How to Run Uniface on a server on the network from a PC without having anything installed on the PC

Hi Pedro,

All of our pc's are set up this way...

\\\\server\\uniface\\common\\bin\\uniface.exe /asn=..... /dir=\\\\server\\application_folder /ini= <app_name>

The problem you might have is the C++ runtime DLL's which Uniface requires.  I believe you should be able to extract the dll's found in vcredist_x86.exe (if you're running the 32 bit version) and drop those dll's into the \\uniface\\common\\bin folder rather than having to install it on each pc.

Good luck.

Regards,

Knut

Hi Pedro

Beside the tips Knut is giving you:

Create two shared folders on the server

ufs    UnifAce server
        in this folder are all "read only" objects
        i.e.  the uniface environment and your FRMs&Co
        .\\uniface  UnifAce
       .\\<my_app_ver>
       .\\<my_app_ver>\\frm
       .\\<my_app_ver>\\aps
      ...
      where
         my_app_ver   is a menmonic for the application and version
                              e.g.  THEAPP_0201  , Application "THEAPP", version 2.1

usr   User files (modifable)
        i.e LOG-files and DOL/URR (as the must be writable 😔 )
       .\\default   The default user (one can also create a sub folder for each user)
       .\\DOL    DOL and URR

Create an INI and ASN-File distinct from the UnifAce INI/ASN-Files.
In this files include the UnifAce  INIe resp. ASN-file at the end of the text.
In ASN-file write (at least)

[settings]
  $putmess_logfile \\\\server\\default\\app_%p.log

[RESOURCES]
  ; If one is using UAR
   \\\\server\\ufs\\<my_app_ver>\\mysource.uar

[Files]
  *.frm  \\\\server\\ufs\\<my_app_ver>\\frm\\*.frm
  .*aps  \\\\server\\ufs\\<my_app_ver>\\aps\\*.aps
...

The shortcut looks like
Target:  \\\\server\\ufs\\uniface\\common\\bin\\uniface.exe /asn=.\\app.asn /ini=.\\app.ini app.aps
Dir:       \\\\server\\usr\\public\\

So you have a structured environment

Ingo

PS:I did this text in a pub when Bundesliga was running, so there could be some beer stain in this wriiting 🙂

Hi Pedro,

You might consider to write  a batch file to start IDE or uniface. In this batch file you can do things before starting Uniface or IDE. For instance set the environment variables, create folders you might need or even copy dll's. 

For my local development I use Uniface in my local machine, but I did not install it. Might just as well be a folder on  the network. Take a look at my project structure: https://gitlab.com/openUnifaceCommunity/deployment/basic-development-environment

Another solution I used for a customer many years ago is to use the UServer to get Uniface. The UServer can act as a file server, so it can serve itself. Just try it! This solution drives systemadmin gracy, but it works!

Good luck,

Peter

Hi,

I'm just curious. Pedro, do you have the sql-client installed on every PC?

Another solution I used for a customer many years ago is to use the UServer to get Uniface. The UServer can act as a file server, so it can serve itself. Just try it! This solution drives systemadmin gracy, but it works!

Peter, what about the sql-client here and why does it drive systemadmin gracy?

Regards RogerW.

Hi Roger,

That's what I remembered; system administrator being totally confused. 

What you need is a server with a running urouter/userver. The Uniface folder must be shared with the client.

\\\\server\\uniface\\bin\\uniface.exe /ini=.\\asn\\runtime.ini /asn=.\\asn\\runtime.asn application.aps

This looks quiet normal, but.... the relative paths are something a systemadministrator will never understand. 

The trick is in the usys.asn:

[PATHS]

$POLYSERVER = TCP:servername+portnumber|username|password|UST

[FILES]

*.* = $POLYSERVER:*.*

This will start Uniface locally, but  you need to have it installed locally. 

And about the data?

When you want to read the data directly from the local machine, I think you will need to have the drivers installed on the machine itself. But, if you have the userver running anyway, why not read data over the connection too? 

Just play with it. This config worked for us from Uniface 7 and I have seen it working a few month ago in Uniface 10.3. I have never tested it with IDE, only the Uniface runtime. 

BTW, you might even consider using Uniface Anywhere... With that even IDE runs in a browser.

We do use Anywhere as a way to offer SaaS/PaaS to our customers. However Anywhere do has a cost/client and ie. customers with a lot of PC:s managing their own servers etc. do not always want to pay for the Anywhere clients, especially not those also using eg. Citrix. They don't want to pay for another desktop virtualization product.  Unfortunately eg. Citrix hasn't always worked that good with Uniface, especially if Uniface isn't installed on the Citrix server, but on another server on the network.

Regards RogerW

Peter, what do you mean by
"This will start Uniface locally, but  you need to have it installed locally." 

Hi Pedro,

Reading the different posts, I think that, maybe, you could use usmgutil.exe instead of uniface.exe; you would only need one DLL file, no asn file, no ini file.

Gilles.

Hi, Hortion GILLES can explain the use of the usmgutil.exe program, which we don't know. Will you have an example? Which is the .dll to which it refers?

Thank you

Hello Pedro,
Umsgutil.exe is software that allows you to send an asynchronous message to a Uniface component via the urouter.
The DLL to use is upostmsg.dll.
There is an example in the documentation on the upostmessage page.

Gilles.

I do a mistake, umsgutil.exe more than one DLL see :

https://u.uniface.info/docs/1000/uniface/_reference/executables/umsgutil_exe.htm?Highlight=umsgutil

Gilles

Hello Knut and others,

Since years we also use this way of installation with our customers. I mean the server-installation of the runtime. (with client-installation of C++ runtime) Since Uniface 9.7.04 we experience problems starting our application. Our first trial to start our application usually doesn't give a result (uniface.exe process hangs) but the second trial is normally succesfull. BUT since uniface 9.7.05 things became worse, we sometimes have to start our application multiple times before it really works. If you debug from startup it always works, but that's not really what customers should do. 😉

Any idea what we can investigate?

Regards,

Johan