In This Section:
Starting and Stopping Essbase Server
Starting Essbase Server Remotely from Administration Services Console
Starting and Stopping Applications
Starting and Stopping Databases
Controlling Query Size and Duration
Table 68 lists the Essbase server and client executable files:
Launching the Agent executable file, essbase.exe, starts the Essbase Server Agent process. The Agent process starts and stops all applications and acts as the traffic coordinator for Essbase Server.
On the computer where Essbase Server is installed, the Agent is accessible only from the server console, which is the primary terminal, or monitor, connected to the server computer.
When you start Essbase Server in the foreground, the Agent becomes active in an operating system window. In the Agent window, you can view release and license information, enter login and administrative commands, and monitor the behavior of Essbase Server. On Windows, Essbase can be accessed only from the server console. On UNIX, a telnet session is used to access Essbase remotely.
When you start Essbase Server in the background, the terminal becomes free for other input, and the Agent activities are not visible in the terminal. See Starting Essbase Server as a Background Process.
The agent log is called the Essbase Server log. See Viewing the Essbase Server and Application Logs.
essbase.exe and esssvr.exe (ESSBASE and ESSSVR on UNIX) are multithreading and symmetric multiprocessing (SMP) applications. Multithreading ensures high performance in a client-server environment. SMP provides scalability when a single server computer hosts multiple Essbase applications. Essbase Server uses POSIX kernel threads, which are included in UNIX operating systems.
By default, the number of threads is based on the number of licensed ports, as shown in Table 69. The number of ports represents the number of concurrent connections that Essbase supports. Essbase provides one reserve port for the system administrator, which is used to log off users when all other ports are in use.
You can set the number of threads for the Agent or Essbase Server in the essbase.cfg file using the AGENTTHREADS, AGTSVRCONNECTIONS, and SERVERTHREADS configuration settings. See the Oracle Essbase Technical Reference.
Note:
Enabling hyperthreading on the computer on which Essbase Server runs is not recommended.
To display a list of available Agent commands, press Enter in the operating system window where you started Essbase Server in the foreground.
Table 70 describes each Agent command, and the MaxL, ESSCMD, or Administration Services equivalents:
Table 70. Agent Commands and MaxL, ESSCMD, or Administration Services Equivalents
Displays a list of users connected to the Essbase Server. The following information is displayed: | ||
Displays the number of ports installed on the Essbase Server and the number of ports in use. | ||
Disconnects a user from the Essbase Server and frees a port. | ||
Changes the system password that is required to start the Essbase Server. | ||
Enables compaction of the security file when the Agent is running. See Managing Security-File Fragmentation. | ||
Dumps information from the Essbase security file (essbase.sec) to a specified file in text (ASCII) format. If you do not supply a path with the filename, the file is saved to the ESSBASEPATH/bin directory. This command requires the Essbase system password. Note: You cannot use the DUMP command against an Essbase Server that is run as a service. If the server is running as a service, use the Export Security File command in Administration Services or the export security_file MaxL statement. | See Exporting the Security File. Note: You can use the export security file command against an Essbase Server that is run as a service. | |
Lists all valid Agent commands and their respective functions. Same as pressing Enter. | ||
To start Essbase Server, you must have Administrator permissions.
Starting Essbase Server in the foreground starts the Agent in an operating system window, in which you can enter commands and monitor Essbase Server activities.
When starting an Essbase Server for the first time (for example, after installing Essbase), the administrator enters a company name, Essbase Server system administrator user ID, and a system password. This information is saved in the Essbase security file (essbase.sec). As long as essbase.sec is present in your Essbase installation, you are not prompted to provide this information when subsequently starting Essbase Server.
To start Essbase Server in the foreground, use a method for the operating system on which Essbase Server runs (these examples assume that Essbase Server had been started at least once before):
For UNIX, enter the following command at the operating system prompt:
ESSBASEFor Windows, choose a method:
A system administrator may run Essbase Server as a background process when working in batch mode (for example, when using a UNIX shell script or Windows .bat file to run multiple tasks, such as starting and logging onto Essbase Server, loading data, and running calculation scripts and report).
Also, on Windows, running Essbase Server as a background process allows a system administrator to use Windows settings to improve performance of applications running in the foreground.
If you start Essbase Server in the background, these conditions apply:
You cannot shut down Essbase Server from the Agent. You must use MaxL or ESSCMD.
You cannot access the application server window to monitor a running application. You must access this information from the application log (ARBORPATH/app/appname/appname.log).
You cannot monitor Essbase Server activity using the Agent. You must access this information from the Essbase Server log (HYPERION_HOME/logs/essbase/essbase.log).
You can run instances of the Agent as Windows services. You must first use EPM System Configurator to register the service. See the Oracle Hyperion Enterprise Performance Management System Installation and Configuration Guide.
To start Essbase Server in the background on UNIX, or on Windows systems utilizing a UNIX-like shell such as MKS, enter the following command at a command prompt:
essbase -b &
Using the ampersand (&) at the end of the command is optional; however, if you do not use “&,” the command prompt is not returned after Essbase Server is started.
On Windows, unless you are using a UNIX-like shell such as MKS, the ampersand (&) has no effect. Essbase Server starts in the background, but control of the command prompt is not returned. You may need to press the Enter key twice before the command prompt returns.
On UNIX systems, to find out if Essbase Server is already running in the background, enter the following command at a command prompt:
ps -ef | grep ESS
If Essbase Server is running in the background, it appears in the process list.
On HP-UX and Solaris, the ps -ef utility creates a process listing that includes the system password.
Note:
On IBM AIX, the Essbase Server system password is hidden automatically.
To hide the Essbase Server system password:
Create a shell script, named essbase.secure, that contains these commands:
#!/bin/sh PASS=$1 ESSBASE -b -secure << EOF & ${PASS} EOFTo launch the Agent, use this command:
essbase.secure password
To have the script to return to a command prompt without manually entering a carriage return or to imbed the script within a larger script, execute the script with this command:
essbase.secure &
(Optional) To redirect the standard output to a file named nohup.out, which is useful when running the script in a nonactive terminal session, use this command:
nohup essbase.secure &
You can change the password that is required to start Essbase Server.
Changing the system password does not change the connection password for the Essbase system Administrator.
To change the Essbase Server system password, use a tool:
Tool | Topic | Location |
|---|---|---|
Agent | password | Enter the Agent command at the command prompt in the Essbase Server console window. Enter the current system password. Enter the new system password; then re-enter it. |
MaxL | alter user system_administrator set password password | Oracle Essbase Technical Reference |
ESSCMD | SETPASSWORD | Oracle Essbase Technical Reference |
You need Administrator permissions to stop or shut down Essbase Server.
To stop Essbase Server and all running applications, use a tool:
If you stop the Agent by closing the Agent window or by pressing Ctrl + C, the next time you start the database, Essbase rolls back any transactions that were in progress. See Rollback with Committed Access or Rollback with Uncommitted Access.
You can start Essbase Server remotely from the Enterprise View tree in Administration Services Console. To enable this functionality, you configure and start Remote Start Server on the Essbase Server computer. Remote Start Server then handles requests from Administration Services to start Essbase Server.
Each Essbase Server installation includes all files necessary to configure and start Remote Start Server. To start different Essbase Servers from Administration Services Console, you must configure and start a Remote Start Server instance for each Essbase Server.
Before starting Remote Start Server, you must configure it if any of the following conditions apply:
If none of these conditions apply, you are ready to start Remote Start Server. Skip to Starting and Stopping Remote Start Server.
To configure Remote Start Server, see the following topics.
Each Essbase Server installation contains a configuration file, server.properties, in the ESSBASEPATH/bin directory, which you can use to configure Remote Start Server.
The default configuration file contains the following lines:
Where PathToEssbase.exe is the location of the Essbase Server executable file.
When editing the configuration file, keep in mind the following information:
On Windows, you must escape the backslash (\) with an additional backslash (\\), as shown in the following examples.
The value for the Server1 key may be any one of the following:
If you change the value of Server1 to machineName, you must use machineName in place of localhost as the key prefix for any rows you add to the file. For example, on UNIX:
Server1=jdoe2 jdoe2Executable=Hyperion/products/Essbase/EssbaseServer/bin/essbase.exe
If you change the value of Server1 to machineName:port, you must use Server1 in place of localhost as the key prefix for any rows you add to the file. For example, on Windows:
Server1=jdoe2:4050 Server1Executable=C:\\Hyperion\\products\\Essbase\\EssbaseServer\\bin\\essbase.exe
When adding environment rows to the file, you first specify how many environment rows you are adding by using the localhostEnvRows setting. For example:
localhostEnvRows=3 localhostEnv1=Variable=VariableValue localhostEnv2=Variable=VariableValue localhostEnv3=Variable=VariableValue
You can set a non-default port for Remote Start Server to use.
The following sample configuration file for Windows sets the Essbase Server port to 4050; sets the ARBORPATH environment variable; and sets Remote Start Server port to 9030:
Server1=jdoe2:4050 Server1EnvRows=1 Server1Env1=ARBORPATH=C:\\Hyperion\\products\\Essbase\\EssbaseServer Server1Executable=C:\\Hyperion\\products\\Essbase\\EssbaseServer\\bin\\essbase.exe ServerPort=9030
In the configuration file for Remote Start Server, you must specify the port number being used for Essbase Server if Essbase Server is configured to run on a non-default port.
If you are using a non-default port because you are using multiple instances of Essbase Server on one computer, see Configuring Remote Start Server for Multiple Instances of Essbase Server.
To specify a non-default Essbase Server port:
On the Essbase Server computer, open the server.properties configuration file. For example:
ESSBASEPATH/bin/server.propertiesChange the following lines from:
Server1=localhost localhostExecutable=PathToEssbase.exeServer1=MachineName:Port Server1Executable=PathToEssbase.exe
Server1=jdoe2:4050 Server1Executable=C:\\Hyperion\\products\\Essbase\\EssbaseServer\\bin\\essbase.exe
If environment variables must be set when starting Essbase Server remotely, you must add environment information to the Remote Start Server configuration file.
On Windows, if you are not using multiple instances of Essbase Server on the same computer, you need not set environment variables. See Configuring Remote Start Server for Multiple Instances of Essbase Server.
On UNIX, the environment must be set properly when starting Essbase Server. If the environment is not set, you must specify environment variable information in the Remote Start Server configuration file to be used for startup. Each UNIX platform has different environment variable requirements; see the Oracle Hyperion Enterprise Performance Management System Installation and Configuration Guide.
To set environment variables for startup:
From the Essbase Server computer, open the server.properties configuration file. For example:
ESSBASEPATH/bin/server.propertiesAdd lines for each environment variable that you must specify, using the format described in About the Server.Properties Configuration File.
The number of environment rows that must be set depends on your platform.
The following sections show examples of how to set environment variables for different UNIX platforms, using the default Essbase Server port and an English ESSLANG value.
Server1=localhost localhostEnvRows=4 localhostEnv1=ARBORPATH=/vol1/essbase localhostEnv2=LD_LIBRARY_PATH=/vol1/common/ODBC/Merant/ 5.2/lib:/vol1/essbase/bin;$LD_LIBARY_PATH localhostEnv3=ESS_JVM_OPTION1=-Xusealtsigs localhostEnv4=ESSLANG=English_UnitedStates.Latin1@Binary localhostExecutable=/vol1/essbase/bin/ESSBASE
Server1=localhost localhostEnvRows=3 localhostEnv1=ARBORPATH=/vol1/essbase localhostEnv2=LIBPATH=/vol1/common/ODBC/Merant/ 5.2/lib:/vol1/essbase/bin;$LIBPATH localhostEnv3=ESSLANG=English_UnitedStates.Latin1@Binary localhostExecutable=/vol1/essbase/bin/ESSBASE
Server1=localhost localhostEnvRows=3 localhostEnv1=ARBORPATH=/vol1/essbase localhostEnv2=SHLIB_PATH=/vol1/common/ODBC/Merant/ 5.2/lib:/vol1/essbase/bin;$SHLIB_PATH localhostEnv3=ESSLANG=English_UnitedStates.Latin1@Binary localhostExecutable=/vol1/essbase/bin/ESSBASE
By default, Remote Start Server is configured to run on port 9010. If this port is being used by another program, you must specify a different port number before you start Remote Start Server. The port number must be specified in the Remote Start Server configuration file on the Essbase Server computer and in a configuration file on the Essbase Administration Server computer.
To specify a nondefault Remote Start Server port:
On the Essbase Server computer, open the configuration file. For example:
ESSBASEPATH/bin/server.propertiesAdd the following line:
ServerPort=PortNumberServerPort=9030
On the Essbase Administration Server computer, open the following configuration file:
EASPATH/server\olapadmin.propertiesAdd one of the following lines:
If you want Remote Start Server to use a specific port for a specific Essbase Server, add the following line:
EssbaseServerName.REMOTE_START_SERVER=PortNumber
jdoe2.REMOTE_START_SERVER=9030
If you want Remote Start Server to use the same, non-default port for all Essbase Servers, add the following line:
REMOTE_START_SERVER=PortNumberREMOTE_START_SERVER=9030
If multiple instances of Essbase Server are installed on one computer, you must configure and start Remote Start Server for only one of the installations.
For information about installing multiple Essbase Server instances, see the Oracle Hyperion Enterprise Performance Management System Installation and Configuration Guide.
To configure Remote Start Server for multiple instances of Essbase Server on one computer:
Select one of the Essbase Server instances and open its configuration file. For example:
ESSBASEPATH/bin/server.propertiesAdd the following lines to the file:
Server2=MachineName:PortNumber Server2EnvRows=1 Server2Env1=ARBORPATH=ARBORPATHvalue Server2Executable=PathToEssbase.exe
Server2=jdoe2:4050 Server2EnvRows=1 Server2Env1=ARBORPATH=C:\\Hyperion\\products\\Essbase\\EssbaseServer-2 Server2Executable=C:\\Hyperion\\products\\Essbase\\EssbaseServer-2\\bin\\essbase.exe
Note that ARBORPATH must be set explicitly for the second server instance. Also, for UNIX platforms, if the environment is not already set for either Essbase Server instance, you must specify environment variable information in the Remote Start Server configuration file. For information about the environment variables that are required for each UNIX platform, see the Oracle Hyperion Enterprise Performance Management System Installation and Configuration Guide.
The following sections show examples for Windows and UNIX (Solaris).
The default configuration for localhost and for the second instance of Essbase Server (jdoe2), which runs on port 4050.
Server1=localhost localhostExecutable=C:\\Hyperion\\products\\Essbase\\EssbaseServer\\bin\\essbase.exe Server2=jdoe2:4050 Server2EnvRows=1 Server2Env1=ARBORPATH=C:\\Hyperion\\products\\Essbase\\EssbaseServer-2 Server2Executable=C:\\Hyperion\\products\\Essbase\\EssbaseServer-2\\bin\\essbase.exe
The configuration for localhost and for the second instance of Essbase Server (jdoe2), which runs on port 4050. The environment is set for both Essbase Server instances.
Server1=localhost localhostEnvRows=4 localhostEnv1=ARBORPATH=/vol1/essbase localhostEnv2=LD_LIBRARY_PATH=/vol1/common/ODBC/Merant/ 5.2/lib:/vol1/essbase/bin;$LD_LIBARY_PATH localhostEnv3=ESS_JVM_OPTION1=-Xusealtsigs localhostEnv4=ESSLANG=English_UnitedStates.Latin1@Binary localhostExecutable=/vol1/essbase/bin/ESSBASE Server2=jdoe2:4050 Server2EnvRows=4 Server2Env1=ARBORPATH=/vol2/essbase–2 Server2Env2=LD_LIBRARY_PATH=/vol2/common/ODBC/Merant/ 5.2/lib:/vol2/essbase–2/bin:$LD_LIBRARY_PATH Server2Env3=ESS_JVM_OPTION1=-Xusealtsigs Server2Env4=ESSLANG=English_UnitedStates.Latin1@Binary Server2Executable=/vol2/essbase–2/bin/ESSBASE
After Remote Start Server is started, you can start Essbase Server.
On UNIX platforms, Remote Start Server can start an Essbase Server only if Essbase Server is installed by the same user name that was used to start Remote Start Server. If Remote Start Server is started by the root user, it can start an Essbase Server that was installed by any user.
You can install and start Remote Start Server as a Windows service.
To install and start Remote Start Server as a Windows service, launch:
ESSBASEPATH/bin/install_service.batinstall_service.bat installs Remote Start Server as a Windows service (named Essbase Remote Start Server) and starts the service. You can then manage the service from Windows Control Panel or by using net start and net stop commands.
To remove the Essbase Remote Start Server Windows service, launch:
ESSBASEPATH/bin/remove_service.batAfter starting Remote Start Server, you can start Essbase Server from Enterprise View in Administration Services Console.
Before you start Administration Services, ensure that the Essbase Servers you want to manage are started. First start Essbase Administration Server, and then start Administration Services Console.
To start Administration Services, see the Oracle Essbase Administration Services Online Help.
To start Essbase Server from Enterprise View:
From Enterprise View, select the Essbase Server node that you want to start.
Right-click and select Start.
When prompted, enter the password for Essbase Server.
The request is sent to Remote Start Server, which then starts Essbase Server. If Remote Start Server is not running, an error message is displayed in Administration Services Console.
When an application is started, Essbase loads it and all associated databases into memory on the Essbase Server computer. All client requests for data, such as data loads, calculations, reports, and spreadsheet lock and sends, are then handled through the application server process (ESSSVR). The application server is always started by the Agent.
Multiple application servers can run on Essbase Server concurrently. On Windows, a separate window opens for each ESSSVR process that is running. If an application contains multiple running databases, all databases are managed by the one application server.
When you stop an application, Essbase unloads all information and databases from memory on the Essbase Server computer and closes the application server process.
When you start an application, the following actions can happen:
To start an application, use a tool:
The application starts and, if you are running on Windows, opens the application server window on the Essbase Server computer.
You can also start an application by completing any of these actions:
Starting a database within an application. See Starting a Database.
Saving an outline to Essbase Server. (Opening an outline does not start an application.)
You can set options that control how applications start:
startup (Allow user to start application): If an application is stopped, and a user attempts to retrieve data from any databases within that application, the application starts on the Essbase Server computer automatically.
autostartup (Start application when Essbase starts): Users may experience better initial performance when they make requests of databases in that application, because the application and databases are already loaded into memory on the Essbase Server computer.
Stop applications properly to prevent the databases within them from becoming corrupt. When you stop an application, transactions may be running. If you stop an application using any of the proper methods (see the following table), the application does not stop if a calculation or data load is in progress. Instead, Essbase displays a message in the Agent console.
If you stop the Agent by closing the server console window or by pressing Ctrl+C, the application stops, and the next time you start the application, Essbase rolls back any transactions that were in progress. See Rollback with Committed Access or Rollback with Uncommitted Access.
Sometimes, stopping the application server process improperly, by closing the application server window, is necessary; for example, if the application server is corrupted and is not processing client requests.
To stop the application improperly, use a method for the operating system on which Essbase Server runs:
For UNIX platforms, kill the ESSSVR process.
You can use the ps output to identify individual applications. If an application freezes, you can stop the application by using this command:
kill -9 <pid>
For Windows, choose a method:
Perform a Windows operating system End Task.
Windows does not display process IDs for individual Essbase applications—all of the running Essbase applications are displayed as undifferentiated ESSSVR processes, preventing you from stopping a single application in the event that the application freezes.
Click the Close button in the upper-right corner of the application server window.
You can find the process ID for individual application servers in the HYPERION_HOME/logs/essbase/essbase.log file. When the server starts, a line like the following is displayed in the Essbase Server log:
Application [Sample] started with process id [225]
Starting a database loads the database into memory on the Essbase Server computer. Stopping a database unloads all database information from memory.
When Essbase starts a database and loads it to memory, the entire index cache for that database is allocated in memory automatically. The data cache and data file cache are allocated as blocks requested from Essbase clients.
When you start an application, Essbase loads the application and its databases into memory on the Essbase Server computer. When you start a database from an application that is not started, the application is loaded into memory along with all its related databases.
Stopping a database unloads all data from memory and commits any updated data to disk. If a database is stopped and a user attempts to retrieve data from it, the database starts on Essbase Server automatically, without any explicit commands issued.
When you stop a database, transactions may be currently running. If you stop a database using any of the proper methods (see the following table), the database does not stop if a calculation or data load is in progress. Instead, Essbase displays a message in the server console window.
If you stop the Agent by closing the server console window or by pressing Ctrl+C, the database stops, and the next time you start the database, Essbase rolls back any transactions that were in progress. See Rollback with Committed Access or Rollback with Uncommitted Access.
The Agent enables you to manage ports on Essbase Server.
You can view a list of users that are connected to Essbase Server at any given time, the number of ports available, and the number of connections.
To view a list of users connected to Essbase Server, use a tool:
Tool | Topic | Location |
|---|---|---|
Agent | USERS | Enter the Agent command at the command prompt in the Essbase Server console window. |
Administration Services | Viewing Essbase Server Users and Groups | Oracle Essbase Administration Services Online Help |
MaxL | display user | Oracle Essbase Technical Reference |
ESSCMD | LISTUSERS | Oracle Essbase Technical Reference |
To change the default port values used by the Agent, you must set one or more of these configuration settings:
SERVERPORTBEGIN specifies the first port number the Agent on a computer tries to use for its first server process.
SERVERPORTEND specifies the highest value the Agent tries to use for a port when it tries to start a server process. If the value is unavailable, the server process fails.
PORTINC specifies the value of the increment in between port numbers used by the Agent.
You may want to change the default value. Two possible reasons:
You may want to install a second instance of Essbase Server on a computer to facilitate testing. You can use the Oracle's Hyperion Enterprise Performance Management System Configurator to assign the second Essbase Server instance to a different port than the first. See the Oracle Hyperion Enterprise Performance Management System Installation and Configuration Guide.
If you need to change one or more of the default values associated with Agent and server ports, see the Oracle Essbase Technical Reference for the correct configuration setting to change.
You can enable Essbase to log, at a specified interval, the number of ports being used. By analyzing the information in the log, you can monitor port utilization and identify a need for more ports before users are unable to connect.
To enable Essbase Server to check port use statistics and write those statistics to the Essbase Server log, use the PORTUSAGELOGINTERVAL configuration setting:
PORTUSAGELOGINTERVAL nwhere n represents the number of minutes between each check of the number of ports in use. The value of n can be any whole number from 1 to 60, with 5 being the recommended minimum and default value. Essbase ignores any portion of a nonwhole number. For example, Essbase evaluates 2.5 as 2 minutes. Statistics are written to the Essbase Server log immediately after each check. The log file will resemble the following output:
[Mon Apr 22 00:48:50 2003]Local/ESSBASE0///Info(1056214) [3] ports in use, [10] ports allowed
Essbase Administration Server has several configurable communication ports, which are different from Essbase Server ports. See About Essbase Administration Server.
Users may unintentionally request information that is so large or so complex to retrieve that the query will slow performance or fail to complete properly. Use the QRYGOVEXECTIME and QRYGOVEXECBLK configuration settings, referred to as query governors, to control query size or duration:
You can apply these settings to all the applications and databases on Essbase Server, to all the databases on a single application, or to one database. See the Oracle Essbase Technical Reference.
Increasing the maximum possible threads between Essbase Server and the Agent allows multiple users to log on and connect to an application and database at the same time.
Use the AGENTTHREADS and AGTSVRCONNECTIONS configuration settings to control the maximum number of threads created to perform the initial connection to Essbase Server:
AGTSVRCONNECTIONS maximum_number_of_threads
Keep the maximum_number_of_threads value for AGTSVRCONNECTIONS equal to or less than the value for AGENTTHREADS to avoid wasting resources. Each connection requires one thread each from the server and Agent, so there is no need for higher values for AGTSVRCONNECTIONS. The default value for each setting is 5, the minimum is 1, and the maximum is 500. See the Oracle Essbase Technical Reference.
Use the MAXLOGIN configuration setting to limit the maximum number of simultaneous user session connections to Essbase Server. This number includes multiple instances of the same user. For example, one user with five open Excel worksheets connected to the same Essbase Server uses one port but five sessions.
You can adjust the value of MAXLOGIN to match computer resources or to more closely manage concurrent ports and user sessions. A concurrent port is used for each unique combination of client computer, Essbase Server, and login name. See the Oracle Essbase Technical Reference.