- Nov 13, 1999
- 11,875
- 282
- 126
Since the release of version 01.00.00, Sengent's D2OL has added many advanced
features. If brief, we have added the following:
* Support for Multiple Operating Systems:
D2OL now supports Macs OS 10.1 and above, Linux, Solaris,
as well as all Windows Platforms.
* New Property Settings:
Users can now access advanced properties such as: Manually setting the
network connection state for the Node, Disabling the graphical animation
on the Agent GUI, and Setting the candidate Task Queue Size.
* Multiple Node Controllers:
Users can now choose from multiple node controller including a simple,
Lightweight Java GUI; a Command Line Interface; and a File based
controller.
=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-
-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
------------------------------------------------------------
** Support for Multiple Operating Systems
------------------------------------------------------------
Mac OS 10.1
-----------
Sengent D2OL is now fully supported on Mac OS 10.1 and later. It will not
work on earlier versions of Mac OS, but it will be supported for all future
upgrades of the Mac OS.
*Known Issues with Mac OS version of D2OL
1) If a D2OL Node is running when the Mac Operating System is shut down,
the Node does not behave correctly. It will prevent the system from
shutting down or restarting until the Node is manually exited by the
user.
2) Automatic updating of the software is not yet supported on
Operating Systems other than Windows.
Linux and Solaris
-----------------
*Known Issues with the Linux and Solaris versions of D2OL
1) The graphic animations on the Agent GUI cause window repainting issues.
Displaying either the About or Properties dialog while the animations
are on will prevent the dialogs from being displayed properly. See the
section below on disabling the graphic animation for a workaround to
this problem.
2) Automatic updating of the software is not yet supported on
Operating Systems other than Windows.
Windows
-------
Sengent D2OL continues to support all versions of Windows:
Windows 95, Windows 98, Windows 98SE, Windows ME, Windows XP,
Windows NT 4.0, and Windows 2000.
------------------------------------------------------------
** New Property Settings
------------------------------------------------------------
Manually setting the network connection state
---------------------------------------------
This option allows users to manually tell the Agent Node whether it has a
network connection or not. If selected, the Agent will assume that there is
a network connection and try to communicate with the server as necessary.
If unselected, the Agent Node will assume that no network connection is
present and it will not attempt to communicate with the server until this
option is once again selected.
Note: On Windows Operating Systems only, the Agent Node will automatically
detect the network state. However, it will do so if and only if this
option is selected. If unselected, no automatic network detection will be
done and the Agent Node will assume that no network connection is available.
**Users on all other Operating Systems must control this option manually.
Disabling the graphical animation on the Agent GUI
--------------------------------------------------
This option allows users to disable the animated graphics on the Agent GUI.
Note: On some Unix Operating Systems, the animated graphics are intensive
and can cause display problems with the About and Properties dialogs.
If you experience such a problem, unselect this option.
Also, displaying the Agent GUI with animations will take a certain amount of
processing time away from the Task Engine. If animations are disabled, the
Agent GUI can be displayed without significant slowdowns for the Task Engine.
Setting the Task Queue Size
---------------------------
Setting the Candidate Queue Size sets an upper bound "suggestion" on the
amount of candidates queued from the server. The number of candidates in
the queue should eventually stabilize at this value.
It is not guaranteed, however, that the number of candidates in the queue
will equal this value at all times. In fact, the size of the actual
candidate queue might occasionally grow slightly larger than this value
In these cases, and in cases where the user sets this value lower than the
current size of the queue, new candidates will not be requested from the
server until the queue drops below the selected value
------------------------------------------------------------
** Multiple Node Controllers
------------------------------------------------------------
Node Controller Overview
------------------------
On all supported Operating Systems, there are defined default controllers:
Windows: Special Windows specific controller that uses the System Tray
and a few system specific calls to optimize the user experience.
Mac OS 10.1: Special Mac OS specific controller that allows for an
optimized user experience.
Linux and Solaris: A lightweight Java graphical interface that display key
data without having to launch the full blown Agent GUI.
While the above controllers are defaults, it is now possible for the user
to manually specify a controller on any operating system. This is done by
passing a command line parameter into the D2OL binary when launching the
Agent Node. These parameters are as follows:
'controller:java' - This manually sets the Node's controller to be the
Lightweight Java GUI Controller.
'controller:cli' - This manually sets the Node's controller to be the
Command Line Interface Controller.
'controller:file' - This manually sets the Node's controller to be the
File Based Controller.
Lightweight Java GUI Controller
-------------------------------
This is the default controller for both Linux and Solaris, however,
if Windows or Mac OS X users choose to use it, they can.
It is a simple Java GUI that will display the full state of the Task Engine
while also allowing users to manually control all available settings. This
controller is a simple alternative to users that choose not to display
the full Agent GUI and yet want to be able to visually see the state of
the Task Engine.
Command line interface (CLI)
----------------------------
This is a controller for users that wish to run and interact with the
Agent Node via the Command Line. It is also the only choice for users
that do not have an environment that allows graphical windows.
When running the command line controller, the following commands
are available:
Command Line Interface Commands:
(Note: Commands are case in-sensitive)
----------------------------------------------------------------
Exit - Exits the Node. Quick key 'q'.
State - Displays the Current State of the Node. Quick key <ENTER>.
ToggleAgent - Toggles the Agent GUI.
Launches it if it is not running,
or Closes it if it is displayed.
Quick key 'ta'.
ToggleEngine - Toggles the Task Engine.
Suspends it if it is running,
or Resumes it if it is suspended.
Quick key 'te'.
List - Displays all Properties, their current values,
and information on their possible values.
Quick key 'l'.
Set - Sets a Property. This command must be followed
with a valid property key
and it's desired value in the form: key=value
Example: 'Set QueueSize=30'
Note: Property keys and values ARE case sensitive.
Version - Displays the Descriptive Version of the Node. Quick key 'v'.
? - Displays this Message.
All Command line commands are case insensitive. However, when setting
a Property value, the names and values of the Property must be specified
with correct case.
Note: While the List and Set commands allow the user to see and modify
properties specific to automatic code updating, the Automatic updating
of the software is not yet supported on Operating Systems other than
Windows.
For users running the Command Line Interface Controller on Windows
machines, the auto update property is always assumed to take an action.
Thus, regardless of the setting for the 'Auto' property, the node
will always see this value as 'true'. Further, the auto action delay
is always assumed to be 0. Thus, regardless of the setting for the
'Delay' property, the node will always see this value as '0'.
This means that, whenever an update is detected, the selected
action will occur immediately without user confirmation.
Note: The command line interface requires a terminal/console from which to
receive user input. As such, it can not be run as a background
process (on Unix running with an '&'). To run in such a mode,
you must select to use the File Based Controller described below.
Note: The binary executable on Windows machines (D2OL.exe) does not have an
attached console by default. In order to access the command line, you
must edit the launch.xen file and change the property that defines
which java executable gets run by default. In the launch.xen file,
edit the property 'jvm.executable.noconsole' to equal
'..\jre\bin\java.exe' instead of '..\jre\bin\javaw.exe'.
This will display a console window in which the Command Line Controller
will run. You must still supply the input parameter 'controller:cli'.
Lastly, there is a known issue on Windows running the Command Line
Controller where what the user types is not echoed to the screen.
In other words, while you will still be able to access all the Command
Line functionality, you will just not be able to see what you type.
File Based Controller
---------------------
This is a controller for users that wish to run the Agent Node as a
complete background process.
When running in this mode, the User can control the Agent Node from a
controller property file. This file is called 'control.prp' and a default
one with comments/instructions should be installed. Before running in this
mode, it is recommended that the user read and understand the information
provided in control file.
Using the control file, Users can: Toggle the Task Engine, Display the GUI,
and Shut the Node down.
Note: Users must be careful to use shut the node down gracefully.
If they simply kill the Node's java process, the docking engine
may continue to run and there is a possibility of corrupting the
property files that control the Node's operation.
In order to set other properties, the User must manually set them in the
proper property file. They are located in the 'res' directory and are
called: general.prp, network.prp, and update.prp. The General file controls
general settings, the Network file control network setting such as proxy
information, and the update file controls settings for automatic code
updating.
Note: Changes made directly to these files might not take affect immediately.
Note: (as described above for the command line controller)
That the Update settings are only applicable for Windows Systems as
automatic code updating currently works only on Windows.
Note: All properties are case sensitive.
**Important Note: Do NOT modify any other property file other than the
three listed above. Changes to other property files
could lead to a corrupt install, forcing users to
reinstall the software.
General Properties:
Online - possible values: true or false
If set to 'true', the Agent will assume that there is a
network connection and try to communicate with the server
as necessary.
If set to 'false', the Agent will assume that no network
connection is present and it will not attempt to communicate
with the server until this value is set back to 'true'.
LaunchMain - possible values: true or false
If set to 'true', the Agent GUI will launch at startup.
AnimOn - possible values: true or false
This is a Agent GUI specific setting that only matters if
the Agent GUI is displayed.
If set to 'true', the Agent GUI will use graphical animation
to show that tasks are running.
QueueSize - possible values: 10-100 in increments of 5
This defines the number of tasks that will be queued from
the server. Valid values are increments of 5 between
10 and 100, inclusive. For example: 10, 15, 20, ... 90, 95, 100
Network Properties:
ConnectMode - possible values: Direct, HTTP or SOCKS
If set to 'Direct', the Node will access the internet directly.
If set to 'HTTP', the Node will access the internet through the
defined HTTP Proxy Server. Note: In this mode, you MUST also
specify an HTTP Proxy Host and an HTTP Proxy Port.
If set to 'SOCKS', the Node will access the internet through the
defined SOCKS Proxy Server. Note: In this mode, you MUST also
specify an SOCKS Proxy Host and an SOCKS Proxy Port.
HTTPHost - possible values: <any string>
If the ConnectMode is set to 'HTTP', this values MUST specify
the HTTP Proxy Host name or IP.
HTTPPort - possible values: <any valid port number>
If the ConnectMode is set to 'HTTP', this values MUST specify
the HTTP Proxy Port.
SOCKSHost - possible values: <any string>
If the ConnectMode is set to 'SOCKS', this values MUST specify
the SOCKS Proxy Host name or IP.
SOCKSPort - possible values: <any valid port number>
If the ConnectMode is set to 'SOCKS', this values MUST specify
the SOCKS Proxy Port.
Update Properties:
Auto - possible values: true or false
This key defines the Auto Update behavior of the Node.
If set to 'true', the Agent GUI will perform the
action defined by key 'Action'
Otherwise, whenever an update is available, the Node will
wait for manual confirmation before continuing with the update.
Note: In CLI or File Based controller modes, this value is always
assumed to be 'true'.
Action - possible values: update or quit
If set to 'update', the Node will automatically update itself
after the number of minutes as defined by the key 'Delay'
If set to 'quit', the Node will automatically quit after the
number of minutes as defined by the key 'Delay'
Delay - possible values: 0, 1, 5, 15, 30, 60
This key defines the amount of minutes that the Node will
wait before following through with the Auto Update Action
defined by the key 'Action'
Note: In CLI or File Based controller modes, this value is
always assumed to be 0.
In other words, whenever an update is detected, the
selected action will occur immediately without user confirmation.
Again Note: The Update settings are only applicable for Windows Systems as
automatic code updating currently works only on Windows.
features. If brief, we have added the following:
* Support for Multiple Operating Systems:
D2OL now supports Macs OS 10.1 and above, Linux, Solaris,
as well as all Windows Platforms.
* New Property Settings:
Users can now access advanced properties such as: Manually setting the
network connection state for the Node, Disabling the graphical animation
on the Agent GUI, and Setting the candidate Task Queue Size.
* Multiple Node Controllers:
Users can now choose from multiple node controller including a simple,
Lightweight Java GUI; a Command Line Interface; and a File based
controller.
=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-
-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
------------------------------------------------------------
** Support for Multiple Operating Systems
------------------------------------------------------------
Mac OS 10.1
-----------
Sengent D2OL is now fully supported on Mac OS 10.1 and later. It will not
work on earlier versions of Mac OS, but it will be supported for all future
upgrades of the Mac OS.
*Known Issues with Mac OS version of D2OL
1) If a D2OL Node is running when the Mac Operating System is shut down,
the Node does not behave correctly. It will prevent the system from
shutting down or restarting until the Node is manually exited by the
user.
2) Automatic updating of the software is not yet supported on
Operating Systems other than Windows.
Linux and Solaris
-----------------
*Known Issues with the Linux and Solaris versions of D2OL
1) The graphic animations on the Agent GUI cause window repainting issues.
Displaying either the About or Properties dialog while the animations
are on will prevent the dialogs from being displayed properly. See the
section below on disabling the graphic animation for a workaround to
this problem.
2) Automatic updating of the software is not yet supported on
Operating Systems other than Windows.
Windows
-------
Sengent D2OL continues to support all versions of Windows:
Windows 95, Windows 98, Windows 98SE, Windows ME, Windows XP,
Windows NT 4.0, and Windows 2000.
------------------------------------------------------------
** New Property Settings
------------------------------------------------------------
Manually setting the network connection state
---------------------------------------------
This option allows users to manually tell the Agent Node whether it has a
network connection or not. If selected, the Agent will assume that there is
a network connection and try to communicate with the server as necessary.
If unselected, the Agent Node will assume that no network connection is
present and it will not attempt to communicate with the server until this
option is once again selected.
Note: On Windows Operating Systems only, the Agent Node will automatically
detect the network state. However, it will do so if and only if this
option is selected. If unselected, no automatic network detection will be
done and the Agent Node will assume that no network connection is available.
**Users on all other Operating Systems must control this option manually.
Disabling the graphical animation on the Agent GUI
--------------------------------------------------
This option allows users to disable the animated graphics on the Agent GUI.
Note: On some Unix Operating Systems, the animated graphics are intensive
and can cause display problems with the About and Properties dialogs.
If you experience such a problem, unselect this option.
Also, displaying the Agent GUI with animations will take a certain amount of
processing time away from the Task Engine. If animations are disabled, the
Agent GUI can be displayed without significant slowdowns for the Task Engine.
Setting the Task Queue Size
---------------------------
Setting the Candidate Queue Size sets an upper bound "suggestion" on the
amount of candidates queued from the server. The number of candidates in
the queue should eventually stabilize at this value.
It is not guaranteed, however, that the number of candidates in the queue
will equal this value at all times. In fact, the size of the actual
candidate queue might occasionally grow slightly larger than this value
In these cases, and in cases where the user sets this value lower than the
current size of the queue, new candidates will not be requested from the
server until the queue drops below the selected value
------------------------------------------------------------
** Multiple Node Controllers
------------------------------------------------------------
Node Controller Overview
------------------------
On all supported Operating Systems, there are defined default controllers:
Windows: Special Windows specific controller that uses the System Tray
and a few system specific calls to optimize the user experience.
Mac OS 10.1: Special Mac OS specific controller that allows for an
optimized user experience.
Linux and Solaris: A lightweight Java graphical interface that display key
data without having to launch the full blown Agent GUI.
While the above controllers are defaults, it is now possible for the user
to manually specify a controller on any operating system. This is done by
passing a command line parameter into the D2OL binary when launching the
Agent Node. These parameters are as follows:
'controller:java' - This manually sets the Node's controller to be the
Lightweight Java GUI Controller.
'controller:cli' - This manually sets the Node's controller to be the
Command Line Interface Controller.
'controller:file' - This manually sets the Node's controller to be the
File Based Controller.
Lightweight Java GUI Controller
-------------------------------
This is the default controller for both Linux and Solaris, however,
if Windows or Mac OS X users choose to use it, they can.
It is a simple Java GUI that will display the full state of the Task Engine
while also allowing users to manually control all available settings. This
controller is a simple alternative to users that choose not to display
the full Agent GUI and yet want to be able to visually see the state of
the Task Engine.
Command line interface (CLI)
----------------------------
This is a controller for users that wish to run and interact with the
Agent Node via the Command Line. It is also the only choice for users
that do not have an environment that allows graphical windows.
When running the command line controller, the following commands
are available:
Command Line Interface Commands:
(Note: Commands are case in-sensitive)
----------------------------------------------------------------
Exit - Exits the Node. Quick key 'q'.
State - Displays the Current State of the Node. Quick key <ENTER>.
ToggleAgent - Toggles the Agent GUI.
Launches it if it is not running,
or Closes it if it is displayed.
Quick key 'ta'.
ToggleEngine - Toggles the Task Engine.
Suspends it if it is running,
or Resumes it if it is suspended.
Quick key 'te'.
List - Displays all Properties, their current values,
and information on their possible values.
Quick key 'l'.
Set - Sets a Property. This command must be followed
with a valid property key
and it's desired value in the form: key=value
Example: 'Set QueueSize=30'
Note: Property keys and values ARE case sensitive.
Version - Displays the Descriptive Version of the Node. Quick key 'v'.
? - Displays this Message.
All Command line commands are case insensitive. However, when setting
a Property value, the names and values of the Property must be specified
with correct case.
Note: While the List and Set commands allow the user to see and modify
properties specific to automatic code updating, the Automatic updating
of the software is not yet supported on Operating Systems other than
Windows.
For users running the Command Line Interface Controller on Windows
machines, the auto update property is always assumed to take an action.
Thus, regardless of the setting for the 'Auto' property, the node
will always see this value as 'true'. Further, the auto action delay
is always assumed to be 0. Thus, regardless of the setting for the
'Delay' property, the node will always see this value as '0'.
This means that, whenever an update is detected, the selected
action will occur immediately without user confirmation.
Note: The command line interface requires a terminal/console from which to
receive user input. As such, it can not be run as a background
process (on Unix running with an '&'). To run in such a mode,
you must select to use the File Based Controller described below.
Note: The binary executable on Windows machines (D2OL.exe) does not have an
attached console by default. In order to access the command line, you
must edit the launch.xen file and change the property that defines
which java executable gets run by default. In the launch.xen file,
edit the property 'jvm.executable.noconsole' to equal
'..\jre\bin\java.exe' instead of '..\jre\bin\javaw.exe'.
This will display a console window in which the Command Line Controller
will run. You must still supply the input parameter 'controller:cli'.
Lastly, there is a known issue on Windows running the Command Line
Controller where what the user types is not echoed to the screen.
In other words, while you will still be able to access all the Command
Line functionality, you will just not be able to see what you type.
File Based Controller
---------------------
This is a controller for users that wish to run the Agent Node as a
complete background process.
When running in this mode, the User can control the Agent Node from a
controller property file. This file is called 'control.prp' and a default
one with comments/instructions should be installed. Before running in this
mode, it is recommended that the user read and understand the information
provided in control file.
Using the control file, Users can: Toggle the Task Engine, Display the GUI,
and Shut the Node down.
Note: Users must be careful to use shut the node down gracefully.
If they simply kill the Node's java process, the docking engine
may continue to run and there is a possibility of corrupting the
property files that control the Node's operation.
In order to set other properties, the User must manually set them in the
proper property file. They are located in the 'res' directory and are
called: general.prp, network.prp, and update.prp. The General file controls
general settings, the Network file control network setting such as proxy
information, and the update file controls settings for automatic code
updating.
Note: Changes made directly to these files might not take affect immediately.
Note: (as described above for the command line controller)
That the Update settings are only applicable for Windows Systems as
automatic code updating currently works only on Windows.
Note: All properties are case sensitive.
**Important Note: Do NOT modify any other property file other than the
three listed above. Changes to other property files
could lead to a corrupt install, forcing users to
reinstall the software.
General Properties:
Online - possible values: true or false
If set to 'true', the Agent will assume that there is a
network connection and try to communicate with the server
as necessary.
If set to 'false', the Agent will assume that no network
connection is present and it will not attempt to communicate
with the server until this value is set back to 'true'.
LaunchMain - possible values: true or false
If set to 'true', the Agent GUI will launch at startup.
AnimOn - possible values: true or false
This is a Agent GUI specific setting that only matters if
the Agent GUI is displayed.
If set to 'true', the Agent GUI will use graphical animation
to show that tasks are running.
QueueSize - possible values: 10-100 in increments of 5
This defines the number of tasks that will be queued from
the server. Valid values are increments of 5 between
10 and 100, inclusive. For example: 10, 15, 20, ... 90, 95, 100
Network Properties:
ConnectMode - possible values: Direct, HTTP or SOCKS
If set to 'Direct', the Node will access the internet directly.
If set to 'HTTP', the Node will access the internet through the
defined HTTP Proxy Server. Note: In this mode, you MUST also
specify an HTTP Proxy Host and an HTTP Proxy Port.
If set to 'SOCKS', the Node will access the internet through the
defined SOCKS Proxy Server. Note: In this mode, you MUST also
specify an SOCKS Proxy Host and an SOCKS Proxy Port.
HTTPHost - possible values: <any string>
If the ConnectMode is set to 'HTTP', this values MUST specify
the HTTP Proxy Host name or IP.
HTTPPort - possible values: <any valid port number>
If the ConnectMode is set to 'HTTP', this values MUST specify
the HTTP Proxy Port.
SOCKSHost - possible values: <any string>
If the ConnectMode is set to 'SOCKS', this values MUST specify
the SOCKS Proxy Host name or IP.
SOCKSPort - possible values: <any valid port number>
If the ConnectMode is set to 'SOCKS', this values MUST specify
the SOCKS Proxy Port.
Update Properties:
Auto - possible values: true or false
This key defines the Auto Update behavior of the Node.
If set to 'true', the Agent GUI will perform the
action defined by key 'Action'
Otherwise, whenever an update is available, the Node will
wait for manual confirmation before continuing with the update.
Note: In CLI or File Based controller modes, this value is always
assumed to be 'true'.
Action - possible values: update or quit
If set to 'update', the Node will automatically update itself
after the number of minutes as defined by the key 'Delay'
If set to 'quit', the Node will automatically quit after the
number of minutes as defined by the key 'Delay'
Delay - possible values: 0, 1, 5, 15, 30, 60
This key defines the amount of minutes that the Node will
wait before following through with the Auto Update Action
defined by the key 'Action'
Note: In CLI or File Based controller modes, this value is
always assumed to be 0.
In other words, whenever an update is detected, the
selected action will occur immediately without user confirmation.
Again Note: The Update settings are only applicable for Windows Systems as
automatic code updating currently works only on Windows.
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