You have a working document server on your network and have transferred your licenses onto that server. You now want to install and configure RocketDMS on client workstations to use this server.

Export Connection Profile

On any existing workstation with a working connection to the document store server, run the Configuration program and select the Document Store tab :

• Select the required working connection profile.
• Click the Export button.

This will create a file with a '.rda' extension. Save this file.

Install On Client Workstation PC

Transfer/copy these two files onto the workstation PC :

• The latest version of rocketDMS-setup.exe.
• The .rda file that you created above.

Double-click on rocketDMS-setup.exe to run the RocketDMS installer. DO NOT START ROCKETDMS YET.

Double-click on the .rda file. This will install your exported connection profile onto this workstation and make it active. Answer YES to the questions about importing the profile and about using it for license connections.

Workstation installation is now complete.

Start RocketDMS and it should connect to your central document store .

Firewall Ports

The default ports that we use are TCP 3306 and 1443. Ensure that connections can be made by clients to the server on these ports. Check the local firewall and anti-virus settings on the server.

MySQL Server Connections

Check these settings:

• Server accepts TCP (network) connections and not just named pipe connections.
• Correctly functioning rDNS (Reverse DNS) on your network. MySQL uses rDNS during the TCP connection and authentication phase. Incorrect rDNS settings can seriously impact SQL server connection performance. You may need to use the --skip-name-resolve setting.

Basic TCP/IP Connectivity

Just because a windows system lets you 'see' shared folders and the like on other Windows PCs it does not mean that your basic TCP/IP (The protocol used for Internet connectivity.) networking is correctly configured.

A good first check is to use the ping command from a DOS command window. On the client PC try pinging the server machine. You should see at least:

• The requested server name converted into an IP address. This indicates that DNS (Domain name) resolution is working.
• A number of packets will be sent along with replies. There should be 0% loss. It will look something like this:

C:\Users\Mike>ping corsair
Pinging corsair [67.215.65.132] with 32 bytes of data:
Reply from 67.215.65.132: bytes=32 time=297ms TTL=43
Reply from 67.215.65.132: bytes=32 time=272ms TTL=43
Reply from 67.215.65.132: bytes=32 time=281ms TTL=43
Reply from 67.215.65.132: bytes=32 time=281ms TTL=43

Ping statistics for 67.215.65.132:
    Packets: Sent = 4, Received = 4, Lost = 0 (0% loss),

Approximate round trip times in milli-seconds:
    Minimum = 272ms, Maximum = 297ms, Average = 282ms

DNS

All TCP/IP networks should have a functioning DNS and rDNS (Domain Name Service) system. All requested host names should resolve to IP addresses and vice-versa.

You are free to use any SQL and Subversion server that is already available within your organisation or you can install a server just for RocketDMS. 

To help you get started with installing your own we have provided a simple package to help with the installation and configuration of MySQL and Subversion servers onto a Windows server or PC. This back-end installer does not contain our own software. It just encapsulates and assists with the installation of these third-party packages:

• MySQL.
• SVN server from Collabnet
• VisualSVN

To install a basic multi-user back-end based on these three technologies, download and run the Backend Installer package on the PC or server that is to be the back-end server. :

Back-end Installer Package

This installer will:

• Guide you through the download of the full MySQL and SVN server packages (approximately 50MB).
• Do a base installation of these packages.
• Set a root password on the MySQL server. It is VERY important that you do not lose this root password.
• Create a SQL database for RocketDMS to use.
• Create a Subversion repository for RocketDMS to use for document version control.
• Create a connection profile to be used by the main RocketDMS client program for connection to the back-end server.

Please note: There are many things that we can not build into an installer. For a fully functioning and properly performing server you may have to check for local environment issues that include:

• Firewall settings.
• Anti-virus settings.
• Administrator and write permissions.
• Naming conventions.
• Host names and domain name service settings on your network.
• Available drives and space.

If you select a single revision in the Revision History list then that revision is compared with your current local working copy.

If you select two revisions (holding down the Ctrl key) then those two revisions will be compared.

Right-click and select Difference from the context menu.

Because there is such a huge variety of document and file types we do not include a file comparison program. You must download and/or purchase third-party comparison programs to do the specific job that you require.

Adding A Difference Program

In this example we will show you how to 'plug in' the freeware file comparison program called ExamDiff. 

All credit to the folks at prestoSoft for an excellent piece of work.

Download and install your chosen difference programs. Yes, plural, you can associate different file name extensions with different comparison programs.

Start the Configuration Program , Database Tab, Diff Programs button.

This will present a simple tool that we provide to edit settings that are stored in the database :

Click on the + button to add a new record. A new record is created in the table.

Click on the new line created to select this record and then click in the prog column of that line to edit the contents there. Enter the full path to the EmxamDiff program. In this example enter :

C:/Program Files/ExamDiff/ExamDiff.exe   Use forward slashes!

In the name column enter ExamDiff.

If you want this particular difference program to be used only for a specific document type enter the filename extension into the ext column. Leave the ext column empty for the diff program to be used for all document types. In this example we only want ExamDiff to be used for text documents.

Leave the params column as {file1} {file2}.

You can add as many programs as you require for different file and document types. The system will choose which program to use based upon the file name extension.

Click here : Download and Run : Remote Support Program

You can not use this program to contact us and request support. You must contact us first.

If we need remote access  to your system then we will ask you to run this program to give us access to your computer.

This program installs nothing on your PC and makes no registry changes. You can see what we are doing on the screen and you can terminate our access at any time by simply closing the program.

This program has a built in configuration that connects only to our server so that it supplies remote desktop access only to us.

This program uses the Single Click system by UltraVNC.

Simple Multi-User ( Global read/write all users )

If you are interested only in having a global multi-user document store for your organisation and don't care about specific read/write permissions on individual documents then the simplest is :

• No subversion (document store) server. Use the filesystem based repository via a windows shared folder and use a file:/// based SVN URL.
• Use a MySQL database.

Multi-User ( enforce document permissions )

• A subversion (document store) server. There are many ways of doing this but the simplest I have found to set up on windows is the VisualSVN server which support user and group permissions for the repository. See: http://www.visualsvn.com/server/licensing/
• Use a MySQL database.

Document permissions are determined by the Subversion server. Here's why :

Think client-server. There are 2 databases used in parallel behind RocketDMS: The subversion repository to store documents and changes and an SQL database to store extra document info like meta-data and fulltext indexes.

The core of the permissions system is what the subversion server/repository allows you to do with files stored in it. By default the subversion repository will allow global read/write to everyone.

Set up your document permissions in this order:

1. Permissions for documents are controlled by the subversion (document repository). The (mysql/sqlite) database is used by the RocketDMS program to store all of the indexes and metadata. The (sqlite/mysql) database has only a single username for use by the program.

Create and configure the required users/passwords/permissions in your subversion repository.

How you do this will depend upon the particular subversion server that you use. The authentication is part of the subversion server used. For a file based repository ( SVN repository URL starting with 'file:///')  there is no server and hence no authentication. In this case the usernames and passwords are ignored by subversion. (But still used by the RocketDMS client to control who can use what components of the program.)

It is the subversion repository usernames/passwords that you use as RockertDMS logins.

2. RocketDMS then takes note of these usernames. The 'Users' tab in the configuration lets you set up permission for these users. These are the RocketDMS permissions that control what that user can see and do within the RocketDMS client. Nothing to do with the subversion repository (document database) in the back end.

The reason for this is that RocketDMS is a subversion client in the sense that it uses a subversion repository as the database to store documents. ( Exactly analogous to any program that uses, say, a Microsoft SQL database server for it's data storage.  Like an SQL database server there are many other client programs that can also access the same database. You want the authentication controlled at the server.   ) 

In this case you don't want people using another subversion client to bypass what they can not do via RocketDMS.

Subversion Users, Passwords and Permissions (VisualSVN Manager)

This is where you set all usernames, passwords and document access permissions.

Start the  VisualSVN Manager GUI Start->Programs->VisualSVN->VisualSVN Manager
Select the Users section:

Right click on Groups to create and maintain user groups.

Right click on Users to set passwords.

Right click on the repository (default install is rocketdms_docs) to apply users, groups and permissions.

RocketDMS Client Program Permissions

This is where you manage who can see and use the various components of the RocketDMS program.

Start the configuration program, Start->Programs->Pikaia->RocketDMS->Configuration.
Navigate to the Users tab:

Click the Users button. Add the same usernames as were created in the subversion server. Place the usernames in one or more groups, comma separated. Keep it simple and copy the included examples until you are sure of what you are doing.

These usernames are authenticated against the subversion server and will use the subversion passwords.

How do these RocketDMS program permissions work?

You will note that there are 4 buttons labelled Permissions Components, Permissions, Groups and Users.

 The RocketDMS program permissions are built up from the bottom up in this way:

1. Permissions Components : We supply you with a list of all components or parts of the program that can be controlled. You can view this list but you should NOT edit the permissions components list. We will automatically add to this permissions components list as the program develops new features. Take a note of the code value for each component you will use this code in the Permissions list. 

2. Permissions : You may edit this list to create your basic system permissions. Each permission controls one or more of the permissions components (codes listed comma separated). You give each of your permissions a unique code. Take a note of the code value for each permission you will use this code in the Groups list.

3. Groups: Groups are sets of permissions. Each group has a unique code. The default install has these groups : readonly, readwrite, everyone, admin and superuser.

4. Users: Users are assigned to one or more of the permissions Groups. 

For most purposes the default permissions and groups should provide most of what you require without any changes. 

Important Note : Any username that is not listed in the Users list will automatically be placed in the Everyone group. This means that you do not have to add every new user into the RocketDMS program permissions. Edit the Everyone group to have the permissions that you require for your default users. It will only be the exceptions that you have to explicitly add to the Users list.

In general , users will be added/maintained/removed using the Subversion Manager program.

See:  http://www.visualsvn.com/

Download the VisualSVN Server for you environment. Install and accept all of the defaults up to this screen:

Repositories :  Select a folder/location for your central document store. For document store backups this is the folder to be backed up.

This will install the server as a windows service. The VisualSVN server Manager program will now start. If not, it can be started from Start -> Programs -> VisualSVN -> VisualSVN Server Manager.

Now create a repository for your documents. Right-click on Repositories and select  Create New Repository :

Give your repository a name. Keep the Create Default Structure option UNCHECKED. 

In this example you can see our repository call RocketDMS_Document_Store has been created.
Note the URL to be used for our store.

This is the URL that you will enter into RocketDMS configuration as the repository URL.

 In this example the URL is :

https://Sparrow:444/svn/RocketDMS_Document_Store/

Hint: Use the Action menu to copy the URL directly into the clipboard.

Users and Groups

You can now user the Users and Groups section of the VisualSVN manager to set up user access for the repository.

IMPORTANT : RocketDMS comes pre-configured with a username called superuser. At the very least, create the same username here with full access to your new repository.