Renditions: Strictly speaking, this is a function of the epurposing feature,

but it is closely tied to PortalVue Connector. Renditions are copies of Vista Plus report
generations in PDF, text, or HTML format. The renditions can then be accessed
through the portal application or e-mailed to the users who request them. Vista Plus
shortcuts can also be created and accessed in this way.
Report Subscriptions: Many users will want to see each new generation of a report as
soon as it is available. When a user subscribes to a report, the requested report
rendition is created automatically as soon as the generation is captured and either
made available through the portal or e-mailed to the user.
The remainder of this chapter discusses what Vista Plus and PortalVue Connector can do
for a portal application in each of these areas and gives some suggestions for integrating
Vista Plus into a portal application. First, we describe some Vista Plus options which affect
PortalVue Connector behavior.
274
Warning
While you can create subscriptions to be stored on more than one Web server
from the same Vista Plus report warehouse, this is not supported. Not all of
the subscription and reporting commands are able to properly distinguish
one Web server from another, which could lead to displaying or deleting
subscriptions on the wrong Web server.
Note
This chapter describes several vadmin commands and command parameters.

The vadmin descriptions in Chapter 22 include all of the commands and
options described here, but do not specifically discuss how to use these
features with a portal application.
Setting Global Warehouse Options

Two of the settings you can select through the server properties in the Server Admin client
(as described in Chapter 14) apply to epurposing and PortalVue Connector:
Prepend host name and port: This creates subdirectories for the host name and port
number in the Web server directory specified to hold report renditions. This lets you
store renditions from more than one Vista Plus report warehouse in separate directory
trees on the Web server. For example, if:
You specify the directory wwwroot\vista to hold renditions (as part of a Web
volume definitionsee page 164), and
You have two Vista Plus servers saving renditions to this directory: testserver port
8005 and liveserver port 7980
If this option is on, the rendition files are saved to wwwroot\vista\testserver\8005 and
wwwroot\vista\liveserver\7980, respectively; if it is off, renditions from both servers
are placed in wwwroot\vista. In either case, renditions are placed in subfolders based
on the user or group they are for. See page 282 for more information.
Obviously, this lengthens the path to the rendition files; the path cannot total more
than 244 characters, so be careful using this option.
Report subdirectory naming: You can choose whether to use the report name or the
report ID as the folder and file name when you save a renditioned report to the Web
server. For example, if the report name is Weekly Sales and the report ID is 103, the
paths to a PDF rendition would be:
With Report name selected: \Weekly Sales\Weekly Sales.pdf
With Report ID selected: \103\103.pdf
...represents the path from the Web server root to the directory for the user or group.
This could be similar to wwwroot\vista\groups\Accounting.
Since the file name is included in the path twice, long file names quickly make the
path much longer. The maximum allowed path length is 244 characters, so if you have
long report names, you may need to use the report ID. See page 282 for a description
of the subdirectory structure and file naming used on the Web server.
By default, report name is selected for this option, since this can make it easier to find
the renditions in the folder structure. You should turn it off if your report names
contain any of the following characters:
\ / : ^ # ? < > | (space)
These characters cause problems with various epurposing actionsmany of them are
not allowed in URLs and would keep the rendition files from being downloaded from
the portal.
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275
Also, some Web server software can have problems with certain report names,
especially report names based on the original report file name. For example, if a report
name ends in file.asa, epurposing creates a Web server directory called file.asa. In some
cases, the asa extension in the folder name can keep the Web server from properly
displaying the report. In this case, you may want to base the names on the report ID.
Finally, when subscribing to reports, you may see problems caused by long report
names even when the total path is less than 244 characters. The actual limits vary
depending on the options youve chosen, the rendition format, and the combination
of report name and the length of the path to the rendition folders. While this can
happen even if you are using the report ID instead of the report name, the shorter
report ID makes it less likely. If you have long (more than 60 characters) report names,
we recommend you use the report ID option for rendition directory and file names;
also, if possible, shorten the path to the rendition directories.
See page 197 for instructions on setting warehouse parameters; these parameters are
found on the epurposing page.
276
Tip
To keep rendition names and location consistent on the Web server, we

recommend you set these parameters before you begin using Vista Plus with
a portal application, and do not change them.
Tip
The vadmin ModifyWarehouseConfig command also lets you modify these

properties, using the prepend and userptname parameters.
ModifyWarehouseConfig is described on page 376.
Delivering Information to the Portal Application

To integrate with Vista Plus, a portal application needs to be able to get the information it
needs from the Vista Plus database in a format it understands. Vista Plus fills both of these
requirements:
The ListReports command returns the reports a user has access to in Vista Plus.
ListReports is a standard vadmin command but has options directly related to use
with a portal application.
The ListSubscribedReports command returns a list of reports the user is currently

subscribed to.
These and other relevant vadmin commands can return their result in HTML format
so the portal application can work with and display them.
The following sections describe these two commands and the HTML output feature.
Listing the Reports Available to a User or Group

The ListReports command lists all the reports available in a users or groups Home
folder and its subfolders. This lets a portal application present a list of all the reports
available to a user, who can then select the ones he or she wants to view or subscribe to.
Heres a description of ListReports:
ListReports lr
Lists all reports in the report warehouse
Optional
folder
Folder Name
Name of a folder; if included, lists only reports in that folder
format

calling ReportAction from a Web page; set to h for HTML table
output or n for an HTML table that is tagged for non-display; if
you omit this option, command output is in standard text format;
see page 279 for more information
group
Group Name
Name of group to list reports for; shows all reports in groups
Home folder and its subfolders; do not use this option if user
option is used
long
Show full report names

Set to y to display full report names; if not used, only first 20 to 30
characters display; full names are always included in HTML
output
report
Report Name
Name of a specific report to display; if this option is not used, all
reports are displayed
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showgens
Show Generation Count

Set to n not to include the number of online and offline
generations for each report; this can improve performance; default
is to include the generation counts
user
User Name
Name of user to list reports for; shows all reports in users
individual or primary group Home folder and its subfolders; do
not use this option if group option is used
Note
If you use the user or group parameter, reports are not listed if the user or
group does not have permission to view them, even if they are in the users or
groups Home folder.
A common portal use of this command would be to see all the reports available to a
particular user or group and return the full report names in HTML for processing; the
format to do this for a user is:
vadmin c=lr user=name for=n
Listing Subscribed Reports

The portal application needs to be able to display for each user all the reports he or she is
subscribed to individually or through a group (for more on subscribing to reports, see
page 286). To support this, PortalVue Connector includes the vadmin
ListSubscribedReports command. This command lists all subscribed reports for a user or
group, and the type of subscription (file format) for each one. The information returned
can be plain text or HTML, as discussed in the next section.
ListSubscribedReports lsr
Lists report subscriptions for a user or group
May Be
Required
group
Group Name
Name of group to list subscriptions for; must include either user
or group, but not both
user
User Name
Name of user to list subscriptions for; returns both individual
subscriptions and group subscriptions for the users primary
groupthere is no indication which subscriptions are individual
and which are group; must include either user or group, but not
both
Optional
format

option, command output is in standard text format
278
When you include user, both individual subscriptions and subscriptions for the users
primary group are listed. If you need to know just individual subscriptions, compare this
to a list of the groups subscriptions. You could also maintain a separate list of individual
subscriptions on the Web server.
For example, to see all the reports subscribed to by the Accounting group and return the
information in HTML format tagged not to be displayed, use this command:
vadmin c=lsr g=Accounting f=n
The portal application could then parse this information and present the report list in a
frame to any member of the Accounting group who logs on to the portal.
Formatting vadmin Output for Portals

By default, vadmin commands which display information return plain text to the screen
of the user who entered the command. The following commands can also return
information formatted as HTML tables; this allows the information to be parsed by the
portal application program or script which performed the vadmin command:
AddVolume
CreateRendition
DeleteWebRenditions
ListGroups
ListReports
ListSubscribedReports
ListUsers
ListVolumes
ModifyVolume
ReportAction
ShowWarehouseConfig
ShowUser
ShowVolume
Subscribe
Unsubscribe
To return information as HTML, you include the format parameter in the command. The
syntax for this parameter is:
format=h or n
Setting format to h causes data to be returned as an HTML table; setting it to n formats the
data as an HTML table and flags it not to be displayed in the browser. This allows the
calling program to parse and reformat the data before displaying it; if it displays it at all.
For plain text output, simply do not use the format parameter.
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Using format with any of the commands except the List commands returns a vertical
two-column table. The first (left) column contains the field names; the second (right)
column contains the data. Heres a sample of output from ShowUser with format set to h:
<H6 ID="vadminDisplay" STYLE="Display:none" VALUE="vertical"></H6>
<TABLE ID="showUserTable" BORDER="1" STYLE="DISPLAY">
<CAPTION>User Properties</CAPTION>
<TR>
<TH>User</TH>
<TD>Admin</TD>
</TR>
<TR>
<TH>Full Name</TH>
<TD>Administrative User</TD>
</TR>
<TR>
***
</TABLE>
<H6 ID="vadminStatus" STYLE="Display:none" VALUE="0 -- Operation
completed successfully."></H6>
This is only part of the output. Additional table entries (replaced by *** in the sample)
return the rest of the fields in the user record.
For the List commands, the data is returned in a horizontal table. Heres an example of
ListGroups with format set to n:
<H6 ID="vadminDisplay" STYLE="Display:none" VALUE="horizontal"></H6>
<TABLE ID="groupListTable" BORDER="1" STYLE="DISPLAY:none">
<CAPTION>Group List</CAPTION>
<TR>
<TH>Group</TH>
<TH>Description</TH>
<TH>Home Folder</TH>
</TR>
<TR>
<TD>main</TD>
<TD>The Main Group</TD>
<TD>MAIN</TD>
</TR>
<TR>
<TD>secondary</TD>
<TD>The Secondary Group</TD>
<TD>Folder2</TD>
</TR>
</TABLE>
<H6 ID="vadminStatus" STYLE="Display:none" VALUE="0 -- Operation
completed successfully."></H6>
280
Creating Renditions on the Web Server

The basics of using epurposing to create renditions of Vista Plus reportsHTML files, text
files, or PDF files, or Vista Plus shortcutsare covered in Chapter 18. The following
sections discuss aspects of epurposing which apply directly to using Vista Plus with a
portal application to publish Vista Plus reports to a Web server for access via a browser.
Storing Renditions on the Web Server

To store a rendition on the Web server for use with a portal application, you need to
identify two characteristics of the Web server:
The path from the Vista Plus server to the directory on the Web server where you
want to store renditions. This directory must already exist and the Vista Plus server
must be able to write files to it. CreateRendition (or a subscription action) places the
rendition in a subdirectory of this directory, based on the user or group the rendition
is for.
The URL for the Web server directory. Having this information allows
CreateRendition or Subscribe to determine and return the URL to the rendition file
being created. The portal application can then use this URL to create a hyperlink to
the rendition file.
You define both of these characteristics to Vista Plus through Web volumes. You create one
or more Web volumes using Server Admin or the vadmin AddVolume command. You
then refer to this Web volume in any epurposing command which needs to refer to the
Web server location. For more information on Web volumes, see page 164.
Heres a simple CreateRendition command to create an HTML rendition of the Profit
report on the Web server, using the Web volume Webvolume2. All renditions are also
created in the report warehouse, as described in Chapter 18:
vadmin co=cr r=Profit us=Chris a=h v=Webvolume2
In practice, most renditions on the Web server will probably be generated automatically
on report capture after users have subscribed to the report. See page 286.
Each time a new generation is renditioned, it replaces any rendition of the previous
generation of that report in the same format. This is different than rendition storage in the
Vista Plus report warehouse, where each generations renditions are stored independently.
Note
Important! To be able to store renditions on the Web server from a Windows

Vista Plus server host, the server service must be started under a network
account, and the account must have permission to write to the hdir directory
and all of its subdirectories. See the Vista Plus Server Installation Guide for
instructions on doing this.
Note
For compatibility with earlier versions of Vista Plus, you can enter a directory
and URL, rather than a volume name, with some of the epurposing
commands. We do not recommend you do this, as it is more prone to errors
and less convenient to maintain.
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Web Server Rendition Storage

PortalVue Connector places renditions of your Vista Plus reports on your Web server; it
creates a subdirectory structure beneath the main Web server directoryor any other
directory you chooseto hold the rendition files. Since renditions are specific to a user or
group (they need to be to maintain Vista Plus page security), this structure is organized by
user and group name.
We recommend you create a subdirectory of your Web server directory solely to hold Vista
Plus report renditions. You then specify this directory when defining a Web volume. For
example, if the Web server directory is c\:inetpub\wwwroot, you would create a VistaPlus
subdirectory and then specify c:\inetpub\wwwroot\VistaPlus as the directory for the Web
volume.
Beneath this root directory, Vista Plus builds a directory structure based on the user or
group the rendition is for. All of the renditions for a particular user or group are in the
same directory, with subdirectories for each report. Basing the directory structure on the
user or group rather than on the report makes it easier to maintain file security on the Web
server (security is discussed in the next section).
Here is what the directory structure looks like. This
example assumes users named Chris, Terry, and Pat, and
two groups, Accounting and Marketing. The Marketing
group and Chris each have renditions of the Sales report;
Terry, Pat, and the Accounting group have renditions of the
Inventory report.
Group and user directories are in separate branches of the
tree, with individual subdirectories for each user and
group. The actual rendition files are in the \Inventory
and \Sales directories:
282
For a PDF rendition, the file name is reportname.pdf. If

file names are based on the report ID (see below), the
report ID is used as the file name.
For a text rendition, the file name is reportname.txt. If file names are based on the
report ID (see below), the report ID is used as the file name.
For a single-file HTML rendition, the file name is reportname.htm. If file names are
based on the report ID (see below), the report ID is used as the file name.
For a frame-based HTML rendition, a separate file is created for each page of the
report, plus a table of contents file and a frameset file. The names are based on the
generation ID, not the report ID:
The frameset file name is reportname.html. If file names are based on the report ID
(see below), the report ID is used as the file name.
The table of contents file name is genidTOC.html.
The name of the file for each page is genidPagexx.html, where xx is the page
number.
Notice that the extension for frame-based rendition files is html, not htm.
For all HTML renditions, image files are named *Imagepage#-xxx.gif. These files are
referenced by the html file for the rendition (or the page file for frame-based
renditions). page# is the page number the image is found on; xxx is the sequential
number of the image on the page.
For a Vista Plus shortcut, the file is reportname.vsc. If userptname is off (see below), the
report ID is used as the file name.
This directory and file structure is necessary to maintain user and report page security.
However, since separate files are written for each rendition, epurposing to a Web server
can quickly take up a lot of disk space. To minimize this, you may want to use group
renditions instead of individual user renditions whenever you can. This can save a
significant amount of space if most or all of the users in the group use the same page
security.
Two warehouse configuration options can affect the
directory structure and file namesReport subdirectory
naming and Prepend host and port. The Prepend host
and port setting adds directories for the host name and
port number of the Vista Plus server below the rendition
root directoryVistaPlus in the exampleand above the
Users and Groups directories. This lets you maintain
separate rendition structures for multiple report
warehouses on one Web server. For example, with this
option on, the structure for a report warehouse on the host
Production and the default port of 7980 looks like the
picture to the right (weve collapsed the report directories).
Renditions from a different Vista Plus report warehouse would be stored in a different set
of subdirectories beneath Vista Plus.
The Report subdirectory naming option lets you choose how to name the directories and
files for the individual reports. You can select whether to use report names or report IDs
for the directory names, as shown above, and for rendition file names. You may need to
use report IDs if your report names or the path to your Web server directory are unusually
long, since theres a 244-character limit on the path to the rendition files (and you may
have problems in some cases even if you do not reach that limit, as discussed on
page 276). By default, report names are used.
You should use report IDs for file names if your report names contain any of these
characters:
\ / : ^ # ? < > | (space)
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These characters cause problems with various epurposing actionsmany of them are not
allowed in URLs and would keep the rendition files from being downloaded from the
portal. Also, some Web server software can have problems with certain report names,
especially report names based on the original report file name. For example, if a report
name ends in file.asa, epurposing creates a Web server directory called file.asa. In some
cases, the asa extension in the folder name can keep the Web server from properly
displaying the report. In this case, you may want to use report IDs.
Group and User Renditions and Page Security

When you create a rendition for a user, the process is simpleVista Plus creates a
rendition containing the pages found in the page security assigned to the user and places
it the reports subdirectory of the users directory. If the user doesnt have a page security
assigned, the entire report is included in the rendition.
When you create a rendition for a group, the process is more involved, since different
group members may have different page securities, and a page security may also be
assigned to the group itself. Heres what happens:
1.
A rendition is created based on the groups page security and placed in the
subdirectory for the report under the groups directory.
2.
For each user, Vista Plus checks to see if the user has an individual page security for
the report:
If he or she does have a page security, a rendition is created using it and placed
in the report subdirectory of the users directory. The user will always use this
rendition, not the group rendition.
If he or she doesnt have a page security, a file is placed in the report

subdirectory of the users directory. This file points to the group rendition, so
the user will open the group rendition of the report.
This process means the portal application never has to worry about whether to look for a
group or user rendition of a report. It can always try to open the report from the users
directory; if the user is using a group rendition, the file placed in the user directory
automatically redirects the request to use the group rendition.
Web Server File Security

Renditions are standard HTML, text, and PDF files; anyone with access to the rendition
files can view them using a Web browser, text editor, or Adobe Acrobat, without going
through Vista Plus or the Web portal. Therefore, if you want to control access to these files,
you must do so through operating system (UNIX or Windows) or Web server security.
When designing security for the rendition files and directories, you must allow the
following access:
284
The Vista Plus server must be able to write to them. On a UNIX Vista Plus host, the
user name the Vista Plus server runs as must be able to write to the Web server; this is
usually, but not always, the root user. On a Windows Vista Plus host, you must start
Vista Plus under a network account which has write privileges for the Web server
directories. If the Vista Plus server is on a different domain than the Web server, the
Web server domain must trust the Vista Plus host domain.
Your portal application must be able to read them.
If you want to be able to check and administer them by hand, the Web administrator
needs to be able to read and write to them.
As described above, report renditions are stored in subdirectories beneath the directory
you specify when defining the Web volume. This directory is usually a subdirectory of the
Web server root directory; you must create it before you begin to use epurposing. When a
rendition is created, Vista Plus creates as much of the directory tree as it needs to. For
example, if you create a rendition of the Sales report for user Chris, and it is the first
rendition for any user or group, Vista Plus creates the Users, Users\Chris, and
Users\Chris\Sales subdirectories. Later renditions for other users and reports create other
subdirectories of Users. Renditions for groups create the Groups directory and its
subdirectories. (If the Prepend host name and port option is on, the first rendition for a
warehouse also creates the directories for the host name and port number; see page 275.)
All directories created by Vista Plus inherit the permissions of their parent directory; the
rendition files themselves inherit their permissions from their subdirectories. If you allow
Vista Plus to create all directories automatically through renditioning, all rendition
directories will have the same permissions as the root directory of the Web volume.
Depending on the Web server you use, this may be what you want, or it may not. For
example, the Apache Web server always accesses files as the same user. If only this user
has access to the Web root directory, you would want to propagate those permissions to all
subdirectories, so the Web server can read all the rendition files, but no one else can. (Of
course, the Vista Plus server also needs access so it can write the rendition files.)
However, if you need different permissions for different users and groups directories
for example, if your Web server impersonates the logged-in user when accessing files
you will want to create all user and group directories yourself, with the proper
permissions, before you begin creating renditions. Alternatively, you could change the
directory permissions after Vista Plus creates them, but that would leave a window after
the directories are created where they would be open to unauthorized access.
Maintaining security of the rendition directories and files on the Web server is up to you;
if your Web server root is not secure, the Vista Plus directories and rendition files wont
be either. Vista Plus merely copies the permissions, owner, and group of the lowest level
existing directory in the tree to the directories and files it creates. If the existing directories
are not secure, anyone who knows where to look will be able to open any rendition file.
This could allow users with limited Vista Plus permissions to see a rendition of any report
in the warehouse, effectively eliminating Vista Pluss report and page security features.
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Subscribing to Reports
Creating report renditions on-demand with CreateRendition is useful, but one of the
strengths of Vista Plus is having new information accessible to users as soon as the report
is captured into the report warehouse. With epurposing and PortalVue Connector, you
accomplish this through report subscriptions. When a user or group is subscribed to a
report, a rendition is created automatically as each new report generation is captured, so
the latest information is always available through the portal application. Each new
rendition replaces the previous report rendition in the users or groups directory on the
Web server. Group and user page security is applied to the rendition, as described on page
284.
In addition to PDF, text, or HTML files, epurposing can create subscriptions to Vista Plus
shortcut files: if the rendition format is vsc, clicking the link on the portal starts the
Windows Client and opens the report in Vista Plus format. The user can then use all of the
clients abilities to search the report, open other generations or other reports, and so on.
You can also create Web View subscriptions: a URL is e-mailed to the user which the user
can click to open the generation in Web View; the report is also listed in the subscription
list on the My Vista page. No rendition of the report is created. These subscriptions are the
same as if they had been created by the user in Web View.
The subscription feature supports only one Web server per Vista Plus report warehouse;
do not create subscriptions using different Web volumes. (Since Web View subscriptions
do not actually create a rendition on the Web server, you can create Web View
subscriptions using different Web View volumes.)
Subscriptions work through Vista Pluss SmartAlarm feature (SmartAlarms are described
in Chapter 16). There are SmartAlarm action types for each type of report rendition;
subscription alarms are named SUBSCRIPTION-x, where x is a number. However, you
create subscriptions using a different Server Admin client feature, or a different vadmin
command, than other types of SmartAlarms:
In Server Admin, you create and modify subscriptions through a users or groups
properties.
In vadmin, you use the Subscribe command.
The following sections describe each of these methods.

Note
Important! You can use the SmartAlarm vadmin commands

AddActionParam and AddAlarmand Server Admin feature to create
SmartAlarms which perform the same actions as report subscriptions (except
for Web View subscriptions). However, these are not considered subscriptions
by the Vista Plus server: they do not appear in subscription lists in Server
Admin, and are not shown by the vadmin ListSubscribedReports command.
Only alarms created through a subscription feature and named
SUBSCRIPTION-x are treated as subscriptions.
There can be advantages to using standard SmartAlarms with subscriptiontype actions rather than actual subscriptions: you can include a custom
286
message with the e-mailed rendition when you use the a, e, i, or t action,
and create subscription actions for conditional alarms. However, there is no
easy way to list and manage these alarms through a Web portal application.
See Chapter 16 for more information on SmartAlarms.
Note
You cannot subscribe to an empty report (one without at least one captured
generation). You must capture a generation to a report before creating a
subscription SmartAlarm for it.
Note
Group subscriptions which create actions for each user in the groupfor
example, a subscription which e-mails a rendition to each group member
perform actions only for users who have the group as their primary group.
Actions are not performed for users who have the group as a secondary
group.
Note
You can create a subscription for a user to a report for which he or she has No
Access permission. When you create the subscription, youll receive a
Permission denied error because the rendition cannot be created.
However, the subscription is entered, and if you later change the users access
to the report, a rendition will be created when the subscription alarm is
triggered.
Note
Do not subscribe to a report you will be capturing TransVue generations to.

Vista Plus cannot create a rendition of a TransVue generation.
Using Server Admin

You cannot link directly from a portal application to the Server Admin client; to add
subscriptions through the portal application, youll use the vadmin Subscription
command, as described on page 290. However, there are situations where you may want
to use Server Admin to manage subscriptions: to create the initial subscriptions for a new
user or group before they start using the portal; to create e-mail subscriptions for users
who cannot access the portal application for some reason, and so on.
In Server Admin, you manage subscriptions through a users or groups properties.
Follow the procedure below to add a subscription.
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287
How to Add a Subscription with Server Admin
288
1.
View the users or groups properties, as described on page 33.
2.
Click the Subscriptions tab.
3.
On the Subscriptions page, click New.
4.
Click Browse and select the report to subscribe to.
5.
Click New.
6.
Select the Action to take when each new generation is captured, either:
Send e-mail Send an e-mail to the user (or members of the group), with
either a rendition of the report file, a URL to a rendition of the report file, or a
shortcut to the report file itself, attached.
Generate rendition Create a rendition of the report on a Web volume. Do not

send an e-mail to the user or group. With this type of subscription, the user
would usually access the rendition through a portal application.
7.
Select the Content. This determines the format of the rendition: HTML Document,
HTML Frames, PDF, Text, or Report (a shortcut to the report). See page 265 for a
description of rendition formats.
8.
If Action is Send e-mail and Content is HTML Document, Text, or PDF, select
whether to attach the rendition file or a URL pointing to the rendition file to the
message.
9.
If Action is Generate rendition or if you are e-mailing a URL to an HTML, text,

or PDF rendition, select the Web volume to store the rendition on. Web volumes are
10. Click Finish.

Tip
The subscription list for a user or group includes only subscriptions created
through this feature or with the vadmin Subscribe command. SmartAlarms
with subscription-type actions created through the SmartAlarm list or with
the vadmin AddAlarm or AddActionParam command are not listed on the
Subscriptions page.
Tip
Though they are treated internally by Vista Plus as SmartAlarms, you cannot
view subscriptions through the Server Admin SmartAlarm list. You can see
them only through the users or groups Subscriptions page.
Note
When you create a subscription with Server Admin, no rendition is created

immediately; it is equivalent to using the Subscribe command with the
delay=y parameter.
Note
When e-mailing a rendition, the e-mail message contains the report name and
alarm name. However, the message length is limited. Long report names may
be truncated and may cause other parts of the message to be left out. The
attached rendition is still correct. The subject line of the message is set by the
ALARM_SUBJECT_LINE variable in the server.cfg file, as described on
page 405.
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289
Using the Subscribe Command

When you use Subscribe, the action for the new subscription is added to the subscription
SmartAlarm for the report; if this is the first subscription for the report, the subscription
alarm is created. The subscription alarm is named SUBSCRIPTION-x, where x is a
number. This alarm will have a separate action for each report subscription created with
Subscribe. It is an unconditional alarm, meaning it is triggered each time a generation is
captured to the report. The type of subscription is set by the action value. Here is the
command format:
Subscribe s
Creates a report subscription; unless delay is used or action is u, creates a rendition of most recent
report generation
Required
action
Action to Perform
Set to one of:
u to e-mail URL to report (for Web View subscription)
uf to store HTML rendition (frame-based) and e-mail URL for
it
uh to store HTML rendition (single-file) and e-mail URL for it
v to create a Vista Plus Shortcut (vsc file)
report
Report
The report to create the subscription for
May Be
Required
folder
Folder Name
Used only if action is u; folder to open the report from in Web
View
group
Group Name
The group to create the subscription for; any page security for the
group determines the pages included in subscription renditions;
you must include either user or group; you cannot include both
user
User Name
The user to create the subscription for; any page security for the
user determines the pages included in subscription renditions; you
must include either user or group; you cannot include both
290
volume
Volume
Name of Web volume (if action is u, Web View volume) to create
subscription on; required unless action is a, e, i, or t
Optional
delay
Delay Rendition
If set to y; dont create rendition now; wait until next generation of
report is captured
format

information
For example, this command creates a subscription for the Revenue report where the report
is stored as a frame-based HTML rendition and the URL is mailed to the user named
Controller:
vadmin co=s r=Revenue us=Controller a=uf v=Webvolume1
As shown here, be sure to include the volume parameter so each new rendition is stored
on the Web server.
The a, e, i, and t actions create a rendition only in the Vista Plus report warehouse, not on
the Web volume. They also e-mail the rendition to the subscribed user or group. Do not
include the volume parameter with these actions.
By default, a rendition is created from the most recent generation when you create a report
subscription. If you want to create the subscription without making a rendition until the
next generation is captured, include the delay=y parameter in the Subscribe command.
For example:
vadmin co=s r=Revenue us=Controller a=uf v=Webvolume1 d=y
To create a Web View subscription for a user or groupyou may want to do this to create
a base subscription list for a new useruse the u action; you must include a Web View
volume name and a folder to open the report from. For example:
vadmin co=s r=Revenue us=Controller a=u v=WebViewVol1 fol=Sales
Note
PortalVue Connector
With the a, e, i, and t actions, the e-mail message contains the report name
and alarm name. However, the message length is limited. Long report names
may be truncated and may cause other parts of the message to be left out. The
attached rendition is still correct. The subject line of the message is set by the
ALARM_SUBJECT_LINE variable in the server.cfg file, as described on
page 405.
291
Unsubscribing from a Report

To end a users or groups subscription to a report, use the Unsubscribe command. You
specify the subscription to cancel by including the user or group, report name, the Web
root directory and URL, and the action type of the subscription. Here is the command
format:
Unsubscribe u
Deletes a report subscription
Required
report
Report
The report to delete the subscription for
May Be
Required
group
Group Name
The group to delete the subscription for; you must include either
user or group; you cannot include both
user
User Name
The user to delete the subscription for; you must include either user
or group; you cannot include both
volume
Volume
Name of Web volume (if action is u, Web View volume)
subscription is on; required unless action is a, e, or t
Optional
action
Type of Subscription to Delete

Set to one of:
a for PDF rendition
d for PDF rendition
e for e-mailed Vista Plus shortcut (.vsc file)
i for e-mailed text rendition
s for stored text rendition
t for e-mailed HTML rendition (single-file)
u for e-mailed URL to report (for Web View subscription)
uh for HTML rendition (single-file) and e-mailed URL
v for a Vista Plus Shortcut (vsc file)
If omitted, all subscriptions to the report for the specified user or
group are deleted
292
format

information
For example, to stop the subscription to the Revenue report created for the Controller user
in the previous section, replace co=s with co=u:
vadmin co=u r=Revenue us=Controller a=uf v=Webvolume1
If a user or group is subscribed to a report in more than one format, you can cancel all of
the users or groups subscriptions to that report at once by leaving out the action
parameter. However, you cannot remove subscriptions for more than one report with a
single command.
Unsubscribing from a report removes the SmartAlarm action created when the
subscription was started, so future generations wont be renditioned automatically on
capture. It does not delete the current rendition from the Web server or the Vista Plus
report warehouse; you can use DeleteWebRenditions to remove the rendition from the
Web server and DeleteReportRenditions to remove it from the report warehouse; see
page 271.
Tip
PortalVue Connector
You can also unsubscribe a user or group by deleting the subscription in

Server Admin.
293
Tying It All Together

Weve now described all the individual actions which let Vista Plus work together with a
portal application: providing user and report lists and information, creating report
renditions, and subscribing to reports. In this section, we give some suggestions about
how you may want to integrate these features into your portal application. These are
intended merely to give you some ideas about how to use Vista Plus from your portal;
only you know your exact needs and how your portal application will best meet them.
When a user signs on, the user name can be verified against a list of Vista Plus users.
The portal can either use the ListUsers command to check the user name at sign-on,
or it can run ListUsers at scheduled timessuch as overnightand store the user list
on the Web server, improving performance for the user. Of course, doing this risks
using out-of-date information if the user has been recently added to or changed in
Vista Plus.
Once the user is verified, the portal application uses the ListReports command to get
a list of all reports the user has access to. Again, if desired, you can run this command
for all users during off-peak hours and maintain the information on the Web server.
Once the portal has the list of reports the user is allowed to see, it can display this list
and allow the user to select reports to view or subscribe to. If a user chooses to view a
report without subscribing to it, issue a CreateRendition command to create the
rendition on the Web server, then display the new rendition in the browser, using
Adobe Acrobat, or by starting Vista Plus Web View or Windows Client with a report
shortcut. This lets users try out a report; a user who wants to have the latest
rendition always available can then subscribe to it.
Either on the same page with the full report list or on a separate page, the portal
application can use ListSubscribedReports to display the reports the user is already
subscribed to, allowing him or her to select one to view. Since the rendition already
exists for a subscribed report, when a user asks to view one, Vista Plus is not involved;
the rendition is displayed like any other HTML, text, or PDF file. (If the rendition is a
Vista Plus shortcut, the Windows Client is used to display it.) The portal could even
let the user specify a default report and display it automatically in a separate frame.
When a user subscribes to a report, the portal uses Subscribe to create a SmartAlarm
action to rendition the report each time its captured. The command would usually
also rendition the report immediately, or it could wait until the next generation is
captured. If the user selects an e-mail subscription, Subscribe also e-mails the report
or its URL. For e-mail subscriptions to work, the users e-mail address must be
entered in Vista Plus.
A more advanced option could allow the user to set conditions which must be met
before the report is renditioned; the portal would then need to use AddAlarm and
AddActionParameter to create a conditional alarm with a rendition action. Instead of
automatically happening each time the report is captured, a new rendition for this
user is created only when the generation meets the selected criteria.
294
These are just general guidelines and ideas to help you start accessing Vista Plus data and
reports from your portal application. The actual methods you usewhen you request
information, how you present it to the user, and so ondepends on the design and
implementation of your Web portal.
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295
Summary: Portal-related vadmin Commands
Summary: Portal-related vadmin Commands

The following table lists vadmin commands that are part of or related to PortalVue
Connector: they either perform renditioning actions, including creating report
subscriptions, or provide information which the portal application can show to the user or
use to manage the delivery of Vista Plus reports and electronic documents.
The syntax for all vadmin commands is described in Chapter 22. The table notes which
commands are also covered in this chapter or in Chapter 18.
Command
296
Description
AddActionParam
Adds a new action to an existing SmartAlarm. See page 286.
AddAlarm
Adds a new SmartAlarm for a report. See page 286.
Create Rendition
Creates a report rendition. See page 266.
DeleteReportRenditions
Deletes all renditions of a particular report or generation from the

report warehouse. See page 271.
DeleteWebRenditions
Deletes a report rendition from the Web server, but not from the
report warehouse. See page 271.
ListActionParams
Lists the SmartAlarm actions for a given SmartAlarm.
ListGroups
Lists the groups which exist in a report warehouse.
ListReports
Lists the reports which exist in a report warehouse or a given folder;

can also list the reports available to a user or group.
ListSubscribedReports
Lists the reports a given user or group is subscribed to. See page 278.
ListUsers
Lists the users in a report warehouse.
ModifyWarehouseConfig
Changes settings for many warehouse operation options. See

page 275.
ReportAction
Creates a rendition of a report; can also delete renditions and create

and remove subscriptions. Included only for compatibility with
earlier releases; we strongly recommend you use the
CreateRendition, Subscribe, Unsubscribe, and
DeleteWebRenditions commands instead.
ShowAlarm
Show information, including rendition actions, for a SmartAlarm.
ShowUser
Shows detailed information about a specific user.
ShowWarehouseConfig
Displays settings for warehouse operation options.
Subscribe
Creates a report subscription for a user or group. See page 286.
Unsubscribe
Deletes a report subscription. See page 292.
Chapter 20
ImageVue Capture
The optional ImageVue Capture component provides a bridge between Vista Plus and the
Kofax Ascent Capture product. It allows you to easily save scanned documents as
TransVue files in the Vista Plus report warehouse.
This chapter assumes you are familiar with the concepts, terms, and procedures of Kofax
Ascent Capture. For more information on Ascent Capture, please refer to the Ascent
Capture printed documentation or online help file.
In This Chapter
ImageVue Capture Overview .............................................................. 298
Setting Up ImageVue Capture ............................................................. 299
Capturing Scanned Files ....................................................................... 304
297
ImageVue Capture Overview
ImageVue Capture Overview

Kofax Ascent Capture allows you to scan printed documents and store them as image
files. ImageVue Capture adds a release script to Ascent Capture to capture the resulting
image files directly into Vista Plus. Then, whenever you choose a document class and
batch class using this release script, the image files are stored in the Vista Plus report
warehouse.
The files are stored in Vista Plus as TransVue files, in the file format you selected in Ascent
Capture. They have the same characteristics as other TransVue files: since they are stored
in their native format, Vista Plus cannot search them, create indexes, and so on. You can,
however, open them with their native application and use all of its features.
298
Note
Before you perform any of the procedures in this chapter, make sure Kofax
Ascent Capture is properly installed and configured by scanning and
releasing images using the sample release scripts.
Note
ImageVue Capture simplifies and speeds up the procedure of capturing

scanned images into Vista Plus. If you dont use ImageVue Capture, you can
still capture scanned images by capturing the image files after theyve been
saved to disk.
Setting Up ImageVue Capture

After youve installed the ImageVue Capture files to the Ascent Capture workstation or to
a network drive, as described in the Vista Plus Server Installation Guide, you must perform
the following steps before you can begin scanning images directly into Vista Plus:
1.
If you installed the files to a network drive, copy the ImageVueCapture folder to the
workstation. This can be any supported Windows workstation with Kofax Ascent
Capture installed.
2.
Add the release script provided by ImageVue Capture to your configuration.
3.
Assign the new release script to one or more batch class/document class
combinations. When you assign the script, you select the destination report
warehouse and the image file format.
You must perform these steps on each workstation where you want to scan images into
Vista Plus. The following sections describe them in more detail.
Tip
These instructions and the sample screens shown may not be accurate for
your version of Ascent Capture. For complete information about these
procedures, please refer to your Ascent Capture documentation or help file.
Downloading the ImageVue Capture Files

If you installed ImageVue Capture directly to the workstation, you do not need to perform
this step. If you installed the files to a network drive, use Windows Explorer or another
tool to copy the entire ImageVueCapture directory to the workstations disk. You can place
this directory anywhere you like on the disk.
ImageVue Capture
299
Adding the Release Script

When you chose ImageVue Capture during Vista Plus server installation, as described in
the Vista Plus Server Installation Guide, you downloaded an Ascent Capture script
installation file. You can now use that file to add a new release script to your
configuration.
To add the release script
300
1.
Start the Ascent Capture Administration tool.
2.
From the Tools menu, select Release Script Manager.
3.
Click the Add button. This displays a standard file open dialog box.
4.
Browse to the folder where you downloaded the ImageVue Capture files. Select and
open the file ImageVueCapture.inf.
5.
On the Release Scripts dialog, select Open Text Corp ImageVue Capture and click
Install. After the installation completes, click Close.
6.
You return to the Release Script Manager dialog. If Open Text Corp ImageVue
Capture is not listed, click Refresh.
7.
The release script has been added. Close the Release Script Manager dialog.
Specifying the Release Script

Now that the release script for capturing into Vista Plus has been added to your
configuration, you can specify it for the batch class/document class combinations you
want, as with any other Ascent Capture release script. When you assign it, you select the
Vista Plus report warehouse to capture to and the image file type to use for that batch and
document class.
To specify the release script

1.
Start the Ascent Capture Administration tool.
2.
Expand the batch class containing the document class you want to capture into Vista
Plus.
3.
Right-click the document class. From the pop-up menu, select Release Script.
ImageVue Capture
301
302
4.
On the Release Scripts dialog, select Open Text Corp ImageVue Capture. Click Add,
then Close.
5.
You now see the Setup dialog for the release script. On the Vista Plus tab page, set
these options:
Host Name: Type the host name

or IP address of the Vista Plus
server host to capture to.
Port Number: If the report

warehouse does not use the
default value of 7980, type the
correct value.
User Name: Type the name of

the Vista Plus user to use as the
capture user for captured
images. If you leave this field
blank, the user name Capture is
used.
Folder Name: Type the name of

the folder to link the captured
reports to. If you leave this blank, the reports will be linked to Users New
Reports, where User is the capture user name.
6.
Select the Image Format tab page.
7.
From the drop-down list, select the file format you want for the captured images.
Select one of the multi-page TIFF formats; other formats may not work correctly with
Vista Plus in all cases.
8.
Click OK.
Finishing the Setup

Before you can use the batch class, you must publish it. Before you can publish the class,
you need to:
Create a new form type or define an existing form type for it.
Define a queue for it.
Define an index for it.
If you need assistance with any of these procedures, please refer to the Ascent Capture
documentation or online help.
Tip
You can assign the Vista Plus release script to any number of document class/
batch class combinations. Since you select the release script properties
independently for each document and batch class, this lets you capture
different images to different folders or warehouses.
Note
If you re-install Vista Plusfor example, after an upgradeyou must delete

the existing release script and re-add it, using the new ImageVue Capture
files.
ImageVue Capture
303
Capturing Scanned Files
Capturing Scanned Files

Once youve created and assigned the Vista Plus capture release script, there are no special
requirements for capturing scanned images into the report warehouse. Just process the
scanned images using the standard Ascent Capture procedure:
1.
Scan the images you want to capture; when you scan the first image, create a batch to
hold the images. Be sure to select the right batch class.
2.
Create a document for each image.
3.
Close the batch.
4.
Release the batch.
The images are captured into the specified Vista Plus report warehouse when you release
the batch. The Ascent Capture document class name becomes the report name in Vista
Plus; the first image in this document class creates the report; later images are saved as
successive generations of the report. The report is linked to the folder you specified when
configuring the release script for the batch class and document class. The generation
description is the Ascent Capture batch class description.
For instructions on all of these steps, refer to the Ascent Capture documentation and
online help.
304
Chapter 21
Activity Logging and Reporting

This chapter describes Vista Pluss activity logging options and the vadmin
GenerateStandardReport command, which lets you print reports containing the logged
information.
In This Chapter
Overview ................................................................................................ 306
Setting Activity Logging Options ....................................................... 307
Generating Activity Reports ................................................................ 310
305
Overview
Overview
It can be useful to know who is doing what in Vista Plus: how many users are viewing a
particular report, which reports a group uses repeatedly, and so on. You can find this
information using Vista Pluss activity logging and reporting features. These features
track certain kinds of activity in Vista Plusyou can select exactly what actions get
recorded and which do notand print reports of activity for specific groups, users,
reports, and more.
Using these features is a two-step process:
1.
Use Server Admin or vadmin to select the kinds of activity you want to track and how
long to keep records of it.
2.
Use the vadmin GenerateStandardReport command to create the reports you want.
The rest of this chapter describes how to perform these two steps, the kinds of activity you
can track, and the types of reports available.
306
Setting Activity Logging Options

You can select the types of activity you want to log using either the Server Admin client or
vadmin. Vista Plus logs the actions you select in a table in the Vista Plus database. You can
log any or all of these types of activity:
Users logging in or out, changing groups
Changing user names or passwords
Capturing, opening, closing, remote printing, or deleting generations
A user being denied access to a report generation
Creating, viewing, modifying, or deleting an online note in a generation
Creating, linking, unlinking, or deleting a report
Creating, linking, unlinking or deleting a folder
Creating, modifying, or deleting a user
Creating, modifying, or deleting a group
Adding a user to or removing a user from a group
Any e-mail sent as a result of a SmartAlarm action, subscription action (including

Web View My Vista e-mail favorites), or bundle distribution; any e-mail sent to a
group is logged as being sent to each member of the group
Modifying the warehouse configuration
You can also set how long the log data should be kept before it is deleted. Approximately
every twelve hours, the server software clears data that is older than the limit youve set.
This process is triggered when an event is logged, so if you are not logging many types of
events, or if there is not much activity, some data will stay in the log a little past the set
time. This also means that if you stop logging any events, the log data that exists when
you stop logging will remain in the database, no matter how old it becomes.
You can change any logging option at any time. We recommend you log only those types
of events you will be generating reports for: since logging events increases the size of the
Vista Plus database, and can slightly affect server performance, do not log events you are
not interested in tracking.
Tip
When you change activity logging options, there may be a delay before they
take effect for users who are already logged in to Vista Plus. To make sure
they take effect immediately, either have everyone log off and back on, or stop
and restart the Vista Plus server.
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How to Set Logging Options with Server Admin
308
1.
Display the parameters for the Vista Plus server. You can right-click on the server in
the console tree and select Properties from the popup menu.
2.
Select the Logging tab.
3.
Type the number of Days to retain log data.
4.
In the list box, check the box for each type of action you want to log.
5.

Tip
You can change the logging setting for changing a user password only with
vadmin, not through Server Admin. See the next section.
Note
The field at the bottom of the Logging page, Log report captures and access,
controls logging only those two actions in a text file outside the Vista Plus
database. It is available for compatibility with earlier versions of Vista Plus; it
is not related to the activity logging and reporting features described in the
rest of this chapter.
How to Set Logging Options with vadmin

To set activity logging options with vadmin, use the ModifyWarehouseConfig command.
ModifyWarehouseConfig controls all aspects of the warehouse configuration; it is
described in full on page 376. It has two parameters which affect activity logging:
logdays Use this to set the number of days the logged actions will remain in the
database.
logfilters Use this to select the types of actions to log.
Set logdays to the number of days actions should remain in the log. For example,
logdays=30. You can abbreviate it to logd if desired.
With logfilters (you can abbreviate it to logf), each type of action to log has a one-letter
code. There are three possible formats to change the actions you are logging:
You can list the codes for all actions to log; any code you do not include will not be
logged. For example, logfilters=cegop. This logs capturing, deleting, opening, or
closing a generation, as well as e-mails sent by SmartAlarm actions, subscription
actions, or bundle distributions.
To add new types of actions to log, include a plus sign before the codes. The action
types you enter will be logged; so will any action types which were already set to be
logged. For example, logfilters=+mnq. This logs each time a user logs in, logs out, or
changes groups, in addition to whatever actions were already selected.
To remove types of actions from the log, include a minus sign before the codes. The
actions you include will no longer be logged; any other actions which were selected
will continue to be logged. For example, logfilters=-q will stop logging when users
change groups, but not affect any other selections.
The available codes are:

a create online note
b create user
c close generation
d delete report
e e-mail
f delete folder
g delete generation
h modify user
i link report to folder
j delete user
k unlink report from folder
l link folder to folder
m user logs in
n user logs out
o open generation
p capture generation
q user changes group
r remote print generation
s set system configuration
t create report
u unlink folder from folder
w create folder
x update online note
y read online note
z delete online note
A create group
B modify group
C delete group
D user denied access to report
E change password
F add user to group
G remove user from group
Like all Vista Plus entries, these are case-sensitive; they must be either lower or upper
case, as shown.
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Generating Activity Reports

The reason for logging activity is so you can later report on it: see how often report
generations are being captured, what users in what groups are opening which reports,
and so on. Vista Plus includes a number of reports which you can run using the vadmin
GenerateStandardReport (gsr) command. There is also a vadmin command to list the
reports you have available.
Listing Available Reports

You can list the available reports with vadmin ListReportTemplates (lrt). This vadmin
command doesnt take any parameters; it displays the name and a very brief description
of each available report. For example:
vadmin com=lrt
AllActivity
GroupActivity
UserActivity
GenView
RptViewI
RptViewN
RptViewersI
RptViewersN
TreeU
TreeT
Captures
CapturesByUser
CapturesByGroup
UserUsage
AllUserUsage
GroupUsage
AllGroupUsage
UserTime
all activity
activity by particular group
activity by particular user
view/print/mail a particular generation
view/print/mail a report by ID
view/print/mail a report by NAME
view/print/mail a report, user-oriented
view/print/mail a report, user-oriented
tree structure operations, sort by user
tree structure operations, sort by time
captures
captures by a specified user
captures by a specified group
use of user identity
use of all user identities
use of group identity
use of all group identities
time online for user identity
Each reports input and output is described briefly starting on page 312.
Running a Report
To run one of the activity reports, you use the vadmin GenerateStandardReport (gsr)
command. You specify the report you want to run and the parameters, if any, you want to
use for it. The parameters that are availablein some cases, requiredfor each report are
listed in the section describing the individual reports, below.
When you run a report, the output is sent to the standard output for vadmin; in most
cases, this is the screen. If you want to save the report output for future reference, redirect
the vadmin output to a file. For example, you could run the report to a text file, then
capture the file into Vista Plus so you can use Vista Pluss indexing and other features.
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The command format for GenerateStandardReport is:

GenerateStandardReport gsr
Creates one of the Vista Plus standard reports
Required
report
Type of Report
The name of the report to run
May Be
Required
params
Parameters
List of parameters for the report, such as start and end dates, user
or group names, and so on; these depend on the report type, and
may be required or optionalsee below
In its simplest form, gsr requires just the name of a report. For example:
vadmin com=gsr rep=AllActivity
This would list all actions of all types in the log table. The exact actions listed would
depend on what logging options you have chosen; see page 307. In columnar format, the
output would look like this (some columns have been narrowed for space reasons):
Report of all activity in
Time
UserName
09/29/2003 14:20 Admin
09/29/2003 14:20 Admin
09/29/2003 15:19 Admin
09/29/2003 17:29 Admin
09/29/2003 17:29 Admin
09/29/2003 17:29 Admin
09/29/2003 17:29 Admin
Vista. 9/25/2003-09/29/2003 18:08

GroupName Activity
Type ID Name
main
USR_LOGIN
User
2 Admin
main
USR_LOGOFF User
2 Admin
main
USR_LOGIN
User
2 Admin
main
OPEN_GEN
Gen
2 rinv150c
main
RANNOT_GEN
Gen
2 rinv150c
main
DANNOT_GEN
Gen
2 rinv150c
main
CLOSE_GEN
Gen
2 rinv150c
Type
ID Name
Group
1 main
Group
1 main
Group
1 main
Report 1 Invent
Report 1 Invent
Report 1 Invent
Report 1 Invent
A more complex report request could ask for all users who viewed, remote printed, or emailed a report during a certain time frame:
vadmin com=gsr rep=RptViewN params= START_DATE=10/30/2003,
END_DATE=11/15/2003,REPORT_NAME=Sales
This command shows the necessary format for the report parameters you enter:
You must enclose the entire parameter string (not each individual parameter) in
double quotes.
Each parameter and value is entered in the format paramname=value, with no spaces
on either side of the equals sign. The parameter names are listed below for each
command.
If you include more than one parameter, each paramname=value pair is separated
from the next by a comma ( , ).
There cannot be any extra spaces: not around the equals sign between the parameter
name and value, and not after the comma between parameters. If there is a space
within a parameter value (for example, in a report name or user name), just enter the
space as you would any other character. You do not need to enclose the value in extra
quotes or do anything else to set it off.
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There are four optional parameters for all reports:

Parameter
Value
Description
START_DATE mm/dd/yy [hh:mm]
Include activity after this date and time. If you do not

include the time, all activity from the date is included. If
you dont include this parameter, the report starts with
the earliest data in the log table.
END_DATE
mm/dd/yy [hh:mm]
Include activity before this date and time. If you do not

include the time, all activity from the date is included. If
you dont include this parameter, the report includes the
most recent data in the log table.
FORMAT
COMMA
By default, reports are returned in columnar format;

values that do not fit in a column are truncated. Set to
COMMA to return the data in comma-delimited format,
suitable for importing into a spreadsheet. In commadelimited format, values are not truncated.
HEADER
NO
By default, each reportin either columnar or commadelimited formatincludes column headings. Set this to
NO to omit the headings.
You can enter these parameters for any report, but you never have to. Some reports
require other parameters, such as a user name or report ID; these are included in the
description of each report, below.
Note
If you include either date parameter, the title at the top of the report includes
the dates the report is for. If you do not include either date parameter, the
dates are not included in the title.
Note
Important! For most types of items, if an item has been deleted, its name
cannot be included in a report. Instead, you will see the items IDfor
example, RepID #573 instead of the report nameas the item name. Users
and groups are the exception to this; their names will appear in reports even if
the user or group has been deleted.
All Activity Report

This report lists all actions stored in the log table.
312
Report NameAllActivity
Required ParameterNone
Output FieldsTime; user name; group name; activity; primary item type, ID, and
name; and secondary item type, ID, and name. The primary and secondary types
differ depending on the activity. For example, for a user login, the primary item is the
user and the secondary item is the group he or she logged in under. When a report
generation is opened, the primary item is the generation and the secondary item is the
report it is a generation of.
Group Activity Report

This report lists all actions taken by users while logged in as members of a particular
group.
Report NameGroupActivity
Required ParameterGROUP_NAME=name of group to report on
Output FieldsTime; user name; activity; primary item type, ID, and name; and
secondary item type, ID, and name. As in the All Activity report, the primary and
secondary item types differ depending on the activity.
User Activity Report

This report lists all actions taken by a particular user.
Report NameUserActivity
Required ParameterUSER_NAME=name of user to report on
Output FieldsTime; group name; activity; primary item type, ID, and name; and
secondary item type, ID, and name. As in the All Activity report, the primary and
secondary item types differ depending on the activity.
Generation Viewing Report

This report lists all the times a particular generation was opened, remote printed, or had
an e-mail sent by a SmartAlarm or subscription action.
Report NameGenView
Required ParametersGENERATION_ID=ID of generation to report on
Output FieldsTime; user name; group name; activity
Report Viewing Report By Report ID

This report lists all the times any generation of a particular report was opened, remote
printed, or had an e-mail sent by a SmartAlarm or subscription action. You specify the
report by giving the report ID. The report is sorted by the time of the action. This is the
same as RptViewersI, except for the sort order.
Report NameRptViewI
Required ParametersREPORT_ID=ID of the report to report on
Output FieldsTime; user name; group name; activity; and generation ID and
original file name
Report Viewing Report By Report Name

313
report by giving the report name. The report is sorted by the time of the action. This is the
same as RptViewersN, except for the sort order.
Report NameRptViewN
Required ParametersREPORT_NAME=Name of the report to report on
Output FieldsTime; user name; group name, activity; and generation ID and
original file name
Report Viewers Report By Report ID

report by giving the report ID. The report is sorted by the name of the user who
performed the action. This is the same as RptViewI, except for the sort order.
Report NameRptViewersI
Required ParametersREPORT_ID=ID of the report to report on
Output FieldsUser name; group name; time; activity; and generation ID and
original file name
Report Viewing Report By Report Name

report by giving the report name. The report is sorted by the name of the user who
performed the action. This is the same as RptViewN, except for the sort order.
Report NameRptViewersN
Required ParametersREPORT_NAME=Name of the report to report on
Output FieldsUser name; group name; time; activity; and generation ID and
original file name
Folder Tree Activities Report by User Name

This report lists all the actions which modify the folder tree: adding, deleting, linking, or
unlinking folders, and linking or unlinking reports. Notice that creating and deleting
reports are not included in this report. The report is sorted by the name of the user who
performed the action. This is the same as TreeT, except for the sort order.
314
Report NameTreeU
Required ParametersNone
Output FieldsUser name; group name; time; activity; child folder or report name;
and parent folder name
Folder Tree Activities Report by Time

This report lists all the actions which modify the folder tree: adding, deleting, linking, or
unlinking folders, and linking or unlinking reports. Notice that creating and deleting
reports are not included in this report. The report is sorted by time. This is the same as
TreeU, except for the sort order.
Report NameTreeT
Output FieldsTime; user name; group name; activity; child folder or report name;
and parent folder name
Captures Report
This report lists all report captures.
Report NameCaptures
Output FieldsTime; user name; group name; generation ID and original file name;
and report name
Captures by User Report

This report lists all report captures by a particular user.
Report NameCapturesByUser
Required ParametersUSER_NAME=Name of user to report on
Output FieldsGroup name; time; generation ID and original file name; and report
name
Captures by Group Report

This report lists all report captures by users while logged in as members of a particular
group.
Report NameCapturesByGroup
Required ParametersGROUP_NAME=Name of group to report on
Output FieldsUser name; time; generation ID and original file name; and report
name
User Usage Report

This report lists each time a particular user logged in.
Report NameUserUsage
Output FieldsTime; group; activity (always log in)
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All Users Usage Report

This report lists each time any user logged in.
Report NameAllUserUsage
Output FieldsTime; user; group; activity (always log in)
User Time Report

This report lists each time a particular user logged in or logged out.
Report NameUserTime
Output FieldsTime; group; activity (log in or log out)
Group Usage Report

This report lists each time a user logged in as member of a particular group, or changed to
that group while logged in.
Report NameGroupUsage
Required ParametersGROUP_NAME=Name of group to report on
Output FieldsTime; user; activity (log in or change group)
All Groups Usage Report

This report lists each time any user logged in or changed groups.
316
Report NameAllGroupUsage
Output FieldsTime; user; activity (log in or change group); for change group, both
the old and new groups are shown (the new group is on the right)
Chapter 22
Using vadmin
This chapter covers using vadmin, the command-line client for managing the report
warehouse. It includes a reference section with a complete list of vadmin commands.
Look for notes throughout this guide indicating which functions can be performed with
vadmin, then refer back to the commands in this chapter for information on a particular
command and the parameters available.
In This Chapter
Overview of vadmin ............................................................................. 318
Running vadmin Commands .............................................................. 319
Creating and Running Batch Files for vadmin .................................. 325
Getting vadmin Help ............................................................................ 327
Complete vadmin Command List ...................................................... 328
317
Overview of vadmin
Overview of vadmin
The vadmin client can be run from the Vista Plus server host or from a remote host. It is
automatically installed on the Vista Plus server host when you install the server. Before
you can run it from another host, it must be installed on that host. See the Vista Plus Server
Installation Guide.
You can perform one vadmin command at a time or you can perform multiple commands
at once using a batch file. All vadmin commands can be scripted in batch files. When you
issue a command or run a batch file, vadmin automatically logs in to the Vista Plus server.
Afterward, it logs out. Performing multiple commands with a batch file saves on the login and log-out time consumed by individual commands.
On a UNIX host, you enter vadmin commands at the UNIX shell prompt. On a Windows
host, you open a DOS window and enter vadmin commands at the command prompt.
The UNIX prompt is shown throughout this documentation.
The vadmin command syntax follows the conventions used by programs executed
through the Internets Common Gateway Interface (CGI). It does not follow UNIX syntax
conventions.
How vadmin Connects to the Server

To connect to the Vista Plus server, vadmin automatically looks in the client.cfg file for a
host name and Vista Plus port. It checks the client.cfg file in the installation directory on
the host it is run from. You can override entries in the client.cfg file by using the HOST
and/or PORT parameters with any vadmin command.
Host name and port number entries are made in the client.cfg file when you install the
server or when you install vadmin and capture tools on remote hosts. You can change any
entries, if needed. On remote hosts, the host name entry must be the name of the Vista
Plus server host.
318
Running vadmin Commands

All vadmin commands have a full name and a short name; you can use either one. The
short name consists of the first letter of each word in a command. Commands can be run
from any directory, as long as the directory for Vista Plus executables is included in your
path. If it is not included in your path, change to that directory before you run vadmin or
enter the full path as part of the command.
To run a vadmin command
Enter the vadmin command with the name of a command and parameters at the
UNIX or Windows command prompt:
# ./vadmin c=command [parameters] [HOST=name] [PORT=port#]
For example, to add an Accounting group, give it the description Acct Group, and
assign the Acct folder as the groups Home folder, using the host and port defined in
the client.cfg file, you would enter:
# ./vadmin c=AddGroup g=Accounting d="Acct Group" h=Acct
Note
To avoid ambiguity, if a command accepts a parameter which starts with c

for example, AddIndexyou must enter enough of command= to identify it
uniquely: co= or com= instead of just c=.
Security for vadmin

You have the option of making vadmin available to anyone with access to the Vista Plus
server host or any remote host where it is installed, or of requiring a Vista Plus
Administrator user ID and password whenever someone enters a vadmin command.
You control whether or not vadmin requires a name and password through a warehouse
configuration option. This option is on the Security page when viewing the warehouse
properties with the Server Admin client (see Chapter 14), or set with the vadminSecurity
parameter of the vadmin ModifyWarehouseConfig command (see page 376). By default,
security is on for new installation of Vista Plus 5.x and, for compatibility reasons, off if you
upgraded from a 4.x version.
You enter the Administrator name to use on the vadmin command line. You can provide
the password for this use in one of three ways:
By including it on the vadmin command line.
By providing the password when prompted for it by vadmin.
By using the vadmin Login command to start a vadmin session.
The following sections describe each of these methods.

Warning
Using vadmin
If you choose not to require a name and password for vadmin, be sure to
change the operating system permissions for the vadmin executable using the
UNIX chmod command or Windows security options.
319
If you do not require a user name and password, installing vadmin on a

remote Windows host allows anyone with access to that host to access any
Vista Plus server in your installation, even ones he or she does not have access
to otherwise. Keep this in mind when assigning user accounts on a remote
Windows host.
Note
Important! When you use vadmin security, be very sure to remember your
Vista Plus Administrator password. If you do not remember a valid
Administrator user name and password, you will be unable to use any Vista
Plus Administrative functions. If this happens, contact Vista Plus customer
support, as described on the copyright page.
Note
When vadmin security is on for a server, you cannot use a version of vadmin
earlier than 5.0 to connect to that server. Earlier versions of vadmin do not
support the security parameters.
Note
A user name and password are never required for the vadmin help feature or
the vadmin version command.
Command-Line Security Parameters

To include the administrator name and password on the vadmin command line, use these
parameters:
ADMINUSER A Vista Plus Administrator user name. If you want to use the user
name Admin, you can leave this parameter out.
ADMINPASS The password for the user name given in ADMINUSER. If you
dont include ADMINPASS, vadmin will prompt you for the password, as described
in the next section.
For example, for a simple list users command:

vadmin co=lu ADMINU=Manager ADMINP=secret
When you include the password on the command line, it is displayed and sent in plain
text, so be sure not to expose it to other users.
Using the Password Prompt

If vadmin security is on, and you do not enter an Administrator user name and password
on the command line, vadmin uses Admin as the user name and prompts you for the
password for the Admin user. When you enter the password, it is not displayed on the
screen, so, in this way, this is a more secure method than including it on the command
line.
If you do not enter the password within five minutes after being prompted, vadmin will
exit and return an error. To run the command, you must enter it again.
320
Logging in to vadmin
If you will be entering multiple vadmin commands, you have an option: rather than
including a name and password with each one, you can log in to vadmin for a period of
time. You do this by using the Login command. The format is:
vadmin c=Login [ADMINUSER=user] ADMINPASS=password expire=[mm/dd/
yyyy] hh:mm or expire=days
The ADMINUSER and ADMINPASS parameters are the same as with other commands
(see above). The expire parameter sets the ending time for the login session. You can enter
a full date and time (if you enter both date and time, enclose the full string in quotes), just
the time (in 24-hour time), or a number of days until the session should expire. If you
enter just the time, the session will end when that time is next reached (either today or
tomorrow). If you enter a number of days, the session will end in that many days, at the
same time you entered the command.
For example, to login and start a vadmin session using the Admin user name and lasting
until 5:00 PM, you would enter:
vadmin c=Login ADMINP=password exp=17:00
If it is not yet 5:00 PM, the session will end at 5:00 PM today; if it is after 5:00 PM, it will
end at 5:00 PM tomorrow.
To start a session with a different user name and lasting for a week, you could enter:
vadmin c=Login ADMINU=Super ADMINP=secret exp=7
Even after you log in, the default user name for any vadmin command is still Admin. That
means that, if you log in using a name other than Admin, you must enter the user name
using ADMINUwith each command. If that user name is logged in, you will not be
prompted for a password. If you enter a command without a user name, you will be
prompted for the password for the Admin user. If you log in as Admin, you do not need to
enter a user name or password with any command until the session expires.
Logging in lets you use vadmin until the entered expiration date and time. If you want to
end the session earlier than thatfor example, so no one else can use vadmin if you leave
the areayou can enter the Logout command:
vadmin c=Logout
Logout does not take any parameters except the universal HOST and PORT parameters.
Note
Using vadmin
Important! Be careful when creating login sessions. The purpose of requiring

a password is to keep unauthorized users from using vadmin commands. If
you create a session which will be valid for a long period of time, any user
with access to the workstation may be able to use vadmin during that time.
321
Note
When you use Login, vadmin creates a session file in the current working
directory. This is an encrypted file which includes information about the
current session, including user name, host and port, and expiration date. The
session file will work only for the correct host and port and only from the
workstation and directory where it was created, so it cant be copied to
another location and used.
The session file is deleted when you use Logout, or the next time you use
vadmin after the session has expired.
Tip
A login session is specific to a Vista Plus report warehouse (host and port). If
you need to run vadmin commands for a different host and port than the one
you are logged into, you must include login information with the command
or use Login to start a separate session for that host and port.
Security in Batch Files or Shell Scripts

If you have vadmin security turned on, and use UNIX shell scripts or Windows batch files
to run vadmin commands, keep these behaviors in mind:
322
If you use a Login command to start a vadmin session, either in the shell script/batch
file or before running it, it creates a session file in the current working directory. If the
shell script/batch file changes the working directory, the session file will no longer be
valid, and vadmin will ask for a user name and password. You can either use a new
Login command in the new directory or include the ADMINUSER and
ADMINPASS parameters in commands after the directory change.
If you Login as a user other than Admin, you must still include the user name in each
vadmin command in the script, as described in the previous section. You will not
need to enter a password. If you log in using Admin, you will not need to include
either a user name or password in subsequent commands (until the session is over).
If you are not logged in to a vadmin session, and do not include a user name and
password in the vadmin command in the script or file, vadmin will prompt for the
password for Admin. If you do not provide it within five minutes, vadmin will exit
with a time-out error and the script or batch file will continue.
Command Format and Guidelines
Enter full command names using the cases shown in the command reference section.
Enter short command names in lower case.
Be sure to enter all required parameters; parameter order does not matter.
Commands, parameters, names, and passwords are case-sensitive. They must be

entered using the same cases specified when they were created.
For each parameter, you must enter enough of the parameter to distinguish it from
any other parameter for that command. The required part of the parameter name is
shown in bold in the command descriptions. You can enter the rest of the name, but it
is not required. For example, the AddUser command has only one parameter that
starts with g, group, so you only need to enter the g for that parameter. However, to
set the users address you must enter add to distinguish it from the administrator
parameter.
Follow all parameters with = (equal sign) and the value of the parameter.
User, group, folder, report, bundle, and page security names can be up to 128
characters long; other names can be up to 64 characters. Descriptions can be up to 255
characters long.
The total vadmin command can be as long as allowed by your operating system and
shell. If you need to use very long vadmin commands and are exceeding this limit,
consult your operating system and shell documentation to see if you can increase the
command line buffer size. You could also place the vadmin command in a vadmin
batch file; commands executed from a file are not limited by the size of the command
line buffer; theres also a batch file option to split commands over multiple lines.
Batch files are discussed in the next section.
All names and descriptions can consist of multiple words. Put double quotes around a
name, description, or any other value that contains a space: for example,
"Accounting Group." You must also enclose a value in quotes if it is split over
multiple lines in a batch file using BATCH_COMMAND, as described in the next
section. If you need to include a quote in a value that is enclosed in quotesfor
example, in an exp value for AddPageAccessuse the method supported for this by
your operating system and UNIX shell. For example, with most UNIX shells, you can
use single quotes to enclose the value, while on Windows and with some shells you
can precede the quotes in the value with backslashes.
You can use any common Western European character in a vadmin parameter value,
including the euro character () and accented letters (generally, any character found in
the 256-character extended ASCII character set). Other characters, such as double-byte
characters used in some Asian languages, are not supported. Also, see the next item
and the note below.
Using vadmin
323
extended characters (generally, accented letters or the euro symbol) in report names or
other object names. You will not be able to create SmartAlarms, page security sets, and
so on, for any report which has an extended character in its name. The other Oracle
character sets which support extended characters (see the Vista Plus Server Installation
Guide) do not have this limitation.
You can use the HOST and PORT parameters with all commands. If you leave out
either or both of these parameters, the values from client.cfg are used.
For all dates, use four-digit years. Do not enter years before 1980 or after 2037.
If you enter a parameter which is not defined for the commandfor example, if you
include a folder parameter instead of a link parameter with the AddReport
commandit is ignored. This may prevent the command from working. This may
also be caused by misspelling a parameter, since vadmin will not recognize it.
Depending on the exact combination of command and parameter, you may or may
not see an error message.
If you enter the same parameter twice, the first value is used and any others are
ignored. There are a few parameters which you can enter more than once; they are
noted in the command descriptions.
Note
324
While vadmin accepts extended-ASCII characters correctly as input, it cannot

always display them correctly in its standard output. For example, an
character in a folder name may not display correctly in ListFolders output.
However, if you redirect vadmin output to a file, then use a Unicode-enabled
application, such as Notepad on Windows, to view the output, it will be
correct. The Server Admin client will also display extended-ASCII characters
correctly.
Creating and Running Batch Files for vadmin

You can create as many batch files as needed for vadmin. You might want to create
different batch files for different sets of functions: for example, one for folder functions or
one for user functions. However, you can include any combination of commands in a
batch file.
To create a vadmin batch file

1.
Run a text editor such as vi or Notepad on the Vista Plus server host or a remote host.
2.
Enter a list of commands and their parameters, putting one command on each line.
For example, to create a batch file for adding a report, adding a SmartAlarm for the
report, and adding a page security for the report, you could enter the following
commands:
command=AddReport rep=monthly desc="monthly report"
command=AddAlarm ala="month end" rep=monthly us=Jason ac=m
command=AddPageAccess set="month end"
3.
Enter any comments you want in the file. Any line starting with the # character is a
comment. You can also include blank lines for readability.
4.
If you are including an extremely long command, you can break it across multiple
lines of the file by using the <BATCH_COMMAND> tag before the command and
</BATCH_COMMAND> after it: everything between these two tags is considered a
single command. For example:
<BATCH_COMMAND>command=au user=Chris Everyperson
gr=Accounting pass=dogsname dep=Accounting Management
des=General Ledger Supervisor. . .
</BATCH_COMMAND>
You can use these tags to help the readability of the batch file; you must use them if a
command would otherwise exceed the maximum line length of 32K. When using
them, keep these characteristics in mind:
As shown in the example, the tags can appear either alone on a line or on the
same line with part of the command.
vadmin inserts a space between each two lines; only break lines where a space
is allowed, such as between parameters. If you do break a line in the middle of a
parameter, be sure the parameter is enclosed in quotes.
Also, see the tip below.
Using vadmin
325
5.
Save the batch file under a unique name, such as report_batch. If you want to run the
batch file without entering a path, save it in the directory where vadmin is installed.
Tip
When creating batch files, we recommend you spell out command=, as shown
above, rather than using c=. Its possible that a command which now allows
c= will require co= in a future version of Vista Plus, which would then
require you to update existing batch files. We also recommend you use more
than the minimum required abbreviations for parameters, for the same
reason.
Tip
You can change the text used for the <BATCH_COMMAND> and
</BATCH_COMMAND> tags by adding a BATCH_TOKEN command to the
client.cfg file on the Vista Plus server host. See page 401.
To run a vadmin batch file:
Issue the vadmin c=Batch command along with the name of the batch file at the UNIX
prompt, or the DOS command prompt on a Windows host. If the file is not saved in
the vadmin directory, also specify the path to the batch file. For example, to run the
user_batch file, you would enter:
# ./vadmin c=Batch filename=user_batch
Tip
326
If vadmin security is on, you need to include a user name and password only
in the batch command that starts the batch file, not in every vadmin
command within the batch file. Of course, you can also use the Login
command to start a vadmin session before running the batch file.
Getting vadmin Help
Getting vadmin Help

To bring up online help for vadmin commands, type the command below along with one
of the help subject numbers listed. This command displays a list of commands for the
selected subject, the short name for each command, and descriptions of what each
command does.
# ./ vadmin help=number
Help Subjects
1 Alarms & Action Parameters
2 Bundling
3 Folders
4 Groups
5 Indexes
6 Page Security
7 Permissions
8 Printers & Printer Definitions
9 Reports & Generation filters
10 Users
11 Volumes
12 Devices
13 Blank for future use
14 Blank for future use
15 Miscellaneous
Using vadmin
327
Complete vadmin Command List

This section contains two lists of vadmin commands. The first list is grouped by
command function, and includes only command names. The second list is alphabetic, and
gives a description and complete information on parameters and options for each
command. If you are unsure of a command name, you can use the first list to find the
command you want in the alphabetic list.
vadmin Command List by Function

The following lists group the vadmin commands by their function. They include only the
command name and abbreviationfor details, refer to the alphabetic list following. Some
commands are shown in more than one list.
328
Access Permission Commands

AddPermission aprm
DeletePermission dprm
ListPermissions lprm
ShowBundleDef sbd
ShowBundleInst sbi
ShowCompDef scd
UnlinkBundle ub
Bundle Commands
AddActionParam aap
AddBundleComp abc
AddBundleDef abd
AddBundleInst abi
AddCompDef acd
DelActionParam dap
DeleteBundleComp dbc
DeleteBundleDef dbd
DeleteBundleInst dbi
DeleteCompDef dcd
DistributeBundle db
LinkBundle lnkb
ListActionParams lap
ListBundleComps lbc
ListBundleDefs lbd
ListBundleFolders lbf
ListBundleInst lbi
ListCompDefs lcd
ModifyBundleComp mbc
ModifyBundleDef mbd
ModifyBundleInst mbi
ModifyCompDef mcd
PrintBundle pb
ShowBundleComp - sbc
Device Commands
AddDevice ad
DeleteDevice dd
ListDevices ld
ModifyDevice md
ShowDevice sd
Epurposing and Portal Commands
CreateRendition cr
ReportAction ra
Subscribe s
Unsubscribe - u
Folder Commands
AddFolder - af
DeleteFolder - df
LinkFolder - lnkf
ListFolders lf
ModifyFolder mf
ShowFolder sf
Tree t
UnlinkFolder uf
Generation Commands
CopyGen cg
GenDelete gd
GenViewed gv
Generation Filter Commands
AddGenFilters agf
DeleteGenFilters dgf
ListGenFilters lgf
Group Commands
AddGroup ag
AddUserGroup aug
DeleteGroup dg
DeleteUserGroup dug
ImportFileInfo ifi
ListGroups lg
ListUserGroup - lug
ModifyGroup mg
ModifyUserGroup mug
ShowGroup sg
Index Commands
AddIndex ai
CopyIndexes ci
DeleteIndex di
ListIndexes li
Reindex r
Page Security Commands
AddPageAccess apa
DeletePageAccess dpa
ListPageAccess lpa
ModifyPageAccess mpa
ShowPageAccess spa
Print Definition Commands
AddPrintDefinition apd
AddPrinter ap
DeletePrintDefinition dpd
DeletePrinter dp
ListPrintDefinitions lpd
ListPrinters lp
Using vadmin
Report Commands
AddReport ar
DeleteReport dr
LinkReport lnkr
ListColumns lc
ListReports lr
ModifyReport mr
ReportAction ra
ShowReport sr
UnlinkReport ur
Reporting Commands
ListReportTemplates lrt
SmartAlarm Commands
AddActionParam aap
AddAlarm aa
DeleteActionParam dap
DeleteAlarm da
ListAlarms la
ShowAlarm sa
User Commands
AddUser au
AddUserGroup aug
DeleteUser du
DeleteUserGroup dug
ImportFileInfo ifi
ListActiveUsers lau
ListUserGroup lug
ListUsers lu
ModifyUser mu
ModifyUserGroup mug
ShowUser su
Volume Commands
AddVolume av
ListVolumes lv
ModifyVolume mv
ShowVolume sv
329
Warehouse Parameter Commands

ModifyWarehouseConfig mwc
ShowWarehouseConfig swc
ListPaperSizes lps
Miscellaneous Commands
Batch b
CopyColumns cc
Login l
Logout lo
Version v
Alphabetic Command List

A complete list of vadmin commands and the parameters and options you can use with
them starts on the next page. The list is alphabetized by the full name of the command.
For each command, parameters are divided into three categories:
Required: These parameters must appear whenever the command is used.
May Be Required: These are required in some cases but not others. For example, if a
certain setting of the action parameter requires that you specify a message, then the
message parameter falls in this category. If you must include one of two parameters
for example, either a group or a userthen both parameters fall in this category.
Optional: These parameters are never required, regardless of the other parameters
used.
Within each category, parameters are listed in alphabetical order.

For each parameter, the part of the parameter name you must enterthe minimum
necessary to distinguish it from other parameters for that commandis shown in bold.
330
AddActionParam aap
Specifies an additional action for an existing SmartAlarm or bundle; SmartAlarms are covered in
Chapter 16; bundles are described in Chapter 17
Required
action
Action to Perform
For SmartAlarm or bundle, set to:
broadcast
command
email
message
print
For SmartAlarms only, you can also use:
r to send e-mail message with report attached
it
See page 267 for information on all rendition-related actions
origin
Origin Name
Name of SmartAlarm or bundle youre specifying an action for;
see the note below
type
Origin Type
Type of origin youre specifying an action for: alarm, bundle
definition, or bundle instance
May Be
Required
exec
Command to execute on host system

Needed when action is c
group
Group Name
The group to perform the action for; you must include either user
or group unless action is b or c
id
Bundle Instance ID
Bundle instance ID; used when type is i
ptrdef
Printer Definition ID
Printer definition ID; needed when action is p
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331
user
User Name
The user to perform the action for; you must include either user or
group unless action is b or c
volume
Web Volume
ud, uf, or uh; optional with all other renditioning actions; see
page 164 for more about Web volumes
Optional
message
Display Message
Message to display when action is a, b, e, m, or t
Note
For compatibility with earlier releases, the alarm parameter is still supported
when you are adding an action to a SmartAlarm.
AddAlarm aa
Creates a new SmartAlarm for a report; SmartAlarms are described in Chapter 16
Required
action
Action
Action the SmartAlarm should perform:
broadcast
command
email
message
print
r to send e-mail message with report attached
it
See page 267 for information on all rendition-related actions
alarm
Alarm Name
Name of SmartAlarm youre creating; it cannot start with
SUBSCRIPTION, this is reserved for subscriptions (see page 286)
report
Report Name
Name of report the SmartAlarm is for
332
May Be
Required
exec
Command to execute on host system
group
Group Name
Needed when action is c

The group to perform the action for; you must include either user
or group unless action is b or cd
ptrdef
Needed when action is p
user
User Name
The user to perform the action for; you must include either user or
group unless action is b or c
volume
Web Volume
ud, uf, or uh; optional with all other renditioning actions; see
page 164 for more about Web volumes
Optional
description
Alarm Description
message
Display Message
Description of the SmartAlarm

Message to display when action is a, b, e, m, or t
Using vadmin
333
AddBundleComp abc
Creates a new component for a single bundle instance; bundling is described in Chapter 17
Required
id
Bundle Instance ID
ID of the bundle instance to create the component for
order
Component Order
Sequence order number of the new component; see the user tip
after the AddCompDef command
May Be
Required
report
Optional
generation
Report Name
Name of report to use as bundle component
Generation ID
Generation ID of a fixed generation to add to the bundle
instance; if not used, the most recent generation is added
pagesec
Page Security Name

Name of page security to use for this component
required
Required Component
Specify y (the default) if the component is required for bundle
distribution or n if it isnt
separator
Separator Name
Name of report to use as a separator for the bundle. If a
separator has already been defined for this bundle, this
parameter is ignored.
Note
The abc command adds a component to a single bundle instance. To add a

component to a bundle definition, use the acd command.
AddBundleDef abd
Creates a new bundle definition; bundling is described in Chapter 17
Required
bundledef
Bundle Definition Name

Name of the bundle definition to create; can be up to 128
characters
Optional
active
Active Bundle
Specify y if the bundle should be active; the default is no
description
Bundle Definition Description

A description for this bundle definition; up to 255 characters
dtype
Distribution Type
Type of distribution to be used: manual, automatic, or
scheduled
folder
Folder Name
Name of folder to link the bundle definition to
334
header
Header Name
note
Header Note
Name of report to use as the header for the bundle

Comment to be placed in the header of the bundle; up to 255
characters.
ptrdef
ID of printer definition to associate with this bundle
ronly
Reports Only
Specify y to show only reports, not separators in the Windows
Client; the default is n to show all components
sday
Schedule Day
If stype is dow, from 0-6 for day of the week (default is 0 for
Sunday); if stype is dom, from 1-31 for day of the month
(default is 1)
separator
Separator Name
stime
Schedule Time
Name of report to use as the separator for this bundle

Entered in hh:mm format; used with scheduled bundles; use 24hour time and include leading zeros
stype
Schedule Type
Distribution schedule type: daily, dom (day of month), dow
(day of week), or ldom (last day of month)
trailer
Trailer Name
Name of report to use as the trailer for this bundle
Note
Because you can modify bundle definitions at a later time, vadmin does not
require that all option entries for a given type are present, or that all options
are consistent with each other. For example, you can create a definition for a
manual bundle but include a schedule time, since you could later change the
distribution type to scheduled.
However, you cannot set a new bundle to both be active and have a
distribution type of automatic: this combination is not valid until youve
defined at least one component with a type of either most recent not
bundled or next after last bundle. After creating the definition, use the acd
command to add a component, then use mbd to modify the bundle
definition.
AddBundleInst abi
Creates a new bundle instance from a bundle definition; bundling is described in Chapter 17
Required
bundledef

Name of the bundle definition to create the instance from
Using vadmin
335
AddCompDef acd
Adds a component to a bundle definition; bundling is described in Chapter 17
Required
bundledef

Name of the bundle definition to create the component for
order
Component Order
Sequence number of the new component. See the tip below.
report
Report Name
Report to be used for this component
May Be
Required
user
Optional
data
User Name
If type is u, include most recent generation captured by this
user
Generation Data
Number associated with type: if type is dow, from 0-6 for day
of the week (default is 0 for Sunday); if type is dom, from 1-31
for day of the month (default is 1)
pagesec
Page Security Name

Name of page security to apply to this component
required
Required Component
Set to n if this component is not required for bundle
distribution; default is y for yes
type
Generation Type
Determines how to select report generation for component:
recent, later, 1later, fixed, dom (day of month), dow (day of
week), ldom (last day of month), or user; r is default;
generation types are discussed on page 252
Tip
336
To see the sequence number of existing components, use the lbc command.
Then, assign the new component a sequence number between the sequence
numbers of the components you want it between. For example, to put the
new component between components with sequence numbers of 20 and 30,
assign a sequence number between 21 and 29.
AddDevice ad
Creates a new device for storing reports; see Chapter 12 for information on devices and volumes
Required
device
Device Name
Name for the new device; make sure it is different than any
existing device name
type
Device Type
Set to hard disk, tape drive, or optical disk; on Windows host, use
only h
May Be
Required
path
Device Path
Path to the device; used only for tape devices
size
Size of Device
Size of the device, in KB; used for tape devices, optical disks, and
hard disks which will contain offline volumes
Optional
description
Device Description
AddFolder af
Creates a new folder in the report warehouse; folders are described in Chapter 4
Required
folder
Optional
description
Folder Name
Name of the new folder; up to 128 characters
Description
Description of the new folder; up to 255 characters
link
Folder Link Name

Name of parent folder the folder should be linked to
AddGenFilters agf
Defines generation filters for a report; generation filters are described in Chapter 9
Required
folder
Folder Name
Name of folder the report is linked to
report
Report Name
after
After Date
Name of report youre defining attributes for

Optional
To have a report list show only generations captured after a certain

date, use this option to specify the date in the format mm/dd/yyyy;
use with the before option to specify the start of a date range for
which captured generations should be shown; do not use with
dom or dow option
Using vadmin
337
before
Before Date
To have a report list show only generations captured before a
certain date, use this option to specify the date in the format mm/
dd/yyyy; use with the after option to specify the end of a date
range for which captured generations should be shown; do not use
with dom or dow option
days
Last most recent days

Use this option if you want a report list to show only generations
captured within the last so many days; specify a number; do not
use with recent option
dom
Day of the Month

Use this option to specify a certain day of the month (1-31), or the
last day of the month, if you want a report list to show only
generations captured on that date; do not use with dow, before, or
after option
dow
Day of the Week

Use this option to specify the name of a day if you want a report
list to show only generations captured on a certain day; do not use
with dom, before, or after option; you must type the name of the
day in all lower case
gcurr
Group of Currently Logged on User

Set this option to y if you want a reports generations to be visible
only to members of a group that includes the user who captured
them; do not use with the user, group, or ucurr option
group
Group Name
Use this option to specify a group name if you want a report to
show only the generations captured by any user in a certain group;
do not use with the user, ucurr, or gcurr option
recent
Most Recent Generations

Use this option if you want a report list to show only the last so
many generations captured; specify the number of generations to
show; do not use with the days option
ucurr
Currently Logged on User

Set this option to y if you want a reports generations to be shown
only to the user who captured them; do not use with the user,
group, or gcurr option
user
User Name
Use this option to specify a user name if you want a report list to
show only the generations captured by a certain user; do not use
with the group, ucurr, or gcurr option
338
AddGroup ag
Creates a new group in the report warehouse; see Chapter 7 for more information on groups
Required
group
Group Name
Name of the new group; can be up to 128 characters
home
Group Home Folder

Name of Home folder for group
Optional
description
Group Description
Description of the new group
end
End Date
The date and time when this group will become invalid; enter
mm/dd/yyyy hh:mm
ptrdef
Name of default print definition for group; used by SmartAlarm
and bundle print actions; definition IDs are shown by the
ListPrintDefinitions command
start
Start Date
The date and time when this group will become valid; enter mm/
dd/yyyy hh:mm
AddIndex ai
Creates a new index for a text report; must enter at least com=ai; indexes are discussed in the Vista
Plus Windows Client Users Guide and the Web View online help,
Required
column
Index Column
The column the index begins on; required for all indexes, but can
be anything for a label index
index
Index Name
Name of the index to add
report
Report Name
Name of the report to add the index to
width
Index Width
The width of the index in characters
May Be
Required
label
Index Label
The label string to use; required for a label index
row
Index Row
The row the index begins on (blank rows do count); for column
indexes this field can be left off
Using vadmin
339
Optional
flags
Index Flags
Attribute flags for the index: numeric, case sensitive, keep spaces,
global, and/or reindex; specify by combining the appropriate
letters into a single word; for example: flags=nr specifies a
numeric index and re-indexes the report
height
Index Height
For column indexes, set to col; otherwise, enter a number
specifying the number of lines the index takes up; defaults to 1
page
Index Page
The page the index should be based on; defaults to 1
Tip
To apply the index to existing report generations, you must include flags=r.
Otherwise, the index will be applied to only generations captured after the
index was created.
AddPageAccess apa
Creates a new page security for a report; page security is described in Chapter 11
Required
report
Report Name
Name of report the page security is for
set
Page Security Name
end
End Value
expression
Condition Expression
Name of new page security; can be up to 128 characters

May Be
Required
Value to use for matching condition; see tip below.

When logic is exp, expression containing conditions and logic
which define pages to include; see page 154 for details
index
Index Name
Name of index to use for set or operand (see tip below); not
needed if logic is none or allp
logic
Logic to Apply
Logic to use for matching condition for set: exp, any, all, one,
none, or allp (all pages); use exp to enter condition expression;
use allp to give certain users access to all pages in a report with
view with page security on; use none to give certain users access
to no pages in a report with view with page security off; default is
any
340
operand
Operand to Apply
Operand to use for matching condition for set: equal, greater
than, geq (greater than or equal to), less than, leq (less than or
equal to), inr (in range), or outr (out of range); you can enter
multiple operands; see the tip below
start
Start Value
Value to use for matching condition; text for non-numeric index or
a number for numeric index; enter only start value if operand is
anything other than inr or outr, but see tip below about multiple
operands.
Tip
We strongly recommend setting logic to exp and typing the conditional

expression (see page 154); this gives you more control over the exact logic to
use.
However, for compatibility with earlier versions, you can use all, any, or
one and multiple indexes and operands in one apa command. If any operand
requires an end value (either inr or outr), all operands must have both start
and end values, even operands which normally take only one value. For these
operands (everything but inr or outr), enter end= with no value. For example:
vadmin c=apa i=Comp r=Accts se=Amt o=eq st=1000 en= o=inr
st=2000 en=2500
If you enter one index, all operands are applied to that index; if you enter
more than one index, you must have one index for each operand.
The order of the parameters does not matter; the first start and end values
and index, if there is more than oneare used for the first operand; the
second values are used for the second operand, and so on. For example, this
command is equivalent to the one above:
vadmin c=apa r=Accts se=Amt o=eq o=inr st=1000 st=2000 en=
en=2500 i=Comp
Using vadmin
341
AddPermission aprm
Assigns user or group access permission for folder, report, bundle, or pages; permissions are
described in Chapter 10
Required
oname
Object Name
Name of folder, report, or page security permission is for
option
Option Type
Permission being assigned: none, view, distribute, modify, or x
(delete); when object type is page security, use only v
otype
Object Type
Type of object the permission is for: folder, report, pagesec,
bundle definition, or bundle instance
wname
Who Name
Name of user or group permission is being assigned to
wtype
Who Type
Is the permission for a user or group
May Be
Required
id
Bundle Instance ID
Used when otype is i
AddPrintDefinition apd
Creates a new print definition in the report warehouse; Chapter 15 describes remote printer setup
Required
printer
Printer Name
Name of the remote printer; printer must exist in the Vista Plus
warehousesee AddPrinter command
lpstr
Print Command String

A UNIX or Windows print command string with options,
including a print queue; maximum length is 132 characters
option
Printer Option
Name for the printer option; will be shown in Remote Print dialog
in Vista Plus Windows Client and Web View
AddPrinter ap
Adds a remote printer to the report warehouse; Chapter 15 describes remote printer setup
Required
printer
Printer Name
Name for the remote printer, up to 64 characters; will be shown in
the Remote Print dialog box in Vista Plus Windows Client and
Web View
Optional
description
Printer Description
Description for the printer, up to 256 characters
342
AddReport ar
Creates a new report in the report warehouse; reports are described in Chapter 5
Required
report
Report Name
Name for new report, up to 128 characters
Optional
autoset
Auto Migration Set

Name of migration rule set to use as Automatic migration set for
the report; see page 188 for a description of Automatic rule sets
characterset
Original Character Set

The character set the original report file uses; use only if different
than the default character set; see Appendix C for more
information
default
Default Migration Set

Name of migration rule set to use as Client Requested rule set for
report; see page 188 for a description of Client Requested rule sets
demandset
Demand Migration Set

Name of migration rule set to use as On Demand rule set for the
report; see page 188 for a description of On Demand rule sets
description
Description
Description for new report, up to 256 characters
link
Link Folder
Name of folder the report should be added to
localename
Locale
The locale to use when capturing files to this report; include only if
different than the default locale; see Appendix C for more
information
permission
Default Permission
The default permission level for this report; set to warehouse
default, no access; view; distribute; modify, or x (delete); default is
w
usepagesec
Use Page Security

Report security: set to t to allow only users with page securities to
view the report or to f to let anyone with permission view it; f is
default
volume
Capture Volume
Volume to capture this report to if no other volume is specified
during capture; if omitted, the report will be captured to the
default volume specified in warehouse parameters
Using vadmin
343
AddRptAttributes ara
Replaced by AddGenFilters; included for compatibility with earlier releases; see AddGenFilters
for parameters
AddUser au
Creates a new user in the report warehouse; see Chapter 8 for more information on users
Required
user
User Name
Vista Plus name for new user, up to 128 characters
May Be
Required
group
Group Name
Name of the users primary group; the groups Home folder will
be the users Home folder if no Home folder has been assigned to
the user; either a group or a Home folder, or both, must be
assigned
home
Home Folder
Name of Home folder for user; a Home folder and/or a primary
group must be assigned
password
Password
Password for login; optional for Vista Plus viewer clients; required
for Administrators for Server Admin client; the password is casesensitive, can be up to 26 characters (though due to the encryption
formula, some 24-26 character long combinations may cause an
error), and can contain spaces; you can set the password only if the
authorization type is v or a (see below)
Optional
address
Users Address
Up to four lines of the users address; for multiple lines, put \n
before each new line
administrator
System Administrator
Specifies user type as Normal or Administrator; to specify
Normal, either leave out this option or set it to n; to specify an
Administrator, set to y
authorization
Type of Password Authorization

Select v for Vista Plus internal, u for User provided, x for UNIX
password, n for Windows password, or a for Any authorization
method. The default is v. See page 121 for a discussion of
authorization methods.
department
description
Users Department
Description
Description for user, up to 256 characters
344
email
E-mail Address
Users e-mail address; used by SmartAlarm and bundle e-mail
actions; up to 256 characters
end
End Date
Date and time when the user becomes invalid; enter as mm/dd/
yyyy hh:mm
expire
Password Expiration
Specify the number of days (n) before the users password will
expire; once set the password will expire every n days; use
expire= to clear this function; use only if authorization is v or a
force
Force Password Change

Set to y to force the user to change password at next login; use
only if authorization is v
fullname
Full Name
ptrdef
Full name of user; up to 256 characters

Name of users default print definition; used by SmartAlarm and
bundle print actions; the printer definition ID is shown by
ListPrintDefinitions
start
Start Date
Date and time when the user becomes valid; enter as mm/dd/
yyyy hh:mm
uid
UNIX UID
Users UNIX ID; this is used for SmartAlarms and bundles created
by this user which execute operating system commands
AddUserGroup aug
Adds a user to a group; groups are discussed in Chapter 7, users in Chapter 8
Required
group
Group Name
user
User Name
Name of group to add the user to

Name of user to add to group
Optional
end
End Date
The date and time when the user/group link will become invalid;
enter as mm/dd/yyyy hh:mm
start
Start Date
The date and time when the user/group link will become valid;
enter as mm/dd/yyyy hh:mm
Using vadmin
345
AddVolume av
Creates an online, offline, Web, or Web View volume; use this only for disk volumes; tape volumes
are created by the VMTransport migration process; see Chapter 12 for information on volumes
and devices
Required
type
Type of Volume
Set to online for an online volume, offline for an offline
volume, web for a Web volume, or webview for a Web View
volume; you cannot change this once the volume is created
volume
Volume Name
Name for volume; up to 64 characters
May Be
Required
hdir
Home Directory
For Web volumes only; UNC path from Vista Plus server to the
directory for rendition storage on the Web server; if you also
include surl, renditions will be created in subdirectories of this
directory; see page 282
path
Path Name
For online or offline volumes, the root path for the disk volume; do
not use for Web or Web View volumes
surl
Site URL
Optional for Web volume: URL of the Web site for the web
volume; including surl causes renditions to be created in
subdirectories of the hdir directory (see page 282) and allows
epurposing commands to return the URL to the created rendition
Required for Web View volume: URL of the location of the Web
View software on the Web server; you must include a trailing slash
( / ) for a Web View URL.
Optional
description
Volume Description
device
Device Name
Name of the device the volume is on; if not used, the volume is
added without a device
format

Returns the output of the command in HTML format; set to h for
HTML table output or n for an HTML table that is tagged for nondisplay; if you omit this option, command output is in standard
text format; see page 279 for more information
346
Batch b
Runs a batch file to execute multiple vadmin commands; see page 325 for more information
Required
filename
Filename
Name of batch file to execute
Optional
format

CopyColumns cc
Applies the columns defined for a report to one or more other reports; you define columns with
the Vista Plus Windows Client or Web View
Required
report
Report Name
user
User Name
The columns defined for this report will be copied

The columns defined for this user are the ones that will be copied;
if this user sees the default columns for the report, then the default
columns are copied
filename
File Name
The name of a text file; the file must contain a list of Vista Plus
report names, one per line; the columns are copied to these
reports; the file may also include blank lines and comment lines
starting with #
Optional
default
Make Columns Default?

If you set this to y, the columns become the default columns for
the reports; otherwise, they become the columns for the specified
user
Using vadmin
347
CopyGen cg
Copies a report generation to another report or to a new report
Required
id
Generation ID
ID of report generation to copy
report
Report Name
Name of new or existing report to copy generation to
Optional
description
Generation Description
Description for new generation; if report does not have a
description, will inherit it from generation
folder
Folder Name
Name of folder where report is, or which new report should be
linked to; if folder does not exist, report is created in Users New
Reports folder
Note
All users will have the same permissions for the copied generation as they do
for other generations of the new report, not their permissions for the source
report.
CopyIndexes ci
Copies all indexes defined for one report to one or more other reports; indexes are described in the
Vista Plus Windows Client Users Guide and the Web View online help
Required
filename
Destination Report List

Path to a text file containing the names of the reports to copy the
indexes to; the file should contain only one report name per line
report
Report Name
Name of report to copy from; all indexes for this report will be
copied
Optional
reindex
Reindex Destination?
Setting to a or leaving this out reindexes all generations of the
destination reports with the new indexes; set to n not to reindex.
Note
348
Since indexes depend on the page location (except label indexes), you should
copy them only to reports which use the same page format as the original
report.
CreateRendition cr
Creates a rendition of a report; most recent generation is used unless a generation ID is included in
the command; see page 266 for more information
Required
action
Action to Perform
Set to one of:
it
report
Report
The report to create the rendition for
May Be
Required
group
Group Name
Use page security for this group to determine the pages included
in the rendition; for e-mail actions, e-mail to all members of this
group; you must include either user or group; you cannot include
both
user
User Name
Use page security for this user to determine the pages included in
the rendition; for e-mail actions, e-mail to this user; you must
include either user or group; you cannot include both
volume
Web Volume
ud, uf, uh, or us; optional with all other actions; see page 165 for
more about Web volumes
Optional
format

generation
Generation ID
Create rendition of this generation, not latest generation of report;
must be the ID of a generation of report
Using vadmin
349
Note
For compatibility with previous releases, CreateRendition accepts the hdir

and surl parameters in place of volume, though we strongly recommend you
use volume for all renditioning to a Web server. hdir and surl are described in
the ReportAction parameters on page 380.
DeleteActionParam dap
Deletes an action from a SmartAlarm or bundle; SmartAlarms are described in Chapter 16, bundles
in Chapter 17
Required
id
Action Parameter ID
ID of action to delete from SmartAlarm or bundle; action IDs are
shown by ListActionParams
Optional
verify
Verify Deletion
Setting this to n will delete without asking for confirmation
Note
You cannot delete an action from a subscription alarm; subscriptions are

DeleteAlarm da
Deletes a SmartAlarm from the report warehouse; SmartAlarms are described in Chapter 16
Required
alarm
Alarm Name
Name of SmartAlarm to delete from warehouse
Optional
verify
Verify Deletion
Note
You cannot delete a subscription alarm with DeleteAlarm; you must use
Unsubscribe; see page 292.
DeleteBundleComp dbc
Deletes a bundle component from a bundle instance; works only if instance has not yet been
distributed; bundles are described in Chapter 17
Required
id
Bundle Instance ID
order
Order Sequence
ID of bundle instance component will be removed from

Order sequence of bundle component to removed
Optional
verify
Verify Deletion
350
DeleteBundleDef dbd
Deletes a bundle definition from the report warehouse; bundles are described in Chapter 17
Required
bundledef

Name of bundle definition to delete from warehouse
Optional
verify
Verify Deletion
DeleteBundleInst dbi
Deletes a bundle instance from the report warehouse; bundles are described in Chapter 17
Required
id
Bundle Instance ID
Optional
verify
Verify Deletion
ID of bundle instance to delete

DeleteCompDef dcd
Deletes a bundle component from a bundle definition; bundles are described in Chapter 17
Required
bundledef

Name of bundle definition to delete the component from
order
Sequence Order
Sequence order of component to delete
Optional
verify
Verify Deletion
DeleteDevice dd
Deletes a device; devices are discussed in Chapter 12
Required
device
Device Name
Optional
verify
Verify Deletion
Name of the device to delete

Using vadmin
351
DeleteFolder df
Deletes a folder from the report warehouse; folders are described in Chapter 4
Required
folder
Folder Name
Name of folder to delete from warehouse
Optional
verify
Verify Deletion
DeleteGenFilters dgf
Deletes all generation filters from a report in a certain folder; copies of the report in other folders
are not affected; see Chapter 9 for information on generation filters
Required
folder
Folder Name
Name of folder the report is in
report
Report Name
Name of report to delete filters for
Optional
verify
Verify Deletion
DeleteGroup dg
Deletes a group from the report warehouse; groups are described in Chapter 7
Required
group
Group Name
Optional
verify
Verify Deletion
Name of group to delete from warehouse

DeleteIndex di
Deletes an index from a report
Required
index
Index Name
Name of index to delete from a report
report
Report Name
Name of report to delete the index from
Optional
verify
Verify Deletion
352
DeletePageAccess dpa
Deletes a page security from a report; see Chapter 11 for information on page securities
Required
report
Report Name
Name of report to delete the page security from
set
Page Security Name

Name of page security to delete
Optional
verify
Verify Deletion
DeletePermission dprm
Deletes a user or group permission for a folder, report, bundle, or pages; the user or group will use
the default permission for the object; permissions are described in Chapter 10
Required
oname
Object Name
Name of folder, report, bundle, or page security permission was
for
option
Option Type
Permission to delete: none, view, distribute, modify, or x (delete)
otype
Object Type
Type of object permission was for: folder, report, pagesec, bundle
definition, or bundle instance
wname
Who Name
Name of user or group permission was assigned to
wtype
Who Type
Type of user a permission was assigned to: user or group
May Be
Required
id
Bundle Instance ID
Optional
verify
Verify Deletion
Used when deleting a permission record for a bundle instance

DeletePrintDefinition dpd
Deletes a print definition from the report warehouse; print definitions are discussed in Chapter 15
Required
defid
Name of printer definition to delete; the ID is displayed by
Optional
verify
Verify Deletion
Using vadmin
353
DeletePrinter dp
Deletes a remote printer from the report warehouse; remote printers are discussed in Chapter 15
Required
printer
Printer Name
Name of printer to delete
Optional
verify
Verify Deletion
DeleteReport dr
Deletes a report and all its generations from the report warehouse; reports are described in
Chapter 5
Required
report
Report Name
Name of report to delete
Optional
verify
Verify Deletion
DeleteRptAttributes ara
Replaced by DeleteGenFilters; included for compatibility with earlier releases; see
DeleteGenFilters for parameters
Deletes report renditions from the Vista Plus report warehouse; see Chapter 18 for more
information
Required
report
Report Name
Delete renditions of this report; if you also include id, only
renditions of that generation are deleted; if you do not include id,
all renditions of all generations of this report are deleted
Optional
id
Generation ID
Delete all renditions of the generation with this ID; do not delete
renditions of other generations of report
verify
Verify Deletion
354
DeleteUser du
Deletes a user from the report warehouse; users are described in Chapter 8
Required
user
User Name
Vista Plus name of user to delete; you must type at least us in this
case
Optional
verify
Verify Deletion
DeleteUserGroup dug
Deletes a user from a group; groups are discussed in Chapter 7, users in Chapter 8
Required
group
Group Name
Name of group to delete user from
user
User Name
Vista Plus name of user to delete from the group
Optional
verify
Verify Deletion
Deletes a report rendition from the Web server; see Chapter 18 for more information
Required
action
Type of Rendition
Set to one of:
d for PDF rendition
s for text rendition
uh for stored HTML rendition (single-file) and e-mailed URL
report
Report
The report to delete the rendition for
volume
Web Volume
Name of Web volume to delete rendition from
May Be
Required
Using vadmin
group
Group Name
Group to delete rendition for; you must include either user or
355
user
User Name
User to delete rendition for; you must include either user or
Optional
format

information
DistributeBundle db
Distributes a bundle with manual scheduling; bundling is described in Chapter 17
Required
id
Bundle Instance ID
ID of bundle instance to be distributed
GenDelete gd
Deletes an online generation from a report; reports are described in Chapter 5
Required
id
Generation ID
ID of the online generation to delete; you can find the generation
ID using the ShowReport command
report
Report Name
Name of the report the generation belongs to
Creates one of the Vista Plus standard reports; see Chapter 21 for more information, including a
list of the available reports, their parameters, and their output
Required
report
Type of Report
May Be
Required
params
Parameters
The name of the report to run
356
List of parameters for the report, such as start and end dates, user
or group names, and so on; these depend on the report type, and
may be required or optional
GenViewed gv
Lists all users who have opened and viewed a certain report generation or all generations a user
has viewed
May Be
Required
id
Generation ID
ID of the report generation you want to check user viewing for;
generation IDs are shown by ShowReport
user
User Name
Name of a specific user to check viewing for; shows generations
this user has viewed; if you use both id and user, you see if the
specified generation has been viewed by the specified user
ImportFileInfo ifi
Loads user/group/link information into the warehouse from flat files; see the Vista Plus Technical
Addendum for a description of the file format
Required
filename
May Be
Required
password
Optional
ptype
File Name
Name of file that contains the user/group/link records
Password
Use as password or base for generated passwords; see Vista Plus
Technical Addendum for more information
Password Type
Set to username, common, or random; see Vista Plus Technical
Addendum for more information
Tip
The vadmin executable must exist in the current working directory where
you enter the ImportFileInfo command. This is true even if the vadmin
installation directory is included in your PATH statement.
LinkBundle lnkb
Links a bundle definition to a folder; bundling is described in Chapter 17
Required
bundledef

Name of bundle definition to link to a parent folder
folder
Folder Name
Name of folder to link bundle definition to
Using vadmin
357
LinkFolder lnkf
Adds a folder to another folder; see page 46 for more on linking folders
Required
folder
Folder Name
Name of folder to add to a parent folder
link
Parent Folder Name

Name of parent folder
LinkReport lnkr
Adds a report to a folder; folders and reports are discussed in Chapter 4 and Chapter 5
Required
report
Report Name
Name of report to link to folder
link
Folder Name
Name of folder to link report to
Lists all actions defined for a certain SmartAlarm or bundle; SmartAlarms are described in
Chapter 16, bundles in Chapter 17
Required
origin
Origin Name
type
Origin Type
Name of SmartAlarm or bundle to list actions for

Type of origin to list actions for: alarm, bundle definition, or
bundle instance
May Be
Required
id
Optional
action
Bundle Instance ID
Bundle instance ID; used when type is i
Action Type
Show only actions of the specified type:
a (e-mail with PDF)
broadcast
command
d (PDF rendition)
e-mail
f (frame-based HTML)
h (single-file HTML)
message
print
report
t (e-mail with single-file HTML)
u (e-mail with URL to PDF or HTML)
v (Vista Plus shortcut)
358
group
Group
Show only actions for the specified group; do not enter both user
and group
user
User
Show only actions for the specified user; do not enter both user
and group
ListActiveUsers lau
Lists all users currently logged in to the Vista Plus server; see page 130 for more on monitoring
logins
Optional
user
User Name
Name of user to single out from list; if not included, all users are
listed
long
Show entire user names

Set to y to display entire user names; if not used, only first 20 to 30
characters display
ListAlarms la
Lists all SmartAlarms in the report warehouse; SmartAlarms are described in Chapter 16
Optional
long

characters display
report
Report Name
Name of report to list SmartAlarms for; if left off, all SmartAlarms
are listed
ListBundleComps lbc
Lists all bundle components for a bundle instance; bundling is described in Chapter 17
Required
id
Bundle Instance ID
ID of bundle instance to list components for
Optional
long

characters display
Using vadmin
359
ListBundleDefs lbd
Lists all bundle definitions in the warehouse; bundling is described in Chapter 17
Optional
bundledef

List just this bundle definition name if it exists
long

characters display
ListBundleFolders lbf
Lists all folders a bundle definition is linked to; bundling is described in Chapter 17
Required
bundledef

Bundle definition name to list folders for
Optional
long

characters display
ListBundleInst lbi
Lists all instances of a bundle definition; bundling is described in Chapter 17
Required
bundledef
Optional
long

Bundle definition name to list instances for
characters display
ListColumns - lc
Lists the columns for a report; you define columns using Vista Plus Windows Client or Web View
Required
report
Report Name
Name of the report to list the columns for
user
User Name
Name of the user to list the columns for; if user has no columns
defined, lists the default columns for the report.
360
ListCompDefs lcd
Lists all components for a bundle; bundling is described in Chapter 17
Required
bundledef

Bundle definition name to list components for.
Optional
long

characters display
ListDevices ld
Lists all defined Vista Plus devices; includes name, description, and type; devices are covered in
Chapter 12
Optional
device
Device Name
Name of a specific device to display; if this option is not used, all
devices are displayed
long

characters display
ListFolders lf
Lists all folders in the report warehouse, in a non-hierarchical fashion; see Chapter 4 for more
information on folders
Optional
folder
Folder Name
Name of a specific folder to display; if this option is not used, all
folders are displayed
long

characters display
report
Report Name
Name of a report; if included, lists only folders containing the
report
ListGenFilters lgf
Lists all generation filters for one report in one folder; see Chapter 9 for more on generation filters
Required
folder
Folder Name
Name of folder report is in
report
Report Name
Name of report to list filters for
Using vadmin
361
ListGroups lg
Lists all user groups in the report warehouse; groups are covered in Chapter 7
Optional
format

group
Group Name
Name of a specific group to display; if this option is not used, all
groups are displayed
long

characters display
ListIndexes li
Lists all indexes defined for a report; indexes are discussed in the Vista Plus Windows Client Users
Guide and the Web View online help,
Required
report
Report Name
Name of report to list indexes for
Optional
long

characters display
ListPageAccess lpa
Lists all page securities defined for a report; page security is described in Chapter 11
Required
report
Optional
long
Report Name
Name of report to display page securities for
characters display
ListPaperSizes lps
Lists the paper sizes available in Vista Plus
Optional
units
Unit of Measurement
Set to inches or centimeters; i is the default
362
ListPermissions lprm
Lists all access permissions assigned to a user or group; Chapter 10 describes access permissions
May Be
Required
group
Group Name
Name of group to list access permissions for; you must include
either user or group; do not include both
user
User Name
Name of user to list access permissions for; you must include
either user or group; do not include both
Optional
long

characters display
ListPrintDefinitions lpd
Lists all print definitions in the report warehouse; see Chapter 15 for more information
No options or parameters
ListPrinters lp
Lists all remote printers in the report warehouse; remote printer setup is covered in Chapter 15
Optional
long

characters display
Using vadmin
363
ListReports lr
Lists all reports in the report warehouse, in a specific folder, or accessible to a specific user or
group; reports are described in Chapter 5
Optional
folder
Folder Name
Name of a folder; if included, lists only reports in that folder
format

group
Group Name
Name of group to list reports for; shows all reports in groups
Home folder and its subfolders; do not use this option if user
option is used
long
Show full report names

Set to y to display full names; if not used, only first 20 to 30
characters display; full names are always included in HTML
output
report
Report Name
Name of a specific report to display; if this option is not used, all
reports are displayed
showgens
Show Generation Count

Set to n not to include the number of online and offline
generations for each report; this can improve performance; default
is to include the generation counts
user
User Name
Name of user to list reports for; shows all reports in users
individual or primary group Home folder and its subfolders; do
not use this option if group option is used
Note
If you use the user or group parameter, reports are not listed if the user or
group does not have permission to view them, even if they are in the users or
groups Home folder.
ListReportTemplates lrt
Lists the available activity reports; you run these reports with the GenerateStandardReport
command; see Chapter 21 for more information
No options or parameters
364
ListRptAttributes lra
Replaced by ListGenFilters; included for compatibility with earlier releases; see ListGenFilters for
parameters
Lists report subscriptions for a user or group; see page 286 for more information on report
subscriptions
May Be
Required
group
Group Name
Group to list subscriptions for; must include either user or group,
but not both
user
User Name
User to list subscriptions for; returns both user subscriptions and
group subscriptions for the users primary group; must include
either user or group, but not both
Optional
format

Returns output in HTML format; use when calling from a Web
page; set to h for HTML table output or n for an HTML table that is
tagged for non-display; if you omit this option, command output
is in standard text format; see page 279
ListUserGroup lug
Shows starting and ending membership dates for all the users in a group or all the groups a user
belongs to; users and groups are described in Chapters 8 and 7, respectively
May be
Required
group
Group Name
Shows starting and ending dates of group membership for all
users in the group; you must include group or user; you cannot
include both
user
User Name
Shows starting and ending dates of group membership for all
groups the user belongs to; you must include group or user; you
cannot include both
Optional
long

characters display
Using vadmin
365
ListUsers lu
Lists all users in the report warehouse; users are described in Chapter 8
Optional
format

long

characters display
user
User Name
Name of a specific user to display; if not included, all users are
displayed
ListVolumes lv
Lists all defined volumes; for each volume, includes name, type, root path, and percent full (if
applicable); volumes are discussed in Chapter 12
Optional
format

long

characters display
volume
Volume Name
Name of a specific volume to display; if not included, all volumes
are displayed
type
Type of Volume
Set to combination of on for online volumes, off for offline
volumes, and/or web for web volumes; for example, webon lists
all online and web volumes; omit to list all types of volumes,
including Web View volumes.
366
Login l
When vadmin security is on, starts a vadmin session; vadmin security is discussed on page 319
Required
expire
Expiration Date and Time

Enter mm/dd/yyyy hh:mm to set the date and time for the
vadmin login session to expire; if mm/dd/yyyy is omitted, hh:mm
is considered to be the next occurrence of that time; or, enter a
number of days until expiration
Optional
ADMINPASS
Administrators Password
Enter the password for the user name given in ADMINPASS; if
omitted, vadmin will prompt for the password
ADMINUSER
Administrator User Name

Enter a valid Vista Plus Administrator user name; if omitted but
ADMINPASS is included, defaults to Admin; if both are omitted,
prompts for user name
Logout lo
When vadmin security is on, ends a vadmin session; vadmin security is discussed on page 319
No parameters
ModifyBundleComp mbc
Modifies an existing bundle component; use mcd to modify a component in a bundle definition;
bundling is described in Chapter 17
Required
id
Bundle Instance ID
order
Bundle Component Sequence Order
ID of bundle instance component is located in

Unique sequence order of component within bundle instance
Optional
neworder
Order Sequence Number

New order sequence number for component; see tip about
sequence numbers after AddCompDef command
pagesec
Page Security Name

Name of page security to use for this component
report
Report Name
Name of this components report
required
Required Component
Set to y to make this component required for bundle distribution
or n to make it optional
separator
Separator Name
Name of report to use as the separator for this component
Using vadmin
367
ModifyBundleDef mbd
Modifies an existing bundle definition; bundling is described in Chapter 17
Required
bundledef

Name of bundle definition to modify
Optional
active
Active Bundle
Set to y to make bundle active or n to make it inactive
description
Bundle Description
Description for this bundle definition; up to 255 characters
dtype
Distribution Type
How bundle will be distributed: manual, automatic, or scheduled
folder
Folder Name
Name of folder to link bundle definition to
header
Header Name
Name of report to use as the header for this bundle
note
Header Note
Note to place in header of bundle; replaces the <header-note>
token
ptrdef
ID of printer definition to use with this bundle definition
ronly
Report Only
Set to y to include only reports, not header, separators, or trailer, in
distributions
sday
Schedule Day
Number from 0-31, depending on stype: 0-6 for day of week (0 =
Sunday) or 1-31 for day of month
separator
Separator Name
Name of report to use as a separator
stime
Schedule Time
Used with scheduled bundles; enter hh:mm; use 24-hour time and
include leading zeros
stype
Schedule Type
Used with scheduled bundles; specifies when bundle is
distributed: daily, dom (day of month), dow (day of week), or
ldom (last day of month)
trailer
Trailer Name
Name of report to use as trailer with this bundle
368
ModifyBundleInst mbi
Modifies an existing bundle instance; bundling is described in Chapter 17
Required
bundledef

Name of bundle definition the instance is based on
id
Bundle Instance ID
ID of bundle instance to modify
Optional
stime
Schedule Time
Date and time to distribute this instance; enter mm/dd/
yyyy hh:mm; used with scheduled bundles; use 24-hour time
and include leading zeros; for example: 05/22/1999 16:30
description
Bundle Description
Description for the bundle
dtype
Distribution Type
The manner of bundle distribution: manual, automatic, or
scheduled
header
Header Name
Name of the report to use as the header for this bundle
note
Header Note
Brief note to include in the bundle header
ptrdef
ID of printer definition to associate with this bundle
trailer
Trailer Name
ronly
Reports Only
Name of the report to use as the trailer for this bundle

Set to y to include only reports, not header, separators, or trailer,
during distribution
ModifyCompDef mcd
Modifies an existing component definition; bundling is described in Chapter 17
Required
bundledef
order
Component Sequence Number
Name of bundle definition the component belongs to

Unique sequence order of component within bundle definition;
sequence numbers are displayed by Vista Plus Windows Client;
see the note after the AddCompDef command
Using vadmin
369
Optional
data
Generation Data
Number associated with type: if type is dow, from 0-6 for day of
the week (default is 0 for Sunday); if type is dom, from 1-31 for
day of the month (default is 1)
neworder
New Sequence Number

A new sequence order to replace the original
pagesec
Page Security Name

Name of page security to use with this component
report
Report Name
Name of report this component is based on
required
Required Component
Set to y to make this component required for bundle distribution
or n if it is optional
type
Generation Type
Determines how to select report generation for component: recent,
later, 1later, fixed, dom (day of month), dow (day of week), ldom
(last day of month), or user; generation types are discussed on
page 252
user
User Name
If type is user, include most recent generation captured by this
user
ModifyDevice md
Modifies a device definition. See Chapter 12 for information on devices and volumes.
Required
device
Device Name
Name for the new device
Optional
description
Device Description
path
Device Path
Path to the device; use only for tape devices
size
Size of Device
Size of the device, in KB; used for tape devices, optical disks, and
hard disks which will contain offline volumes
type
Device Type
Set device type to hard disk, tape drive, or optical disk; on
Windows host, use only h
370
ModifyFolder mf
Modifies an existing folder; see Chapter 4 for more information
Required
folder
Folder Name
Name of folder
Optional
description
Description
Description of folder
link
Folder Link Name

Name of parent folder to add folder to
newfolder
Folder Name
New name for the folder; can be up to 128 characters
ModifyGroup mg
Modifies an existing group; see Chapter 7 for more information
Required
group
Group Name
Optional
description
Group Description
Name of group
Description for group
end
End Time
Date and time at which the group becomes invalid; enter as mm/
dd/yyyy hh:mm
home
Group Home Folder

Name of Home folder for group
newgroup
New Group Name

New name for group; can be up to 128 characters
ptrdef
Name of default print definition for group; can be used by
SmartAlarm and bundle print actions; definition IDs are shown by
start
Start Time
Date and time at which the group becomes valid; enter as mm/
dd/yyyy hh:mm
Using vadmin
371
ModifyPageAccess mpa
Redefines an existing page security for a report; page security is described in Chapter 11
Required
id
Page Security ID
ID of the page security to modify; you can find the page security
ID using ListPageAccess or with the Server Admin client.
May Be
Required
end
End Value
Value to use for matching condition; see tip below.
expression
Condition Expression
When logic is exp, expression containing conditions and logic
which define pages to include; see page 154 for details
index
Index Name
Name of index to use for set or operand (see tip below); not
needed if logic is none, allp, or exp
logic
Logic to Apply
Logic to use for matching condition for set: exp, any, all, one,
none, or allp (all pages); use exp to enter condition expression;
use allp to give certain users access to all pages in a report with
view with page security on; use none to give certain users access
to no pages in a report with view with page security off
operand
Operand to Apply
Operand to use for matching condition for set: equal, greater
than, geq (greater than or equal to), less than, leq (less than or
equal to), inrange, or outrange; you can enter multiple
operands; see the tip below
start
Start Value
Value to use for matching condition; text for non-numeric index or
a number for numeric index; enter only start value if operand is
anything other than inr or outr, but see tip below about multiple
operands.
Note
Important! You must re-enter all information for the page security when you
use this command; you cannot just enter a new condition while keeping the
existing ones. The benefit of using mpa instead of deleting the security and
adding a new one is that the security remains assigned to its users and
groups.
Tip
We strongly recommend setting logic to exp and typing the conditional

expression (see page 154); this gives you more control over the exact logic to
use.
However, you can use all, any, or one and multiple indexes and operands
in one mpa command. If any operand requires an end value (either inr or
outr), all operands must have both start and end values, even operands
372
which normally take only one value. For these operands (everything but inr
or outr), enter end= with no value. For example:
vadmin c=mpa id=345 in=Comp o=eq st=1000 en= o=inr st=2000
en=2500
If you enter one index, all operands are applied to that index; if you enter
more than one index, you must have one index for each operand.
The order of the parameters does not matter; the first start and end values
and index, if there is more than oneare used for the first operand; the
second values are used for the second operand, and so on. For example, this
command is equivalent to the one above:
vadmin c=mpa id=345 o=eq o=inr st=1000 st=2000 en= en=2500
i=Comp
ModifyReport mr
Modifies an existing report; see Chapter 5 for more on reports
Required
report
Report Name
Name of report
Optional
autoset
Auto Migration Set

Name of migration rule set to use as Automatic migration set for
the report; see page 188 for a description of Automatic rule sets
default
Default Migration Set

Name of migration rule set to use as Client Requested set for the
report; see page 188 for a description of Client Requested rule sets
demandset
Demand Migration Set

Name of migration rule set to use as On Demand rule set for the
report; see page 188 for a description of On Demand rule sets
description
Description
link
Link Folder
Description for report, up to 256 characters

Name of folder the report should be linked to; can only be used
once
newreport
New Report Name

New name to give this report
permission
Default Permission
The default permission level for this report; set to warehouse
default, no access; view; distribute; modify, or x (delete)
Using vadmin
373
usepagesec
Use Page Security

Report security: set to t to allow only users with page securities to
view the report or to f to let anyone with permission view it; f is
default
volume
Capture Volume
Volume to capture this report to if no other volume is specified
during capture; if omitted, the report will be captured to the
default volume specified in warehouse parameters
ModifyUser - mu
Modifies an existing user; users are described in Chapter 8
Required
user
Optional
address
User Name
Vista Plus name of user
Users Address
Up to four lines of the users address; for multiple lines, put \n
before each new line
administrator
System Administrator
Specifies user type as Normal or Administrator; for Normal, set to
n, for an Administrator, set to y
authorization
Type of Password Authorization

Select v for Vista internal, u for User provided, x for UNIX
password, n for Windows Password, or a for Any authorization
method. See page 121 for a discussion of authorization methods.
department
description
Users Department
Description
Description for user, up to 256 characters
email
E-mail Address
Users e-mail address; used by SmartAlarm and bundle e-mail
actions
end
End Date
Date when the user becomes invalid; enter as mm/dd/
yyyy hh:mm
expire
Password Expiration
Specify the number of days (n) before the users password expires.
Once set the password will expire every n days; use expire= to
clear this function; use only if authorization is v or a
force
Force Password Change

Set to y to force user to change his or her password at next login or
n not to; use only if authorization is v
374
fullname
Full Name
group
Group Name
Full name of user

Name of users primary group; group and/or home must be
assigned
home
Home Folder
Users Home folder; to remove a Home folder, enter h= with no
folder name; group and/or home must be assigned
newname
New User Name

Name to change this user name to
password
Password
Password for login; optional for viewer clients; required for
Administrators for Server Admin client; the password is casesensitive, can be up to 26 characters, and can contain spaces; you
can set the password only if authorization is v or a (see above)
ptrdef
The ID number (as shown by ListPrintDefinitions) of users
default print definition; can be used by SmartAlarm and bundle
print actions
start
Start Date
Date when the user becomes valid; enter as mm/dd/
yyyy hh:mm
uid
UNIX UID
Users UNIX ID
ModifyUserGroup mug
Changes the effective dates for a users membership in a group; users are covered in Chapter 8,
groups in Chapter 7
Required
group
Group Name
user
User Name
Name of group to change the users dates for

Name of user to change membership dates for
May be
Required
end
End Date
The date and time when the user/group link will become invalid;
enter as mm/dd/yyyy hh:mm; include end, start, or both
start
Start Date
The date and time when the user/group link will become valid;
enter as mm/dd/yyyy hh:mm; include end, start, or both
Using vadmin
375
ModifyVolume mv
Changes the properties of a volume; see Chapter 12 for information on volumes and devices
Required
volume
Volume Name
Name of the volume to modify
Optional
description
Volume Description
device
Device Name
Name of the device the volume is on; not used with Web or Web
View volumes
format

hdir
Home Directory
For Web volumes only; UNC path from Vista Plus server to the
directory for rendition storage on the Web server; if you also
include surl, renditions will be created in subdirectories of this
directory; see page 282
path
Path Name
For online or offline volumes, the root path for the disk volume;
not used for web volumes
surl
Site URL
For Web volumes, URL of the Web site for the web volume;
including surl causes renditions to be created in subdirectories of
the hdir directory (see page 282) and allows epurposing
commands to return the URL to the created rendition
For Web View volumes, URL of the location of the Web View
software on the Web server; include a trailing slash (/)
ModifyWarehouseConfig mwc
Modifies the warehouse configuration record. See Chapter 14 for more information. You must
enter at least co=mwc to use this command.
Optional
access
Enable Access Logging

Set to y to enable report access logging or n to disable it; the
default is disabled
auto
Automatic Migration Rule Set

This is the default set used by reports with no Automatic
migration set assigned.
bperms
Default Bundle Permission

Specify either no access, view, distribute, modify, or x (delete)
376
client
Client Requested Migration Rule Set

This is the default set used by reports with no Client Requested
ctimeout
Connection Time-out
For short-lived connections (see ctype), idle time, in seconds,
before connection is closed
ctype
Connection Type
Client connection type: short-lived, persistent, or user selectable;
see the Vista Plus Technical Addendum for more information
days
Days Online for Temporary Restore

With temporary restore, the number of days to leave the
generations online
demand
On Demand Migration Rule Set

This is the default set used by reports with no On Demand
fperms
Default Folder Permission

Specify either view, modify, or x (delete)
group
Choose Group at Logon

Specify y or n to turn this option on or off
highwater
High-water Mark
The high-water mark for each online volume, in whole percent
from 1 to 100; volumes which are at least this full will be skipped
during report capture
inactive
Inactive Logoff
Inactive logoff interval in minutes; use inactive= to disable
inactive logoff
logdays
Logging Days
Set to the number of days to keep data in the databases activity
logging table; see page 309 for more information
logfilters
Log Filters
Use to enter codes for the types of activity to log in the database;
see page 309 for a description and list of codes
papersize
Paper Size
Name of default paper size for report capture; use ListPaperSizes
to see available names
ping
Ping Interval
Client/server ping interval in minutes
Using vadmin
377
prepend
Prepend Warehouse
Specify y to create subdirectories for the host name and port
number of the Vista Plus server when creating the directory tree to
hold report renditions on the Web server; specify n not to; see
page 275 for more information
rcom
Report Compression
Specify y or n to turn report compression on or off
restore
Generation Restore Method
rperms
Default Report Permission
Restore method for generations; either temporary or permanent

Specify no access, view, distribute, modify, or x (delete)
save
Save Original Files

Use any combination of text, postscript, pcl, and asa; for example:
save=ota will direct the server to save the originals for all
PostScript, text, and ASA reports
search
Repository Search
Set to y to enable repository search for all Windows Client users,
set to n to disable repository search. The default is y.
tempdir
Temp Directory
The directory on the host system to use for temporary files
userptname
Use Report Name

Set to y to use the report name as the folder name when you save a
renditioned report to the Web server (or any other directory
structure), if set to n, the folder name is the report ID; default is y;
see page 275 for more information
vadminSecurity Security for vadmin

Set to y to require an Administrator user name and password to
use vadmin commands; set to n not to. See page 319 for more
information.
volume
Online Volume
Same as v1 parameter, below.
v1
First online volume

If no volume is specified during report capture, the report will be
captured to this volume, if it has not reached the high-water mark
v2
Second online volume

If the first online volume has reached the high-water mark, reports
with no volume specified will be captured to this volume
v3
Third online volume

If the first and second online volumes have reached the high-water
mark, reports with no volume specified will be captured to this
volume
378
v4
Fourth online volume

If the first through third online volumes have reached the highwater mark, reports with no volume specified will be captured to
this volume
v5
Fifth online volume

If the first through fourth online volumes have reached the highwater mark, reports with no volume specified will be captured to
this volume
PrintBundle pb
Print a bundle instance; bundling is described in Chapter 17
Required
id
May Be
Required
ptrdef
Bundle Instance ID
The ID of the bundle instance to print
Note
The ID of the printer definition to use for printing; this is required
if the bundle does not have a default printer assigned to it; printer
IDs are shown by ListPrintDefinitions
You cannot use pb to print a bundle instance until the instance has been
distributed.
Reindex r
Rebuilds one index or all indexes for all generations of a report
Required
report
Report Name
Optional
index
Index Name
Name of report to reindex

Name of index to rebuild; if not included, rebuilds all indexes
Note
Using vadmin
We recommend you do not reindex a report at the same time a new

generation is being captured to it, especially if you compress reports during
capture, as described on page 207. This could cause a conflict and keep the
indexing from completing.
379
ReportAction ra
Creates a report rendition in HTML or PDF format; can also delete renditions and create or delete
report subscriptions; included only for compatibility with earlier versions, use the individual action
commands instead; see Chapter 18 for more information; you must enter at least co=ra to use it
Required
report
Report
The report to use for the rendition or subscription action; for
renditioning, the most recent generation of the report is used
unless you include the optional gen parameter to specify a
particular generation
May Be
Required
action
Action to Perform
Required unless unsubscribe is set to y; set to one of:
it
group
Group Name
The group to perform the action for; if creating a rendition, any
page security assigned to this group for the report is used to
determine the pages included; you must include either user or
hdir
Website Home Directory

Included for compatibility with earlier versions; use volume instead;
UNC path from the Vista Plus server to the directory on the Web
server where renditions should be stored; including hdir stores
renditions in the Web directory structure in addition to the Vista
Plus report warehouse; this directory must already exist; usable
only when creating a rendition, not for subscription actions;
required whenever surl is included
surl
Website URL
Included for compatibility with earlier versions; use volume instead; the
URL of the Web site where you are storing the rendition;
ReportAction will then return the URL for the created rendition
file; usable only when creating a rendition, not for subscription
actions;
380
user
User Name
The user to perform the action for; if creating a rendition, any page
security assigned to this user for the report is used to determine
the pages included; you must include either user or group; you
cannot include both
volume
Web Volume
Name of Web volume to carry out action on; required if subscribe
or deleter is y unless action is a, e, or t; see page 165 for a
description of Web volumes.
Optional
carryout
Carryout Rendition
If subscribe equals y, set carryout to n not to create the report
rendition now; carryout is not needed when creating a rendition; it
has no effect when deleting or unsubscribing
deleter
Delete Rendition Outside Report Warehouse

Set to y to delete a rendition; must include hdir; must include surl
if deleting on a Web server; has no effect with action set to a, e, or
t, as those actions do not use Web server; use
DeleteReportRenditions command to delete renditions from the
report warehouse
format

information
gen
Generation ID
The generation to use to create the rendition; if you do not include
this parameter, the most recent generation of report is used; has no
effect on subscription or deletion actions
subscribe
Subscribe to Report
Set to y to create a subscription to this report for the user or group;
a rendition is also created immediately unless you also include
carryout=n; unless action is a, e, or t, include hdir and surl
unsubscribe
Unsubscribe from Report

Set to y to unsubscribe from the report; include action to remove a
specific subscription or omit action to remove all subscriptions to
report for this user or group; include hdir and surl
ShowAlarm sa
Shows detailed information for a SmartAlarm; SmartAlarms are described in Chapter 16
Required
alarm
Alarm Name
Name of SmartAlarm to show information for
Using vadmin
381
ShowBundleComp sbc
Shows detailed information for a bundle component; bundling is described in Chapter 17
Required
id
Bundle Instance ID
ID of bundle instance component is a member of
order
Bundle Component Sequence Order

Unique sequence order of bundle component to show information
for; sequence numbers are displayed by Vista Plus Windows
Client; see the note after the AddCompDef command
ShowBundleDef sbd
Shows detailed information for a bundle definition; bundling is described in Chapter 17
Required
bundledef

Name of bundle definition to show information for
ShowBundleInst sbi
Shows detailed information for a bundle instance; bundling is described in Chapter 17
Required
bundledef

id
Bundle Instance ID
ID of bundle instance to show information for
ShowCompDef scd
Shows detailed information for a component definition; bundling is described in Chapter 17
Required
bundledef

order
Bundle Component Order Sequence

Unique order sequence of component within bundle definition;
sequence numbers are displayed by Vista Plus Windows Client;
see the note after the AddCompDef command
ShowDevice sd
Shows detailed information for a device: name, ID, description, media type, size in KB, and, for
tape devices, the root path; devices are described in Chapter 12
Required
device
Device Name
Name of device to show information for
382
ShowFolder sf
Shows detailed information for a folder; folders are described in Chapter 4
Required
folder
Folder Name
Name of folder to show information for
ShowGroup sg
Shows users in a group or groups a user belongs to; users and groups are described in Chapters 8
and 7, respectively
May Be
Required
group
Group Name
Name of group to show users for; must specify either user or
group
user
User Name
Vista Plus name of user to show groups for; if you use both user
and group, shows if the user belongs to the group specified.
ShowPageAccess spa
Shows detailed information for a page security; see Chapter 11 for more information
Required
id
Page Security ID
ID of page security to show information for; security IDs are
shown by ListPageAccess
Optional
long
Show full information

Set to y to display full conditional expression
ShowReport sr
Shows detailed information for a report along with a list of online or offline generations; reports
are described in Chapter 5
Required
report
Report Name
Name of report to show information for
Optional
offline
Show Offline Generations

Set to y to view offline generations instead of online generations
Using vadmin
383
ShowUser su
Shows detailed information for a user; see Chapter 8 for more information on users
Required
user
User Name
Vista Plus name of user to show information for
Optional
format

information
ShowVolume sv
Shows detailed information for a volume: name, description, type, percent full, ID, root path,
device name (if any), and create time; volumes are described in Chapter 12
Required
volume
Volume Name
Name of volume to show information for
ShowWarehouseConfig swc
Shows detailed information for the warehouse configuration record; see Chapter 14
Optional
format

information
path
Show Volume Root Path

Set to y to include the root path of the warehouse volumes
Status st
Shows status information for a background capture job created with rcaptures B option (see
page 87). It displays a message with the status and returns one of these codes, which you can use if
running the command from inside a script or program:
1 - Invalid process ID
7 - Unknown error
8 - Database error
Required
id
9 - Vista internal memory error

10 - Process has completed
11 - Process is still in progress
Background Job ID
The ID of the background capture job. This is provided by
rcapture.
384
Subscribe s
Creates a report subscription; unless delay is used or action is u, creates a rendition of most recent
report generation; see page 286 for more information
Required
action
Action to Perform
Set to one of:
u to e-mail URL to report (for Web View subscription)
it
report
Report
The report to create the subscription for
May Be
Required
folder
Folder Name
Used only if action is u; folder to open the report from in Web
View
group
Group Name
The group to create the subscription for; page security for the
group determines the pages included in subscription renditions;
you must include either user or group; you cannot include both
user
User Name
The user to create the subscription for; page security for the user
determines the pages included in subscription renditions; you
must include either user or group; you cannot include both
volume
Volume
Name of Web volume (if action is u, Web View volume) to create
subscription on; required unless action is a, e, or t
Using vadmin
385
Optional
delay
Delay Rendition
Set to y not to create a rendition now; wait until next generation of
report is captured
format

Tree t
Displays the folder hierarchy from a certain folder; folder hierarchies are discussed on page 46.
Optional
folder
Folder name to start tree at

Name of folder display should start from; to display the folder
hierarchy from the root folder (the default is MAIN), leave out this
parameter; when asked if you want to use MAIN as the root, enter
y
long
Show long report/folder names

Set to y to show entire name; if not used, only first 20 to 30
characters display
report
Show reports
Set to y to include the list of reports in each folder
UnlinkBundle ub
Removes a bundle definition from a folder; bundling is described in Chapter 17
Required
bundledef

Name of bundle definition to remove
folder
Folder Name
Name of folder to remove it from
UnlinkFolder uf
Removes a folder from a parent folder; see page 50
Required
folder
Folder Name
link
Parent Folder Name
Name of folder to remove

Name of parent folder to remove it from
386
UnlinkReport - ur
Removes a report from a folder; see page 62
Required
link
Folder Name
Name of folder to remove report from
report
Report Name
Name of report to remove
Unsubscribe u
Deletes a report subscription; see page 292 for more information
Required
report
May Be
Required
group
Report
The report to delete the subscription for
Group Name
The group to delete the subscription for; you must include either
user
User Name
The user to delete the subscription for; you must include either
volume
Volume
Name of Web volume (if action is u, Web View volume)
subscription is on; required unless action is a, e, or t
Using vadmin
387
Optional
action
Type of Subscription to Delete

Set to one of:
a for PDF rendition
d for PDF rendition
e for e-mailed Vista Plus shortcut (.vsc file)
i for e-mailed text rendition
s for stored text rendition
t for e-mailed HTML rendition (single-file)
u for e-mailed URL to report (for Web View subscription)
uh for HTML rendition (single-file) and e-mailed URL
If omitted, all subscriptions to the report for the specified user or
group are deleted
format

information
Version - v
Displays the Vista Plus server version
Optional
long
Show full information

Set to y to show separate version information for each part of the
Vista Plus server software
388
Appendix A
Glossary
This glossary contains brief definitions of terms which some Vista Plus users may not be
familiar with. It includes words and phrases specific to Vista Plus as well as general
computing and Windows terms. Some of the Vista Plus-specific terms may be used in
other Vista Plus documents rather than this manual. References to other terms found in
the glossary are in italics.
Access permissions
Access permissions determine the actions a Vista Plus user is

allowed to perform on a report, folder, or bundle. They can be
assigned to a user or a user group. Also called permissions.
Permission are discussed in Chapter 10.
Administration client
One of the two programs Vista Plus Administrators use to

maintain the report warehouse and other parts of the Vista Plus
installation. The two administration clients are the Server Admin
client, a Microsoft Management Console (MMC) snap-in which
can be installed and used on any supported Windows
workstation or host on the network, and vadmin, a command-line
client which can be used only on the server host and any remote
hosts.
Administrator
One of the two classes of Vista Plus users; the other is normal
users. Only Administrators can use the Vista Plus administration
clients. In the Windows Client and Web View, administrators always
have the highest access permissions for all folders and reports they
can see.
Archive
To move data, such as Vista Plus report generations, from online

storage to another location for long-term storage. Data can be
archived in a different location on a disk, or to another type of
storage, such as magnetic tape. Data is archived for safety and to
increase performance by removing seldom-used information.
Vista Plus generations are archived by the migration process.
Migration is described in Chapter 13.
Banner page
Vista Plus Server Adminstration Guide
A bundle header, separator, or trailer. These pages come at the

beginning or end of a bundle, or between components, and can
contain information about the bundle and its recipients. A
separator can also contain information about the component that
follows it.
389
Glossary
Bundle
Bundling lets you define groups of reports which are distributed

as a unit, or bundle. The definition includes which generations of
what reports are to be included, and when, how, and to whom
the bundle is distributed. Each group of generations which is
bundled and distributed is called a bundle instance. Defining
bundles is described in Chapter 17.
Capture
The process of copying reports and other files into the Vista Plus
report warehouse is known as capturing. Reports can be captured
in a number of ways:
Automatically when they are printed on the server host or

a remote host.
Using the rcapture or dircapture command on the server

host or a remote host.
Through the PC Capture tools on a workstation.
Report capture is covered in Chapter 6. The PC Capture tools are

described in the Vista Plus Windows Client Users Guide.
390
Clear
Many options are indicated by a check mark next to a menu item

or in a box on a dialog. To change or turn off the option, click the
menu item or box so the check mark disappears. This is called
clearing the option or selection.
Click
If an instruction says to click an item, move the mouse so the

mouse pointer is on the item, then press and release the left
mouse button.
Client
In client/server applications, a client program makes requests to

the server program, which returns the information or performs
the operation the client asks for. In Vista Plus, you can use several
client programs to view and change the information stored by the
server: the Server Admin Client, vadmin, the Windows Client, and
Web View.
Context menu
A list of items displayed when you right-click the mouse on a

particular area or item. The items are generally features or
commands relating to the area you clicked; you select an item by
clicking it. Also called a pop-up menu or shortcut menu.
Delete permission
The highest level of access permission in Vista Plus. Users with this
permission for a folder or report can delete it or perform any other
action possible. In the Windows Client and Web View, this is called
deletions/modification enabled.
dircapture
A Vista Plus capture tool. It can capture all of the files from a
directory into the report warehouse. dircapture can be run on a
UNIX server host or a remote host. It is described in Chapter 6.
Glossary
Distribute permission
The permission level above view only and below modifications

enabled. It allows a user to print, copy, e-mail, add notes to, and
download reports.
Double-click
Click the left mouse button twice in rapid succession. In Vista

Plus, you can display the reports in a folder by double-clicking
the folder, and open a report generation by double-clicking it.
Drag
To drag, hold down the left mouse button while moving the
mouse. When done, release the mouse button. You can use
dragging to mark an areafor example, on a report pageor to
move an item from one location to another.
epurposing
Epurposing is the ability to create a copy of a Vista Plus report

generation in HTML or PDF (Adobe Acrobat) format. These
copies are called renditions. Epurposing works through vadmin
commands and is described in Chapter 18.
Folder
In Vista Plus, a folder is a way to organize reports. Each folder

can contain reports, other folders (called subfolders), bundles, or
any combination.
Vista Plus folders are different from Windows folders in that the
same Vista Plus folder can be linked to, and therefore appear in,
more than one parent folder.
In Vista Plus Web View, folders are listed in Browse view and can
be added to My Vista view. In the Vista Plus Windows Client,
folders are displayed in the folder list pane of the Vista Plus
Explorer.
Generation
A specific, single report file which has been captured into Vista
Plus. Generations are contained in Vista Plus reports. Usually,
each generation is a different version of the same report. For
example, each days inventory report would be a generation of a
report called Inventory. This does not have to be the case; you
could capture completely unrelated files as different generations
of a report.
Generation filters
Settings which determine which generations of a report appear in a

particular folder. Generation filters can be based on the user who
captured the report, when the report was captured, and other
characteristics. They can be different for each folder the report is
linked to, so different generations of a report may appear in
different folders.
Generation filters are assigned by a Vista Plus Administrator. In
4.x versions of Vista Plus, they were called report attributes.
Glossary
391
Glossary
Group
A way to organize Vista Plus users. All users in a group can see
the same Home folder, and have the same access permissions. (Both
a Home folder and access permissions can also be assigned
individually.) Group members can send each other messages
within Vista Plus.
Home folder
Each Vista Plus user or group has a Home folder. This is the folder
they see when they log in using either the Windows Client or Web
View. All folders and reports the user or group needs must be
contained in the Home folder. Home folders are assigned by Vista
Plus Administrators.
Host
In Vista Plus, the server host is the computer where the Vista Plus
server software runs and the report warehouse is located. This
computer must use a supported version of UNIX or Windows.
Vista Plus can also have remote hosts, which run parts of the server
software and from which reports can be captured to the report
warehouse on the server host.
Hyperlink
In Web View, hyperlinks associate an area in one report with a

particular action: users can click the area to perform the action. A
hyperlink can link to another page in the same report, a different
report, or a URL, or perform a global index search. For a search or
a URL link, you can include the hyperlink text in the search
criteria or in the URL to link to.
Web View hyperlinks are much more powerful than Windows
Client report index hyperlinks. Report index hyperlinks are
described in the Vista Plus Windows Client User's Guide.
ImageVue Capture
ImageVue Capture is an optional Vista Plus component which

lets you capture images scanned using Kofax Ascent Capture. It
is described in Chapter 20.
Index
An index is a marked area of a Vista Plus report page. It may be

either a fixed area (an area/column index) or an area determined
by the location of a particular text entry (a label index). An index
is defined once, and occurs on every page of each generation of a
report (or each page where the label text is found). You can search
for particular values in an index, and use index values to trigger
SmartAlarm actions.
See the Vista Plus Windows Client Users Guide and the Web View
online help for more information on indexes.
Java
392
A programming language developed primarily for use on the

World Wide Web. Java programs, called applets, can be
transferred over the Internet and run automatically. For example,
many Web pages run a Java applet on any computer which
accesses them.
Glossary
Label index
See index.
Migration
Vista Plus Administrators use migration processes to maintain the

report warehouse. Based on rules defined by an Administrator,
migration can compress, archive, and delete report generations. It
is generally used to move old data out of the report warehouse to
long-term offline storage.
Modify permission
The second highest level of access permission. Users with this

permission level can view, distribute, and change reports and
folders. For example, they can add new generations to a report and
link reports to folders. They cannot delete folders or reports.
In the Windows Client and Web View, this is called Modifications
enabled.
Normal user
A Vista Plus user who is not an administrator. Normal users

cannot use the administration clients, and their access permissions
may be limited when using the Windows Client or Web View.
Offline
Not immediately accessible. The two most common meanings in

the information industry are:
Disconnected from the Internet and/or local network.
A storage medium which can be removed from the

computer for long-term storage. For example, data which
has been moved to a magnetic tape and stored away
from the computer is offline data.
In Vista Plus, report generations which have been archived from an

online volume to an offline disk or tape volume are offline
generations.
Online
The opposite of offline: immediately accessible. As with offline, it

refers both to being connected to a network (and therefore able to
access its information) and to local data storage. Data stored on a
disk drive on your computer, or on one you can access via a
network, is online data.
In Vista Plus, report generations which are still in the report
warehouse are online generations.
Glossary
393
Glossary
Page security
An Administrator can define a set of rules to use to select certain

pages from a report generation. These rules are report-specific, and
are based on the value of one or more indexes in the report. For
example, one rule could be to select only pages with Sales in
the Department index. The pages selected when the rules are
applied to the report are a page security.
Administrators can assign a page security to any user or group.
This allows each person to see only the report pages which are of
interest to him or her. If they are assigned different page
securities, different users will see different pages when looking at
the same report generation.
394
Parent folder
A folder which contains other folders. The folders it contains are

called its subfolders.
Permissions
See Access permissions.
Pop-up menu
See Context menu.
rcapture
One of the Vista Plus capture tools. rcapture can capture files from
either the server host or a remote host. It is described in Chapter 6.
Region
A defined area of a report page which can be searched for specific

values. Regions differ from indexes in these ways: they apply only
to the generation they are defined in, not all generations of a
report; they cannot be savedthey are lost when the generation
is closed; they cannot be numeric; and you cannot define a
label region.
Remote host
A computer running a supported version of UNIX, Linux, or

Windows which does not have a Vista Plus report warehouse but
does have parts of the Vista Plus server software installed so
reports can be captured from it and stored in the report
warehouse on a separate server host computer.
Rendition
A rendition is a copy of a Vista Plus report generation in HTML

or PDF format. Renditions are created with the epurposing
feature. See Chapter 18 for more information.
Glossary
Report
The use of report in Vista Plus can be confusing. In Vista Plus, a

report is defined by a user to hold a generation or generations.
Each generation is a captured report from an outside source.
For example, say you run an application report each morning
listing orders received overnight. You could create a Vista Plus
report called Overnight to hold each days data. When you run the
report Monday morning, it is captured into Vista Plus as a
generation of the Overnight report. Tuesdays report is captured
as the next generation of the Overnight report, and so on. In Vista
Plus, each days report is a separate generation, but they are all
the same report.
Report attributes
See generation filters.
Report generation
See generation.
Report Index Hyperlink Report Index Hyperlinks associate an area in one report with an
index in a second report. You can then search the index in the
second report for the value found in the hyperlink area of the first
report. You can only create and execute report index hyperlinks
in the Windows Client. They are described in the Vista Plus
Windows Client User's Guide.
Web View hyperlinks include the same abilities as report index
hyperlinks, and more.
Report warehouse
The database containing all generations captured into Vista Plus.

The report warehouse consists of a directory structure based on
the generation IDs of captured reports. There is a directory for
each captured generation, containing the original file, the Vista
Plus format file, and any auxiliary files, such as index files.
The actual structure of the report warehouse is invisible to the
Vista Plus user; Vista Plus uses it to find report files as quickly as
possible.
Glossary
Repository
Another name for the report warehouse. It was used in earlier

versions of Vista Plus.
Restore
To return data from offline storage to online storage; its the

opposite of archive. In Vista Plus, users can restore archived report
generations using either Web View or the Windows Client.
Right-click
Click the right button on the mouse rather than the left one.
Right-clicking often brings up a menu of possible actions to
choose from, called a context menu or pop-up menu.
Select
In Windows, the most common way to select an item, such as a

menu command or an entry in a list, is to click it with the mouse.
You can generally also use the arrow keys on the keyboard. A
selected item is usually highlighted on the screen.
395
Glossary
Server
In client/server applications, the server software performs

operations requested by the client software. In Vista Plus, the
server software supplies generations when they are asked for by a
user and performs many other functions.
Server Admin Client
An administration client that Administrators can use from any

supported Windows workstation on the network with the Vista
Plus server. It has a menu-driven, graphical user interface to
make it easy to perform administration functions such as
maintaining users, groups, and folders.
Server host
The computer on which the Vista Plus server software is installed

and the captured reports are stored in the report warehouse. It must
run a supported version of UNIX or Windows.
Shortcut menu
See Context menu.
SmartAlarm
Vista Plus Administrators can define SmartAlarms for any report.

Based on report characteristics, such as the value of an index, a
SmartAlarm can notify any Vista Plus user or perform other
actions.
SmartAlarms are described in Chapter 16.
String
A consecutive group of characters. This may be a word, part of a

word, or more than one word. Also called a text string. String is
frequently used when talking about searches.
Strings can contain any characters, including numerals, spaces,
and punctuation; they do not have to include letters.
Subscribing
Requesting that each new generation of a Vista Plus report is

renditioned and made available through a portal or via e-mail
when it is captured. Subscriptions are a feature of epurposing and
PortalVue Connector. Please see Chapters 18 and 19. Users can
also subscribe to reports directly through Web View.
TransVue file
A file captured into the report warehouse in its original format,

without being transformed into Vista Plus report format. From
the Windows Client, you can view a TransVue file by opening the
files native application, if it is available on your PC. From Web
View, you can download a TransVue file to your PC and open it
using its native application.
Capturing TransVue files is discussed in Chapter 6; see the Vista
Plus Windows Client Users Guide or the Web View online help for
information on viewing them.
Users
396
Each user is identified to Vista Plus by a user name. Each user

may belong to one or more groups. Your Home folder and access
permissions depend on your user name and/or the group you are
logged in as a member of.
Glossary
vadmin
One of the administration clients. It runs on either UNIX or

Windows hosts (both the server host and remote hosts). vadmin is a
command-line interface run from the UNIX shell or a DOS
window. Administrators can use its commands and options to
perform most server administration functions; some operations
can be performed only with the Server Admin Client. vadmin
commands are covered in Chapter 22.
View only permission
This level of access permission allows a user to view folders and

reports, but not to distribute them or change them. A user with
this permission can open a generation to view the data, but cannot
print or copy it.
Warehouse
See Report warehouse.
Web View
A Vista Plus program which lets you view and work with Vista
Plus reports through a supported Web browser on any computer
which can access your Web server through your intranet or the
Internet.
Web View can perform most, but not all, of the same actions as
the Windows Client; it also has some features the Windows Client
does not. It is described in its online help.
Windows Client
Glossary
A Vista Plus client program which lets you view reports from any
supported Windows computer on the same network as the Vista
Plus server host. Besides viewing reports, you can search them,
and, if your access permissions allow, print them, attach notes, and
perform some administration functions. This client is described
in detail in the Vista Plus Windows Client Users Guide.
397
Glossary
398
Appendix B
Configuration Files
In This Appendix
Overview ................................................................................................ 400
The client.cfg File ................................................................................... 401
The server.cfg File .................................................................................. 405
The Database Configuration File ........................................................ 419
399
Overview
Overview
Vista Plus server software includes files used for server communication and
configuration. These are the client.cfg, server.cfg, and db.cfg files. There is only one server.cfg
and one db.cfg, but there may be up to three client.cfg files for use by various parts of the
software:
server.cfg and db.cfg are added to the installation directory during server installation.
On a UNIX host, client.cfg is also added to the installation directory during server
installation; on a Windows host, it is put in the bin subdirectory of the installation
directory.
A client.cfg file is added to the installation directory on remote hosts during

installation of vadmin and remote capture tools.
A client.cfg file is added to the Windows system folder (the default is

c:\Winnt\system32) on Windows hosts during installation of the Vista Plus Capture
Printer Port.
Note
400
The name of the db.cfg file may vary; it is specified by the

DATABASE_CONFIG_FILE statement in the server.cfg file. db.cfg is the
default.
The client.cfg File
The client.cfg File

The client.cfg file is used by both vadmin and report capture tools to connect to the Vista
Plus server. Most of these tools use the client.cfg file in the installation directory, but the
Vista Plus Capture Printer Port looks in the client.cfg file in the Windows system folder
instead (the default is c:\Winnt\system32). Entries are made in the client.cfg file during
installation. You can change any of these entries, if needed. On remote hosts, you must
change the hostname entry to the name of the Vista Plus server host.
Entries in the client.cfg File

These entries can be made in any client.cfg file. They affect the capture printer port if the
file is in the Windows system directory, or the other capture tools, vadmin and the Server
Administration client if they are in the Vista Plus installation directory:
BATCH_TOKEN Sets the tag used to start and end multi-line commands in a
vadmin batch file (see page 325). For example:
BATCH_TOKEN=NEW_TAG
This sets the tag used to start a multi-line command to <NEW_TAG> and the tag to end
it to </NEW_TAG>.
Your entry replaces the standard <BATCH_COMMAND> tags; if you use
BATCH_TOKEN to set a new tag, you cannot also use <BATCH_COMMAND>.
CaptureUser Vista Plus name of the default capture user. This can be the user
named Capture included with Vista Plus (the default in the client.cfg file on all hosts) or
another user. When capture tools are run, they automatically log you in to the server
under this name. Reports are then captured under this users name. The user must
have at least Modify permission for folders and reports you plan to capture to.
Here are some sample capture user entries:
CaptureUser=Capture
CaptureUser=Admin
CaptureUser=Chris
If you have more than one CaptureUser entry, only the first one is used.
NO_ASA=1 Include this statement to capture reports which the capture process
auto-recognizes as ASA files as ASCII text files instead of ASA. You can still capture
ASA reports as ASA by including the iasa option during capture. See page 84. This
option is not supported by the capture printer port. NO_ASA is entered as follows:
NO_ASA=1
You can also put a NO_ASA command in the server.cfg file; if you do, the command in
that file overrides one in client.cfg.
Configuration Files
401
The client.cfg File
port Port number used for Vista Plus; the default is 7980. On the server host, this
must be the port specified during server installation. On remote hosts, you should
specify the port being used on the server host.
port is entered as follows:
port=7980
server Hostname or IP address of the Vista Plus server host. On the server host, the
server hostname is used automatically. To reduce network traffic and increase capture
performance, you can enter localhost instead. On remote hosts, you should specify
the hostname of the server host when you install capture tools or vadmin. The default
is localhost.
server can be entered in any of the following ways:
server=intrepid
server=intrepid.acme.com
server=localhost
server=177.22.333.66
Do not use server in the client.cfg file for the capture printer port. Use host instead. See
below.
Note
Values specified on a capture command line or in a capture configuration file

override corresponding values in the client.cfg file. This is also true for the
capture port-only entries below.
Capture Port-Only Entries

Some entries affect only the Vista Plus capture printer port on a Windows host or remote
host. They must be placed in the client.cfg file in the Windows system directory (generally
Winnt\system32). These entries fall into three types: host, localization, and capture
characteristics.
The host entry is exactly the same as the server entry described above for the other
capture tools. Set it to the hostname or IP address of the server host the capture port
should capture to. On the Vista Plus server, set it to localhost. Here are some examples:
host=intrepid
host=intrepid.acme.com
host=localhost
host=177.22.333.66
402
The client.cfg File
The localization entries are:
CharacterSet Sets the original character set to use when creating reports during
capture with the capture printer port. For more information on original character sets,
please see Appendix C. Here is an example:
CharacterSet=ISO8859-15
Because character set information for PCL and most PostScript reports is taken from
the report file, the CharacterSet entry takes effect only if the capture port printer
driver produces plain text report files or PostScript files which use certain extended
character sets.
LocaleName Sets the locale to use when creating reports during capture with the
capture printer port. For more information on locales, please see Appendix C. Here is
an example:
LocaleName=English(United Kingdom)
The capture characteristics entries let you set the indicated items for files captured
through the capture port. In some versions of Windows, information such as the original
file name or the name of the application that generated it are not available when files are
printed through the Windows print spooler (the names of the captured files may contain
only the printer and the job numberfor example, HP LaserJet 5M Job 10). These client.cfg
entries give you a way to include meaningful information when a report is captured
through the capture port.
You can set these characteristics for files captured through the capture port:
ReportName Sets the Vista Plus report name. For example, to have all files
captured through the capture port become generations of the report Windows File:
ReportName=Windows File
GenerationName Sets the file name shown for the generation in the Windows
Client. For example, to set this to Windows Report:
GenerationName=Windows Report
GenerationDescription Sets the generation description shown in the Windows

Client or Web View. For example, to set this to SmithFile:
GenerationDescription=SmithFile
CaptureVolume Sets the volume to capture to. For example:

CaptureVolume=HardDisk
Configuration Files
403
The client.cfg File
FolderName Sets the folder to link the report to. The folder must already exist. For
example:
FolderName=Folder 4
In addition to plain text entries, as shown in the examples, you can use these tokens in the
values you set:
%P
The printer name assigned to the capture port
%S
The host name of the Vista Plus server host
%U
The name of the capture user for this capture
%D
The Document Name value from the Windows spooler; Windows displays
this in the Document Name column of the print queue display. This value is
the default for the GenerationName statement.
%F
The Output File value from the Windows spooler; this is usually blank.
%T
The Data Type value from the Windows spooler; this is usually blank.
All of these tokens are case-sensitive; they must be in upper case, as shown. For example,
to set the generation description to the name of the capture user:
GenerationDescription=%D
You can use only one token in any statement; you cannot combine them. You can combine
a token and text, as in:
GenerationName=Captured by %U
Note
Since the variable names all start with %, you cannot start a plain text entry
with a single % sign. To get the entry %Text, enter %%Text.
As shown in some of the examples, text can include blanks; it does not have to
be enclosed in quotes.
404
The server.cfg File
The server.cfg File

The server.cfg file contains entries that control various aspects of server and warehouse
operation. Entries are described below. Not all of these entries are included in the file after
installation; other entries may be used in certain situations. Where two or more values are
given, the first is the default.
Many of these entries are described in more detail in the appropriate section of this
manual.
To have most changes to server.cfg take effect, you must stop and restart the Vista Plus
server. For changes to the LOGGING and MAX_SERVER_PROCESSES settings, you can
also use vista_service r. vista_service and stopping and restarting the server are
Warning
Be very careful when changing any of the entries in server.cfg. Setting any of
these variables incorrectly could seriously affect the operation of Vista Plus,
or keep it from working at all.
Entry
ALARM_SUBJECT_LINE=text
How Its Used

Text is the text to use for the subject line for SmartAlarm
e-mail actions (AddAlarm action types a, r, t, and v) and
e-mail subscriptions (Subscribe action types a, e, t, and
v). In the message text, you can include any combination
of these variables:
%d for the report name
%t for the report description
%i for the report ID
For example, you could use the report description as part
of the subject line by adding this statement to server.cfg:
ALARM_SUBJECT_LINE=The %t report is now
available
The maximum length of the ALARM_SUBJECT_LINE
entryafter any variables have been replaced by their
valuesis 256 characters.
If you do not include ALARM_SUBJECT_LINE, Vista
Plus will use the default subject line text, either: New
report name report available in Vista Plus
or New generation captured.
Configuration Files
405
The server.cfg File
Entry
ALLGROUPS=0 or 1
How Its Used

When set to 1, each user gets the highest permission of
any of his or her groups, no matter what group he or she
is currently logged in under. See Chapter 10.
Also, when set to 1, when using a group page security,
Vista Plus uses the first page security it finds for any of a
users groups, not necessarily the one for the users
current group. See Chapter 11.
ALLOW_SSO=0 or 1
Set to 1 to enable single sign-on for Vista Plus Web View.

See Customizing Web View for instructions on configuring
Web View for single sign-on.
ASA_IGNORE_INITIAL_PAGEBREA When set to 1, a page break as the first character in an

K=0 or 1
ASA report file is ignored during capture. If this flag is
not set, ASA reports with an initial page break have a
blank first page when captured into Vista Plus.
ASA_OVERSTRIKE_MODE=0, 1, 2,
or 3
Determines what appears when an ASA file includes

more than one character at one position:
0 = Display a ?. This is the default.
1 = Display first character
2 = Display last character
3 = Display all characters
406
AUTHENTICATOR=path
Path to module to use for external password

authorization. See the Vista Plus Technical Addendum for
more information.
BlockInsertSize=n
When StoreIndexValuesInDB is on, BlockInsertSize

determines how many index entries are inserted into the
Vista Plus database at a time. The default is 1000; in some
situations, increasing this can improve indexing and
capture performance. n must be between 100 and 20000.
CACHE_WHCONFIG=0 or 1
On UNIX servers only, controls whether warehouse

configuration settings, such as the default on-demand
migration rule set, are cached for active processes. If this
is set to 1, configuration settings are cached, and
changing a setting affects only the process that makes the
change, not any other active process. If set to 0, the
settings are not cached, and all processes will see and use
the changed setting.
The server.cfg File
Entry
CAPTURE_DATE=1
How Its Used

When set, generations keep their original capture date
and time when they are archived and later restored. This
means they will not appear at the top of generation lists
in viewer clients. Remove this statement to set the
Create Time of restored generations to the date and
time they were restored.
If this option is set and you use permanent restores (as
described on page 213), migration rules based on the
capture date will continue to use the original capture
date and time. This could cause restored generations to
be remigrated the next time you run migration.
If this option is not set, capture date migration rules will
use the restore date and time when considering whether
restored generations should be remigrated. If you use
offline-to-offline migration (for example, from an offline
disk to a tape), this could delay that migration for
restored generations.
CIRCULAR_DEBUG=n
n is the maximum size, in bytes, of the server.debug.log

error logging file. When server.debug.log reaches this size,
it will begin overwriting the oldest entries. Setting n to 0,
or leaving out this statement, allows server.debug.log to
grow indefinitely. See the Technical Addendum for more
information on error logging and this option.
CONNECTION_QUEUE=n
n is the number of client connection requests which can

be waiting for a server worker process at once. For more
information, please see the Technical Addendum.
CONNECT_TIMEOUT=n
n is the number of seconds a client request can wait in

the connection queue before it is rejected. For more
information, please see the Technical Addendum.
DAEMON_CLEANUP_INTERVAL=n
n is the number of minutes before a background task that

has completed is removed from its queue. n can be
between 5 and 10,080. The default is 720 (12 hours).
DATABASE_CONFIG_FILE=name
Name of the database configuration file for the Vista Plus

server; the default is db.cfg. This file must exist in the
Vista Plus server installation directory (the same
directory as server.cfg). See page 419.
DefaultLocale=name
Sets the default locale to use for reports to name. Name

must be a locale available on the server host operating
system. If you do not include this statement, the current
locale for the server host is the default for Vista Plus
reports. For more information on locales, please see
Appendix C.
Configuration Files
407
The server.cfg File
Entry
How Its Used
DelayGenFilter=0 or 1
When set to 1, a global index or generation search first

finds matching generations, then applies page security
and generation filters to get the final match list. This can
speed search performance when searching large
numbers of generations, only a few of which contain
matches. When set to 0 or not present, Vista Plus first
applies page security and generation filters to get the list
of generations to search, then searches for matches.
DisableSearchGens=0 or 1
When set to 1, normal users cannot use the Windows

Client Search in Generations feature. The most common
reason for disabling this feature is to save disk space, as
Search in Generations uncompresses all the generations
it searches. The default setting is 0.
EMAIL_RPT_DESCRIPTION=0 or 1
When set to 1, the subject line of each e-mail notification

sent for a Web View My Vista e-mail favorite (a type u
subscription if created using the vadmin Subscribe
command) includes the report description. If set to 0 or
left out, the subject line includes the report name.
ENCRYPT_CAPTURE=1
ENCRYPT_SERVERADMIN=1
ENCRYPT_VADMIN=1
ENCRYPT_WEBVIEW=1
ENCRYPT_WINCLIENT=1
Each statement causes Vista Plus to encrypt data during

transfer between the server and the indicated client
program. Note that data is encrypted only during
transfer, not when stored on the server. See page 19 for
more information. To turn encryption off, remove the
statement or set it to 0.
ExtractHeaderObjOrder=Order
Controls the order in which objects are displayed in the

header of an extracted subreport. Choices are:
ImageFirstImages first, graphic patterns, text
NormalIn the same order used when displaying
the report in Web View or the Windows Client
PatternFirstGraphic patterns, images, text
TextFirstText, graphic patterns, images
YXIn order from left to right and top to bottom,
regardless of object type. This is the default.
In rare cases, because only part of the report page is
being displayed, the objectstext, images, lines, and so
onin the header for an extracted subreport can display
in an order that ends up hiding objects that should be
shownputting text behind an image instead of in front
of it, for example. If this happens, you may be able to
correct it by changing this setting. We suggest trying
Normal first, as that corrects the issue in most cases.
Remember that this is a global setting; fixing the
situation for one report may affect others.
408
The server.cfg File
Entry
How Its Used
FILTER_GENS_IN_REPORT_LIST=1
When set to 1, the generation information shown in the

report list in Web View or the Windows Client is filtered
for the user: it shows information for the most recent
generation the user can open. If this statement is missing
or set to 0, the report list shows information for the most
recent generation, whether it can be opened by the user
or not.
Setting this to 1 can significantly increase the time it
takes to display report lists, especially in folders with
several hundred reports and reports with large numbers
of generations.
This statement affects only generation information in a
report list. No matter how it is set, a user can open only
generations allowed by page security and generation
filters, and listing a report's generations shows only
generations the user can access.
FILTER_PAGE_SEC_GENS=1
When set to 1, if, due to page security, a user cannot see

any pages in any generations of a report, the report is not
listed for that user in viewer clients. If a user can see
pages in some generations but not others, only the
generations where he or she can see pages are listed.
If this statement is missing or set to 0, the generations are
listed, but the user cannot open them.
For this statement to affect the report list,
FILTER_GENS_IN_REPORT_LIST must be set to 1. If it
is not, reports are listed even if page security will keep
the user from opening any generations.
This statement affects only report and generation lists,
not which generations a user can open. No matter how
this flag is set, a user can open only generations allowed
by page security and generation filters.
Configuration Files
409
The server.cfg File
Entry
FLUSH_LOG=n
How Its Used

If this statement is missing or n is 0, the server.debug.log
file is opened and closed each time a message is written
to it. When there is a lot of log activity, for example, if
LOGGING is set to Verbose (see below), this can slow
server performance.
Setting FLUSH_LOG causes the server to leave
server.debug.log open at all times and send a flush()
command to the operating system after each n messages.
This causes the operating system to physically write the
new messages to disk rather than buffering them in
memory. Since the file is not opened and closed
repeatedly, this improves logging performance.
When FLUSH_LOG is on, do not delete the server.debug.log
file. Since the file is open, deleting it will cause future
messages to be lost. To clear the log, use vista_service z
(see Appendix G).
IndexSearchMethod=auto, db, or file
Controls where Web View global index searches and

index searches through the Find in Report feature look:
auto (the default) looks in the index table in the
Vista Plus database for generations that have values
there, and at the index files in the report warehouse
for generations that do not have index values in the
database.
db looks only at the index table in the Vista Plus
database. This is the fastest search method and can
search offline generations, but generations that do
not have index values in the database are not
searched.
file always looks at the index files in the report
warehouse. This is slower than searching in the
database, and it cannot search indexes for offline
generations.
If all of your online generations have index values in the
database, we recommend leaving this set to db for best
performance (this is the default setting for new
installations of Vista Plus 5.5 or later).
Index values are stored in the database only if
StoreIndexValuesInDB was on when the generation
was captured or indexed. If there are no index values in
the database for a generation, but IndexSearchMethod is
set to db, global index searches and Find in Report index
searches will not find any matches.
410
The server.cfg File
Entry
How Its Used
INITIAL_WORKER_PROCESSES=n
The number of worker processes the server pool monitor

starts when the Vista Plus server is started. The default is
3. This value can be overridden in the vista_service
command line. See the Technical Addendum for more
information.
KEEPSLASH=0 or 1
When set to 1, the capture process allows slashes (/) in

report names. When set to 0, names containing a slash
are truncated to only the part after the last slash in the
name.
LOGGING=Off, On, or Verbose
The level of logging performed by the server. See the

Technical Addendum for more information on error
logging.
MatchIndexValueFirst=0 or 1
When set to 1, a generation or global index search first

searches for the index value, then retrieves only those
generations with matching values. When set to 0 or
omitted, the search first retrieves the generation list for
the report, then performs the index search.
MAX_SERVICE_PROCESSES=n
The maximum number of service processes the server

can have running at one time. The default is 3. This value
can be overridden on the vista_service command line.
See the Technical Addendum for more information.
MAX_WORKER_PROCESSES=n
The maximum number of worker processes the server

can have running at one time. The default is 100. This
value can be overridden on the vista_service command
line. See the Technical Addendum for more information.
Note
Important! If you increase the MAX_WORKER_PROCESSES setting on a

host with more than one report warehouse, and the total of this setting plus
your user license is greater than 1000, you must shut down all servers on your
server host, then restart them.
Entry
How Its Used
NO_ASA=1
Captures reports which the capture process autorecognizes as ASA files as ASCII text files instead of
ASA. You can still capture ASA reports as ASA by
including the iasa option during capture. See page 84.
This option is not supported by the capture printer port.
You can place NO_ASA in either server.cfg or client.cfg. If
it is in both files, the one in server.cfg is used.
NORMALIZE=1
Configuration Files
Setting this to 1 converts linefeed characters in UNIX

text files into CR/LF pairs during capture for better
remote printing.
411
The server.cfg File
Entry
How Its Used
NOSAVE=0 or 1
Setting this to 1 disables the File menu Save As option in

viewer clients.
NOTES_DEFAULT_TO_PUBLIC=1
If set to 1, online notes added in either the Windows

Client or Web View default to public; otherwise, notes
are private by default.
PARSE_RENDER_IMAGE=1
If set to 1, during capture Vista Plus creates and stores

GIF-format images of all graphics in a report in addition
to the bitmap-format versions that are always stored.
This decreases the time needed to display a page at 100%
resolution in Web View, but increases the space needed
to store the report.
Parser_AdjustPageAngle=n
Setting n to 0, 90, 180, or 270 causes Vista Plus to rotate

each page of a captured PCL or PostScript report that
many degrees. This is not normally necessary, as Vista
Plus determines the orientation of each page based on
the first text object on the page. Use this statement only if
some reports have a first text object which is oriented
differently than the rest of the page. Otherwise, leave this
statement out or set it to 1.
This setting takes effect only when using the 5.x PCL or
PostScript parser.
Parser_BitmapTextMergeRatio=value
value determines how close together two characters in a

bitmap font must be to be combined into a single image.
value is one of:
P Leave the bitmap images as they are in the
original report file; an image could be a character, a
word or a whole line. This is the same as a value of 0
and is the default.
W Merge adjacent bitmap characters, generally
letters within a word. The same as a value of 0.1.
L Merge all bitmap characters on one line into a
single bitmap image.
C Each character is a separate image; do not
combine. This setting is best with image caching.
A number How close two characters have to be to
be combined, expressed as the average width of a
character in the font. For example, if set to 0.5, two
characters are combined if they are less than half a
character apart.
Merging characters into a single image can improve
report displayespecially if text on a line is uneven
and may display the report faster, but it increases the size
of the captured report file. See page 93 for information
on bitmap fonts and how Vista Plus handles fonts.
412
The server.cfg File
Entry
How Its Used
Parser_Color=value
Determines color support for images in PCL and

PostScript reports. Set to:
bitonal Black and white. Uses one bit per pixel.
This is the default.
auto Vista Plus will determine the best storage
format for each image.
The Windows Client cannot display color images; if you
use the Windows Client, you may want to set this to
bitonal.
PostScript parser.
Parser_ConvertPaths=1
Optimizes storage of horizontal and vertical lines in

vector graphics in reports. In some cases, also allows
Vista Plus to maintain the color of the lines. Takes effect
only when using the 5.x PCL or PostScript parser.
Parser_DashRuleError=n
Some PCL reports use strings of dash-like characters to

create horizontal lines. To save space in the report file,
Vista Plus combines these characters into larger line
segments. This can create small display errors due to a
change in the length of the line segments; merging more
characters saves more space but can create larger display
errors. This setting determines how large the display
error can get before starting a new segment. It can be set
from 1-100; the default is 20.
This setting takes effect only when using the 5.x PCL
parser.
Parser_ImageCache= s, l, or sl
Causes the parser to store only one copy of an image

which is used repeatedly in a report. Set to s to cache
small images, l to cache large ones, or sl to cache all
images. In most cases we recommend setting this to sl.
This also controls caching of images during creation of a
PDF rendition, and can significantly reduce the size of a
created PDF file.
PARSER_PATH=path
Path to the parent directory of the directories containing

the parser files. This is set during installation.
Parser_Resolution=n
Sets the bits-per-inch resolution for bitmap image when

capturing PCL or PostScript reports. n can be from 75 to
1200; the default is 300.
PostScript parser.
Configuration Files
413
The server.cfg File
Entry
How Its Used
Parser_TextMergeFactor=n
This is a percentage (1 to 100) of the height of the

current font. If adjacent text objects are closer together
than this, they are merged into a single text object. You
may need to adjust this value only if characters within a
word are getting split into separate text objects.
PostScript parser.
PCL_MACRO_OPTIMIZE=0 or 1
To reduce the file size of captured reports, by default the

Vista Plus 4.x-compatible parser combines objects
created by macros in PCL report files into group objects.
However, text in group objects is skipped by the Vista
Plus search feature. Setting PCL_MACRO_OPTIMIZE
to 0 turns off this grouping feature so you can search
PCL macro text.
You should use this statement only if directed to do so by
customer support due to a problem with searching. It can
greatly increase the size of captured files.
This setting affects only reports captured with the 4.xcompatible PCL parser. The 5.x parser handles PCL
macros in a different way that does not cause problems
with searching.
PCL_PrefVersion=1 or 2
414
Determines the parser used for PCL reports if one is not

explicitly set during capture. Set to 2 to use the 5.x
parser; set to 1 to use the 4.x-compatible parser. We
recommend using the 5.x parser unless you have existing
reports which you know are not captured properly by it
or you are told to use the 4.x parser by customer support.
See page 89 for more information about PCL files and
capture.
The server.cfg File
Entry
How Its Used
PDFRenditionObjOrder=order
By default, when creating a PDF file, Vista Plus renders

graphics (such as boxes or lines), then images, then text.
This is commonly the desired order, so the text is visible
over any graphics or images in the same area on the
page. However, in some cases, you may want to change
this order to get certain files to display correctly.
You can set order to:
ImageFirst: images, then graphics, then text.
Normal: graphics, then images, then text. This is the
default.
TextFirst: text, then graphics, then images.
If you use TextFirst, text could be hidden beneath a
graphic or an image. In this case, even though the text
will not show in a PDF rendition (for example, when
being printed from Web View), it still exists, and can still
be found by a search
PERFSKIP_ON=1 or 0
Controls whether PCL reports will print in the

perforation area at the bottom of a page. See page 217
for more information.
This statement affects only the Vista Plus 4.x parser, not
the 5.x parser.
PS_PrefVersion=1 or 2
Determines the parser used for PostScript reports if one

is not explicitly set during capture. Set to 2 to use the 5.x
parser; set to 1 to use the 4.x-compatible parser. We
recommend using the 5.x parser unless you have existing
reports which you know are not captured properly by it
or you are told to use the 4.x parser by customer support.
See page 89 for more information about PostScript files
and capture.
SaveRendition=1 or 0
Controls whether a copy of the created file is saved in the

report warehouse when a Web View user downloads all
pages of a generation. 1, the default, stores the file so it
can be re-used if someone downloads all pages of the
generation later. 0 does not store the file; this saves space
in the report warehouse.
SaveRendition has no effect on storage of SmartAlarm
or subscription rendition files, or when a Web View user
downloads only part of a generation.
Configuration Files
415
The server.cfg File
Entry
How Its Used
SEARCH_BUFFER_SIZE=n
Changes the maximum size of the memory buffer used

to store matches during index searching. A large buffer
can speed up index searches and page security creation
for large reports. The SEARCH_BUFFER_SIZE setting is
the number of search matches which can be stored in
memory during a search. For maximum performance, set
it to the largest number of matches you expect to find for
a search, or for any condition in a page security. This
allows all matches to be stored in memory during the
search or while the page security is being created. The
default setting is 1048576.
The maximum amount of memory required for a given
SEARCH_BUFFER_SIZE setting depends on the
number of conditions in the page security. The
calculation is:
SEARCH_BUFFER_SIZE setting * Number of
conditions * 4 bytes per match
For example, if you use the default
SEARCH_BUFFER_SIZE of 1048576, and have a page
security with the maximum 500 conditions, the buffer
could be as large as 1,048,576 * 500 *4 = approximately 2
GB. However, if you reduce the setting to 65536, the
maximum buffer size would be 65536 * 500 * 4 = 125 MB.
The buffer is allocated only as needed; if there are fewer
matches, or fewer conditions, less memory is used.
If the server does not have enough memory to allocate
the buffer size needed, the operation fails and an error
message is written to server.debug.log. If this happens to
you, you may want to reduce the
SEARCH_BUFFER_SIZE setting.
416
SET_LPI=n
When set during capture, causes a report to display as if

it had been printed on a printer set to this lines-per-inch
setting. Possible values are: 1, 2, 3, 4, 6, 8, 12, 16, 24,
and 48. If there is a specific lines per inch setting in the
PCL file being captured, it overrides the SET_LPI setting.
SET_ASA_PAGE_EJECT_ONLY=0 or
1
Setting to 1 causes Vista Plus not to insert page breaks

during capture based on the paper size and lines per
page settings; only form feeds in the report file are used.
Affects capture of ASA-format files only.
SET_NEW_PAGE_EJECT_ONLY=0 or
1
Setting to 1 causes Vista Plus not to insert page breaks

during capture based on the paper size and lines per
page settings; only form feeds in the report file are used.
Affects capture of text files only.
The server.cfg File
Entry
How Its Used
SET_PCL_NO_RASTER_BITMAP=0
or 1
When set to 1, raster bitmap images in PCL files are not

converted to Vista Plus during capture. This can greatly
reduce the size of captured files.
This statement affects only the Vista Plus 4.x parser, not
the 5.x parser.
SKIP_NULL=0, 1, or 2
Null characters in text report files can cause problems

during capture. Setting SKIP_NULL=1 causes capture to
remove any null characters during text capture.
SKIP_NULL=2 causes nulls to be turned into spaces.
StoreIndexValuesInDB=0 or 1
When set to 1, values for report indexes are stored in the

Vista Plus database as well as in files in the report
warehouse. If the IndexSearchMethod option is set to
auto or db, this can greatly speed up global index
searches and index searches using Find in Report in Web
View, and allows you to include offline generations in
these types of searches.
When StoreIndexValuesInDB is on, report capture may
take longer, as index values are written to both the report
warehouse and the Vista Plus database. It also increases
the space required for the Vista Plus database. This
option is on by default; to turn it off, you must enter
StoreIndexValuesInDB=0.
SYM_SET=charset
Sets charset as the default character set for report

capture. Include only if you want to use a character set
other than Windows CP1252 Latin 1 as the default. For
more information on character sets, including possible
entries, please see Appendix C.
TMP=path
Sets the directory used for temporary storage by

VMTransport, repository search, and the vadmin
GenerateStandardReport command, and for color
image files during capture, on Windows servers only.
The directory must be large enough to hold all the files in
any single archiving action.
All other processes use the temporary directory defined
in warehouse configuration. See page 204.
TMPDIR=path
Sets the directory used for temporary storage by

VMTransport, repository search, and the vadmin
GenerateStandardReport command, and for color
image files during capture, on UNIX servers only. The
directory must be large enough to hold all the files in any
single archiving action.
All other processes use the temporary directory defined
in warehouse configuration. See page 204.
Configuration Files
417
The server.cfg File
Note
If there is no TMP statement on Windows or TMPDIR statement on UNIX, all

Vista Plus operations use the temporary directory defined in the warehouse
configuration.
Entry
How Its Used
UseOracleHint=0 or 1
When set to 1, speeds up index searches if the Vista Plus

database uses Oracle 9i and StoreIndexValuesInDB and
IndexSearchMethod are on. This setting can hurt search
performance slightly with Oracle 10g, so we recommend
you set it to 0 in that case. It has no effect if you use the
MySQL database. The default is 1.
VISTA-MAILER
When uncommented, allows you to use Vista Plus e-mail

functions. See the Vista Plus Server Installation Guide.
VMIDENTIFY_CHUNKSIZE=n
n is the maximum number of reports VMIdentify

processes in each iteration of its internal loop. The
default is 50,000. You may need to reduce this number if
memory on the server host is limited. If the host has a
great deal of memory, you may want to increase it to
improve performance.
This is not a limit on the number of reports VMIdentify
can process in one command; it affects only how it
chunks reports internally.
VMLOGGING=0 or 1
418
When set to 1, volume rollovers during capture are

logged to the server.debug.log file; rollovers during a
restore are logged to VMTransport.log. See page 209 for
more information about volume rollover.
The Database Configuration File

The database configuration file contains configuration information for the connection
between the Vista Plus server and the database server it is using. The file must exist in the
Vista Plus server installation directory. The name of this file is set by the
DATABASE_CONFIG_FILE statement in the server.cfg file. db.cfg is the default name.
If you want to change the name of the database configuration file, you must do the
following:
1.
Stop the Vista Plus server.
2.
Change the name of the file.
3.
Change the DATABASE_CONFIG_FILE statement in server.cfg to match the new file

name.
4.
Restart the Vista Plus server.
The database configuration file contains some or all of the following statements:
Entry
How Its Used
DSN=name
The ODBC data source name being used for the Vista Plus
database. It is set during installation. This must be the exact name
of a valid ODBC data source.
USER=name
The database software user name used by Vista Plus to connect to

the data source. This is set during installation. It must be a valid
user name for the database server, and it must have access rights
to the database specified by the data source name.
PASSWORD=xxx
The password for the database user name specified in the USER
statement. It is encrypted for security. If you change the database
password, use the vcrypt command to find the entry to place here.
To use vcrypt, change directory to the Vista Plus installation
directory (on a Windows host, the bin subdirectory) and type:
vcrypt password
password is the new password. Cut and paste the displayed
encrypted password into this statement.
MIN_CONNECTIONS=n
The minimum number of simultaneous connections available for

Vista Plus workers to connect to the database software. The
default is the INITIAL_WORKER_PROCESSES setting in
server.cfg. This setting affects Windows hosts only; it is ignored on
UNIX.
MAX_CONNECTIONS=n
The maximum number of simultaneous connections available for

Vista Plus workers to connect to the database software. The
default is the MAX_WORKER_PROCESSES setting in server.cfg.
This setting affects Windows hosts only; it is ignored on UNIX.
Configuration Files
419
420
POOL_TIMEOUT=n
The number of seconds a database connection must be idle before

it can be removed from the connection pool. The default is 10.
This setting has no effect if CLEANUP_INTERVAL is set to 0 or is
not entered.
CLEANUP_INTERVAL=n
How often (in seconds) to check the database connection pool for
idle connections which can be removed. Set to 0 not to remove
idle connections; this is the default.
Appendix C
Localization
In This Appendix
Overview ................................................................................................ 422
Localization Procedure Overview ....................................................... 423
Server Host Locales ............................................................................... 424
Vista Plus Locales .................................................................................. 428
Character Sets ......................................................................................... 432
Character Sets in Vista Plus .................................................................. 433
Viewer Client Considerations .............................................................. 440
Summary: Effects of Localization ........................................................ 443
421
Overview
Overview
Reports generated in different areas of the world, even if they contain the same type of
information, may look quite different. Besides using different languages, different
countries may use different formats for numbers, different types of currency which are
marked by different symbols, and so on. In addition, reports created on different host
operating systems may use different internal representations for various characters, even
if the report output is exactly the same.
The process of enabling Vista Plus to properly store and display report content from
differing countries and host operating systems is called localization. Within Vista Plus,
localization involves setting two characteristics for each report:
The locale defines the conventions the report uses for items such as the currency
indicator and the decimal indicator in numeric values. It is called a locale because
these conventions generally vary by country or area. As discussed on page 424,
operating system locales include more information than Vista Plus uses.
The character set tells Vista Plus what numeric value is used for each character in the
report. Knowing the character set the report uses allows Vista Plus to correctly store
and display the characters in the report.
While these characteristics are stored with each report, for most installations they only
have to be set once (or can be ignored altogether if the default values are correct), as all
generated reports will be able to use the same values for both. However, to support
installations which capture reports from different locations or which are created using
different character sets, Vista Plus allows you to specify either or both of these values
when a report is created.
To be sure all characters are correctly represented in Vista Plus, you also need to make
sure they are supported by all the software involved in creating and capturing the report
file. This means that, in addition to the Vista Plus locale and character set, the operating
system settings on the server host, the application producing the report, and, for PCL and
PostScript reports, the printer driver and font being used must all support the characters
found in the report.
The rest of this appendix describes the steps you may need to take to localize Vista Plus
for your situation, discusses the locales and character sets Vista Plus supports, and
describes the effects of localization. Since we expect enabling support for the euro
character () to be one of the most common reasons for localization, we will refer to it
specifically throughout this appendix.
422
Localization Procedure Overview
Localization Procedure Overview

To make sure Vista Plus will store, display, and index report information correctly for the
character sets and locales your installation uses, you need to do the following:
1.
Make sure the Vista Plus server host has all of the necessary locales defined and is
using a locale which supports the proper character set. If one or more captured
reports will need a locale which is not available on the server host, you can create a
new locale definition to be used only with Vista Plus. On a UNIX host, you may also
be able to install an operating system locale with the settings you want.
2.
If the default locale for Vista Plus capture should be different than the locale being
used by the server host, define the default locale in the server.cfg file. For Windows
hosts, you should always define the default in server.cfg.
3.
If the default original character set for Vista Plus capture should be something other
than Windows CP1252 Latin 1, define the default character set in the server.cfg file.
4.
For any ASCII text report which uses other than the default locale and/or character
set, specify the correct one(s) when the report is created.
5.
For PCL and PostScript reports, be sure to use a printer driver and fonts which
support the correct character set. For PostScript reports which use the Thai character
set, you may also need to specify the character set when creating the report.
6.
Make sure the client operating systems for all clients viewing reports support the
necessary locale and character set. This includes all Windows Client users and the
Web server or other computer where the Web View software is installed.
The following sections describe each of these steps.
Localization
423
Server Host Locales
Server Host Locales

At the operating system level, locales control many aspects of display and data entry:
keyboard layout, character set (see page 432), date format, number format, currency
format, and more. The operating system may have many different locales defined and
available; one of these locales is active. The active locale determines the characteristics
mentioned above.
The operating system locales are important to Vista Plus for two reasons:
Applications which create report files for Vista Plus must be able to generate all
characterssuch as you may want to include in any report. In most cases, this
means the active operating system locale must use a character set which contains
these characters. The active locale is also used as the default locale for Vista Plus if you
do not select a default.
If you capture reports which use different number or currency formatsfor example,
reports which list amounts in dollars and others which list them in eurosthere
should be locales defined on the server host which use those formats.
To see the locales currently defined to the server host operating system:
On a UNIX host, type this command:

locale -a
On a Windows host, open the Control Panel. Select Regional Options and look at the
General tab.
Once you know the available locales, you can decide which one(s) to use in Vista Plus. See
page 428. Vista Plus does not support locales which use a Unicode character set.
Note
On HP-UX and Sun Solaris hosts, some locales listed by locale a may not be
complete and usable by Vista Plus. If a locale is not accepted by Vista Plus,
you can check for individual values in it using this command (in the Bourne
shell):
LC_ALL=localename locale ck value
Localename is the name of the locale to check. Value is the value to check for;
it may be currency_symbol, int_curr_symbol, thousands_sep,
decimal_point, or grouping. For example:
LC_ALL=fr.ISO8859-15 locale ck decimal_point
If the value is not found, you will receive an error message. You can then
create a vlf file for the locale (see page 430), or use a different locale name.
424
Server Host Locales
Locale Names
There is a standard convention for locale names, though this is not always followed
exactly on some operating systems. The locale name has up to three parts:
The language, which describes the spoken and written language of the report. This is
required.
The country, which describes formatting conventions used. This is optional.
The code page, which describes the character set and the mappings between individual
values and the characters associated with those values. This is optional.
These three parts are put together in the form:

Language[_country][.code page]
As shown, when country is included, it must be separated from language by an

underscore (_), and when code page is included, it must be preceded by a period (.). If
either the country or the code page is left off, then the language specification usually
provides a default.
This convention is often followed with variations, so even if vendors supply the same
locales, they might use different names for it. For example, on Solaris 5.7, the French locale
with euro support is called fr.ISO8859-15@euro, while it is called fr_FR.iso885915@euro on
HP-UX 11.00. See the lists below for some exact locale names, or use the locale a
command as described in the previous section. When specifying a locale to Vista Plus,
either in server.cfg or during report capture, you must enter the locale name in the correct
format.
Locale Support for the Euro

Some of the operating systems Vista Plus supports may require updates and/or specific
locale choices to enable support of the euro character (). Information for specific
operating systems is below.
AIX
All versions of AIX supported by Vista Plus 5.x support the euro. For more information,
see the IBM Web site.
Localization
425
Server Host Locales
HP-UX
To enable support for the euro on HP-UX 11.0, you must install these patches:
11.0 Patch
Description
PHCO_17316
ISO8859-15 locales
PHCO_17317
ISO8859-15 & Unicode 2.1 converter tables
PHCO_17318
Locale config table
PHCO_17513
Euro printer fonts support
PHCO_17514
Euro documentation
PHSS_15852
X11 Server
PHSS_17419
CDE Runtime 2/99
PHSS_17420
CDE msg cat 2/99
PHSS_17422
X/Motif Runtime 1/99
PHSS_17421
XClients 1/99
PHSS_17535
X font server
Euro support is provided via locale support for the ISO8859-15 character set. There are 14
available locales based on ISO8859-15. If you need support for the euro, select one of these
as the locale for the Vista Plus server host. Here is a partial list of the locales containing the
euro and most commonly used with Vista Plus:
Locale
Language (Country)
C.iso885915
"C"
de_DE.iso885915@euro
German (Germany)
en_GB.iso885915@euro
English (Great Britain)
fr_CA.iso885915@euro
French (Canada)
fr_FR.iso885915@euro
French (France)
For more information, see the HP Web site; when this document was written, euro
information could be found at: http://software.hp.com/products/EURO/index.html.
426
Server Host Locales
Sun Solaris
Solaris offers 14 locales supporting the euro and based on ISO8859-15. If you need euro
support, use one of these locales on the server host. Here is a partial list of the locales most
commonly used with Vista Plus:
Locale
Country
de.ISO8859-15
Germany
en_GB.ISO8859-15
United Kingdom
en_IE.ISO8859-15
Ireland
fr.ISO8859-15
France
Windows 2000 and 2003

All versions of Windows supported with the Vista Plus 5.2 or later server are capable of
displaying the euro. Here are partial lists of the language and country strings Windows
recognizes when specifying a locale:
Primary Language
Sublanguage
Language String
English
English (Australian)
"australian", "ena", or "english-aus"
English
English (Canadian)
"canadian", "enc", or "english-can"
English
English (default)
"english"
English
English (UK)
"eng", "english-uk", or "uk"
English
English (USA)
"american", "american english",

"american-english", "english-american",
"english-us", "english-usa", "enu", "us", or
"usa"
French
French (Canadian)
"frc" or "french-canadian"
French
French (default)
"fra" or "french"
German
German (default)
"deu" or "german"
Country/Region
Country/Region String
Australia
"aus" or "australia"
Canada
"can" or "canada"
France
"fra" or "france"
Germany
"deu" or "germany"
United Kingdom
"britain", "england", "gbr", "great britain", "uk", "united

kingdom", or "united-kingdom"
United States of America "america", "united states", "united-states", "us", or "usa"
For more information, see the Microsoft Web site; when this document was written, euro
information could be found at: http://www.eu.microsoft.com/technet/euro/.
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Vista Plus Locales
Vista Plus Locales

In Vista Plus, a locale is stored as part of the report definition when the report is created; it
cannot be changed. All generations of a report use the same locale setting. The locale
assigned to a report controls only two aspects of the report: number format and currency
symbols. (The character set is controlled by a different Vista Plus setting; the other areas
affected by the operating system locale are not applicable to Vista Plus.) Specifically, Vista
Plus uses the locale to determine these report conventions:
The currency symbol: $ for dollars, for euros, and so on.
The three-character International Monetary Symbol (ISO4217): USD for U. S. dollars,

EUR for euros, and so on.
The thousands separator: The character to use to separate grouping of numerals in

large numbers (usually every three digits). This is a comma (,) in the U. S. and a space
in many other countries.
The number of digits between each thousands separator. This is generally three.
The decimal indicator: the character used to separate whole units from the decimal
part of a number. This is a period (.) in the U. S. and a comma (,) in many other
countries.
None of these conventions affect how the report is captured or displayed in a Vista Plus
client. They do affect report indexing: to create accurate numeric indexes, Vista Plus needs
to know what format numbers and currency amounts are using. In turn, correct numeric
indexes allow page security, SmartAlarms, and index searches to work properly. The
locale setting also affects downloading numeric data from the Windows or Web View.
428
Tip
If you need a combination of these settings which is not available in any

locale on the host machinefor example, if you are capturing from a remote
host or client in another countryyou can modify an existing locales
definition or create a new locale for use only by Vista Plus. See Creating New
Locales on page 430. You can then use that locale as the default or for
individual reports.
Note
Setting the thousands separator to a space can cause problems with label
indexes. Since the label index includes only characters up to the first space
after the label, any numerals after the first thousands separator will not be
indexed.
Vista Plus Locales
Setting the Default Locale

Unless you assign a specific locale when creating a report, as described in the next section,
Vista Plus assigns the report the default locale setting. This default locale comes from one
of two places:
If there is a DefaultLocale= statement in the server.cfg file, the locale named in that
statement is the default. The locale name must exactly match a locale available to the
server host operating system.
If there is no DefaultLocale= statement, Vista Plus uses the current locale for the
server host operating system.
Since Vista Plus defaults to the locale being used on the server, if all reports should use the
server hosts locale, you do not need to take any action to assign the correct locale to Vista
Plus reports. This will be the case for most installations where the server host and all
clients are in the same country. However, in cases where it is necessary, such as financial
institutions which deal with reports containing amounts in dollars and other reports
which use the euro or another currency, you can assign a different default by using
server.cfg, and/or assign the correct locale to specific reports using the methods in the next
section.
It is possible for a UNIX host not to have any locale selected. In this case, the default C
locale is used, which defines only the decimal point character. We recommend you always
select a locale for the operating system. In addition to giving Vista Plus the correct default
locale; this sets the correct locale for any applications on the server which produce reports
to be captured into Vista Plus. Of course, these other applications may or may not read
locale information from the operating system.
Tip
In Windows 2000 and 2003, regional configurations (locales) apply to a

particular user, and may not be applied to a service such as the Vista Plus
server. For this reason, we recommend you do not rely on the Windows locale
setting; always set the default in server.cfg.
Assigning a Locale to a Report

You can override the default locale setting and assign a different locale to a report when
creating it using vadmin, Server Admin, or during capture:
In the vadmin AddReport command, use the localename parameter. AddReport

format is described on page 343.
In Server Admin, enter the locale on the Capture page. Creating a report with Server
Admin is described on page page 57.
In rcapture, dircapture, or the Vista Plus print queue, use the L option on the
command line (-oL for the print queue). You cannot include this option in a
configuration file. See Chapter 6 for more information on these capture tools.
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Vista Plus Locales
With the capture printer port, add a LocaleName statement to the client.cfg file used
by the capture port. This will affect all reports created through capture port capture.
See page 78 for more information on the capture printer port.
Specify a locale in the report profile used by the PC capture tools. See the Vista Plus
Windows Client Users Guide for instructions on creating report profiles.
In any of these tools, the locale name you specify must exactly match a locale name
available on the Vista Plus server host. If it does not, you will receive an error.
When you create a report with Web View or the Windows Client, you cannot specify a
locale. Reports created in viewer clients use the default locale.
Note
If any of the fields Vista Plus needs are undefined in a selected locale, Vista
Plus will ignore the locale setting and use the U.S. English settings for any
report with that locale selected. If this happens, you can modify the locale as
described below to define the missing values.
Creating New Locales

It is possible that there will not be a locale defined on the server host which is correct for a
file being captured from a particular client computer. In this case, you can modify an
existing server host locale so the values Vista Plus uses are the ones you want, or create a
new locale to be used only by Vista Plus. If you modify an existing locale, the modified
definition will be used only by Vista Plus; to the operating system, the locale definition
will not change.
To modify a locale or create a new one, you create a file called localename.vlf, where
localename is the name of the locale you want to modify or create. This file must be in the
Vista Plus server install directory. It contains one or more lines in the format
parameter=value. The parameters you can set in the file are:
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Parameter
Description
base_name
The operating system locale this file is based on; this is required if
you are creating a new locale name. If you are modifying an existing
locale, it is not required, as the vlf file name determines the base
locale.
currency_symbol
The currency symbol. While this is usually only one character, it can
be a multi-character string.
int_curr_symbol
The 3 character ISO 4217 international monetary symbol
thousands_sep
The character(s) to separate thousands. This is commonly either a

comma (,) or a space.
decimal_point
The character(s) to precede the decimal part of a number. This is

commonly either a comma (,) or a period (.).
grouping
The number of digits between thousands separators. Usually 3.
Vista Plus Locales
All parameters other than base_name are optional; any parameter you do not include
keeps the same value it holds in the locale you are modifying or, if you are creating a new
locale, the value it has in the locale named in base_name.
For example, to modify the definition of the en_GB.ISO8859-15 locale (the United
Kingdom locale) on a Solaris system to use the asterisk as the thousands separator, while
keeping all other values, you would create the file en_GB.ISO8859-15.vlf in the Vista Plus
server install directory. The file could contain just this line:
thousands_sep=*
Since the other parameters are not included, they keep the values they have in the
operating system locale en_GB.ISO8859-15.
As another example, you could create a new locale, using the same settings as the
Canadian French locale on an HP-UX host (fr_CA.iso885915@euro), but with a dollar sign
instead of the euro as the currency symbol. If you want the locale to be called
CanadianDollar, create the file CanadianDollar.vlf and enter these lines:
base_name=fr_CA.iso885915@euro
currency_symbol=$
We recommend you enclose the values in quotes, as shown in the examples. This is not
strictly required, but if you do not, any extraneous characters, such as a space, at the end
of the line will be included in the value.
You can enter the hexadecimal value for a character instead of the character itself by
entering \x??, where ?? is the characters hexadecimal value. This will probably be most
useful for the euro, which cannot be entered in some text editors. The hexadecimal value
for the euro in the ISO8859-15 character set used on UNIX is A4, so to set the currency
symbol to the euro you would enter:
currency_symbol=\xA4
You can enter comments in the vlf file by starting the comment line with #. You can also
include blank lines in the file; they are ignored.
After you add or modify a vlf file, you need to stop and restart the Vista Plus server so it
can find your changes.
Note
Once a report is created in Vista Plus, the locale name for the report cannot be
changed. If a locale used for Vista Plus reports is deleted from the server host
operating system, you must recreate it for Vista Plus using a vlf file or you
may not be able to view any generations of the reports that use it.
Tip
You can also use this method to create an alias for an existing operating
system locale. Just create the vlf file with the name you want to use for the
locale. Include the base_name parameter, pointing to the locale you want to
use a different name for; dont include any other parameters. This gives you a
duplicate locale name for use in Vista Plus.
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Character Sets
Character Sets
On computers, charactersletters, numerals, and so onare represented by numeric
values. For most languages, the numeric values range from 0-255. For Western European
languages which use the Roman alphabet, most of the common characters are in the range
from 0-127, with the higher numeric values used for characters, such as accented letters,
which are found only in certain languages, or for characters which are not part of the
alphabet, such as the euro character ().
Some languages which use alphabets other than Roman are defined in the same way:
characters are assigned values from 0-255; its just that the characters represented by each
value are different. For example, the Greek, Cyrillic, and Thai character sets can all be
represented in this manner. However, some languages require morein some cases, many
morethan 255 characters. These are mostly Asian languages such as Chinese, Japanese,
and Korean.
What Determines the Character Set?

The first determining factor in the character sets used in reports you capture into Vista
Plus is the operating system on the server host: Windows and UNIX can use different
character sets. Sometimes, these sets may contain most or all of the same characters, but
assign different numeric values to certain ones. For example, the euro character () is 128
in some Windows character sets but 164 in one UNIX set.
In PCL and PostScript reports, each font used in the report has a character set associated
with it. Different fonts within a single report may use the same or different character sets.
Obvious examples are a Thai font which uses a character set which contains Thai
characters rather than Roman ones, and the Wing Dings font on Windows, which contains
various pictures and symbols instead of letters and numbers. However, other fonts, which
appear at first to contain all of the same characters, may instead be based on separate
character sets; certain characters may exist in some fonts but not others, even on the same
PC or server host. This affects the symbol particularly: as it is a relatively recent
invention, older fonts probably do not contain it while newer ones generally do. If you
have a font which does not contain the euro, a newer version which does may be
available, either independently or as part of an operating system patch or service pack.
Finally, some printer drivers support only certain character sets. If the printer driver
character set does not include all of the characters in the report file, some characters may
be left out, or may be created as bitmap charactersessentially a small picture of the
character rather than the numerical value for itwhich will keep some Vista Plus features
from working.
Fonts and printer drivers are generally an issue only when capturing PCL and PostScript
report files; PCL and PostScript issues are discussed starting on page 434.
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Character Sets in Vista Plus

Vista Plus can capture and display reports which use any of several character sets based
on the Roman alphabet. It can also, for some PostScript reports, capture and display
reports which use the Thai character set or which contain characters in Chinese, Japanese,
or Korean. The following sections describe, for each type of report fileASCII text, ASA,
PCL, or PostScripthow Vista Plus determines what character set or sets a report is using
and how it stores the report information.
As with locales, a character set name is stored as part of each Vista Plus report, is the same
for all generations of that report, and cannot be modified once the report is created. All
Vista Plus reports have a character set name as part of the report definition. However, the
character set assigned to the report affects only text files and, in limited cases, PostScript
files, as described in the following sections. Following the discussions of each file type, we
describe how you can change the default Vista Plus character set name and assign
character sets to specific reports.
Text Reports
Text files do not contain any information about the character set they use. When you
capture a text file, Vista Plus looks at the character set assigned to the report and treats the
text in the file as if it uses that character set. It uses the default set for the report warehouse
if there is no character set assigned to the report.
The character set you assign to a report must be one of the six character sets Vista Plus
supports in ASCII text files. These six sets are all based on the Roman alphabet. Report
data from four of these sets is stored in Vista Plus as Windows CP1252 Latin 1; data from
the other two is not. The sets stored as Windows CP1252 Latin 1 are:
Windows CP1252 Latin 1 The most popular set containing the euro in the Windows
environment.
ISO8859-15 The most popular character set containing the euro in the UNIX
environment.
ISO8859-1 Popular, but older, UNIX character set. Lacks the euro. Also called ISO
Latin 1
Roman-8 Popular, but older, character set. Lacks the euro.
The other character sets Vista Plus supports in text reports are PC-8 and ISO Latin 6.
Reports which use these sets are not translated during capture; each character is stored
with its original value. Neither of these character sets contains the euro character.
Reports which are created using a character set not listed aboveor a character set other
than the one assigned to the reportmay not have all characters correctly stored in Vista
Plus. As stated earlier (page 432) this is generally only an issue for characters with values
above 127, such as accented letters or the character. For text files which contain only
standard characters (those with values 127 and below), it is not important to assign the
proper character set when creating the report.
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When Vista Plus is installed, the default character set for text reports is the Windows
CP1252 Latin 1 character set. You can change the default, as described on page 438.
ASA Reports
ASA reports do not contain any character set information. It does not matter to Vista Plus
what character set an ASA report is using; Vista Plus stores all ASA reports using the
original numeric value for each character. No translation is done, so setting a character set
for an ASA report has no effect. Vista Plus displays ASA reports using the character
values found in Windows character set 255, which is correct for the great majority of ASA
reports. Since this character set does not contain the euro character, Vista Plus does not
support the euro in ASA reports.
PCL Reports
PCL reports contain information about each of the fonts used in the report; that
information includes the character set the font uses. Vista Plus reads the character set
information for the font from the file and translates the characters into Windows CP1252
Latin 1. In PCL files, Vista Plus supports all of the same character sets as listed above for
text files, plus many other common character sets. If the parser software doesnt recognize
a character set in a PCL report, it uses the default PCL character set, Roman-8.
Character sets which are not specifically supported may be converted to bitmap
characters by the printer driver before being captured by Vista Plus. If so, they will be
captured and displayed as bitmap characters in Vista Plus. This means that while these
characters will be displayed, they will not be searchable; see page 93.
Character set support in PCL files is transparent to the Vista Plus user. The Vista Plus
parser reads all character set information from the report file itself; setting the character
set for a PCL file has no effect.
Note
Important! Vista Plus 5.4 does not support capture, display, and printing of
the euro () character in PCL reports. While the euro may be captured
correctly in some circumstances, we cannot reliably recommend a
combination of font, printer driver, and other factors which will be successful.
For example, we have found that some PCL printer drivers, particularly
newer HP LaserJet drivers, always download the euro as a double-byte
scalable font. With these drivers, the euro should display properly in Vista
Plus, but may not be reliably recognized as a currency symbol, searched for,
or indexed.
If you wish to use the euro in PCL reports, we strongly recommend that you
test it in your situation. If practical, you may want to switch to PostScript
report capture for reports containing the euro.
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PostScript Reports
Like PCL files, PostScript files include character set information for each font used in the
report. Vista Plus reads the character set information for each font from the report file and,
when possible, translates the characters into Windows CP1252 Latin 1. For PostScript, Vista
Plus supports most characters in other Western European Windows character sets and the
MacRoman and MacExpert character sets, and custom encodings which contain glyph
names the Vista Plus parser can recognize.
It is possible for PostScript files not to have character set information for particular fonts.
If this happens, Vista Plus uses the character set assigned to the report or, if there is no
character set assigned, the default character set. To allow for this case, you can set the
character set for a PostScript report when creating it. This is rarely necessary; one case
where we have found it useful is in capturing certain reports which use the Thai character
set; see page 436.
PostScript files can also include multi-byte characters; these are most common in Asian
languages, as described below. Vista Plus recognizes certain Asian character sets and can
capture and display characters in those sets. Again, see page 436.
Euro Support in PostScript Files

To ensure proper rendering of all characters in Vista Plus, all the software and settings
used in creating a report file need to support all the characters found in the report. This is
especially true for the euro character (), since it was designed after the development of
many of the fonts and character sets used today. Lack of euro support by any of the
components listed below could keep the euro from being properly stored and displayed in
the captured report.
Operating SystemSee page 425 and following for a discussion of locales and
character sets which support the euro on the various operating systems the Vista Plus
server supports. Make sure the operating system locale on the Vista Plus server host is
based on a character set which contains the euroCP 1252 Latin 1 on Windows or
ISO8859-15 on UNIXand which uses the euro as the currency symbol.
ApplicationSome applications handle non-standard characters, such as the euro,

differently than other applications. In our tests, we have found that printing
apparently identical information, using the same printer driver, from two applications
has resulted in proper euro storage and display in one case but not in the other.
The very large number of applications from which files can be captured into Vista
Plus makes it impossible to discuss specific programs. If proper locale and character
set handling is important to you, especially if it involves the euro character, we
strongly recommend you test capturing from each application you plan to use. Its
possible that you may need to use different printer drivers or font settings to achieve
the best results from various applications.
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435
Printer DriverEuro support depends on the printer driver and version. The
Windows PostScript driver weve had the best results with is Adobe Universal
PostScript Windows Driver Installer 1.0.4 (or a later version). When this document was
written, you could download this driver from: http://www.adobe.com/support/downloads/
product.jsp?product=44&platform=Windows.
We have had the most success when setting the driver to use outline fonts (not bitmap
or automatic), and the minimum size to download as outline to 300dpi. You may need
to configure it to use printer resident fonts. If you will be remote printing to a
PostScript printer, you may want to install the correct ppd file for your printer.
FontNot all fonts contain all characters. In particular, some fonts do not include the
character because it did not exist when they were designed. In our testing, weve
had the most success at capturing, displaying, and printing with the Arial, Times
New Roman, and Courier New fonts. These are all on Microsofts list of fonts which
support the euro character.
Note that using one of these fonts does not guarantee that the euro will capture and
display correctly. The application creating the report, the printer driver being used,
and the font size can all affect the euro. It may be downloaded as a character at some
font sizes but a bitmap at others (a bitmap will display in Vista Plus but is not
searchable or indexable). We recommend testing the fonts you want to use with the
printer drivers you use, and possibly changing the driver settings as discussed above,
to see how the euro is supported. If fonts are included in a PostScript file as soft
fonts, the euro may not display correctly.
Tip
An easy way to see if the euroor any other characteris being captured as a
bitmap is to view the report in Web View or the Windows Client, then select
text only display. If the character still displays, it is not a bitmap.
Asian Character Sets in PostScript Files

Vista Plus supports Asian character sets only in PostScript files, and only when using the
Vista Plus 5.x PostScript parser. Since some Asian languages have fewer than 255
characters and some have more than 255, Vista Plus uses two different methods to support
these languages:
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Thai, which has less than 255 characters, is supported through the character set
mechanism described above. Vista Plus supports one character set for Thai.
Characters are captured as Thai in two cases: 1) If the font definition in the PostScript
file indicates it uses the Thai character set and Vista Plus can read the character set
information, and 2) If the report is set to use the Thai character set, and the font
definition for the character does not include character set information.
Chinese, Japanese, and Korean all require more than 255 characters. In PostScript files,
characters in these languages are represented in one of two ways:
CID-keyed fontsVista Plus can capture characters in CID-keyed fonts. In

Vista Plus, they are stored as Unicode characters using UTF-8 encoding (one of
several ways Unicode characters can be stored).
In order to capture reports which use CID-keyed fonts, the CID-keyed fonts
must be installed both on the Vista Plus server host and, if it is different, on the
host where the report is generated. Once the proper fonts are installed, the Vista
Plus server does not require any special procedures or settings to capture CIDkeyed fonts. If a report file contains a CID-keyed font, Vista Plus stores the
characters as UTF-8 and can display them in Web View if the client is
configured to display them; see page 440. A report can contain a mixture of
fonts, some of which are CID-keyed and some of which are not.
ChunkingIn this method, several fonts are defined within the report file.
Each font definition contains a subset of the characters needed for the report;
when combined, the fonts define all the necessary characters. Vista Plus can
read the internal character definitions in each font and store the characters as
UTF-8-encoded Unicode, as with CID-keyed fonts.
Which of these methods PostScript uses depends on the application software, the
selected font, and the printer driver being used. We strongly recommend testing
capture of any report containing Asian characters. In our tests, weve had the best
results using the Adobe PostScript Driver for Windows with the Document option for
Downloading TrueType Fonts set to Outline.
Warning The Vista Plus PostScript parser does not accept Unicode input. If you have
an application which produces reports using Unicode charactersor any
other methodrather than CID-keyed fonts or chunking for Asian
languages, you will not be able to properly capture and display those
reports using Vista Plus.
While reports using Chinese, Japanese, and Korean fonts can be captured
and displayed, no other Vista Plus features work with these characters. You
cannot search for them, enter them in any names or descriptions, and so on.
Since they cannot be found by a search, you cannot use them in page
security or SmartAlarm definitions, or capture rules.
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Setting the Default Character Set

The default original character setthe set Vista Plus assumes a captured text report file
uses if it receives no other informationis Windows CP1252 Latin 1. You can change this
default by adding a SYM_SET statement to the server.cfg file. You can set SYM_SET to
any one of these character set names or aliases:
Character Set Name
Alias
Comment
ISO8859-15 Latin 9
ISO8859-15
The most popular UNIX character set

containing the euro character.
ISO8859-1 Latin 9
ISO8859-1
ISOL1
Popular, but older, UNIX character set.

Lacks the euro.
Roman-8
HP Roman-8
Popular, but older, character set. Lacks the

euro.
PC-8
Older character set. Lacks the euro.
ISOL6
ISO 6: ASCII
Older UNIX character set. Lacks the euro.
RUSSIAN_CHARSET
Cyrillic character set, CP-1251 Latin 5. Used

for Russian and other East European
languages.
THAI_CHARSET
Use for PostScript reports in Thai only.
To use Windows CP1252 Latin 1 as the default, do not include a SYM_SET statement.
This default set is used only if Vista Plus doesnt receive any other information about the
character set to use during capture. For text reports, you can choose the character set when
the report is created (see the next section). PCL reports always include character set
information in the report file; they never use the default character set. PostScript reports
use the default character set only for any font which does not have character set
information included in the file; this is a rare occurrence.
Assigning a Character Set to a Report

Note
Important! The information in this section applies to text reports and, in some
cases, PostScript files. For PCL capture, Vista Plus uses only character set
information found in the PCL file. For PostScript capture, Vista Plus uses the
character set assigned to the report only for any font which does not include
character set information.
You can assign a character set to a text report when creating it using Server Admin or
vadmin, or when creating it during capture:
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In Server Admin, type the character set name in the Character Set field of the Capture
page.
In the vadmin AddReport command, use the characterset parameter. AddReport

format is described on page 343.
In rcapture, dircapture, or the Vista Plus print queue, use the C option on the
command line (-oC for the print queue). You cannot include this option in a
configuration file. See Chapter 6 for more information on these capture tools.
With the capture printer port, add a CharacterSet statement to the client.cfg file used
by the capture port. This will affect all text reports created through capture port
capture. See page 78 for more information on the capture printer port.
Specify a character set in the report profile used by the PC capture tools. See the Vista
Plus Windows Client Users Guide for instructions on creating report profiles. Assign
character sets only to report profiles used to capture text reports. If you capture a PCL
or PostScript file using a report profile with a character set assigned, the capture may
fail.
In any of these tools, the character set you specify must exactly match one of the character
sets Vista Plus supports for text reports, or one of the allowed aliases. The complete list of
character sets and aliases is:
Character Set Name
Alias
Comment
Windows CP1252 Latin

1
Windows
The most popular Windows character set

ISO8859-15 Latin 9
ISO8859-15
The most popular UNIX character set

ISO8859-1 Latin 9
ISO8859-1
ISOL1
Popular, but older, UNIX character set.

Lacks the euro.
Roman-8
HP Roman-8
Popular, but older, character set. Lacks the

euro.
PC-8
Older character set. Lacks the euro.
ISOL6
ISO 6: ASCII
Older UNIX character set. Lacks the euro.
RUSSIAN_CHARSET
Cyrillic character set, CP-1251 Latin 5. Used

for Russian and other East European
languages.
THAI_CHARSET
Use for PostScript reports in Thai only.
If you assign a character set name that is not in this list, you will receive an error.
Other ways for creating a reportthrough Web View or the Windows Clientdo not let
you specify a character set. Reports created in these ways use the default set.
Tip
Localization
The PC Capture tools do not accept PC-8 or ISOL6. Use another capture
method to capture reports using these character sets.
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Viewer Client Considerations

So far, this appendix has discussed how to make sure report information is properly
captured and stored in the Vista Plus report warehouse: setting the original character set
so the correct character values are stored and the locale so numbers and currency amounts
are properly recognized.
However, there are also some localization considerations when working with reports in
the Vista Plus viewer clients.
Windows Client
For the Windows Client to properly display all characters in captured reports, the version
of Windows must support the proper character set, and the necessary fonts must be
installed on the PC.
All versions of Windows on which the Windows Client is supported support the euro
character. For text reports or reports using one of the fonts listed in the previous section
Arial, Times New Roman, or Courier Newthe euro should be displayed correctly. You
should be able to local print the euro if the printer driver and printer being used support
the character.
The Windows Client does not support display of the Thai character set, or of Unicode
fonts used in other Asian languages.
Note
When downloading data from a Vista Plus report to a columnar format such
as Excel, the Windows Client lets you specify whether a column contains text
or numeric data. If you specify numeric, the data will be downloaded without
a currency symbol or thousands separator. This allows the destination
application to control the display format.
Web View
For text reports, Web View does not display characters in the ISO Latin 6 character set;
depending on font information from the Vista Plus server, it will display ISO Latin 6 as
either CP1252 Latin 1 or PC-8.
Certain PCL or PostScript reports may use the Symbol character set. Web View is not able
to render the characters which use the Symbol character set and will generally substitute
the corresponding character from Windows CP1252 Latin 1. Reports may also contain linedrawing characters from the PC-8 character set; Web View will display these characters
correctly.
440
Euro Support
The operating system on the client where Web View is run needs to support the proper
character set. If it does, the Java 2 Runtime Environment will properly convert and display
the euro character. All Windows and Macintosh operating systems on which Web View is
supported also support the euro character. You can see more information about Java
support for the euro on Suns Web site.
Asian Language Support

Displaying the Unicode characters used in Chinese, Japanese, or Korean requires
configuration on both the client workstation where Web View is being run and on the Web
server where Web View is installed.
On the workstation, the browser used to run Web View must have the necessary Unicode
fonts installed. See the documentation for your browser for information on installing
fonts. Some Web pages prompt you to install a font if it is not already installed. Web View
will not do this; if the needed font is not installed, Web View will not be able to display the
report. Installing the font on the workstation allows the user to view reports in Web
Views normal mode.
In Web Views layout mode, however, the page is created on the Web or applications
server where Web View is installed. This means that you must also install the Unicode
font(s) used in your reports on that server. In addition, you must make sure the Unicode
fonts are listed in the correct places in Javas font mapping file (this is the font.properties file
in Javas lib subdirectory).
If a Java applet is asked to display a font (in Web Views case, font names come from the
Vista Plus server) which it cannot map to a font on the Web server, Java substitutes one of
five virtual font names for the unknown font: dialog, dialoginput, serif, sansserif, or
monospaced. It then looks in the font.properties font mapping file to map this virtual name to
the name of an actual font. This lets the applications server control the fonts that are used
when an unrecognizable font name is requested. More than one font can be listed for each
virtual font; if a character (actually a code point representing a character) is not found in
the first font in the list, the next font is used, and so on.
To enable Asian language display in Web View, you must add a Unicode font to the font
list for each virtual font (there are 20 such lists) in the font mapping file. You should not
make it the first font in any list; that way it will be used only for Unicode characters which
arent found in Western European fonts.
Here is a section of a sample font.properties file showing Arial Unicode MS (a very large
Unicode font with characters for all the Asian languages Vista Plus supports) in a font list.
You would need to add itor whatever Unicode font you chooseto all 20 font lists, not
just the one shown. The changes are shown in bold:
dialog.0=Arial,ANSI_CHARSET
dialog.1=Arial Unicode MS
dialog.2=WingDings,SYMBOL_CHARSET
dialog.3=Symbol,SYMBOL_CHARSET
Localization
441
Notice that since Arial Unicode MS was added in the second position in the list, the
numbers for the following fonts also must be changed, as shown. Of course, if you want to
use a different Unicode font, you would use its name instead of Arial Unicode MS. You can
add multiple Unicode fonts to the list; if a character is not found in the first Unicode font,
it will be looked for in the next one listed.
In addition to modifying the font lists, you must tell Java how characters which use the
Unicode font are encoded. To do this, you add definitions in the Component Font
Character Encodings section of font.properties. Here is the change corresponding to the
dialog font example above:
fontcharset.dialog.0=sun.io.CharToByteCp1252
fontcharset.dialog.1=sun.awt.windows.CharToByteUnicode
fontcharset.dialog.2=sun.awt.windows.CharToByteWingDings
fontcharset.dialog.3=sun.awt.CharToByteSymbol
You should make the equivalent change for all five virtual font lists in this section of the
file. Setting the encoding to sun.awt.windows.CharToByteUnicode should be
correct, no matter what Unicode font you are using.
These changes enable you to display reports using Asian languages in either normal or
layout mode. To be able to download the reports to PDF filesfor example, for local
printingyou must also enable Asian fonts for Adobe Acrobat. At the time this was
written, you could download the Acrobat Asian font packages from:
http://www.adobe.com/products/acrobat/acrrasianfontpack.html
There are four separate font packages; you can install only the ones you need. Acrobat will
download Asian fonts as needed, or you can install them ahead of time.
You also need to install cmap files for the Asian languages. You can acquire these files
from: ftp://ftp.ora.com/pub/examples/nutshell/cjkv/adobe/. You need to unzip the cmap files
into the Acrobat cmap directory.
Finally, you must add one or more entries to the FontNameMapping.txt file in the Vista Plus
server installation directory. When chunking is used for an Asian language (see page
437), the PostScript print driver stores the internal font names as TT followed by a
number. You must map these font names to the correct font to use in the rendition, such as
STSong-Light for Chinese. See page 94 for instructions on entering font mapping
statements.
Tip
You can use the FontNameMapping.txt file to map font names for display in
Web View as well as for PDF renditions. Mapping font names for display in
this way is an alternative to using the mappings in Javas font.properties file.
(font.properties would still get used for any unmapped font names or names
that are mapped to fonts that arent available on the Web server.)
To enter mappings for Web View display, use WebView as the client name in
FontNameMapping.txt; to enter mappings for PDF downloads, use
Rendition as the client name.
442
Summary: Effects of Localization

While localization can obviously be quite involved, for most reports in most situations, it
will be invisible to the Vista Plus user. In general, localization effects three areas of Vista
Plus:
How Vista Plus recognizes numeric and monetary amounts. Setting the proper locale
means that numbers will be recognized as numbers and currency amounts will be
recognized as currency. This will allow these numbers to be correctly indexed, which
in turn allows numeric searches, SmartAlarms, and page security conditions to work
correctly. If a locale is set incorrectly, the decimal point, thousands separator, or
currency symbol may not be recognized, causing Vista Plus to treat values which
should be numeric as text strings instead.
Capture and display of characters found in the upper half of the character table
those with values above 127 (7F hex). Regardless of the character set selected,
printable characters with values below this will be handled correctly, as they are the
same in all character sets Vista Plus supports. Many characters above 127, such as the
accented vowels (, , , and so on) are also the same in the Latin character sets,
though they are different in PC-8 and Roman-8. As mentioned earlier, the euro ()
exists in only two of the supported character setsWindows CP1252 Latin 1 and
ISO8859-15 Latin 9and has different values in those two sets, so it is the single
character most likely to be affected by the character set selection.
Capture and display of Asian languages, specifically Thai, Chinese, Japanese, and
Korean. These languages are supported only when capturing PostScript files which
are properly formatted for Vista Plus. After capture, functionality is limited; these
languages cannot be reliably indexed or searched, so features such as capture rules,
SmartAlarms, and page security cannot be based on them.
Note
Localization
Remote printing is not affected by character set and locale settings, since it
sends the original report file to the printer, not the Vista Plus format report file
which is used for client display and local printing.
443
444
Appendix D
Customizing Web View

In This Appendix
Customization Overview ..................................................................... 446
Changing the My Vista Contents ........................................................ 447
445
Customization Overview
Customization Overview
This appendix briefly describes ways you can customize the behavior and appearance of
the Web View client. You do this by changing certain areas of specific Web View files on
the Web server. The changes you can make include:
Creating a list of named connections for users to select from when logging on; this
replaces the host and port fields users otherwise have to fill in. Each connection name
defines a specific host/port combination.
Setting a specific server host and port number for all Web View users to log into. you
do this by creating a named connection for the host/port combination, then removing
the connection field from the login screen.
Forcing all users to view the same startup screenthe welcome screen, Browse view,
or My Vista viewwhen logging into Web View.
Changing the column order or column width in Browse view or My Vista view.
Changing the contents of the left pane of the My Vista view window.
How to change the My Vista contents is described below. All of the other changes listed
here, and more, are described in detail in the document Customizing Web View, which you
can get by contacting customer support as described on the copyright page.
446
Changing the My Vista Contents

The right side of Web Views My Vista display lists the reports and folders the user has
selected as his or her favorites; this cannot be changed. The left pane of the display,
however, is customizable.
To change the contents of the left pane, modify the file userMessage.html in the root vp_web
directory (make a copy of the original file first). This is a plain text file which is displayed
as HTML by the browser. You can include text, hyperlinks, etc. in the content you display
in the left pane. This area is intended as a convenient way for you to broadcast messages
and information to Web View users. If desired, you can ensure that all Web View users see
the message by forcing the startup screen to be My Vista view, as described in the
document Customizing Web View.
While the content of the My Vista left pane is customizable, you cannot change its size.
Also, the pane is not scrollable, so be sure your new content fits in a reasonably-sized
browser window.
Customizing Web View
447
448
Appendix E
LDAP Authentication
In This Appendix
Overview ................................................................................................ 450
Configuration ......................................................................................... 451
Using LDAP Authentication ................................................................ 453
449
Overview
Overview
This appendix describes how to configure and use the optional Vista Plus LDAP
Authentication module. The LDAP Authentication module enables you to authenticate
users signing in to any Visa Plus client against the user names and passwords in one or
more LDAP databases.
The LDAP Authentication module works only with Vista Plus servers on UNIX hosts. If
you have a Vista Plus Windows server host and want to authenticate users against an
Active Directory LDAP database, you can do so by selecting Windows authentication
when creating the users in Vista Plus.
Vista Plus LDAP Authentication is an external module which you can use for password
authentication for some or all Vista Plus users. It functions as a user supplied
authentication module. When a user logs in to Vista Plus using LDAP authentication, this
is what happens:
The Vista Plus client sends the user name and password to the Vista Plus server,
which passes them to the LDAP Authentication module.
The LDAP Authentication module searches the defined LDAP database(s) for a
matching user name and password.
The module returns a status of either success or failure to the Vista Plus server.
Vista Plus allows or disallows the login based on the status returned by the LDAP
Authentication module.
As described in Using LDAP Authentication on page 453, you specify the type of
authentication for each Vista Plus user individually, so some users can use LDAP
authentication while others have passwords specific to Vista Plus or use their operating
system passwords.
Note
450
Important! Installing and configuring the Vista Plus LDAP Authentication

module does not mean that all LDAP users can log in to a Vista Plus client.
You must still create a Vista Plus user record for any LDAP user who needs to
use Vista Plus. See Using LDAP Authentication on page 453.
Configuration
Configuration
After installing the LDAP Authentication module files as described in the Vista Plus Server
Installation Guide, you need to configure the module so it can find the LDAP data and
configure Vista Plus so it can use the module. This requires changes to two files on AIX
and three files on the other operating systems.
Part of the configuration process is to add LDAP server information to the ot_ldap.cfg file
on the Vista Plus server. This file can also contain two configuration options:
DEBUG. If it is used, this must be the first line in the ot_ldap.cfg file. If this is set to 1,
LDAP authentication logging information is stored in the file ot_ldap.log. If this is set
to 0, or is not included, the information is not logged. During normal operation,
debug logging is usually off.
ALLOW_BLANK_PASSWORD. If this is set to 1, users who have logged in to LDAP

with a blank password are allowed to log in to Vista Plus. If this statement is set to 0,
or is not included, users who logged in with a blank password are not allowed to log
in to Vista Plus.
To configure the LDAP Authentication module

Note
VistaPlus indicates the Vista Plus installation directory.
1.
Open the file VistaPlus/server.cfg in a text editor.
2.
Change the AUTHENTICATOR parameter to point to the ot_ldap_auth.dll file:

AUTHENTICATOR=VistaPlus/ot_ldap_auth.dll
This defines the LDAP Authentication module as the method to use for any Vista Plus
user with user supplied authentication selected as his or her authorization type.
3.
Save your change and close the file.
4.
Open the file VistaPlus/ot_ldap.cfg in a text editor.

ot_ldap.cfg defines the LDAP server or servers that Vista Plus should check when
authenticating a user login using LDAP.
5.
Enter the information for each LDAP server. There are five parameters for each server.
They must be in the order shown here:
LDAP_HOSTthe name or IP address of the LDAP server.
ROOT_DNldap server root user name.
ROOT_PWldap server root user password.
USER_SEARCH_BASEuser search path.
USER_ATTRIBUTEuser attribute.
LDAP Authentication
451
Configuration
For example, a server definition could look like this:

LDAP_HOST=LDAP.companyname.net
ROOT_DN=cn=Administrator, cn=Users, dc=it
ROOT_PW=catsname
USER_SEARCH_BASE=CN=Users,DC=acctg
USER_ATTRIBUTE=CN
To define multiple servers, set these five parameters for each one. You can also have
multiple sets of parameters for the same server to define multiple search bases. For
example, after the above entries defining the Users-Acctg search base, you could have
another set defining the same server but the Users-Sales search base:
LDAP_HOST=LDAP.companyname.net
ROOT_DN=cn=Administrator, cn=Users, dc=it
ROOT_PW=catsname
USER_SEARCH_BASE=CN=Users,DC=sales
USER_ATTRIBUTE=CN
Tip
When authenticating a user, Vista Plus checks the LDAP servers in the order
in which they are listed in ot_ldap.cfg. For best performance, define the server
containing the most (or most frequent) Vista Plus users first.
6.
If desired, set the DEBUG and/or ALLOW_BLANK_PASSWORD options.
7.
Save your changes and close the file.
8.
If your server host runs HP-UX or Solaris, you need to define the directory containing
the LDAP libraries in the ODBC configuration file. If your host runs AIX, skip this
step.
9.
If Vista plus uses a MySQL database, open the VistaPlus/myodbc.cfg file in a text
editor. If Vista Plus uses an Oracle database, open the VistaPlus/ddc_odbc.cfg file.
Find the parameter defining the search path. On HP-UX, this is SHLIB_PATH.
On Sun Solaris, it is LD_LIBRARY_PATH.
Add VistaPlus/openldap to the list of directories defined in the parameter.
Save your change and close the file.
If the Vista Plus server is running, stop it with this command:

./vista_service -t
Tip
On AIX, it may take some time for all of the Vista Plus processes to stop. You
can use the command ps ef | grep VistaPlus to make sure all
processes are shut down.
10. On HP-UX or Sun Solaris, source the ODBC configuration file. If necessary, change to
the Install directory. Then, enter one of these commands:
If Vista Plus uses a MySQL database: . ./myodbc.cfg
If Vista Plus uses an Oracle database: . ./ddc_odbc.cfg
11. Restart Vista Plus. Configuration is complete.
452
Using LDAP Authentication

Once you have installed and configured it, the LDAP Authentication module is available
for you to use with any or all Vista Plus users. Any users already set to use a user-supplied
authorization method will be authenticated using their LDAP passwords. Other users will
continue to use the method selected for themeither a Vista Plus password or their
operating system password.
Changing Individual Users to Use LDAP Authentication

To set any individual user to log in using LDAP Authentication, use either the Server
Admin client or the vadmin c=mu command to set the user authorization method to usersupplied. See Passwords on page 121.
Changing Many Users to Use LDAP Authentication

For large numbers of existing Vista Plus users, changing the user authorization method
individually may be tedious and time-consuming. In this case, you can create and run a
vadmin script to change the setting for many users at once. Here is one procedure you
could follow:
1.
In the Server Admin client, list all users.
2.
Select a view, such as List, that shows only the user names.
3.
Use the export feature to export the listed users to a text file.
4.
Remove from the list users who should not use LDAP authentication. For example,
the standard Admin, Capture, and demo users probably do not have LDAP entries and
should continue to use Vista Plus autorization.
5.
From the list of user names, create a text file containing this command for each user:
com=mu user=name auth=u
User is the user name. This command changes the user autoirization setting while
leaving all other parts of each users record unchanged.
6.
Copy the text file to the Vista Plus home directory.
7.
From the UNIX command prompt, run the text file as a vadmin batch file:
./vadmin com=Batch file=filename
Note
LDAP Authentication
If all Web View users use either LDAP authentication or an operating system
password, you may want to remove the change password option from Web
View. See Customizing Web View for instructions on how to do this.
453
Adding LDAP Users to Vista Plus

Even when you use LDAP Authentication with Vista Plus, you must still create Vista Plus
user records for all usersLDAP users will not be able to log into Vista plus unless they
are also Vista Plus users.
If you want to create Vista Plus user records for most or all of your LDAP users, you can
use the Vista Plus Directory Services Exporter to export user data from an LDAP database
and the vadmin com=importfileinfo command to import it into Vista Plus. See the Vista
Plus Technical Addendum for more information.
Log Files
If you encounter problems using LDAP Authentication with Vista Plus, you can check for
error messages in the server.debug.log and ot_ldap.log files.
454
Appendix F
TransVue Tagging
Vista Plus TransVue Tagging is an optional Vista Plus module. It is not included in the
standard Vista Plus product. It must be purchased and installed separately. If you are
interested in using TransVue Tagging, contact your Open Text representative.
How to install TransVue Tagging is described in the Vista Plus Server Installation Guide.
In This Appendix
Overview ................................................................................................ 456
Adding Index Values to a TransVue File ............................................ 457
Searching for TransVue Tagging Values ............................................. 463
455
Overview
Overview
Vista Plus TransVue Tagging allows you to create indexes for TransVue report generations
and store metadata for the TransVue file as values in the index. You can then use Web
Views global index search and generation search features to find the stored index values
and display the associated TransVue file.
TransVue index values are different than other Vista Plus index values in that they are not
associated with any page, or location on a page. They do not need to exist in the captured
file content at all. They are simply values you want to associate with that TransVue
generation so you can use it to find the generation through a search. This means that when
you find a TransVue generation by searching for one of its index values, it will always
open to the first page.
TransVue index values are always stored in a table in the Vista Plus database. They are not
stored in the generation folder in the report warehouse like other index values. This
means that you can search for them only using a Web View global index search or
generation search. It also means the server.cfg IndexSearchMethod parameter must be set
to search for index values in the Vista Plus database or you will not be able to find
TransVue Tagging index values. See Searching for TransVue Tagging Values on
page 463.
The indexes used for TransVue Tagging must be global indexes. If you create the index
using the vp_load_index command or the rcapture -I or -F option, as described below, it is
automatically created as a global index. If you use an existing index for TransVue Tagging,
make sure it is a global index.
Note
456
Important! TransVue Tagging is supported only for files captured as

TransVue report generations (stored in their original file formats). It is not
supported for files which are processed by a Vista Plus parser and stored in
Vista Plus format.
Adding Index Values to a TransVue File

You can store TransVue index values either when capturing a TransVue file using
rcapture, or after the file is captured using the vp_load_index command. With either
command, there are two ways to specify the index to add the value to and the value to
add:
You can include them on the command line.
You can store them in a text file and refer to the text file on the command line.
You can include only one index name and value in an rcapture or vp_load_index
command, so if you want to store multiple index values for a single file, you must either
use the external file method or enter multiple vp_load_index commands. There is no limit
to the number of TransVue index values you can store for a captured file.
The sections below describe the format to use for a file containing TransVue index values,
the rcapture command options for TransVue Tagging, and vp_load_index command
format.
Tip
If you capture a TransVue file using any capture tool other than rcapture, you
can only add TransVue index values for it after capture, using vp_load_index.
rcapture is the only Vista Plus capture tool that can add TransVue index
values.
TransVue Index Value File Format

You can put one or more index names and values to be added through TransVue Tagging
into a text file, then refer to that text file on either the vp_load_index or rcapture
command line. The file can have any name, but it must be in the proper format: an index
name and value on each line, separated by an equals sign:
name=value
For example:
Dept=Sales
Office=Northern
Subject=Quota
Subject=Commission
This file contains one value for each of the Dept and Office indexes, and two values for the
Subject index. As with any Vista Plus index, you can have multiple TransVue index values
for a single captured report generation.
After you have prepared the file, save it as a plain-text file. You can enter the full path to
the file when using either vp_load_index or rcapture, so you can save it in any directory.
Warning
TransVue Tagging
If the index listed in the source file doesnt exist, either rcapture or
vp_load_index creates it automatically. If you mistype an index name, you
will not receive an error; the new index will be created and the value will be
stored in it. Mistyping an index name in the file could prevent later searches
457
from finding the desired values, as they would be in an index with a slightly
different name.
Using rcapture for TransVue Tagging

rcapture is one of Vista Pluss report capture tools. It is described in detail in Chapter 6,
Capturing Report Generations. To add TransVue index values to a generation you are
capturing with rcapture, you include one of two options on the command line:
-Iname=value to add value to the index name. If the index name does not exist,
rcapture creates it as a global index. Be careful to type the correct index name to avoid
inadvertently creating a new index
-Ffile to add the index values contained in file. File can be a full path. If the path
contains spaces, enclose it in quotes. If you include only the file name, rcapture looks
in the directory where you are running the command, usually the TransVue Tagging
installation directory.
Tip
Remember that, like all Vista Plus commands, rcapture options are casesensitive.
As TransVue Tagging is supported only for TransVue generations, you should also ensure
the file will be captured as a TransVue file, either by including -itv in the command or by
making sure the file extension is found in the special.cfg file. See TransVue Recognition
on page 92 for more information.
Here are some sample rcapture commands which capture a TransVue file and save
TransVue index values for it:
rcapture -n -uAdmin -itv -IMonth=July Sales.xls
This captures the file Sales.xls (an Excel spreadsheet) as a TransVue file, as a generation of
the report Sales.xls, and creates the index value July in the Month index for it.
rcapture -n -uAdmin -itv -Ftags.txt Sales.xls
This performs the same capture, but takes the TransVue index values for the generation
from the file tags.txt.
Using vp_load_index for TransVue Tagging

You can add TransVue index values to any captured TransVue generation at any time
using the vp_load_index command. As with rcapture, you can either include a single
index name and value on the command line or refer to a text file which contains the index
names and values to add.
To use vp_load_index, you must have the generation ID of the captured TransVue file.
You can display the generation ID either using the Vista Plus Windows Client (make sure
the Sequence column is shown), or by using the vadmin ShowReport command to list the
generation IDs for all of a reports generations.
458
The format for vp_load_index is:

vp_load_index -gGenID [-ffile] [-iIndex=Value]
GenID is the generation ID of the TransVue generation you want to add the index value(s)
for. You must include either -f or -i:
-fFile takes the index names and values from the named text File. See TransVue
Index Value File Format on page 457. File can be a full path. If the path contains
spaces, enclose it in quotes. If you include only the file name, vp_load_index looks in
the directory where you are running the command, usually the TransVue Tagging
installation directory.
-iName=Value adds the value Value to the named Index. If the index name does not
exist, vp_load_index creates it as a global index. Be careful to type the correct index
name to avoid inadvertently creating a new index
If you want to add more than one value, you must either use -f or use multiple
vp_load_index commands.
Using TransVue Tagging from Kofax Capture

If you scan images using Kofax Capture and release them into Vista Plus Output Manager
to be captured into Vista Plus, you can save metadata values entered during scanning as
TransVue index values for the file in Vista Plus.
The TransVue Tagging integration with Kofax Capture includes two components:
An export connector (export connectors were called release scripts in earlier versions
of Kofax Capture) to release the scanned image and metadata to Vista Plus Output
Manager. The script combines the image and metadata into a single file so Output
Manager can process them both as a single job. The export connector must be installed
on each scanning workstation.
A conversion program which splits the combined image/metadata file into separate
image and TransVue Tagging index files for capture into Vista Plus using rcapture.
This program must be installed on the JME host that will process the capture jobs.
Implementing TransVue Tagging in this way requires configuration in both Kofax Capture
and Output Manager:
In Kofax Capture, you must configure one or more batch classes to use the export
connector. This includes defining the metadata values to enter during scanning and
the Vista Plus index each one corresponds to.
In Output Manager, you must create a script which uses the conversion program to
split the combined image/metadata file, then calls rcapture to capture the image file
into Vista Plus, using the metadata file as the TransVue indexing file.
Exactly how to configure Kofax Capture and Output Manager will vary greatly
depending on your environment and needs. The following sections give more information
about each part of the implementation.
TransVue Tagging
459
Note
Before you perform the configuration described below, you must install the
files for the export connector and conversion program, as described in the
TransVue Tagging chapter of the Vista Plus Server Installation Guide.
Kofax Capture Configuration

You set up the TransVue Tagging export connector as you would any other Kofax Capture
export connector. First, you need to add it to the list of installed export connectors. Then,
you need to configure one or more document classes to use it. These are standard Kofax
Capture operations. The procedures below outline the steps you need to follow, but
include details only for steps which are specific to the TransVue Tagging export connector.
For more information about adding export connectors and configuring document classes,
please see your Kofax Capture documentation.
To add the TransVue Tagging export connector

1.
Start the Kofax Capture administration client.
2.
From the Tools menu, select Export Connector Manager.
3.
Click Add.
4.
Browse to the folder where you installed the Vpomrel.inf file and select it.
5.
Select the export connector and click Install.
To configure a document class to use the TransVue Tagging export

connector
1.
Either create a new document class or edit an existing one.
2.
Define the indexes for the document class. The values you enter for these indexes, at
either the batch level or for individual scanned documents, will become the index
values added to Vista Plus through TransVue Tagging.
You will probably want the index names for the document class to match the index
names in Vista Plus, but this is not required. The Kofax Capture index names will be
included in the output file sent to Vista Plus Output Manager. If desired, the script
that processes the Output Manager output file can map the Kofax Capture index
names to different Vista Plus index names. However, it is usually easier to use the
same index names in Kofax Capture and Vista Plus.
3.
4.
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Configure the document class to use the VPOM Release Export Connector:
On the Definitions panel, click the Batch tab.
Expand the batch class containing the document class to assign the export
connector to.
Right-click the document class and select Export Connectors.
In Available Export Connectors, select VPOM Release.
Click Add.
To configure the export connector, click Setup.
5.
On the VPOM Release Setup dialog box, give the export connector a name. It can be
up to 32 characters long.
6.
Enter the Output Manager Host, Port, and the Queue to release the images to. The
queue should be a print-type queue.
7.
Set the Use concurrency count and Count jobs in RESTART ... options as desired.
For explanations of these options, see your Output Manager documentation.
8.
The other export connector configuration options are standard for any Kofax Capture
export connector. Configure them as appropriate for your installation. Make sure all
the indexes you want to send values to Vista Plus for are configured on the Index
Storage tab.
9.
When you are finished configuring the document class, click OK.
10. Publish the document class.
TransVue Tagging
461
Vista Plus Output Manager Configuration

The VPOM export connector releases the scanned image and entered index values from
Kofax Capture as a single file. This allows Output Manager to process them as a single job.
However, for the image to be captured into Vista Plus as a TransVue file and the index
values to be added as TransVue Tagging index values, they must be split into separate
files. TransVue Tagging includes the program UnpackSpoolfile.exe to do this.
During TransVue Tagging installation, UnpackSpoolfile.exe must be placed on each Output
Manager JME host where jobs from the VPOM export connector will be processed. You
must configure the Output Manager queue which processes the job to run a script file
which runs UnpackSpoolfile.exe. In most cases, you will also want to have the script capture
the resulting image file and index entries into Vista Plus.
A typical script might perform these actions:
1.
Build and execute an UnpackSpoolfile.exe command to split the released file into the
image file and index values file. The UnpackSpoolfile.exe command syntax is:
UnpackSpoolfile.exe sourcefile imageout indexout
Sourcefile is the name of the file released from Kofax Capture. Imageout is the name
of the file to contain the scanned image, and indexout is the name of the file to contain
the index information for the image.
UnpackSpoolfile.exe creates Indexout in the correct format for use with vp_load_index
or the rcapture -F option. Each line is in the format Index=value.
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2.
If the index names used in Kofax Capture do not match the Vista Plus index names,
modify indexout so it contains the proper index names.
3.
Capture the image files and index values by issuing the proper rcapture command,
with imageout as the capture file name and including -Findexout to add the index
values to the captured TransVue file. See Using rcapture for TransVue Tagging on
page 458.
Searching for TransVue Tagging Values

Once there are index values stored for TransVue generations, you can search for them like
you can search for index values for other Vista Plus report generations. However, there are
limitations on the types of searches and the search results:
TransVue index values are always stored in the Vista Plus database. Unlike all other
index values, they are not stored in the report warehouse. This means that the
IndexSearchMethod parameter in the server.cfg file must be set to either auto or db
or you will not be able to find any TransVue index values. It also means that you can
search for TransVue index values in both online and offline TransVue generations.
You can only use the Web View Find in Report feature (the Content tab of the Find
pane) or global index search to search for TransVue index values.
TransVue index values are not associated with any particular page of the TransVue
file. When you open a TransVue generation found through an index search, it always
opens to the first page.
Warning Set the IndexSearchMethod to db only if you are sure that all report
generations you want to search have index entries stored in the database
and the server.cfg StoreValuesInDB parameter is set to 1. See the description
of IndexSearchMethod in The server.cfg File on page 405.
TransVue Tagging
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464
Appendix G
Starting and Stopping the Vista Plus Server

In normal operation, the Vista Plus server starts when the server host computer boots and
remains running at all times. You can, however, stop and restart the server at any time
using the vista_service command.
vista_service cannot only stop and restart the Vista Plus server, it also lets you change
some of the parameters controlling the servers resource use. vista_service works on both
UNIX and Windows server hosts; on Windows hosts you can also use it to install or
remove the Vista Plus server service, though you should not need to.
Warning
If for any reason you are going to shut down the MySQL service (on
Windows) or daemon (on UNIX), shut down the Vista Plus server first! If you
do not, Vista Plus may not be able to connect to the database even after
MySQL is restarted.
Tip
On Windows hosts, you can also stop and start the Vista Plus server service
through the Windows control panel. This is described in the Vista Plus Server
Installation Guide. Stopping the service in this way is the equivalent of using
vista_service with the t option: it interrupts any current client requests.
You can type vista_service at the UNIX or DOS command prompt or include it in a batch
file. You must run it from the account where the Vista Plus server is installed, even if the
account is included in your path. On UNIX, you must be logged in as the user that owns
Vista Plus. The command format is:
vista_service option(s)
The options available are:

Option
Description
-d
Windows hosts only. Passes the dependent service name to Vista Plus
during installation. Valid only when used with -i; you should not need to
use this option.
-i
Windows hosts only. Installs the Vista Plus Server as a Windows service.
This is done during installation; you should not need to use this option.
-m number
Sets the maximum number of server worker processes that can run on the
system to number. If you dont use this option, vista_service uses the
value set in server.cfg; if server.cfg doesnt contain a
MAX_WORKER_PROCESSES statement, the default is 100.
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-n number
Sets the number of server worker processes started when the server starts
to number. If you dont use this option, vista_service uses the value set in
server.cfg; if server.cfg doesnt contain an
INITIAL_WORKER_PROCESSES statement, the default is three.
-p port
UNIX hosts only. Include the port number in the output of the UNIX ps
command. port must match the port where the server is installed.
Whether you include p or not, the server always starts on the port where
it is installed.
-r
Tells the server to read the server.cfg file and re-initialize using the current
configuration values. It reads only the MAX_WORKER_PROCESSES
and LOGGING settings. The new LOGGING setting takes effect only for
new worker processes as they are spawned; existing processes keep the
old setting. See the Vista Plus Technical Addendum for more information on
worker processes.
-s
Starts the server (server pool monitor).
-t
Terminates the Vista Plus server. This may stop client requests in the
middle of processing. The server can be left unstable. Be very careful
using this option!
-u
Windows hosts only. Uninstalls the Vista Plus Server as a Windows

service; this is done by the uninstall program; you should not need to use
this option.
-z
Empties the server.debug.log file by setting the file size to zero. If

FLUSH_LOG is on in the server.cfg file (see page 410), this is the only way
to clear the log file.
For example, to start the server on port 7981 and allow 20 server worker processes:
vista_service s p 7981 m 20
While the server is running, only the r, t, and z options are accepted. You cannot use
m to change the maximum number of server worker processes without stopping and
restarting the server. To change the maximum number without stopping the server,
change the server.cfg setting and use vista_service r.
466
Tip
Important! If for any reason you cannot shut down the Vista Plus server using
vista_service, contact customer support for assistance. Except as described in
the next tip, we do not recommend you use an operating system command to
shut down the server without guidance from customer support.
Tip
On AIX, vista_service -t may take a long time to shut down all Vista Plus
processes, or may not successfully end them all. When you use -t on an AIX
host, we recommend you monitor its progress using ps ef | grep installdir
to make sure all processes are shut down.
Tip
vista_service does not recognize pseudo-root users created by the sudo, su,
or pseudo UNIX command. You must be logged in as the actual root useror
the user who owns Vista Plus, if it is differentto use vista_service.
Tip
In certain conditions, vista_service -r sometimes fails to update the settings;

repeating the command may work. If it does not, you will need to stop and
restart the Vista Plus server for the changes to take effect.
Note
On UNIX, when the server pool monitor starts, vista_service writes the PID
(Process ID) of the monitors process in the file vista_service.pid in the Vista
Plus home directory. Subsequent invocations of the program use the PID
stored in that file. The file is deleted when the server pool monitor is
shutdown. If you delete this file accidentally, you will not be able to shut
down the Vista Plus server.
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468
Appendix H
Backing Up Vista Plus

This appendix describes how to back up and, if necessary, restore your Vista Plus
installationthe Oracle or MySQL database and the report warehouseon either a UNIX
or Windows server host.
In This Appendix
Backing Up on UNIX ............................................................................ 470
Backing Up on Windows ...................................................................... 477
469
Backing Up on UNIX
Backing Up on UNIX
The following sections describe the options you have for backing up your Vista Plus
installation on a UNIX server: the Vista Plus database and report warehouse. They include
both a procedure for the ideal situation, where you can shut down the Vista Plus server
during the backup process, and instructions on what you can do to get the best possible
backup even if it is impossible to shut down Vista Plus.
We do not discuss which type of backup you should use or how often you should back up.
These questions depend on many factors: whether the Vista Plus server host also runs
other applications, the number of people using Vista Plus and the host, the amount of
Vista Plus activity, and more. We suggest you discuss your backup needs with PSO to
arrive at a backup schedule which fits your situation.
Note
These procedures describe how to back up Vista Plus data using standard
UNIX and either MySQL or Oracle utilities. If you use a third-party backup
product, follow its instructions to back up Vista Plus. Be sure to back up both
the Vista Plus database and all volumes of the report warehouse.
Backing Up With the Vista Plus Server Stopped

We strongly recommend you stop the Vista Plus server before backing up. This ensures no
one is adding or altering data in the database during the backup, and the backed-up
database and report warehouse files will be synchronized. Perform the steps below to
back up all the data in the Vista Plus database and all report generations stored in the
report warehouse.
Note
Important! Before stopping the Vista Plus server, make sure VMTransport is
not running. If it is, do not stop it; let it finish before continuing. Do not start
it again until after the backup is complete. Also, if possible, have everyone log
off all clients and stop all captures so no one is accessing Vista Plus. Anyone
who is using Vista Plus, and any in-progress captures, will be stopped when
you shut down the Vista Plus server service.
1.
Log in to the Vista Plus server host as root. If Vista Plus is run by a user other than root,
you can log in as that user instead, if that user also has permission to run MySQL or
Oracle directly and the other commands used in the following procedure.
2.
Change directory to the Vista Plus server installation directory.
3.
Shut down the Vista Plus server:

./vista_service t
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Backing Up on UNIX
4.
Back up the data from the Vista Plus database.

If you use MySQL, use the mysqldump command:
/opt/mysql/bin/mysqldump -uroot -ppassword -add-drop-table
vistadb > ./backupfile.sql
Password is the password for the MySQL root user. vistadb is the name of the Vista
Plus database. Backupfile is the name you want to give the backup file. It can have
any name, but the extension must be sql, as shown.
If you use Oracle, use the exp command:
Oraclepath/bin/exp user/password file=backupfile
Oraclepath is the path to the Oracle home directory. User is the Oracle user name
Vista Plus uses to access the Oracle database; password is the password for that user.
Backupfile is the name you want to give the backup file. It can have any name and
extension; if you do not include an extension, exp will give it the extension dmp.
Note
5.
The exp command creates a binary backup file which can be read only by the
associated imp utility. imp is described in Restoring the Vista Plus Data on
page 474.
Use the tar command to collect each Vista Plus volume of the report warehouse into a
single compressed file. If possible, this file should be on a different file system than
the warehouse volume. For each volume:
Change directory to the top-level directory of the volume. This should be the
volumes path, as contained in the volume definition in Vista Plus.
Enter the tar command:

tar cf /backup_path/backup_file.tar .
Backup_path is the full path to the backup file system; backup_file is the name
to give the backup file.
Compress the backup file:

compress /backup_path/backup_file.tar
Repeat this for each volume in the report warehouse. If you have more than one
report warehouse volume, its a good idea to record the exact configuration of each
volume in a separate file or in written notes so you can be sure to restore it properly if
necessary.
Tip
You can combine the tar and compress commands for a volume into a single
command to create the compressed file in one step:
Tip
To minimize the time Vista Plus is down, you can create the tar files for all
warehouse volumes first, before performing any of the compressions. At that
point, youve copied all of the Vista Plus data and can restart the Vista Plus
server (see step 8).
tar cf . | compress > /backup_path/backup_file.tar.Z
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Backing Up on UNIX
6.
Copy the sql file or dmp (or other extension) file created in step 4 to the backup_path. If
desired, compress the file to save space.
7.
Copy the server.cfg, client.cfg and capture.cfg files from the Vista Plus server
installation directory to the backup_path. You may also want to make copies of the
model scripts for any Vista Plus print queues and of any custom scripts you use with
Vista Plus.
8.
Restart the Vista Plus server:

./vista_service s -p port
port is the port number where Vista Plus is running.
Backing Up With the Vista Plus Server Running

Note
Important! We strongly recommend you shut down the Vista Plus server
before backing up the Vista Plus database. If you do not shut down Vista Plus,
there is no way to ensure that the records in the backed-up database match
the files in the backed-up report warehouse, especially if there are captures
taking place during the backup. There could be report generations in the
report warehouse for which there are no entries in the Vista Plus database, or
other problems with the data.
If you cannot shut down the Vista Plus server to perform a backup, you can use this
procedure to back up the database and report warehouse while the server is running.
Complete steps 3 6 as quickly as possible to minimize differences between the database
backup and the report warehouse backup. Also, perform the backups when there is as
little Vista Plus activity as possible.
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1.
Log in to the Vista Plus server host as root. If Vista Plus is run by a user other than root,
you can log in as that user instead, if that user also has permission to run MySQL or
Oracle directly and the other commands used in the following procedure.
2.
Change directory to the Vista Plus installation directory.
Backing Up on UNIX
3.
Back up the data from the Vista Plus database.

/opt/mysql/bin/mysqldump -uroot -ppassword -add-drop-table
vistadb > ./backupfile.sql
Password is the password for the MySQL root user. vistadb is the name of the Vista
Plus database. Backupfile is the name you want to give the backup file. It can have
any name, but the extension must be sql, as shown.
Oraclepath/bin/exp user/password file=backupfile
Note
associated imp utility. imp is described in Restoring the Vista Plus Data on
page 474.
4.
Change directory to the top-level directory of the first volume in the report
warehouse. This should be the volumes path, as contained in the volume definition
in Vista Plus.
5.
Copy the entire volume (all subdirectories and files) to a temporary directory on a
backup file system:
cp R . /backup_path/temp_backup_dir
Backup_path is the path to the backup file system; temp_backup_dir is the name of
the temporary directory.
6.
Repeat steps 4 and 5 for all Vista Plus volumes; use a different temporary directory for
each volume copy. If some volumes have more current activity then others, copy those
volumes first.
7.
Change directory to the temporary directory where you just copied a report
warehouse volume.
8.
Create a tar file from the copied volume files:

tar cf /backup_path/backup_file.tar .
Backup_path is the full path to the backup file system; backup_file is the name to give
the backup file.
Note
Important! The tar file you create should be in the same directory with the
backup copy of the Vista Plus database. It should not be in the temporary
directory where the copied report warehouse volume files are.
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Backing Up on UNIX
9.
Compress the tar file:

compress /backup_path/backup_file.tar
Tip
If you want, you can combine the tar and compress commands for a volume
into a single command to create the compressed file in one step:
tar cf . | compress > /backup_path/backup_file.tar.Z
10. Remove the copied volume from the temporary directory.

cd ..
rm rf temp_backup_dir
11. Repeat steps 4 10 for each defined Vista Plus volume.

12. Copy the server.cfg, client.cfg and capture.cfg files from the Vista Plus server
installation directory to the backup path. You may also want to make copies of the
model scripts for any Vista Plus print queues and of any custom scripts you use with
Vista Plus.
Restoring the Vista Plus Data

There are different reasons why you may want to or need to restore your Vista Plus files
from the backup copies. In the worst case, a disk crash or other catastrophic failure could
completely wipe out your Vista Plus data. But you may also choose to restore a backup in
less extreme situations, such as if someone accidentally deletes Vista Plus data you need.
The restore procedure in any recovery situation is essentially the same, though there are
additional steps if the Vista Plus software was also damaged or removed and needs to be
recovered. In any restore, its important to restore the entire Vista Plus database and all
report warehouse volumes, so the data in the database and the generations in the report
warehouse stay synchronized.
1.
If necessary, re-install the Vista Plus server software and/or the MySQL or Oracle
software, into the same location and using the same settings as previously. (If you are
re-installing Oracle, you do not have to use the same location.) See the Vista Plus
Server Installation Guide for instructions. Re-install the same version of the software
you were using when you backed up the data, including any IPDs or patches. Restore
the server.cfg, client.cfg, and capture.cfg files to their original locations.
2.
Log in to the server host as root and change directory to the Vista Plus server
installation directory. If Vista Plus is run by a user other than root, you can log in as
that user instead, if that user also has permission to run MySQL or Oracle directly and the
other commands used in the following procedure.
3.
Shut down the Vista Plus server:

./vista_service t
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Backing Up on UNIX
4.
Restore the Vista Plus database.

If you use MySQL:
Restore and, if necessary, uncompress, the sql file created by mysqldump.
Start MySQL:
/opt/mysql/bin/mysql uroot ppassword
password is the password for the MySQL root user.
Drop and recreate the database, then restore the data, using the following
commands:
mysql>
mysql>
mysql>
mysql>
drop database if exists vistadb;

create database vistadb;
use vistadb
\. ./backupfile.sql
vistadb is the name of the Vista Plus database; backupfile is the name of the file
created by the mysqldump command.
For example, if the Vista Plus database uses the default name, and you backed
up to a file called weeklybackup.sql, the commands would be:
mysql>
mysql>
mysql>
mysql>
drop database if exists VistaPlus;

create database VistaPlus;
use VistaPlus
\. ./weeklybackup.sql
Quit MySQL:
mysql> exit;
If you use Oracle:
Restore and, if necessary, uncompress the file created by exp.
Type this command:

Oraclepath/imp user/password file=backupfile.dmp IGNORE=Y
Oraclepath is the path to the Oracle home directory. User is the Oracle user
name Vista Plus uses to access the Oracle database; password is the password
for that user. Backupfile is the name you gave the backup file when creating it.
You must include the IGNORE=Y option or the command will error and stop if
it encounters a table that already exists in the Vista Plus database.
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Backing Up on UNIX
5.
Restore each report warehouse volume. For each volume:
Change to the top-level directory of the volume. This must be the same
directory you were in when you created the backup copy of the volume.
Remove all files and subdirectories from the directory (be absolutely sure you
are in the correct directory before you enter this command):
Uncompress and restore the backed-up volume files from the tar.Z file with this
command:
rm rf *
zcat backup_file.tar.Z | tar xpf
Backup_file is the name of the tar.Z file for this volume.

Repeat these steps for each volume.
6.
Run the check_gens utility to check for consistency between the database and the
restored report warehouse volumes. This is especially important if you backed up
Vista Plus while the server was running:
Change to the Vista Plus server installation directory.
Start check_gens in scan mode; this looks for possible problems in the
generation table:
./check_gens
When check_gens finishes, review its log files:

# more check_gens.debug.log
# more check_gens.log
Note
7.
If there are errors in the log files, you may want to run check_gens again, with
one of these repair options:
Error Type
Option to Use
Generation XXX not found in Database
check_gens g
Fix generations paths
check_gens p
Improper compression flag for Generation XXX
check_gens c
Remove obsolete indexes
check_gens i
Located empty directory
check_gens e
Important! If you have any questions or concerns about the contents of the
check_gens log files e-mail a copy to customer support for review before
using any of the repair options.

./vista_service s -p port
Port is the port number where Vista Plus is running.

You can now test the Vista Plus server. Use any Vista Plus client to connect to the server
and make sure your Vista Plus data is there and correct. If you encounter any problems,
contact customer support.
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Backing Up on Windows
The following sections describe two different types of backup procedures for your Vista
Plus installation on a Windows server host. Each procedure backs up the Vista Plus
software, database, and report warehouse. For each type of backup, we also describe how
to restore Vista Plus from the backup copy, should that become necessary. The two types
of backup are:
System LevelYou use system-level backup utilities to back up all directories needed
for Vista Plus.
Database LevelYou use MySQL or Oracle commands to back up the Vista Plus
database, and file copying commands to back up the Vista Plus software and report
warehouse.
We do not discuss which type of backup you should use, or how often you should back
up. These questions depend on many factors: whether the Vista Plus server host also runs
other applications, the number of people using Vista Plus and the host, the amount of
Vista Plus activity, and more. We suggest you discuss your backup needs with PSO to
arrive at a backup schedule which fits your situation.
Note
Important! Both backup methods require you to shut down the Vista Plus
server before backing up the Vista Plus database. If you do not shut down
Vista Plus, there is no way to ensure that the records in the database match the
files in the report warehouse, especially if there are captures taking place
while the database is being backed up. Backing up with Vista Plus running
could result in report generations in the report warehouse for which there are
no entries in the Vista Plus database, or other problems with the data.
System-level Backup
To perform a system-level backup of Vista Plus requires a third-party backup program
which can make a disk-image copy of all necessary files. For a complete Vista Plus backup,
you must back up at least the Vista Plus installation directory and its subdirectories, the
MySQL or Oracle directory, the directories for any defined online or offline (if desired)
disk volumes, the Windows directory, and the Windows registry. Vista Plus, MySQL, or
Oracle will not function correctly after being restored unless you also back up and restore
the system registry information. Perform the steps below for a complete system-level
backup of Vista Plus.
Note
477
Tip
If Vista Plus is using an Oracle installation on a separate host, follow the

appropriate parts of this procedure to back up the Oracle installation and its
Windows registry entries on that host.
1.
From the Start menu, select Settings, Control Panel.
2.
Select Administrative Tools, Services.
3.
In the list of services, right-click Vista Plus Server and select Stop from the pop-up
menu.
4.
If you are using MySQL, in the list of services, right-click MySQL and select Stop
from the pop-up menu.
If you are using Oracle, use the appropriate Oracle utility to shut down Oracle; if
necessary, ask your Oracle DBA to do this.
5.
Use any third-party backup program to back up all the necessary directories. You
must back up the entire Vista Plus, MySQL or Oracle, and Windows directories
(including subdirectories), plus the Windows Registry and any defined Vista Plus
volumes which are not part of the Vista Plus server install directory tree.
6.
Restart MySQL or Oracle, and then restart Vista Plus.

Tip
If you prefer, you can also stop the Vista Plus and MySQL services by opening
a DOS command window. Change to the Vista Plus server bin subdirectory
and enter vista_service t to stop the Vista Plus server. Then change to
the MySQL directory and enter net stop mysql to stop the MySQL
service.
Restoring from a System-level Backup

Getting up and running again if circumstances force you to restore from a system-level
backup is simply a matter of restoring all files from the backup, then starting MySQL or
Oracle and Vista Plus.
Warning
1.
Doing a full restore from a system-level backup includes restoring the entire
Windows directory and Windows registry. This could cause applications
other than Vista Plus to fail, especially any application you installed, updated,
or reconfigured after the backup was made.
Use the same software you used for the backup to restore all Vista Plus-related files.
You must restore all the directories you backed up, including the Windows Registry
and the Windows directory. If you do not restore all the data, MySQL or Oracle and/
or Vista Plus may not run. If the Oracle installation is on a separate host, you may not
need to restore it.
After restoring, reboot the host; your restore software may prompt you for this, but
we recommend you do so even if the program does not require it. Rebooting should
restart MySQL or Oracle and Vista Plus. If you reboot, skip steps 2 and 3 and continue
with step 4.
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2.
If you do not reboot, or if you use MySQL and the MySQL service doesnt restart
when you do, restart it:
In the list of services, right-click MySQL and select Start from the pop-up
menu.
If you use Oracle, use the appropriate Oracle utility to restart Oracle; if necessary, ask
your Oracle DBA to do this.
3.
4.
If you do not reboot, or if the Vista Plus service doesnt restart when you do, restart it:
In the list of services, right-click Vista Plus Server and select Start from the
pop-up menu.
You can now test the Vista Plus server. Use any Vista Plus client to connect to the
server and make sure your Vista Plus data is there and correct.
If you cannot login to the Vista Plus server, its possible MySQL, Oracle, or Vista Plus
did not start. Follow the directions in step 2 to display the services list. If either MySQL
or Vista Plus Server does not show as Started, start it following the procedure
in step 2 or 3. If you use Oracle, ask your Oracle DBA to make sure Oracle is running.
After making sure the database and the Vista Plus server are running, try again to
connect to the Vista Plus server. If you continue to encounter problems, contact
customer support.
Database-level Backup
In a database level backup, you back up only the Vista Plus MySQL or Oracle database,
the Vista Plus software, and the report warehouse. You do not back up the Windows
directory or registry. Follow the procedure below. Before starting, make sure you know
the MySQL database name (the default is VistaPlus) or the Oracle user name for Vista Plus.
Note
1.
2.
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3.
menu.
Tip
You can also stop the Vista Plus server service from a DOS command window.
Change to the Vista Plus server bin subdirectory and enter:
vista_service t
4.
Open a DOS command window. Change to the directory where you want to create the
backup file for the database.
5.
Enter one of these commands.

MySQLpath\mysqldump.exe uroot ppassword -opt database >
backupfile.sql
MySQLpath is the path to the MySQL installation bin subdirectory. Password is the
password for the MySQL root user. Database is the name of the Vista Plus MySQL
database. Backupfile is the name you want to give the backup file. This can be
anything, but the files extension must be sql, as shown. The file is created in the
current directory.
For example, if MySQL is installed in C:\MySQL, the Vista Plus database uses the
default name, and you want to back up to a file called backup3.sql, the command
would be:
C:\MySQL\bin\mysqldump.exe uroot psecret -opt VistaPlus >
backup3.sql

Oraclepath\bin\exp.exe user/password file=backupfile
Note
6.
480
associated imp utility. imp is described in the section on restoring from the
backup, below.
Back up the Vista Plus installation directory and all subdirectories, plus any other
online or offline (if desired) Vista Plus disk volumes. You can use any backup or filecopying softwarefor example, WinZipto do this. Make sure the original directory
path is preserved during the backup. Also back up the backup file you created with
mysqldump or exp in the previous step.
Restoring from a Database-level Backup

There are two situations in which you may want to restore from a database-level backup:
Because you believe the Vista Plus data is in error, or to retrieve lost Vista Plus data. In
this case, Vista Plus still works and you do not believe there is any damage to the Vista
Plus software, MySQL or Oracle, or the Windows Registry. For example, someone
could have accidentally erased a large chunk of Vista Plus data.
Because the Vista Plus or database (MySQL or Oracle) installation has been damaged,
and Vista Plus no longer works correctly.
These two cases require two separate restore procedures: Use the appropriate procedure,
as described below.
Restoring Vista Plus Data

Note
If you are restoring from the backup because something has happened that
prevents Vista Plus from running, do not follow this procedure. Instead, use
the procedure in the next section to restore the entire Vista Plus installation.
1.
2.
3.
menu.
Tip
vista_service t
4.
Restore the backup of the Vista Plus installation directory and report warehouse
volumes. The procedure for this will vary depending on the software you used to
make the backup. Make sure to restore everything to the same directory path it was
backed up from.
5.
If necessary, restore the backup copy of the Vista Plus backup sql or dmp (or other
extension) file.
481
6.

If you use MySQL:
Open a DOS command window. Change directory to the MySQL bin directory.
For example:
cd \MySQL\bin
Start MySQL:
mysql uroot ppassword
Password is the password for the MySQL root user.
commands:
mysql>
mysql>
mysql>
mysql>

use vistadb
\. backupfile.sql
Vistadb is the name of the Vista Plus database; backupfile is the complete path
to the file created by the mysqldump command.
up to a file called weeklybackup.sql which you restored to the c:\temp directory,
the commands would be:
mysql>
mysql>
mysql>
mysql>

use VistaPlus
\. c:\temp\weeklybackup.sql
Quit MySQL:
mysql> exit;
If you use Oracle:
Type this command:

Oraclepath\imp.exe user/password file=backupfile IGNORE=Y
for that user. Backupfile is the name you gave the backup file when creating it,
including the extension.
it encounters any table that already exists in the Vista Plus database.
7.
482
pop-up menu.
8.
You can now test the Vista Plus server. Use any Vista Plus client to connect to the
server and make sure your Vista Plus data is there and correct. If you encounter any
problems, contact customer support.
Restoring the Entire Vista Plus Installation

Tip
This procedure assumes Vista Plus is not running, and that is why you are
performing the complete restore. If the Vista Plus service is running, stop it
before beginning this procedure. How to stop the service is described in step 3
of the procedure above.
1.
Restore the backup of the Vista Plus installation directory and report warehouse
volumes. The procedure for this will vary depending on the software you used to
make the backup. Make sure to restore everything to the same directory path it was
backed up from.
2.
If necessary, re-install Oracle and re-create the user for Vista Plus to use. Follow the
recommendations in the Vista Plus Server Installation Guide. You would probably need
to do this only if you use Oracle and the Oracle installation is on the same host as the
Vista Plus installation.
3.
Restore the backup copy of the Vista Plus backup sql or dmp (or other extension) file.
4.
Perform a complete new installation of Vista Plus, as if it had never been installed on
this computer before, following the instructions in the Vista Plus Server Installation
Guide. You must re-install the same version of Vista Plus, select a Full installation, and
install Vista Plus to the existing installation directory using the same port number. If
you use MySQL, and your MySQL installation has been deleted, have the installation
program install MySQL to the same directory path using the same settings as before,
including the same database name. If your MySQL installation is still there, the
installer will recognize it and you can tell Vista Plus to use the existing installation.
Again, use the same database name as before.
Tip
5.
If you had installed any IPDs or patches for Vista Plus before making the
backup, be sure to re-apply them after re-installing the server.
After finishing the installation, shut down the Vista Plus server:
In the list of services, right-click Vista Plus Server and select Stop from the popup menu.
Tip
vista_service t
483
6.

If you use MySQL:
Open a DOS command window. Change directory to the MySQL bin directory.
For example:
cd \MySQL\bin
Start MySQL:
mysql uroot ppassword
Password is the password for the MySQL root user.
commands:
mysql>
mysql>
mysql>
mysql>

use vistadb
\. backupfile.sql
Vistadb is the name of the Vista Plus database; backupfile is the complete path
to the file created by the mysqldump command.
up to a file called weeklybackup.sql which you restored to the c:\temp directory,
the commands would be:
mysql>
mysql>
mysql>
mysql>

use VistaPlus
\. c:\temp\weeklybackup.sql
Quit MySQL:
mysql> exit;
If you use Oracle:
Type this command:

Oraclepath\imp.exe user/password file=backupfile IGNORE=Y
for that user. Backupfile is the name you gave the backup file when creating it,
including the extension.
it encounters any table that already exists in the Vista Plus database.
7.
484
Start the Vista Plus server:
pop-up menu.
You can now test the Vista Plus server. Use any Vista Plus client to connect to the server
and make sure your Vista Plus data is there and correct. If you encounter any problems,
contact customer support.
485
486
Index
A
About this manual
Access permissions
assigning
deleting
displaying
for bundles
levels
modifying
overview
removing
user vs. group permissions
Actions
for bundle distribution
for migrating reports
for SmartAlarms
Activity logging
changing options
clearing the log
days to keep data
effect on server performance
setting options with Server Admin
setting options with vadmin
what you can log
Activity reports
all activity
all users login
deleted objects
folder tree activity
global parameters
group use
listing available reports
overview
parameter format
report captures
running
sample commands
single generation viewing
6
144
144
144
246
142
144
140
144
141
254
181
228
306
307
307
307
307
308
309
307
312
316
312
314, 315
312
316
310
306, 310
311
315
310
311
313
single group activity

313
single group report captures
315
single report viewers
314
single report viewing
313
single user activity
313
single user login
315, 316
single user report captures
315
AddActionParam command
331
AddAlarm command
332
AddBundleComp command
334
AddBundleDef command
334
AddBundleInst command
335
AddCompDef command
336
AddDevice command
337
AddFolder command
337
AddGenFilters command
337
AddGroup command
339
AddIndex command
339
Adding
bundles to folders
48
components to bundle
242
console files
41
LDAP users
454
objects
33
reports to folders
48, 61
subfolders to parent folders
46
AddPageAccess command
340
AddPermission command
342
AddPrintDefinition command
342
AddPrinter command
342
AddReport command
343
AddRptAttributes command
344
AddUser command
344
AddUserGroup command
345
AddVolume command
346
and Web View volumes
165
and Web volumes
164
All activity report
312
ALLGROUPS in server.cfg file
141, 406
ALLOW_SSO in server.cfg file
406
Archive parameters in warehouse settings
204,
211
487
Index
Archiving
174
generations
181
from viewer clients
193
to a tape drive
184
to an HSM system
164, 184
to an optical disk
164, 185
ASA format
89
and character sets
434
blank first pages
406
ASA_IGNORE_INITIAL_PAGEBREAK in server.cfg file
406
ASA_OVERSTRIKE_MODE in server.cfg file 406
Ascent Capture
298
ASCII text format
89
and character sets
433
Asian language support
432, 436
summary
443
Web View
441
Windows Client
440
Assigning
access permissions
144
to bundles
246
generation filters
135
migration rule sets
188
Assumptions
6
Audience
6
AUTHENTICATOR in server.cfg file
406
Authorization methods
121
Auto Capture
70
Auto option for capture
80
Automatic rule sets for migration
188
B
Background option for capture
Backing up
on UNIX
on Windows
477,
Banner pages
Batch command
Batch files for vadmin
Bitmap fonts
94,
Bitmap fonts in renditions
Blank passwords in LDAP authentication
BlockInsertSize in server.cfg file
Bundle viewing pages
Bundles
access permissions
adding components
488
87
470
479
248
347
325
412
264
451
406
243
246
242
components
See Components
creating definitions
239
definitions
See Definitions
deleting
260
description
240
distributing
258
distribution actions
244, 254
distribution type
243, 253
header
241
instances
See Instances
life cycle
237
linking to folders
48, 245
making active
240
modifying definitions
247
name
240
overview
236
page security
243
separator
241
status
237
trailers
241
unlinking from folders
50
viewing in clients
261
Buttons in Server Admin client
25
C
Capture configuration files
adding rule sets to
101
editing from Vista Plus Windows Client 102
rule set formats
98
rule types
default
100
filename
99
text bounding box
99
text row/column
100
user name
99
using
97
what goes into
97
Capture options
80
for dircapture
75
Capture parameters in warehouse settings
207
Capture Port See Vista Plus Capture Printer Port
Capture rules
98
default
100
filename
99
text bounding box
99
text row/column
100
user name
99
Index
Capture tools
69
dircapture
74
for different platforms
70
rcapture
73
78
Vista Plus lp
77
76
Capture user
in client.cfg file
401
introducing
69
permissions needed
69
Capture volume in client.cfg file
403
capture.cfg file
rule sets for
97
using
97
what goes into
97
CAPTURE_DATE in server.cfg file
194, 407
Captures report
315
Captures report for group
315
Captures report for user
315
Capturing reports
67
capture configuration files
97
capture tools
69
concepts
13
improving performance
406
overview
68
procedure overview
71
reporting on
315
supported report formats
89
Changing
See Modifying
Character limits for names and descriptions
35
for vadmin
323
Character set
432
Asian languages
432
assigning to text report
438
default
438
defined
422
for ASA reports
434
for PCL reports
434
for PostScript reports
435
for reports
433
for text reports
433
in client.cfg file
403
in server.cfg file
417
in Vista Plus
433
check_gens utility and restoring Vista Plus data
476
CIRCULAR_DEBUG in server.cfg file
407
CLEANUP_INTERVAL in db.cfg file
420
Clearing the activity log

307
Client requested rule sets for migration
188
client.cfg file
400, 401
and vadmin
318
Capture Volume entry
403
CaptureUser entry
401
CharacterSet entry
403
FolderName entry
404
GenerationDescription entry
403
GenerationName entry
403
host entry
402
LocaleName entry
403
NO_ASA entry
92, 401
Port entry
402
ReportName entry
403
Server entry
402
Closing the Server Admin client
40
Color in reports
93
Columns in item lists
31
Components
236, 248
adding to bundle
242
banner pages
248
generation type
252
headers
248
making required
242
separators
248
setting generation type for
242
trailers
248
Compressing report generations
182
Concepts
12
report capture
13
report distribution
20
security
16
by function
17
for data
16, 18
storing reports
14
Conditions in page security
154
Configuring ImageVue Capture
299
CONNECT_TIMEOUT in server.cfg file
407
CONNECTION_QUEUE in server.cfg file
407
Console files
40, 41
creating
41
saving
41
switching
42
Console tree in Server Admin client
26
Console Window toolbar in Server Admin client
25
Conventions used in the manual
8
CopyColumns command
347
489
Index
CopyGen command
CopyIndexes command
Create time option for capture
CreateRendition command
uses and examples
268,
Creating
bundle definitions
bundle instances
console files
devices
folders
groups
HTML file from report
locale
migration rule sets
objects
page securities
PDF file from report
print definitions for remote printing
renditions
reports
SmartAlarms
users
vadmin batch files
volumes
Currency symbol in locale
348
348
85
266, 349
269, 270
239
257
41
166
45
105
264
430
176, 178
33
151
264
218, 219
266
57
225
115, 116
325
169
428
D
DAEMON_CLEANUP_INTERVAL in server.cfg
file
407
Data security
concepts
16, 18
encryption
19, 408
Database
password
419
user name
419
Database configuration file
See db.cfg file
DATABASE_CONFIG_FILE in server.cfg file 407
Dates
for groups
107
for users
123
in vadmin
324
db.cfg file
400, 419
CLEANUP_INTERVAL
420
DSN
419
MAX_CONNECTIONS
419
MIN_CONNECTIONS
419
PASSWORD
419
490
POOL_TIMEOUT
USER
Decimal point in locale
Default rule for report capture
DefaultLocale in server.cfg file
Definitions for bundles
creating
deleting
modifying
DelayGenFilter in server.cfg file
Delete source file option for capture
DeleteActionParam command
DeleteAlarm command
DeleteBundleComp command
DeleteBundleDef command
DeleteBundleInst command
DeleteCompDef command
DeleteDevice command
DeleteFolder command
DeleteGenFilters command
DeleteGroup command
DeleteIndex command
DeletePageAccess command
DeletePermission command
DeletePrintDefinition command
DeletePrinter command
DeleteReport command
DeleteReportRenditions command
DeleteRptAttributes command
DeleteUser command
DeleteUserGroup command
DeleteWebRenditions command
Deleting
access permissions
bundle definitions
bundle instances
folders
generations
groups
objects
offline generations
online generations
page securities
renditions
reports
restored generations
SmartAlarms
users
Description option for capture
420
419
428
100
407
236
239
260
247
408
87
350
350
350
351
351
351
351
352
352
352
352
353
353
353
354
354
272, 354
354
355
355
271, 355
144
260
260
52
64
111
35
182
181, 194
160
271
64
181
233
128
86
Index
Descriptions and names

guidelines for entering
with vadmin
Destinations for migration
Details pane
changing list format
columns in lists
in Server Admin client
listing objects
selecting objects
sorting objects
Devices
creating
overview
using for offline storage
Dialog boxes
selecting objects
sorting objects
dircapture
and special.cfg
and TransVue files
how to use
introducing
unique options for
Directories parameters in warehouse settings
Directory structure on the Web server
DisableSearchGens in server.cfg
Display for Server Admin client
Displaying
access permissions
bundles in clients
folder information
folder lists
group information
group lists
object properties
report information
report lists
user information
user lists
DistributeBundle command
Distributing bundle instances
Distributing reports, concepts
Distribution actions
bundles
244,
SmartAlarms
Distribution type for bundles
243,
DSN in db.cfg file
35
323
184
31
31
26
30
33
32
166
162
163
32
32
93
93
74
69
75
204
282
408
23
144
261
53
53
112
112
33
65
65
129
129
356
258
20
254
228
253
419
E
Editing
See Modifying
EMAIL_RPT_DESCRIPTION in server.cfg file 408
E-mailing renditions
270
ENCRYPT statements in server.cfg file
408
Encrypting Vista Plus data
19, 408
Epurposing
actions
267
and PortalVue Connector
264
bitmap fonts
264
command summary
296
CreateRendition command
266
creating renditions
266
deleting renditions
271
e-mailing renditions
270
file types
267
on Web server
268, 281
overview
264
page security
284
to other directories
269
epurposing parameters in warehouse settings 207
Euro character
and localization
422
ASA reports
434
effect of application
435
effect of fonts
436
effect of operating system
435
effect of printer driver
436
in character set
432
in vadmin
323
in viewer clients
440
operating system locales
425
summary
443
Exiting the Server Admin client
40
exp command in Oracle
473, 480
Export connector for TransVue Tagging
459
Expression for page security
154
ExtractHeaderObjOrder in server.cfg file
408
F
Favorites tab in Server Admin client
File Capture
File name option for capture
File names on the Web server
File security on the Web server
26
70
80
282
284
491
Index
Files used by Vista Plus

400
client.cfg
401
server.cfg
405
FILTER_GENS_IN_REPORT_LIST in server.cfg
file
134, 409
FILTER_PAGE_SEC_GENS in server.cfg file 143,
409
FLUSH_LOG in server.cfg file
410
Folder Capture
70
Folder name in client.cfg file
404
Folder option for capture
82
Folder tree activity report
314, 315
Folders
adding bundles to
48
adding reports to
48, 61
adding subfolders to
46
creating
45
deleting
52
displaying
information
53
lists
53
linking bundles to
48, 245
linking reports to
48
linking subfolders to
46
modifying
51
overview
44
unlinking reports from
62
unlinking subfolders from
50
Fonts
and character sets
432
and the euro character
436
bitmap
94, 412
in reports
93
mapping
94
for Asian languages in Web View
442
Format of lists
31
columns
31
Formats for reports
how Vista Plus recognizes
91
supported by Vista Plus
ASCII text
89
ASCII with ASA
89
PCL
89
PostScript
90
TransVue
90, 92
Frame-based HTML files
265
Functional security concepts
17
492
G
GenDelete command
GenerateStandardReport command
format
global parameters
parameter format
samples
Generation description in client.cfg file
Generation filters
overview
setting
Generation name in client.cfg file
Generation type
for bundle component
setting for bundle component
Generation viewing report
Generations
archiving
capturing
compressing
deleting
offline
online
restored
description in remote print command
reporting on use
restoring
GenViewed command
Glossary
Group activity report
Group usage report
all groups
single group
Groups
adding users to
assigning Home folders
assigning permissions
creating
deleting
displaying
information
lists
modifying
overview
primary
removing users from
reporting on activity
reporting on use
356
310, 356
311
312
311
311
403
134
135
403
252
242
313
181, 193
68
182
64
182
181, 194
181
218
313, 314
193
357
389
313
316
316
125
104
144
105
111
112
112
110
104
104, 120
125
313
316
Index
Groups, continued
reporting report captures by
secondary
start and end dates
315
104, 108
107
H
Headers
adding to bundle
Help
getting for Server Admin
getting for vadmin
Home folders
assigning to groups
assigning to users
planning
Host name in client.cfg file
Host option for capture
HSM systems, archiving to
HTML files
creating from report
for vadmin output
frame-based
on Web server
single-file
K
248
241
36
327
104
120
44
402
83
164, 184
264
279
265
268, 281
265
269
I
Images, scanning into Vista Plus
298
ImageVue Capture
installation
299
overview
298
ImportFileInfo command
357
index search, enabling in offline generations 410
Indexing
TransVue files
456
Indexing, improving performance
406
IndexSearchMethod in server.cfg file
410
INITIAL_WORKER_PROCESSES in server.cfg file
411
Installing ImageVue Capture
299
Instances
236
creating
257
deleting
260
distributing
258
modifying
259
viewing in clients
261
International monetary symbol in locale
428
Introducing Vista Plus concepts
12
Items
See Objects
KEEPSLASH in server.cfg file

Kofax Ascent Capture
Kofax Capture and TransVue Tagging
411
298
459
L
Launching Server Admin client
LDAP authentication
adding LDAP users
allowing blank passwords
configuring
turning logging on and off
using
License usage, monitoring
Lines per page option for capture
LinkBundle command
LinkFolder command
Linking
bundles to folders
folders to folders
reporting on
reports to folders
LinkReport command
Links
listing for folders
listing for reports
ListActionParams command
ListActiveUsers command
ListAlarms command
ListBundleComps command
ListBundleDefs command
ListBundleFolders command
ListBundleInst command
ListColumns command
ListCompDefs command
ListDevices command
ListFolders command
ListGenFilters command
ListGroups command
ListIndexes command
27
450
454
451
451
451
453
130, 131
83
357
358
48, 245
46
314, 315
48, 61
358
50
62
358
359
359
359
360
360
360
360
361
361
361
361
362
362
493
Index
Listing
available activity reports
310
31
columns in Detail list format
31
folders
53
groups
112
links for folders
50
links for reports
62
loading options
38
objects
30
presorting options
38
refreshing list
30
reports
65
selecting objects
33
selecting objects in dialog boxes
32
users
129
ListPageAccess command
362
ListPaperSizes command
362
ListPermissions command
363
ListPrintDefinitions command
363
ListPrinters command
363
ListReports command
277, 364
ListReportTemplates command
310, 364
ListRptAttributes command
365
ListSubscribedReports command
278, 365
ListUserGroup command
365
ListUsers command
366
ListVolumes command
366
Locale
.vlf file
430
creating new
430
defined
422
in client.cfg file
403
in server.cfg file
407
in Vista Plus
428
modifying definition
430
name format
425
operating system
424
for euro support
425
setting default
429
setting for report
429
Localization
422
and viewer clients
440
procedure
423
summary
443
Logging
and LDAP authentication
451
Logging
Also, see Activity logging
LOGGING in server.cfg file
411
494
Logging off with Server Admin client

40
Logging parameters in warehouse settings 214,
307
Login
defaults for Server Admin client
27
monitoring current logins
130
with Server Admin client
28
with vadmin
321
Login command
367
Login report
all users
316
single user
315, 316
users by group
316
users in a group
316
Logon parameters in warehouse configuration
205
Logout command
367
M
Main toolbar in Server Admin client
25
Managing
access permissions
139
devices
161
folders
43
generation filters
133
groups
103
page security
149
remote printers
215
report migration
173
reports
55
SmartAlarms
223
users
113
volumes
161
warehouse parameters
195
Manual
assumptions
6
audience
6
conventions used
8
Mapping fonts
94
MatchIndexValueFirst in server.cfg file
411
Matching conditions
for page security
152, 154
for Smart Alarm triggers
226, 231
MAX_CONNECTIONS in db.cfg file
419
MAX_SERVICE_PROCESSES in server.cfg file411
MAX_WORKER_PROCESSES in server.cfg file
411
Menus in Server Admin client
24
Index
Migrate (archive) action in migration

Migrating reports
actions
compress
delete generation from database
delete online generations
delete report data
migrate (archive)
assigning rule sets to reports
creating migration rule sets
destinations in rules sets
how migration works
migration parameters
days since capture
days since last access
number of generations to retain
migration processes
VMIdentify
VMTransport
overview
procedure overview
sources in rule sets
Migration rule sets
assigning to reports
automatic
client requested
on demand
creating
setting warehouse defaults
MIN_CONNECTIONS in db.cfg file
Modal dialogs
ModifyBundleComp command
ModifyBundleDef command
ModifyBundleInst command
ModifyCompDef command
ModifyDevice command
ModifyFolder command
ModifyGroup command
Modifying
access permissions
bundle definitions
bundle instances
console files
folders
groups
locale
MySQL password
page securities
users
181
182
182
181
181
181
189
176, 178
184
174
180, 183
183
183
183
190
191
174
174
184
188
188
188
176, 178
211
419
39
367
368
369
369
370
371
371
144
247
259
41
51
110
430
419
157
127
ModifyPageAccess command
ModifyReport command
ModifyUser command
ModifyUserGroup command
ModifyVolume command
ModifyWarehouseConfig command
setting logging options
Monetary symbol in locale
Monitoring
licenses
logins
MySQL
backing up data
470,
changing password
restoring data
474,
user name
mysqldump command
197
372
373
374
375
376
376
309
428
130, 131
130
477, 479
419
478, 481
419
473, 480
N
Names and descriptions
guidelines for entering
35
Network parameters in warehouse settings 205
NO_ASA option
92
in client.cfg file
401
in server.cfg file
411
Normal users
114
NORMALIZE flag for remote printing
217
NORMALIZE in server.cfg file
411
NOSAVE in server.cfg file
412
NOTES_DEFAULT_TO_PUBLIC in server.cfg file
412
O
Objects
columns in lists
creating
deleting
list formats
listing
refreshing list
selecting in details pane
selecting in dialog boxes
viewing properties
offline generation index search, enabling
Offline storage
31
33
35
31
30
30
33
32
33
410
163
495
Index
On demand rule sets for migration

188
Online help for Server Admin
36
Online storage
162
Optical disk, archiving to
164, 185
Options
for all capture tools
80
-a (auto)
80
-B (background capture)
87
-c (file time stamp)
85
-D (delete source file)
87
-d (report name)
81
-f (folder name)
82
-g (file name)
80
-h (host)
83
-i (source file format)
84
-l (volume)
85
-n (report name from file name)
82
-o (port)
83
-p (lines per page)
83
-r (migration rule set)
85
-t (description)
86
-u (user)
83
-v (version)
87
-w (paper size)
84
-x (prepend file)
87
for dircapture
75
for Server Admin client
36
delete warning
36
dialog type
39
event logging
37
list loading
38
list presorting
38
Oracle
backing up data
470, 477, 479
password
419
restoring data
474, 478, 481
user name
419
Orientation of page
412
ot_ldap.cfg file
451
Output Manager and TransVue Tagging
459
Overview of Vista Plus concepts
12
P
Page angle
Page security
conditions and expression
creating
deleting
496
412
154
151
160
for bundles
243
for renditions
284
modifying
157
overview
150
procedure overview
150
Paper size option for capture
84
Parameters
180, 183
days since capture
183
days since last access
183
number of generations to retain
183
for warehouse configuration
archive
204
archiving
211
capture
207
directories
204
epurposing
207
logging
214
logon options
205
network
205
permissions
204
repository search
205
restore
213
volumes
209
PARSE_RENDER_IMAGE in server.cfg file 412
Parser_AdjustPageAngle in server.cfg file
412
Parser_BitmapTextMergeRatio in server.cfg file
412
Parser_Color in server.cfg file
413
Parser_ConvertPaths in server.cfg file
413
Parser_DashRuleError in server.cfg file
413
Parser_ImageCache in server.cfg file
413
PARSER_PATH in server.cfg file
413
Parser_Resolution in server.cfg file
413
Parser_TextMergeFactor in server.cfg file
414
Parsers, selecting for capture
91
PASSWORD in db.cfg file
419
Passwords
121
assigning
115, 122
UNIX
121
using LDAP
450
allowing blank
451
Windows
121
PCL format
89
and character sets
434
euro support
434
PCL_MACRO_OPTIMIZE in server.cfg file 414
PCL_PrefVersion in server.cfg file
414
Index
PDF files
creating from report
264
hiding text under graphics
415
on Web server
268, 281
269
transparency not supported
264
PDFRenditionObjOrder in server.cfg file
415
Performance, improving for capture and indexing
406
PERFSKIP_ON in server.cfg file
217, 415
Permissions parameters in warehouse configuration
204
POOL_TIMEOUT in db.cfg file
420
Port in client.cfg file
402
Port option for capture
83
Portal application
See PortalVue Connector
PortalVue Connector
274
command summary
296
creating renditions
281
delivering information to the portal application
277, 279
directory structure
275, 282, 283
examples
294
file naming
275, 282, 283
file security
284
HTML output from vadmin
279
listing reports
277
listing subscribed reports
278
overview
274, 294
page security
284
prepend option
275, 283
report subdirectory naming
275
subscribing
286
unsubscribing
292
userptname option
275
warehouse configuration
275
workflow
294
PostScript format
90
and character sets
435
and euro character
435
Asian language support
436
setting Thai character set
438, 439
suggested settings
90
Prepend option for capture
87
Presorting item lists
38
Primary groups
104
assigning to users
120
Print capture tools
69
Print definitions
creating for remote printing
218,
options in
PrintBundle command
Printer driver for euro character
Printing
disabling remote print results message
remote printer setup
Procedures for Server Admin client
PS_PrefVersion in server.cfg file
219
218
379
436
217
216
30
415
Q
quotes in vadmin parameter values
323
R
rcapture
and special.cfg
and TransVue files
and TransVue Tagging
-F option
how to use
-I option
introducing
options
Redistributing bundle instances
Refreshing list of objects
Reindex command
Remote printers
assigning print definitions
creating print definitions for
disabling remote print results message
overview
Removing
access permissions
bundle definitions
bundle instances
folders
generations
groups
objects
page securities
reports
reports from folders
subfolders from parent folders
users
93
93
458
458
73
458
69
80
258
30
379
222
218
217
216
144
260
260
52
64
111
35
160
64
62
50
128
497
Index
Renditions
264
bitmap fonts
264
command summary
296
creating
266
deleting
271
directory structure on the Web server
282
e-mailing
270
file names on the Web server
282
file security
284
in other directories
269
on Web server
268, 281
page security
284
Report captures report
315
Report captures report for group
315
Report captures report for user
315
Report name
88
capture option
81
from file name capture option
82
in client.cfg file
403
in remote print command
218
Report viewers report
314
Report viewing report
313
ReportAction command
290, 380, 385
Reports
activity
See Activity reports
archiving
181
assigning character set
438
assigning migration rule sets
189
capturing
See Capturing reports
color in
93
compressing
182
creating
57
deleting
64
description in remote print command
218
description option for capture
86
displaying
information
65
lists
65
distribution concepts
20
fonts in
93
linking to folders
48, 61
listing through PortalVue Connector 277, 278
migrating
173
names
88
overview
56
recognizing format during capture
91
reporting on use
313, 314
498
securing outside Vista Plus

18
security concepts
16, 17
setting generation filters
135
setting locale
429
settings
63
supported formats
89
ASCII text
89
ASCII with ASA
89
PCL
89
PostScript
90
TransVue
90, 92
unlinking from folders
50
unlinking reports from folders
62
Repository search parameter in warehouse configuration
205
Restore parameters in warehouse settings
213
Restoring data
on UNIX
474
on Windows
478, 481
Restoring generations
193
Rollover
209
Rotation of page
412
Rule set option for capture
85
Rule sets
for capturing reports
98
176, 178, 185
assigning
189
automatic
188
client requested
188
creating
176
on demand
188
Rule types
for capturing reports
98
default
100
filename
99
text bounding box
99
text row/column
100
user name
99
Running
vadmin
317
S
Saving console files
Scanning images into Vista Plus
Screen display for Server Admin client
Secondary groups
41
298
23
104, 108
Index
Security
concepts
data encryption
for vadmin
on Web server
outside Vista Plus
Selecting objects from dialog boxes
Selecting objects from lists
Separators
adding to bundle
Server
connecting with Server Admin client
hostname in client.cfg file
logging in with Server Admin client
logging off with Server Admin client
Server Admin client
closing
columns in lists
connecting to a server
console files
creating
saving
switching
console tree
creating objects
deleting objects
details pane
entering names and descriptions
favorites tab
listing objects
logging in
logging off
menus
online help
options
delete warning
dialog type
event logging
list loading
list presorting
overview
procedures
running
saving settings
screen display
selecting objects in dialog boxes
selecting objects in lists
setting options
16
19, 408
320
284
18
32
33
248
241
27
402
28
40
3
31
40
31
27
40, 41
41
41
42
26
33
35
26
35
26
30
28
40
24
36
36
39
37
38
38
22
30
21
40, 41
23
32
33
36
starting
toolbars
using
viewing object properties
Server administration clients
vadmin
Vista Plus Server Administration
server.cfg file
400,
ALLGROUPS
ALLOW_SSO
ASA_IGNORE_INITIAL_PAGEBREAK
ASA_OVERSTRIKE_MODE
AUTHENTICATOR
BlockInsertSize
CAPTURE_DATE
CIRCULAR_DEBUG
CONNECT_TIMEOUT
CONNECTION_QUEUE
DAEMON_CLEANUP_INTERVAL
DATABASE_CONFIG_FILE
DefaultLocale
DelayGenFilter
DisableSearchGens
EMAIL_RPT_DESCRIPTION
ENCRYPT statements
ExtractHeaderObjOrder
FILTER_GENS_IN_REPORT_LIST
FILTER_PAGE_SEC_GENS
FLUSH_LOG
IndexSearchMethod
INITIAL_WORKER_PROCESSES
KEEPSLASH
LOGGING
MatchIndexValueFirst
MAX_SERVICE_PROCESSES
MAX_WORKER_PROCESSES
NO_ASA
92,
NORMALIZE
217,
NOSAVE
NOTES_DEFAULT_TO_PUBLIC
PARSE_RENDER_IMAGE
Parser_AdjustPageAngle
Parser_BitmapTextMergeRatio
Parser_Color
Parser_ConvertPaths
Parser_DashRuleError
Parser_ImageCache
PARSER_PATH
Parser_Resolution
27
25
30
33
3
3
3
405
406
406
406
406
406
406
407
407
407
407
407
407
407
408
408
408
408
408
409
409
410
410
411
411
411
411
411
411
411
411
412
412
412
412
412
413
413
413
413
413
413
499
Index
server.cfg file, continued

Parser_TextMergeFactor
414
PCL_MACRO_OPTIMIZE
414
PCL_PrefVersion
414
PDFRenditionObjOrder
415
PERFSKIP_ON
217, 415
PS_PrefVersion
415
SET_ASA_PAGE_EJECT_ONLY
416
SET_LPI
416
SET_NEW_PAGE_EJECT_ONLY
416
SET_PCL_NO_RASTER_BITMAP
417
SKIP_NULL
417
StoreIndexValuesInDB
417
SYM_SET
417, 438
TMP
192, 417
TMPDIR
192, 417
UseOracleHint
418
VISTA-MAILER
418
VMIDENTIFY_CHUNKSIZE
418
VMLOGGING
418
server.debug.log file
FLUSH_LOG statement
410
SET_ASA_PAGE_EJECT_ONLY in server.cfg file
416
SET_LPI in server.cfg file
416
SET_NEW_PAGE_EJECT_ONLY in server.cfg file
416
SET_PCL_NO_RASTER_BITMAP in server.cfg
file
417
Setting
generation filters
135
NORMALIZE flag for remote printing
217
SHOW_PRINTRESULTS flag
217
197
SHOW_PRINTRESULTS flag for disabling remote
prints result message
217
ShowAlarm command
381
ShowBundleComp command
382
ShowBundleDef command
382
ShowBundleInst command
382
ShowCompDef command
382
ShowDevice command
382
ShowFolder command
383
ShowGroup command
383
ShowPageAccess command
383
ShowReport command
383
ShowUser command
384
ShowVolume command
384
ShowWarehouseConfig command
384
500
SKIP_NULL in server.cfg file

SmartAlarms
actions
print
run system command
send message via e-mail
send message via Vista Plus Server
send system broadcast message
subscriptions
creating
deleting
overview
report subscriptions
triggers
index
total page number
Sorting
lists in details pane
lists in dialog boxes
Source file format option for capture
special.cfg file
with capture printer port
with rcapture or dircapture
with Vista Plus lp or print queue
Starting Server Admin client
Status command
Storage
for reports
concepts
offline storage
online storage
StoreIndexValuesInDB in server.cfg file
Subscribe command
Subscriptions
286,
listing
not to TransVue files
with Server Admin
with vadmin
Switching console files
SYM_SET in server.cfg file
417,
417
230
228
229
229
229
286
225
233
224
286
231
231
32
32
84
92
93
93
93
27
384
14
163
162
417
290
292
278
287
287
290
42
438
T
Tape device, archiving to
Thai character set
selecting
Thousands separator in locale
TMP in server.cfg file
TMPDIR in server.cfg file
184
436
438, 439
428
192, 417
192, 417
Index
Toolbars in Server Admin client

Trailers
adding to bundle
Transparency in PDF files
TransVue files
and subscriptions
capturing
indexing
special.cfg
TransVue Tagging
and Kofax Capture
and Output Manager
and rcapture
export connector
index file format
Output Manager configuration
vp_load_index
Tree command
Typographical conventions
25
248
241
264
adding to groups
assigning Home folders
assigning passwords
assigning permissions
assigning primary groups
assigning secondary groups
creating
deleting
displaying
information
lists
modifying
name in remote print command
Normal users
overview
removing from groups
reporting on activity
reporting on use
reporting report captures by
start and end dates
287
90, 92
456
92
456
459
459
458
459
457
462
458
386
8
U
UNIX
backing up data
restoring data
UNIX passwords
UnlinkBundle command
UnlinkFolder command
Unlinking
bundles from folders
folders from folders
reporting on
reports from folders
UnlinkReport command
UnpackSpoolfile.exe
Unsubscribe command
Unsubscribing from reports
UseOracleHint in server.cfg file
User activity report
USER in db.cfg file
User login report
all users
single user
users in a group
users in all groups
User option for capture
Users
adding from LDAP
470
474
121
386
386
245
50
314, 315
62
387
462
292, 387
292
418
313
419
316
315, 316
316
316
83
454
125
120
115, 122
144
120
108
115, 116
128
129
129
127
218
114
114
125
313
315, 316
315
123
114
V
vadmin
3, 317
alphabetic command list
330
batch files
325
character set support
323
client.cfg file
318
command guidelines
323
command list by function
328
commands
See individual command name
entering dates
324
euro character
323
executing commands
319
getting help
327
HOST and PORT parameters
318, 324
HTML output
279
overview
318
quotes in parameter values
323
security
320
vcrypt command
419
Version command
388
Version option for capture
87
Viewing bundles in clients
261
Viewing object properties
33
114
concepts
12
501
Index

and special.cfg
93
and TransVue files
93
client.cfg options
402
how to use
78
introducing
69
setting capture volume
403
setting character set
403
setting folder name
404
setting generation description
403
setting generation name
403
setting locale
403
setting report name
403
Vista Plus lp
and special.cfg
93
and TransVue files
93
how to use
77
introducing
69
and special.cfg
93
and TransVue files
93
how to use
76
introducing
69
Vista Plus products
9
Vista Plus server
4
concepts
12
features
4
Vista Plus Server Admin client See Server Admin
client
Vista Plus server service
starting
465
stopping
465
Vista Plus viewer client features
5
vista_service command
465
VISTA-MAILER in server.cfg file
418
vlf file
430
VMIdentify
190
running
191
VMIDENTIFY_CHUNKSIZE in server.cfg file 418
VMLOGGING in server.cfg file
418
VMTransport
191
running
192
Volume option for capture
85
Volume rollover
209
Volumes
creating
169
502
for offline storage

for online storage
overview
Web View volumes
Web volumes
164,
Volumes parameters in warehouse settings
vp_load_index
163
162
162
165
281
209
458
W
Warehouse parameters
archive
archiving
capture
directories
epurposing
for PortalVue Connector
logging
logon
network
overview
permissions
repository search
restore
setting
volumes
Web server
creating renditions on
deleting renditions
directory structure
file security
page security
Web View
and Asian languages
and localization
features
Web View volumes
Web volumes
Windows
backing up data
restoring data
Windows Client
and Asian languages
and localization
features
Windows passwords
204
211
207
204
207
275
214, 308, 309
205
205
196
204
205
213
197
209
268, 281
271
282
284
284
441
441
5
165
164, 281
477, 479
478, 481
440
440
5
121

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Vista Plus

Server Administration Guide

Vista Plus Server Administration Guide

Using Server Admin ............................................................................................................... 30

Vista Plus Server Administration Guide

Vista Plus Server Administration Guide

Vista Plus Server Administration Guide

Condition Expressions ......................................................................................................... 154

Vista Plus Server Administration Guide

Migrating Report Generations........................................................................................... 190

Vista Plus Server Administration Guide

Vista Plus Server Administration Guide

Vista Plus Server Administration Guide

Vista Plus Server Administration Guide

Character Sets in Vista Plus ................................................................................................ 433

Vista Plus Server Administration Guide

Vista Plus Server Administration Guide

Vista Plus Server Administration Guide

Welcome to the Vista Plus Server

Vista Plus Server Administration Guide

What is Vista Plus?

What is Vista Plus?

Vista Plus Server Administration Guide

Server Administration Clients

Server Administration Clients

The Vista Plus Server Administration Client

The vadmin Client

Welcome to the Vista Plus Server

Server Client Highlights

Server Client Highlights

Create report bundles for distributing multiple reports together.

Vista Plus Server Administration Guide

Viewer Client Highlights

Viewer Client Highlights

Welcome to the Vista Plus Server

About This Book

About This Book

Chapters in This Guide

Using the Vista Plus Server Administration client

Capturing files to reports in your Vista Plus report warehouse

Managing user groups

Managing generation filters

Managing page security

Managing access permissions

Managing volumes and devices for online and offline storage

Managing migration of report generations from the report warehouse to

Managing warehouse parameters

Managing remote printers

Managing report bundles

Vista Plus Server Administration Guide

About This Book

Using the activity logging and reporting features

Using the vadmin command-line server administration client

A glossary of some Vista Plus and general computing terms

A description of the client.cfg and server.cfg configuration files

A discussion of issues relating to localization of Vista Plus

Customizing the behavior and appearance of the Web View client

Configuring and using the LDAP Authentication module

Using the optional TransVue Tagging feature

How to start and stop the Vista Plus server process

How to back up and restore Vista Plus data

Welcome to the Vista Plus Server