======================================================== Simply Accounting Connection Manager for Linux Installation and Configuration Guide Copyright (c) 2009 Sage Software, Inc. All rights reserved. ======================================================== Welcome ======== This Guide has information that can help you when you install and configure version 2.2-1 of the Simply Accounting Connection Manager for Linux on your Linux server. Once you install the Connection Manager, you can store your Simply Accounting data on your Linux server and access it from a Windows desktop client running Simply Accounting 2010. Who Should Use This Guide? ========================== This guide is for a Linux system administrator who: - understands the Linux operating system - understands networking and file sharing - has permissions to install and configure the Simply Accounting Connection Manager for Linux Technical Support ================= You can contact technical support at 866-297-5318, or visit the Simply Accounting Online User Community at www.simplyaccounting.com/community to connect with and learn from other Simply Accounting users and experts. System Requirements ==================== Hardware Requirements ---------------------- - 50MB of disk space for the Connection Manager + additional space for each Simply Accounting company file - 512MB of RAM Supported Linux Distributions ------------------------------ - SuSE Enterprise Server 10 (32- and 64-bit versions) - Red Hat Enterprise Desktop 5 (64-bit version) - Red Hat Enterprise Server 5 (32- and 64-bit versions) Dependencies* ------------- - MySQL ODBC Connector 3.51 - Mono - File Sharing Software such as Samba * Dependent applications must be installed prior to installing the Simply Accounting Connection Manager for Linux. Components ----------- The Linux Connection Manager consists of the following components: - The RPM for installation on a supported Linux distribution - The public key file (.asc) to verify the contents of the RPM package. The name of this file is “sagesaconnmgr-public-key.asc”. - MySQL ODBC 3.51 for Linux - The configuration files that specify the configurations for MySQL (dbengine.conf) and Simply Connection Manager (ConnectionManager.conf). Firewall Compatibility ======================= Important: By default, the Simply Accounting Connection Manager for Linux uses port 13531. Also each connection to a database requires the use of a port, the default port range assigned for Simply Accounting is 13540 to 13579. If you use firewall products, ensure that these ports are open on both the Linux server and the Windows client. Configuration Recommendations ============================== Case-Sensitive File Names -------------------------- Unlike Windows, the Linux file system is case-sensitive. Ensure that your Simply Accounting company file names are unique. Sharing and User Permissions ----------------------------- All supported distributions have Samba installed and running. Samba is an open source project that allows Windows clients to connect to data stored on a Linux. Configure the directory in which you store your Simply Accounting company files as a Samba share, and then map the share to a drive on your Windows clients. User Permissions ----------------- We recommend that you not use anonymous or guest-level access. Working with Simply Accounting Backup -------------------------------------- When backing up your Simply Accounting company, if you select a new folder in which to store the backup, ensure that you also set the appropriate folder permissions so that other users can access the backup. Installing Mono ================ Mono must be installed on your Linux server, before you install the Simply Accounting Connection Manager for Linux. You can download Mono from http://www.mono-project.com. Note that the Simply Accounting Connection Manager for Linux was tested on Mono 1.9.1. It has not been tested on Mono 2.0 (preview release available August 2008). For Red Hat 5 you can download Mono from: http://download.opensuse.org/repositories/Mono/RHEL_5/i386/ For SUSE 10 you can download Mono from http://en.opensuse.org/Additional_YaST_Package_Repositories#Mono NOTE: The above links are valid at the time of this writing. The following files are needed when you install Mono: * libgdiplus0-1.9-2.1.i386.rpm * mono-core-1.9.1-3.1.i386.rpm * mono-extras-1.9.1-3.1.i386.rpm * mono-data-1.9.1-3.1.i386.rpm * mono-data-sqlite-1.9.1-3.1.i386.rpm * mono-winforms-1.9.1-3.1.i386.rpm * mono-web-1.9.1-3.1.i386.rpm Note: The format of the filenames is: -- ..rpm> When you download files the name of the file (libgdiplus0, mono-core) must match the above. The , and can be different. To install Mono, enter the following from the command line: * rpm -Uvh libgdiplus0-1.9-2.1.i386.rpm, and then press Enter. * rpm -Uvh mono-core-1.9.1-3.1.i386.rpm, and then press Enter. * rpm -ivh mono-data-1.9.1-3.1.i386.rpm mono-data-sqlite- 1.9.1-3.1.i386.rpm mono-extras-1.9.1-3.1.i386.rpm mono- winforms-1.9.1-3.1.i386.rpm mono-web-1.9.1-3.1.i386.rpm, and then press Enter. Installing the Simply Accounting Connection Manager for Linux ============================================================== The Connection Manager is an RPM package. The following explains how to install the RPM package from the command line. Important Notes: - You must be logged in as the root user to perform the installation. Root is the super user and the only account with full access to all files and system administration commands. - To ensure proper communication, the Simply Accounting Connection Manager installed on the Linux server must have the same version number as the Connection Manager installed on all Windows’ client machines. To install the RPM: 1. On the Linux server, log in as the root user. 2. The Connection Manager for Linux RPM package is signed so that you can verify the integrity of the package with the GPG public key. a. Browse to the folder where the RPM and the GPG public key are located. b. To import the public key into the keying (a database of trusted keys on your Linux server) access a terminal window and type: rpm -–import sagesaconnmgr-public-key.asc and then press Enter. c. To verify the signature of the Connection Manager for Linux RPM with Sage type, type: rpm –K SageSAConnMgr-2.2-1.i386.rpm and then press Enter. If the package contains a valid signature from Sage Software, the command returns the following: SageSAConnMgr-2.2-1.i386.rpm: (shal) dsa sha1 md5 gpg OK 3. To install the RPM, access a terminal window and type: rpm –ivh SageSAConnMgr-2.2-1.i386.rpm and then press Enter. Note: -i is the install switch -v (verbose) switch provides more information about the process -h (hash bar) switch provides progress updates via hash (#) marks printed on the console as the package is installed 4. Create a user and a user group called simplyconnmgr. Note: The user can be a system user. Access a terminal window and then type each of the following commands, followed by the Enter key: groupadd simplyconnmgr useradd –r –g simplyconnmgr simplyconnmgr 5. Create a directory to store your Simply Accounting company files. The directory that contains your Simply Accounting company files must be configured as a Samba share directory. Refer to your Samba documentation for information on setting up a Samba share. 6. Set the appropriate file and folder permissions for all Simply Accounting company files so that the simplyconnmgr user group has access. 7. For Red Hat users. If you would like all users to have access to the backup files and folder, please change the file permissions and group owner for your backup folder and files. What Files Get Installed on my Linux Server? ============================================ Simply Accounting Connection Manager ------------------------------------- - Files: Simply.ConnectionManagerService.dll and SimplyConnectionManager.exe - Installed in: /usr/local/bin/winsim/ConnectionManager Permissions: Owners have read, write, and execute permissions. Other users and groups have read and execute permissions Note: The Simply Connection Manager Service runs automatically at system startup. MySQL ------ - The binary is installed in /usr/local/bin/winsim/ConnectionManager/MySqlBinary/5.0.38 - Other MySQL files are installed in their respective folders. For example, mysqladmin is installed in the /usr/local/bin/winsim/ConnectionManager/MySqlBinary/5.0.38/mysql folder. - To open a Simply Accounting database, the following identifier/flag must be present in the MySQL configuration file dbengine.conf: lower_case_table_names = 1 Permissions: - For most files, owners have read, write, and execute permissions. Other users and groups have read and execute permissions. - For files installed in /usr/local/bin/winsim/ConnectionManager/MySqlBinary/5.0.38/share /mysql, owners have read and write permissions. Other users and groups have read permissions. Connection Manager Configuration File -------------------------------------- - File: ConnectionManager.conf - Installed in: /usr/local/etc/Sage Software/ConnectionManager The “config file” key sets the local path of the Linux share name. By default, the key is set to the Samba configuration file: [linux file share] config file=/etc/samba/smb.conf You can create your own configuration file and update the config file key with the correct file path. Please note that the Connection Manager has only been tested with Samba. Your configuration file should be similar to the example below:: comment [sharename1] path=[shared path named sharename1] another clients’ databases [sharename2] path=[shared path named sharename2] Note: If several Simply Accounting databases are stored in subfolders inside a shared path, you only need to provide one section for the parent folder in the configuration file. For example, if you have a subfolder named somedata under a parent folder named simply, you would create the following section in the configuration file: simply accounting databases [simplydata] path=/usr/local/data/simply Uninstalling the Linux Connection Manager ========================================== Before you uninstall the Linux Connection Manager, verify that no Simply Accounting company files are currently open on a Windows client. To uninstall the Linux Connection Manager: 1. Log on to the Linux server as the root user. 2. To stop the Connection Manager service, access a terminal window, and type: service SageSAConnectionManager stop and then press Enter to stop the Connection manager service 3. To delete the Linux Connection Manager files type: rpm –e SageSAConnMgr-2.2-1 and then press Enter. Note: The uninstall process does not delete the Simply Accounting company files.