Advise Installation Instructions

Advise relies on a remote database (currently Oracle 9i) for its data store.  This database resides on an RS6000 minicomputer at AIS running the AIX version of UNIX.  Advise uses ADO (ActiveX Data Objects), using TCP/IP, to connect to and manipulate this database. Several pieces of client software must be installed on the workstation before Advise can connect to this database.

Required Software
Installing the Oracle Client Software
Installing Advise

Required Software

The following components must be installed on the workstation for Advise to connect to the remote database and function properly:

1.  Oracle 9i Client.

2.  Microsoft Data Access Components (MDAC) 2.1 SP2 or higher (MDAC 2.1 requires DCOM for Windows 95).  Note that MDAC 2.5 is included with Windows 2000 and MDAC 2.7 is included with Windows XP.

3.  Advise.

4.  Microsoft Excel (optional).

5.  Microsoft Access (optional).

6.  Microsoft Word (optional).

 

The Oracle Client CD for 9i may be obtained from Software Acquisition.

 

Microsoft Data Access Components: Versions of Windows beginning with Windows 2000 include MDAC so you shouldn’t have to worry about installing it in most cases.

 

Available as a free download from Microsoft at:

http://msdn.microsoft.com/data/mdac/downloads/default.aspx

Installing the Oracle Client Software

At Each Workstation:

Oracle Universal Installer for Version 9i

Note: These instructions assume a clean install on a workstation with no earlier versions of Oracle client software installed.

 

1) Run setup.exe from the root folder on the CD if it does not start automatically.  This will run the Oracle Universal Installer.  Click on “Install/Deinstall Products” to begin the process.

 

2) Click “Next” on the “Welcome Dialog”.

 

3) The “File Locations Dialog” is displayed next.  Accept the defaults on this screen by clicking “Next”.  The default values should be:

 

Oracle Home: OraHome92

Path: driveletter:\oracle\ora92

 

Note:  Oracle requires that the user have read/write/delete access to the Oracle Home directory tree.  If that permission is not granted, the Oracle client software and Advise, which depends upon it, will not function correctly.

 

If a previous version of Oracle is installed on the workstation, these values might be different. If so, modify the values to match those above before continuing.

 

4) On the “Installation Types Dialog”, select Custom and click on the “Next” button.

 

5) On the “Component Selection screen”, check the following items:

 

Oracle Network Utilities

Oracle Windows Interfaces

Oracle 9 Windows Documentation

 

6) Click “Next” to display the Component Locations dialog.  Click “Next” again to accept the default locations.

 

7) The “Oracle Services for Microsoft Transaction Server” dialog is displayed. Click “Next” to accept the defaults.

 

8) The “Installation Summary” screen will be displayed.  Click “Install” to begin the installation process.

 

9) The “Configuration Tools” dialog will be displayed once the installation is complete. Wait for Oracle to display the “Oracle Net Configuration Assistant Welcome” screen then click “Next” to begin net configuration.

 

10) The “Directory Usage Configuration” dialog will be displayed.  Check, "No, I want to defer this configuration to another time."  Click “Next” to continue the net configuration.

 

11) The “Naming Methods Configuration” dialog is displayed next.  The default is Local.  Click “Next” to accept this default and continue net configuration.

 

12) On the “Net Service Name Configuration, Database Version” dialog, check Oracle8 release 8.0 database or service then click “Next” to continue net configuration.

 

13) The “Net Service Name Configuration, Database SID” dialog is displayed next. Enter the following in the SID text box:

 

ALMP

 

Click “Next” to continue the configuration.

 

14) TCP should be the default value on the “Net Service Name Configuration, Select Protocols” dialog.  Click “Next” to accept this value and continue net configuration.

 

15) Enter the host name given below on the “Net Service Name Configuration, TCP/IP Protocol” dialog:

 

Host Name: hyco.ais.unc.edu

 

16) The “Net Service Name Configuration, Test” dialog is displayed next. You may skip this step by clicking “Next”.  However, if you wish to perform the test, be aware that it will fail the first time since Oracle uses a default user id and password.  Click “Change Login” after the initial test fails and enter a valid user id and password to perform the test again.

 

17) Enter the value given below on the “Net Service Name Configuration, Net Service Name” dialog then click “Next”.

 

Net Service Name: UNCADVISE

 

This is the net service name that the Advise application will use to communicate with the remote database.

 

18) The remaining dialogs merely confirm that you are finished and do not wish to configure another net service name or install Oracle again.  Accept the defaults to complete the installation and exit the Oracle Universal Installer.

Installing Advise

Note: The Oracle client software must be installed prior to running the Advise setup routine.

1.      Point your web browser (MS Internet Explorer recommended) to http://advise.unc.edu/setup.exe.

2.      Open and run this executable.  If you are using Mozilla, Netscape or some other web browser, you may need to save the executable to your desktop and run it from there.

3.      The Advise installation program will run.  An Advise folder will be created in C:\Program Files and the Advise program and help files will be placed in that folder.  Appropriate shortcuts will be created on the desktop and in the Windows Start menu.  A system ODBC data source named AdviseOracle will be created using the Oracle service name (UNCADVISE) created during the installation of the Oracle client components.

4.      For new installations, start the Advise application.  Advise will open the options screen automatically.  Set the options listed below.  When finished, save the options and the Advise application will start.

Configuring Advise

MS Access:

Installed: Check this option if Microsoft Access 97, 2000 or XP is installed on the workstation. Some application functions will not be available if Access 97 or higher is not installed

Access Version: Select the appropriate version of MS Access from the drop-down.

Queries Database:

DB Name: This is the name of an MS Access 97 or higher database that Advise32 uses for its internal housekeeping. The default name is QUERIES32.MDB. You may give this file any valid, Win95/NT/2000 file name (DO NOT INCLUDE ANY EMBEDDED SPACES IN THE FILE NAME). Do not add a file extension to the file name selected. Advise assumes a file extension of .MDB and will append that extension to the name entered here. Advise will create this database the first time it needs it.

DB Path: This is the path to the database named above. The default is to place the database in the root directory of the C: drive (C:\). You may place it in any existing directory to which the user has write access.

MS Excel Installed
Check this box if MS Excel 97 or higher is installed on the workstation. Some program functions will be unavailable if MS Excel is not installed.

Updates
Check for updates at startup:
Check this box if you wish Advise to check the web for new versions each time the application is started.  You may check for updates at any time using the “Check for Updates” option under the Advise Help menu.  Note that for this function to operate properly the user must have permission to replace files in the Advise application folder.

Configuring the Advise Email Function
Use Default Windows Email Client
Checking this box will cause the Email button on the Advise address tab to function just like a "mailto" url in a web browser. If this button is not checked, Advise will use its own internal, SMTP logic to send email.

Your email address
This is the address that Advise will use as your return email address and to send you a blind copy of any email you send when using Advise's own email logic (i.e., the check box above is unchecked).

Signature File
This is the full path and name of a plain, text file you wish appended to any email you send using Advise's internal email logic.

FTP Information

This section is no longer used and may be ignored.

 

LDAP Information

 

This section provides information Advise needs to connect to and search the campus employee LDAP directory.  Change this information if you wish to search a different LDAP directory. Advise’s internal email logic provides access to the campus LDAP directory as an impromptu address book

 

Directory Name

UNC Employee Directory

 

LDAP Server

directory.unc.edu

 

LDAP Search Base

ou=Employees, o=UNC-CH, c=US

 

LDAP Port

390

Once you have set all the options, click on the "Save Options" button to create and save the Advise32.ini file. You may change these options later by selecting Options/Set Options from the Advise32 main screen menu.

Changing the Advise/Oracle Password
The AIS Security Administrator creates new user ids for Oracle with a default password. The first time a new user logs on, Advise32 will detect that default password and display the "Change Oracle Password" dialog. The user will be required to change his or her Oracle password before proceeding.

  1. Enter a new password in the provided field.
  2. Enter your new password again in the field provided for new password verification.
  3. Click on "Change Password" The restrictions on Oracle password are described at the top of the screen.
  4. If the new password is a valid Oracle password, your password will be changed on the server and the password change dialog will close. Otherwise, a message will be displayed describing any problems.
  5. You may exit the password change screen at any time, without updating your password, by clicking on the “Close” button.

 

Create the ODBC Data Source
This step will usually be completed by the Advise setup routine during the installation.  However, should you need to create the data source manually, follow these steps:

1.      From the Windows Control Panel, start the ODBC Administrator dialog.

2.      Select "System DSN" from the tabbed dialog that is displayed.

3.      Click the "Add" button.

4.      In the driver dialog, scroll down until you find the Oracle ODBC driver (file name SQORA32.DLL).

5.      Select this driver then click "Finish". 

6.      In the "Oracle 9 ODBC Driver Configuration" dialog, enter AdviseOracle as the data source name.  This is the name your user will use when linking in the remote tables in MS Access.

7.      Enter whatever description you wish. Select the UNCADVISE TNS Service name from the drop down. 

 

Link the Oracle Tables into MS Access

1.      Start MS Access with a blank database or with an existing database, and select “File/Get External Data/Link Tables...” from the menu. 

2.      At the bottom of the resulting dialog, drop down the "Files of Type" box and select ODBC Data Sources. 

3.      In the "Select Data Source" dialog, click on the "Machine Data Sources" tab and select the data source name you created in the above step (AdviseOracle) and click "OK". 

4.      Enter the user's user id and password when requested. 

5.      In the "Link Tables" dialog, select all the tables with a name like DBO.TABLENAME. 

6.      Once all the tables are selected click "OK". 

7.      You will then see a series of dialog boxes asking you to select a unique record identifier.  Click "Cancel" for each of these dialogs.  If you select "OK", Access will attempt to create a spurious local key for the tables and queries will produce unpredictable results. 

8.      Once you have clicked "Cancel" through all the resulting dialog boxes, you may close MS Access. 

9.      The user will need to repeat this process for any local, MS Access database he or she wishes to use to query the Oracle database.

 


Last Modified: 12 September 2005 • Suggestions to: Ray Porter