The Distribution Participants expander gets enabled when you select the Distribution participant check box, thus enabling the distribution.
It provides all the required configuration parameters for setting up the projects in distribution. You can set up the projects in distribution on the same (single) server, as well as on a different server. The distributed systems that you set up can be Fully meshed or Hierarchical.
When you enable the distribution, a default and very first entry for the Local System (Originator) is added. This entry includes the details of the current project configuration including the current Server Project name, System name, and so on. This is a read only entry. You can neither edit the details of Local System entry using the Distribution Participants expander nor delete this entry.
Using this expander you can configure the distribution participants (projects) available on the same Server or from other Server. You can do this in two ways:
Automatic Mode
When you click the Browse button in the Distribution Participant expander for adding the distribution partner entry, you are working in Automatic mode. This is because, once you select the project on the selected Server from the domain/workgroup, all the configuration details of the selected project including the extension modules are automatically provided as a distribution partner project entry in the Distribution Participants expander.
Manual Mode
When you click the Add button in the Distribution Participants expander for adding the distribution partner’s entry, you are working in Manual mode. In Manual mode, you need to provide all the configuration details of the distribution partner project. You can add the extension modules for the distribution partner project using Extensions.
NOTE: While working in Manual or Automatic mode, make sure that the distribution partner project’s details including Server name, Project name, System name, System ID, the Shared path, and the extension modules configured in the selected project are correct. Otherwise, the distribution will not work. For example, if the extension modules are incorrectly configured when working in Manual mode, the corresponding profiles will not be present on the Originator (Local) System; therefore, you cannot to load the corresponding application for the profile.
The Distribution Participants expander comprises of following:
Distribution Participants Expander
Item
Description
Server
Allows you to type in the name of the Server computer or IP address of the distribution participant when you click Add and work in Manual mode. Allows you to add the Server name in the Automatic Mode. To do this, click Browse to select the Server computer from the accessible networks in the domain/workgroup using the Browse for Distribution Partner dialog box.
Project Name
In Manual mode, type in the name of the project on the selected Server that you want to set up in distribution. In Automatic Mode, click Browse, select the projects enabled for distribution on the selected Server. The distribution partner project’s entry along with the Project Name field is automatically added once you select the project and click Add Distribution Partners.
System Name
In Manual mode, type in the System Name configured in the selected project on the selected Server in Manual mode. Alternatively, click Browse to work in Automatic mode and the System Name is automatically added in the distribution participants entry once you select the project and add it to the Selected Projects list and click Add Distribution Partners.
System ID
Type in the System ID configured in the selected project on the selected Server in Manual mode. Alternatively, click Browse to work in Automatic mode and the System ID is automatically added in the distribution participants entry once you select the project and add it to the Selected Projects list and click Add Distribution Partners.
Shared Path
Type in the path of the shared Project folder on the selected Server in Manual mode. Alternatively, the share path automatically displays, if you have shared the distribution partner project’s folder, before adding it as a distribution Partner using Automatic mode. NOTE 1: Make sure that you have shared the project folder with the user logged onto the operating system of the Server computer. Otherwise, while working in distribution, file transfer may not work properly. NOTE 2: On a single Server machine, when setting the distribution among Local Systems (projects), for a distribution participant project having Communication as Standalone, you need to provide the local path of the distribution participant in the Shared Path field. For example, C:\GMSProjects\Project1. Each time you sync, the local path of the distribution participant in the Shared path field is removed, and you need to manually provide the local path again.
Extensions button and the Extensions column
The Extensions button is enabled only when a new distribution partner project’s entry is added to the distribution participants list or when you select an existing distribution partner’s entry. Click Extensions to add/remove EMs using the Select Project Extensions dialog box that displays. After EMs are configured in the distribution partner project, the corresponding EM profiles are added automatically in the Profiles expander. Following values are displayed in the Extensions field: - <none>: (default value) indicate that no EM is configured. - <multiple>: when multiple EMs are configured. In the drop-down list, an EM that is configured in the project but is not installed, displays in red. - <name of the EM>: when only one EM is configured. NOTE: When configuring the distribution in Manual mode, select only those EMs that are configured in the selected distribution partner project. Even though you can configure any EMs, on sync, the distribution partner’s configured EMs are not changed. Moreover, you cannot work with such EMs of the distribution partner project, due to missing EM profiles, when working in distribution.
Browse
Use the Browse button to work in Automatic Mode. When clicked, it opens the Browse for Distribution Partner dialog box. You can add distribution partner projects available on the selected Server in the current station domain or from the list of available network domains. Additionally, you can also select the Server computer from the workgroup.
Add
When clicked, adds a blank row. You can manually enter the details of the distribution participant project that you want to set up in distribution. NOTE: By default, a bi-directional Distribution Connection entry is added in the Distribution Connections expander setting up the Fully meshed distribution type.
Remove
This button is enabled only when a distribution participant’s entry (other than the Local System entry) is added to the distribution participant’s list either using Manual mode or Automatic mode. Allows you to remove the distribution partner project’s entry from the Distribution Participants expander.
Sync
Click Sync to harmonize the distribution configuration details of all the distribution partner projects listed in the Distribution Participants and Distribution Connections expanders. Sync also allows you to configure the distribution by applying the Originator project’s distribution details to all the distribution partners. During sync - On the Local system, it corrects any wrong configuration or duplicate entries of the distribution Partner project by fetching and updating the details for each distribution partner project on the Local System (Originator project). - On the Partner system, it either adds a new entry for the Local System (Originator project), if not present or updates the existing entry. NOTE: If the entries for the Partner Proxy Port and Partner Dist Port are present on the Local System, then after Sync on the Local System, any duplicate entries for Partner Dist Port and Partner Proxy Port, configured in the Distribution Connections expander on the partner project, are removed and the fields remain blank on the Partner system. Mismatch related to Connection type are also removed when you click Sync on the Local System (Originator project). This is because the entries are maintained only on one system in a distributed systems’ configuration.
Service Port
(Default value is 8888) In the Manual mode, provide the Service port number configured using Systems in SMC. Note that the Service port for all the projects on the Local System is same. In the Automatic mode, when you add the distribution participant project, you need to provide the corresponding Service port number, if it is other than the default 8888 in the Browse for Distribution Partner dialog box.
