These notes describe known issues for AopWeb 2.13. These notes are updated as we receive feedback, so please check back at tifff for new information.

• General Information
• How to get
• Package content
• Prerequisites
• Installation
• Customization
• Upgrading from earlier version
• Mandatory Libraries
• Known Problems and Restrictions
• Reporting Problems
• Disclaimer
• Copyrights and Licenses
• New in release 2.13

AopWeb is a servlet using ASAM-ODS services to provide an easy to use data lookup facility from any desktop where a Web browser supporting HTML 4 including ECMA-Script (javascript) is available.

The backend servlet can execute on any system where a Java 2 VM is available, e.g. on Windows, most UNIX systems, all IBM server and midrange systems.

The language preferences set by user agent (Explorer) are automatically used when creating output pages. Currently available: english and german, other on request. Quite sure the content of ASAM-ODS database is not translated ;-)

AopWeb includes XML services to export data layed out according aoxs.dtd.

As only HTTP/S is used for client server communication, AopWeb can be used to bridge firewalls.

AopWeb is available in two flavors: Basic and extended.
The basic version supports

• authorization (to limit accessibility e.g. to readonly),
• browsing ODS data (tabular),
• measured data view applet (x-y graphs),
• simple (nonscripted) XML formatted (aoxs.dtd) data export,
• editting instances (excluding measured data)

The extended version adds

• AoxEditor, a client side measured data editor connected using SOAP,
• SOAP-Service to support addon applications incl. ONC-RPC - SOAP-RPC gateway including administration console,
• Scripting facilities for export/transfer/import (control.jar),
• Additional examples for server side extension,

Not included are: Specific applications, e.g. transfermonitor for data transfer automation, or FlagUtility to verify measured data. Such applications are distributed separatly but may be put into AopWeb to allow there usage from any desktop.

How to get

Both versions are downloadable from tifff homepage. The basic version comes with a public licencse key allowing usage for 1 hour after each servlet engine (re)start.

The extended version mandates a valid user license. The license key is a textstring (can be sent by EMail) and has to be added to servlet descriptor (web.xml).

• java (jdk 1.4 or higher)
  Check java.sun.com for a java platform suitable to your operation system.
• servlet engine (Tomcat, ServletExec, JServ, JRun , ...), the actual release has been tested with tomcat 4.0.6, the reference implementation of servlet specification included with many application servers. Download tomcat standard edition suitable to your environment. Latest edition (4.1.12) works too but faces a minor problem with connections, e.g. showing content only after a 20 seconds timeout with some platform - useragent combinations. For general tomcat informations see tomcat home directory. for recommended implementation of servlet specification 2.3.
• ASAM-ODS server (e.g. Santorin or AOSJ) supporting protocol revision 2 or 3.
• User agent (e.g. Internet Explorer or Navigator) supporting JavaScript For x-y plots (Applet as measured data viewer) the Explorer/Navigator shall support Java too (free downloads from JavaSoft).
• For network launchable applications (e.g. measured data editor), Java WebStart is mandatory (included with Sun's jdk standard edition).

depends on Web server and servlet engine used. Deployement of servlet in case of tomcat is rather simple:

• Put aopweb.war into webapps directory of servlet engine (application server)
• Setup at least one authorized user. For tomcat, a sample tomcat-user.xml file is included, for authentication based on databases, see tomcat documentation
• Enter license key using text editor into web.xml. If omitting this step, demo version will execute for one hour only after each servlet engine restart,
• (Re)start servlet engine.

For hints, refer to user manual included with distributed package.

After first startup webadministrators may adapt

• WEB-INF/AopWebReg.xml to predefine services for users without admin role privilege. (Users in role admin may create there own ones at runtime).
• WEB-INF/web.xml to register applications or to change authentication to e.g. FORM based.
• Add launchable addon applications

Similar to first installation after having removed webapps/aopweb directory manually. Eventually customized files (see above) and license shall be backed up befor and restored after first tomcat start.

WARNING: The AopWeb servlet descriptor (web.xml) includes a license key. Users may upgrade any time by downloading new versions of aopeb but license key has to be merged manually.

Recent versions of Java (1.4 and higher) may include additional libraries, addtionally tomcat is distributed with some extra libraries.

Libaries no more included with aopweb.war releases greater 2.7:

• xerces.jar (xml.apache.org)
• activation.jar (java.sun.com)
• mail.jar (java.sun.com)

Following public (apache style license) libraries are still part of aopweb.war:

• bsf.jar (apache.org)
• js.jar (mozilla.org)
• xalan.jar (xml.apache.org)
• soap.jar (xml.apache.org)

• EXCEL output does not yet support all features, e.g. formulas may not be added using template.
• Using tomcat 4.1.x (up to .12) may cause delays when showing plot's (20 seconds timeout).
• Formula processing support and XML extensions are experimental.
• Server side pluggins are for demonstration purpose only.
• No possibility to select data unit by user. The default as returned by ODS server is shown.
• If element views are set to show same column multiple times in one table, only first occurance is keeped when view is made persistent.
• Most tests have been made using Netscape Navigator on Linux, IE and windows platform may behave differently, e.g. HTML 4.01 features (disabling of options in listboxes) are not yet available with current IE versions.
• The samples given include BASIC and FORM based authentication, strong authentication (SSL, certificates) examples and how to install as a backend to e.g. Microsoft IIS are missing. See servlet engine (e.g. apache tomcat) documentation about how to do.
• The Aop (ASAM-ODS Protocol) Layer definition for DT_BLOB is doubtfull, e.g. using unsigned char<> instead of opaque<> causing 4 time overhead on network and unnecessary casting internally (as java doesnt have "unsigned"). Nevertheless AopWeb now is using this definition. If performance problems are encountered, sorry.
• The interpretation of blobs depends on user agent. AopWeb uses the string part as content type (mimetype). It is up to the receiving Web browser to associate the appropriate application to process the blob.
• Export/Import and data edit parts are experimental and inherit from AOXS.
• Instance editting facility is rather rudimentary.
• Internal error messages may appear in english (and not in national language set by user agent)

In case of failures please include loggings produced by servlet. With tomcat, all loggings are found in jakarta-tomcat/logs directory. If the problem is reproducable, one may try to increase verbosity of logging. There are two distinct places: servlet engine (using conf/servlet.xml for parametrization) and aopweb: When user has aopweb-admin privilege, logging verbosity can be changed without restart by changing log level for some subsystems. See "Settings"-page. See AopWeb documentation section "Logging".

Users unfamiliar with those topics (application service, server pages, servlets) shall not try to install that software. At least reading documentation of servlet engine is suggested befor installation.

Using AopWeb for evaluation purpose is permitted. For continued use getting a license is mandatory. AopWeb is not GPL!, but includes public licenses for libraries: See licenses included in software package (by law, copyrights of included public licences shall be reproduced).

Source Code

Source code is made available for noncommercial use only. There are two exceptions from that rule:

• As code used for dview applet includes code which is GPL style licensed, aopweb licensees are entitled to get source of that applet,
• Source code of interface implementations is made available free of charge when requested. This shall allow to integrate proprieatary client packages at server side by deriving from server side application interface (Application.java) and at client side by adapting the Stub implementation (SOAPAdapter.java).

• Dynamic logging (Java 1.4 mandatory!)
• Preferences moved from login to transfer page (allows to reassign default table length without closing session)
• Misc. error corrections
• Visual styles adapted.
• Excel output allows to use all Excel defined colors on cells, continuation sheet numbering improved.
• Added possibility to logoff HTTP session (to allow to become other user)

• Added EXCEL output
• Added filters for otherwise lost characters
• Application attributes now listed using original order

• Using aopweb.css stylesheet allowing to adapt some rendering informations, e.g. table colors.
• User data repository split into subdirectories,
• Formula package support including server side formulas.
• Registry changed, NamedValue no more included with session description
• ODS parameter upload enabled

• Local colum marked as independent is moved in front of other columns.
• Measured Data Matrix build out of multiple submatrices. Attention:Following restriction still applies:
  • Column selections are not restored
  Therefor user shall first switch to '*' (data from any submatrix), move the columns to the select list, move join column in front, adjust range of data to be fetched (range applies to the joined amount) and than fetch/load.
• Internationalization for client side scripts, Texts occuring within client side scripts may get national language content
• AoxEditor 1.2 support. Be aware: The SOAP interface connecting front end AoxEditor and AopWeb is version dependent. The SOAPAdapter class within AopWeb has to match AoxEditor release level
• Adjustments to title page, transfer page, ...

Last updated 20030707