OCLC SiteSearch System Requirements

This document contains the following information for the most recent version of the Open SiteSearch suite: WebZ and Database Builder.

• OCLC SiteSearch System Requirements

Includes a list of the supported platforms and hardware specifications for each of the SiteSearch components, as well as formulas for estimating the disk space of local databases built using Database Builder and, optionally, its Record Builder application.

• OCLC SiteSearch Software - What's Included?

  Describes what is shipped with SiteSearch for both UNIX and Windows NT systems.

• OCLC SiteSearch Supporting Software

Provides information regarding additional software that you need to use with Open SiteSearch to take full advantage of its extensive functionality, including World Wide Web (WWW) browsers, Web servers, the Java Development Kit (JDK), relational database management system (RDBMS) software, and the Java Database Connectivity (JDBC) driver.

• OCLC SiteSearch Sample System Configurations

Includes three examples of estimating the disk space required to use the various SiteSearch components, depending on the number of simultaneous users, the types of local databases supported, and the Web server used.

Open SiteSearch System Requirements

The following sections describe the Open SiteSearch system requirements, including platforms supported, hardware specifications, and formulas for database sizing.

Platforms Supported

Open SiteSearch is available on the operating systems listed in the table below.

Hardware Specifications

The following table presents the minimum hardware specifications for each of the SiteSearch components.

OCLC SiteSearch Database Sizing

Building local databases using the Open SiteSearch Database Builder software (and possibly its Record Builder application), requires additional disk space for storing local databases. Use the following formulas to estimate the amount of disk space needed for citation or other local databases.

Citation Databases

Use the following formula to estimate the disk space required for citation databases:

  [(n × 1000 bytes) = BER record storage] + [BER record storage × 2.5]

where

n	=	number of records in the database
1000 bytes	=	average size of a MARC record in the OCLC WorldCat database.
2.5	=	"index" factor for indexes associated with the database, based on typical indexing strategies (which, at a minimum, include keyword and phrase indexes). These indexing strategies require about 2.5 times the amount of space needed for the actual database records.

Example

Using the citation database sizing formula above for a database with 2000 records, you would calculate the total disk space as follows:

	2000		Number of records in the database
×	1000		Average record size
	2,000,000		BER record storage		2,000,000
	2,000,000		BER record storage
×	2.5		Index factor
	5,000,000		Space for indexes	+	5,000,000
			Total disk space required		7,000,000

or approximately 7 MB.

Record Builder Databases

Record Builder databases are local Newton-searchable databases for local collections of such things as images, sound files, Web sites, and data. Therefore, the size of a Record Builder database can vary widely. There are two factor to consider when estimating the size of a Record Builder database:

• Storage space for the descriptive data for each item in the collection, or metadata (the actual Record Builder records)
• Storage space for each item in the collection

The records in a Record Builder database vary in size based on the number of fields used, but should not usually be larger than 1000 bytes/record. Use the formula provided for citation databases to estimate the amount of disk space required for metadata for each item in the collection.

Then consider the amount of storage space needed for the collection itself. For each database, you need to determine a representative size for items in the collection. Then multiply this by the number of records in the database to estimate the amount of disk space needed. You store the collection external to the database, but you need to estimate the space required for storing the collection to determine the amount of disk space needed to host the database.

Open SiteSearch Software - What's Included?

This table describes what is included when you purchase a license for the Open SiteSearch Suite.

Open SiteSearch Supporting Software

What Do We Need To Support SiteSearch?

The following table describes supporting software for SiteSearch for both UNIX and Windows NT. The table indicates whether each software product is required or optional, and in some cases, the purpose of the product. Links refer to additional information that follows the table or from a vendor's Web site. Note that some software is required only if your SiteSearch environment includes Database Builder or if you are using Database Builder's Record Builder application.

Installing SiteSearch Software

UNIX

You can install the Open SiteSearch suite on UNIX platforms with either the InstallShield graphical user interface (GUI) or Perl script installers. If you intend to use InstallShield, you must have an X server, version X11 Release 5 or higher, running on your desktop. The X server must be capable of communicating with the X Window System on the host system where the Open SiteSearch suite is installed.

If you are working on a PC desktop, you need a PC X server, such as Exceed, X-WinPro, or SuperX to communicate with your host system.

If you do not have X server software or access to a host system that has the X Window System, you can use the Perl script installers as an alternative. You must have a copy of Perl (version 5 or newer) to use the Perl script installers.

Windows NT Server

You do not need additional software to install the Open SiteSearch suite on a Windows NT server. The Open SiteSearch suite uses an InstallShield GUI installer.

Environment Ownership for Both Platforms

• Install all SiteSearch software (WebZ Extension, WebZ, Database Builder) you have licensed, and any subsequent bug fixes, under the same user name (user account). To conform to good system administration practices, we recommend that you do not use root as this user name in a UNIX environment.

• Ensure that all custom files you add to a SiteSearch environment have the same owner as the rest of the environment.

• Should you need to change ownership of a SiteSearch environment, give every file in the environment the same new owner.

The various SiteSearch components (such as JaSSI, ZBase, and the OpServe) may not function properly and/or efficiently if their processes need to access a file with a different owner.

See SiteSearch Environment Ownership for more information.

Web Servers

WebZ

WebZ requires a commercially-available Web server to provide Web access to Z39.50 servers. You can configure WebZ to work with a variety of Web servers by compiling the Web server with a WebZ Extension for that server and platform. WebZ Extensions are available for the following servers and platforms.

• Apache 1.3.6 or higher - AiX, DIGITAL UNIX, Solaris
  
  

  Note:

  The Open SiteSearch Suite for UNIX includes a freeware version of the Apache Web server. This pre-configured copy of the server includes the appropriate WebZ Extension necessary to use with the Open SiteSearch suite software.

  
  
• Netscape Enterprise and FastTrack Servers 3.0 or higher - AiX, DIGITAL UNIX, NT, Solaris
  Earlier versions of Netscape have problems with Java thread handling.
• Microsoft Internet Information Server - NT
  You must have version 3.x or higher.

Disk space and memory requirements for Web servers are available from the vendors' Web sites. Remember to include the Web server's disk space and memory requirements when estimating server configuration requirements. WebZ's disk space requirements include the Apache server for UNIX operating systems (see Hardware Specifications).

Database Builder

Database Builder's Record Builder application requires the same Web server and WebZ extension supported for WebZ. In a SiteSearch environment with WebZ and Record Builder, WebZ and Record Builder each have their own instance of the WebZ extension.

With the Apache and Netscape Web servers, WebZ and Record Builder share a single instance of the Web server and users access each application through a separate port number.

If you are using the Microsoft Internet Information Server (IIS) as your Web server, it is not possible to run WebZ and Record Builder simultaneously on a single machine. Your options are to:

• Use Netscape as your Web server, which will allow you to run WebZ and Record Builder simultaneously on the same machine.
• Use IIS as the Web server for a WebZ-only environment and Netscape as the Web server for a Record Builder-only environment or a WebZ/Record Builder environment.
• Use Netscape as the Web server for a WebZ-only environment and IIS as the Web server for a Record Builder-only environment.
• Use IIS as the Web server for a WebZ-only environment on one machine and IIS as the Web server for a Record Builder-only environment on another machine.

Therefore, for Windows NT, we recommend the Netscape Web server for a SiteSearch environment that includes both WebZ and Record Builder.

Java Development Kit

WebZ and Database Builder's Record Builder application are Java-based applications that require a Java Virtual Machine. Java Virtual Machines (JVM) are software programs that interpret Java programs that have been compiled into byte code. The JVM is written for each operating system, but the byte code it interprets is operating-system independent. Java Virtual Machines are included in Java Development Kits (JDK) from specific vendors.

To run the WebZ software and/or Record Builder, you must acquire and install a JDK for your operating system. For more information about the JDK appropriate for the Solaris or Windows NT operating systems, see http://java.sun.com/products/OV_jdkProduct.html. For other operating systems, see http://java.sun.com/cgi-bin/java-ports.cgi. For all operating systems, the SiteSearch software requires a production release of the JDK, version 1.2.2 or higher.

Remember to allocate adequate disk space for the JDK on your server. For example, the JDK on Solaris is approximately 150 MB when downloaded, including all documentation, demonstrations, etc.

Web Browsers

WebZ

The Open SiteSearch WebZ software includes an HTML-based interface for patrons. The WebZ Out-of-the-Box Interface (OBI) takes advantage of several advanced features of HTML and requires WWW client/browser software that supports those features. If your patrons' WWW software does not support these features, you can customize the OBI locally to accommodate browsers that do not support these advanced elements.

The OBI uses the following HTML features: inline graphics, forms, tables, and (optionally) frames. As a result, the recommended WWW browsers are:

• Netscape Navigator 4.0 or higher
• Microsoft Internet Explorer 5.5 SP2 or higher

Database Builder

Database Builder requires a JavaScript-enabled browser to support the interface in its Record Builder application. The Record Builder interface also uses style sheets. Therefore, we strongly recommend the following Web browsers if you plan to use Record Builder:

• Netscape Communicator 4.0 or higher
• Microsoft Internet Explorer 5.5 SP2 or higher

Access Component

SiteSearch's integrated Access component provides flexible user authentication and authorization for both WebZ and Database Builder's Record Builder application.

The Access component supports:

• Authentication – Ensuring that a patron or staff member is an authorized system user.
• Authorization or access control – Allowing a patron or staff member to access only the databases for which he/she is authorized. In addition, Record Builder access control also provides each staff member with the privileges necessary to perform his/her job.
• Initialization (WebZ only) – Presenting the appropriate interface style for each patron after logging in.

UNIX

To utilize SiteSearch's Access component on UNIX systems, WebZ includes Hughes Technologies Pty. Ltd.'s Mini Structured Query Language (mSQL) software, which is used by both WebZ and Database Builder's Record Builder application. It also includes a Java Database Connectivity (JDBC) driver from the Center for Imaginary Environments (CIE) to provide access from the Java-based WebZ software to authentication databases in an mSQL database. You also receive a sample mSQL database schema file(s) that you can use to test the Access component configuration for WebZ and/or Record Builder.

Alternatively, you can use an off-the-shelf SQL database package with the Access component instead of mSQL, provided a JDBC driver is available for the package.

Windows NT

To utilize SiteSearch's Access component on Windows NT, you need an off-the-shelf relational database management system (RDBMS) (such as Oracle, Sybase, or Microsoft SQL Server) and a JDBC driver to provide access from the Java-based WebZ software to authentication databases. By default upon installation, the Access component is configured to work with Microsoft SQL Server 6.5 and a compatible JDBC driver. You also receive a sample SQL database schema file(s) that you can use to test the Access component configuration for WebZ and/or Record Builder.

Tracking and Analyzing WebZ Usage Statistics

WebZ provides a statistics feature that generates statistics log files and converts the data into a comma-delimited file for use alone or for importing into a database or spreadsheet application. To produce statistical reports from WebZ log files, you need a third-party database or spreadsheet application, such as Microsoft Access, Microsoft Excel, or Corel Quattro Pro.

Building Databases

The Open SiteSearch Database Builder software for both UNIX and Windows NT uses the Perl interpreted language to run scripts used in building and maintaining databases. Your system must have a copy of Perl (version 5 or newer) for database building.

Database Builder also requires a copy of Tar for Windows NT users. Tar is a freeware software program that allows you to backup any local databases that you create using Database Builder. You can obtain a free copy of Tar at

http://search.shareware.com/code/engine/File?archive=winsite-winnt&file=misc%2fnttar%2ezip@size=315157

For UNIX, Tar is generally included as part of the operating system.

Sample System Configurations

Use the following sample system configurations as guidelines for identifying the disk space required for Open SiteSearch components that you have licensed, for building local databases, and for using proprietary software. See Hardware Specifications and Open SiteSearch Database Sizing for the rationale used for these sample configurations.

Sample System Configuration for WebZ

Sample System Configuration for WebZ and Database Builder

Sample System Configuration for WebZ, Database Builder, and Image Database Maintained with Record Builder

See Also

WebZ System Administration
Getting Started with Open SiteSearch
Installing and Configuring Open SiteSearch