June 2001

DataDirect ®
®

SequeLink

Getting Started
© 2001 MERANT. All rights reserved. Printed in the U.S.A.

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 3

Table of Contents

Preface . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7
What Is DataDirect SequeLink? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7
Using This Book . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7
SequeLink Documentation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8
Conventions Used in This Book. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9
Typographical Conventions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9
Environment-Specific Information . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11
Ordering Printed Books. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12
Contacting Technical Support . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14

1 Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17
New Features in This Release . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19
Where to Start . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20
About the SequeLink Components . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21
SequeLink Client . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21
SequeLink Server for Windows NT and UNIX . . . . . . . . . . 22
SequeLink Server on OS/390 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23
SequeLink Manager. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23
Understanding the SequeLink Client . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24
Understanding SequeLink Services . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24
Understanding the SequeLink Manager Tools. . . . . . . . . . 26
SequeLink Environment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29
Providing ODBC, ADO, and JDBC Data Access . . . . . . . . . . 30
Using SequeLink to Link an Application to a Data
Store . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31

Getting Started with SequeLink

4 Table of Contents

SequeLink Architecture . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32
SequeLink Two-Tier Architecture. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32
SequeLink n-Tier Architecture . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34
SequeLink Packages . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35

2 Sample Scenarios. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 37
Scenario 1 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 37
Scenario 2 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 40

3 Planning Your SequeLink Configuration . . . . . . . . . 43

Information You Need Before You Configure . . . . . . . . . . . . 44
Summary of What You Must Configure . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 44
Planning Your Client Data Sources . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 45
Configuring a Connection to a SequeLink Server . . . . . . 46
Referencing a Server Data Source . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 47
Planning Your SequeLink ODBC Client and SequeLink
ADO Client Configurations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 48
Configuring Quick Install Images . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 48
Including Client Data Source Configurations in
Quick Install Images . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 49
Planning SequeLink Data Access Services . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 49
Reasons for Changing Default Behavior . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 50
Planning Your Connection Model . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 52
Planning Security . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 53
About SequeLink Security . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 53

Planning System Administration . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 62

Local System Administration . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 63
Remote System Administration . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 63
Planning Monitoring and Event Tracing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 65
Monitoring . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 65
Event Tracing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 66

Getting Started with SequeLink

 Table of Contents 5

Default Behavior of Data Access Services . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 67

Default Behavior on Windows and UNIX. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 67
Default Behavior on OS/390 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 73
Example: Configuring SequeLink . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 78
Creating a Server Data Source . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 81
Modifying the Default Server Data Source . . . . . . . . . . . . 87
Configuring ODBC Client Data Sources . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 88

4 Migrating to SequeLink 5.x . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 93

4.5 Data Sources Vs. 5.x Data Sources . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 93

Glossary . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 95

Index . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 99

Getting Started with SequeLink

6 Table of Contents

Getting Started with SequeLink

 7

Preface

This book is your guide to getting started with MERANT™

DataDirect® SequeLink® 5.1.x. Read on to find out more about
your SequeLink environment and how to use this book.

What Is DataDirect SequeLink?

DataDirect SequeLink is a middleware product that provides
point-to-point connections from client to server for the latest
data access standards, including Open Database Connectivity
(ODBC), Java Database Connectivity (JDBC) applications, and
ActiveX Data Objects (ADO) applications.

Using This Book

This book assumes that you are familiar with your operating
system and its commands; the concept of directories; the
management of user accounts and security access; and your
network protocol and its configuration.

This book contains the following information:

■ Chapter 1 “Introduction” on page 17 introduces some
concepts that will help you use SequeLink to provide data
access across your enterprise.
■ Chapter 2 “Sample Scenarios” on page 37 provides sample
scenarios that describe how SequeLink might be used to
implement data access for a data consumer application.

Getting Started with SequeLink

8 Preface

■ Chapter 3 “Planning Your SequeLink Configuration” on

page 43 provides information you need to know as you plan
your SequeLink configuration.
■ Chapter 4 “Migrating to SequeLink 5.x” on page 93 provides
high-level information about migrating from SequeLink 4.5 to
SequeLink 5.x.

NOTE: This book refers the reader to Web URLs for more
information about specific topics, including Web URLs not
maintained by MERANT. Because it is the nature of Web content
to change frequently, MERANT can guarantee only that the URLs
referenced in this book were correct at the time of publishing.

SequeLink Documentation
The following documentation is provided on your SequeLink CD
in PDF format. You can view the online documentation on the CD
using the Acrobat Reader.

The following table provides a guide for finding information in

your SequeLink documentation.

For information about... Go to...

SequeLink concepts and Getting Started with SequeLink
planning your SequeLink
environment
Installing the SequeLink SequeLink Installation Guide
middleware components
Administering your SequeLink Administrator’s Guide
SequeLink environment

Getting Started with SequeLink

 Conventions Used in This Book 9

For information about... Go to...

Developing ODBC, ADO, SequeLink Developer’s Reference
and JDBC applications for
the SequeLink
environment
Troubleshooting and SequeLink Troubleshooting Guide
referencing error and Reference
messages

DataDirect product documentation is also available in PDF and

HTML formats on the MERANT DataDirect Web site:

http://www.merant.com/products/datadirect/download/docs/
dochome.asp

Conventions Used in This Book

This section describes the typography, terminology, and other
conventions used in this book.

Typographical Conventions
This book uses the following typographical conventions:

Convention Explanation
italics Introduces new terms that you may not be
familiar with, and is used occasionally for
emphasis.
bold Emphasizes important information. Also
indicates button, menu, and icon names on
which you can act. For example, click Next.

Getting Started with SequeLink

10 Preface

Convention Explanation
UPPERCASE Indicates the name of a file. For operating
environments that use case-sensitive file
names, the correct capitalization is used in
information specific to those environments.
Also indicates keys or key combinations that
you can use. For example, press the ENTER
key.
monospace Indicates syntax examples, values that you
specify, or results that you receive.
monospaced Indicates names that are placeholders for
italics values you specify; for example, filename.
forward slash / Separates menus and their associated
commands. For example, Select File / Copy
means to select Copy from the File menu.
vertical rule | Indicates an OR separator to delineate items.
brackets [ ] Indicates optional items. For example, in the
following statement: SELECT [DISTINCT],
DISTINCT is an optional keyword.
braces { } Indicates that you must select one item. For
example, {yes | no} means you must specify
either yes or no.
ellipsis . . . Indicates that the immediately preceding item
can be repeated any number of times in
succession. An ellipsis following a closing
bracket indicates that all information in that
unit can be repeated.

Getting Started with SequeLink

 Conventions Used in This Book 11

Environment-Specific Information
This book supports users of various operating environments.
Where it provides information that does not apply to all
supported environments, the following symbols are used to
identify that information.

Symbol Environment
Windows. Information specific to the Microsoft
Windows 95, Windows 98, Windows ME,
Windows NT, and Windows 2000 environments is
identified by the Windows symbol.
Windows NT. Information specific to the Microsoft
Windows NT environment is identified by the
Windows symbol and the letters “NT.”
Windows 2000. Information specific to the Microsoft
Windows 2000 environment is identified by the
Windows symbol and the number “2000”.
UNIX. Information specific to UNIX environments is
identified by this symbol, which applies to all
supported UNIX environments. UNIX is a registered
trademark in the United States and other countries,
licensed exclusively through X/Open Company Ltd.
OS/390. Information specific to OS/390 environments
OS/390
is identified by the letters and numbers "OS/390".

Getting Started with SequeLink

12 Preface

Ordering Printed Books

As part of your SequeLink license agreement, you may print and
distribute as many copies of the SequeLink books as needed.

If you do not want to print each of these online books, you can
order printed versions from MERANT. To order, please complete
the following order form and fax your request to MERANT at
(919) 461-4526.

Getting Started with SequeLink

 Ordering Printed Books 13

Order Form
Fax your request to MERANT at (919) 461-4526. The cost of
shipping will be added to your order.

SequeLink Key: ___________________________________________________

Ordered By: ________________________ Phone: ( ___ ) ____-

______________

Company Name: __________________________________________________

Mailing Address: _________________________________________________

City: ___________________________ State: ________ Zip: ______________

Credit Card: Master Card® VISA® Discover® American Express®

Credit Card Number:

Expiration: Signature: ___________________________

Mo Yr

SequeLink Book Title Price Quantity Total

Documentation Set $100.00

Getting Started with SequeLink $35.00

SequeLink Installation Guide $35.00

SequeLink Administrator’s Guide $35.00

SequeLink Developer’s Reference $35.00

SequeLink Troubleshooting
$35.00
Guide and Reference

Shipping: Orders are shipped via Standard Airborne delivery from our Rockville
Distribution Center. Items should arrive within 5 business days of receipt of
order.

Getting Started with SequeLink

14 Preface

Contacting Technical Support

MERANT provides technical support for all registered users of
SequeLink, including limited installation support, for the first 30
days. For support after that time, contact us using one of the
following methods or purchase further support by enrolling in
the SupportNet program. For more information about
SupportNet, contact your sales representative.

The MERANT Web site provides the latest support information

through SupportNet Online, our global service network that
provides access to valuable tools and information. Our
SupportNet users access information using the Web, automatic
email notification, newsgroups, and regional user groups.
SupportNet Online includes a knowledge base that allows you to
search on keywords for technical bulletins and other information.
You also can download product fixes for your DataDirect
products.
World Wide Web
http://support.merant.com

E-Mail
USA, Canada, and Mexico [email protected]
Australia and New Zealand [email protected]
Japan [email protected]
All other countries [email protected]

Local Telephone Support

Local phone numbers can be found at:
http://support.merant.com/websupport/contact/supportnetanswerline.asp
Live Answerline telephone support is available 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

Getting Started with SequeLink

 Contacting Technical Support 15

Fax and Mail Information

Fax US 1 919 461 4527
Fax International +32 (0) 15 32 09 19
Mail 1500 Perimeter Park Drive, Suite 100,
Morrisville, NC 27560 USA

When you contact us, please provide the following information:

■ The product serial number located on the Product
Registration Information card or on a product serial number
card in your package. The number will be checked to verify
your support eligibility. If you do not have a SupportNet
contract, we will ask you to speak with a sales representative.
■ Your name and organization. For a first-time call, you may be
asked for full customer information, including location and
contact details.
■ The version number of your DataDirect product.
■ The type and version of your operating system.
■ Any third-party software or other environment information
required to understand the problem.
■ A brief description of the problem, including any error
messages that you have received, and the steps preceding
the occurrence of the problem. Depending on the complexity
of the problem, you may be asked to submit an example so
that we can recreate the problem.
■ An assessment of the severity level of the problem.

Getting Started with SequeLink

16 Preface

Getting Started with SequeLink

 17

1 Introduction

DataDirect SequeLink is a middleware product that provides

point-to-point connections from client to server for the latest
data access standards—Open Database Connectivity (ODBC 3.5),
Java Database Connectivity (JDBC 2.0, including Optional
Package), and ActiveX Data Objects (ADO 2.5). In addition,
SequeLink allows you to centrally configure your data access
environment and manage data access activity.

Today’s complex Information Technology (IT) environments

require data access components that provide superior
interoperability, performance, and manageability. SequeLink
middleware fulfills these requirements by providing the
following key advantages for complex IT environments:
■ Data Connectivity. SequeLink provides universal data
connectivity for the latest ODBC, ADO, and JDBC standards to
a variety of data stores, including mainframe data.
Additionally, SequeLink supports distributed transactions for
Microsoft Distributed Transaction Controller (MS DTC) and
Java Transaction API (JTA). SequeLink’s component
implementation allows you to manage your entire data
access environment regardless of the underlying operating
systems on which the SequeLink components run. In
addition, SequeLink Client is database independent—no
extra client components are required if you decide to
incorporate additional data store technologies in your data
access infrastructure.

■ Interoperability. SequeLink allows you to leverage existing

and evolving technologies by adhering to industry standards
rather than its own proprietary standards. In addition to
supporting the latest data access standards, SequeLink allows
you to use Lightweight Directory Access Protocol (LDAP) for
centralized connection and configuration information and

Getting Started with SequeLink

18 Chapter 1 Introduction

Internet Inter-ORB Protocol (IIOP) for secure Internet and

Intranet communication.
■ Security. The messages between SequeLink middleware
components that involve data requests and data transmitted
over a network, Internet, or Intranet can be scrambled or, in
some cases, encrypted. In addition, SequeLink supports
authentication mechanisms provided by the database and/or
by the operating system on which the SequeLink components
run, such as NT Integrated Security on Windows and Resource
Access Control Facility (RACF) on OS/390. SequeLink also
supports read-only data store connections to keep the data in
your data store secure from updates.
■ Systems management. SequeLink delivers key Reliability,
Availability, and Serviceability (RAS) by providing dynamic
service attributes. The majority of SequeLink’s service
configuration attributes are dynamic, meaning that, if you
change a setting for an attribute, the change takes affect
immediately.
■ Scalability. SequeLink provides superior performance and
scalability through connection pooling at the client, through
efficient use of server resources, and through its configurable
multi-threaded implementation, which uses a dynamic
worker thread model.

This chapter introduces some concepts that will help you use
SequeLink to provide data access across your enterprise.

Getting Started with SequeLink

 New Features in This Release 19

New Features in This Release

SequeLink provides the following standard features:
■ Centralized management, administration, and monitoring
capabilities using the SequeLink Manager
■ Improved scalability and performance using a thread-pool
engine within the SequeLink Server
■ Support for latest data access specifications, databases, and
operating system versions

In addition, this SequeLink 5.1.x release also provides the

following new features:
■ Support for the newest databases. For a complete list of the
databases supported by SequeLink 5.1.x, see:
http://www.merant.com/products/datadirect/odbc/sl5/
techdocs/matrix.asp
■ Enhancements to SequeLink Server on OS/390, including
support for DB2 V7R1 and enhanced scalability on OS/390.

Getting Started with SequeLink

20 Chapter 1 Introduction

Where to Start
The following table provides a guide to topics about the key
features of SequeLink to help you plan, configure, and
administer your SequeLink environment.

SequeLink Feature See...

SequeLink Client “Understanding the SequeLink
Client” on page 24 to learn how
SequeLink’s thin-client
component can ease
configuration and
administration
SequeLink Server “Understanding SequeLink
Services” on page 24 to learn
how SequeLink provides
optimized data connectivity,
performance, and
administration
SequeLink Manager “Understanding the SequeLink
Manager Tools” on page 26 to
learn about the type of tasks
you can perform using the
SequeLink Manager to
configure and manage your
SequeLink environment and
monitor data access activity
SequeLink Server thread-pool “Planning Your Connection
engine on Windows NT/2000 Model” on page 52 to learn
and UNIX how the thread-pool engine
SequeLink Server thread-pool ensures efficient use of server
engine on OS/390 resources

Security “Planning Security” on page 53

for a discussion of the security
options provided by SequeLink

Getting Started with SequeLink

 About the SequeLink Components 21

About the SequeLink Components

SequeLink operates through the following middleware
components shown in Figure 1-1:
■ SequeLink Client
■ SequeLink Server
■ SequeLink Manager

Figure 1-1. SequeLink Components

Client Server
SequeLink Server
SequeLink
SequeLink
data access
Client
service

SequeLink
SequeLink SequeLink
Manager
Agent Manager
(optional)

SequeLink Client
SequeLink Client uses a thin-client architecture to provide a
single, universal interface for data access that is easy to install
and requires “near-zero” administration. SequeLink has three
different clients—the SequeLink ODBC Client supports ODBC
applications, the SequeLink Java Client supports JDBC
applications, and the SequeLink ADO Client supports
ADO/OLE DB applications. The SequeLink Client is database
independent, so, if you decide to incorporate additional data

Getting Started with SequeLink

22 Chapter 1 Introduction

store technologies, you do not need to update or install a new

SequeLink Client.

For more information about the SequeLink Client, see

“Understanding the SequeLink Client” on page 24.

SequeLink Server for Windows NT and

UNIX
SequeLink Server installs the following server software service
components to provide data connectivity, performance, and
administration for two-tier client/server and n-tier
web/application server environments:
■ SequeLink data access services handle data access requests
from any SequeLink Client. Multiple SequeLink data access
services can run on the same SequeLink Server. For example,
SequeLink Server for Oracle and SequeLink Server for
Microsoft SQL Server can run side-by-side on the same
machine.
■ SequeLink Agent services carry out configuration,
management, and monitoring requests from any SequeLink
Manager. The SequeLink Agent can service multiple
SequeLink services on the same SequeLink Server.

For more information about SequeLink services, see

“Understanding SequeLink Services” on page 24.

Getting Started with SequeLink

 About the SequeLink Components 23

SequeLink Server on OS/390

SequeLink Server installs the following server software service
components to provide data connectivity, performance, and
administration for two-tier client/server and n-tier
web/application server environments:
■ SequeLink data access services handle data access requests
from any SequeLink Client. Each SequeLink Server can host
only one SequeLink data access service. Multiple SequeLink
Servers can run on the LPAR. For example, SequeLink Server
for DB2 V6.1 and DB2 V7.1 can run side-by-side on the same
machine.

■ SequeLink Agent services carry out configuration,

management, and monitoring requests from any SequeLink
Manager. The SequeLink Agent can only service its own
SequeLink service within the SequeLink Server.

SequeLink Manager
SequeLink Manager is a tool that allows you to centrally
configure, manage, and monitor your entire data access
infrastructure. By default, this tool is installed on the server that
contains the SequeLink Server software; optionally, you can
install it on a networked client.

The SequeLink Manager is implemented differently depending

on platform.

NOTE: Only SequeLink 5.1.x services can be configured,

managed, or monitored with the SequeLink Manager 5.1.x.

For more information about the SequeLink Manager, see

“Understanding the SequeLink Manager Tools” on page 26.

Getting Started with SequeLink

24 Chapter 1 Introduction

Understanding the SequeLink Client

SequeLink’s thin-client component drastically reduces the amount
of configuration that you must initially perform and the amount
of time you must spend to reconfigure your data access
infrastructure when a server configuration changes. Client data
sources contain minimal information; most configuration
information resides on the server, resulting in "near-zero" client
administration.

Also, SequeLink allows administrators to use Lightweight

Directory Access Protocol (LDAP) directories for centralized
information retrieval. A client data source can reference an LDAP
directory to retrieve server connection information, which can
reduce the time it takes to reconfigure your infrastructure when
a change takes place. For example, if a database must be moved
to a different server, the administrator does not have to
reconfigure user applications or the client data sources that must
now access the new server because the connection information is
stored centrally in an LDAP directory. Therefore, the
administrator only needs to update the LDAP directory entries to
allow the SequeLink Clients to connect to the new server.

Understanding SequeLink Services

In this section, we take a closer look at SequeLink services and
how they work. Remember that SequeLink services are
components of SequeLink Server.

SequeLink data access services can handle data access requests

from any SequeLink Client. A data access service “services” a
specific type of data store (for example, Oracle or DB2).
SequeLink provides an optimized data access service for each
type of data store it supports. Multiple SequeLink data access
services can run on the same server. When you complete the
installation of the SequeLink Server software as documented in
the SequeLink Installation Guide, a SequeLink data access service

Getting Started with SequeLink

 About the SequeLink Components 25

is configured for the type of SequeLink Server you installed (for

example, SequeLink Server for Oracle or SequeLink Server for
DB2).

When a SequeLink Client connects to a SequeLink data access

service, the data access functionality of the session is governed
by the attributes defined for the data access service. For
example, if the service attribute DataSourceReadOnly=Select,
the client application can perform only Select statements when
using that service. Refer to the SequeLink Administrator’s Guide
for a complete list of service attributes.

SequeLink Agent services carry out configuration, management,

and monitoring requests from any SequeLink Manager. When
you complete the installation of the SequeLink Server software
as documented in the SequeLink Installation Guide, the
SequeLink Agent functionality that is integrated into the Data
Access Service is created, configured, and is ready for requests.

OS/390 NOTES:
■ On OS/390, each SequeLink Server can host only one
SequeLink Service. However, if the server has been defined
with multiple logical partitions, you can run multiple
SequeLink Servers on the same machine.
■ On OS/390, the SequeLink Agent service has been integrated
into the SequeLink data access service. Refer to the
SequeLink Administrator’s Guide for information on using
the SequeLink data access service.

Getting Started with SequeLink

26 Chapter 1 Introduction

Understanding the SequeLink Manager

Tools
The SequeLink Manager tool can be used to perform
administrative and monitoring requests.

Administrative Requests
The type of administrative requests you can issue to a SequeLink
Agent, and the SequeLink Manager tool you can use to issue the
requests, depends on the platform you are administering—
Windows, UNIX, or OS/390. The following list describes the types
of administrative requests you can issue:
■ Configuration

• Creating and managing SequeLink services

• Creating and managing SequeLink server data sources
• Configuring monitoring profiles, which determines the
data access events that can be monitored (viewed) using
the SequeLink Manager
• Configuring event tracing profiles, which determines the
data access events that are written to an event trace file
■ Management
• On Windows and UNIX only: Starting and stopping
SequeLink services
• Stopping active data access user sessions

• Reviewing traced events to analyze a problem during an

earlier data access activity

Getting Started with SequeLink

 About the SequeLink Components 27

Monitoring Requests
The SequeLink Manager allows you to perform the following
monitoring tasks:
■ Viewing details about active services
■ Viewing active user sessions and information about "live"
data access activities

For example, you can easily view how many transactions have
been processed or how many rows have been fetched by all user
sessions. Also, if a user session is not performing correctly (such
as the session keeps fetching thousands and thousands of rows),
you can use the SequeLink Manager to identify and end that
specific user session.

Additionally, the SequeLink Manager allows you to troubleshoot

previous events. For example, if an error occurs during a nightly
data processing job, you can look at an "event trace" to
troubleshoot the problem.

SequeLink Manager Implementations

SequeLink provides the following implementations of the
SequeLink Manager:
■ SequeLink Manager Snap-in is a GUI designed as a snap-in to
the Microsoft Management Console (MMC). It can be used to
configure and manage SequeLink services, and to monitor
data access activity on Windows and UNIX platforms.

OS/390 NOTE: On OS/390, the SequeLink Manager Snap-in can be

used to monitor data access activity. To configure and
manage SequeLink services, use SequeLink Manager for
OS/390 as documented in the SequeLink Administrator’s
Guide.
■ SequeLink Manager Command-Line Tool is a command-line
interface that can be used to configure and manage

Getting Started with SequeLink

28 Chapter 1 Introduction

SequeLink services on Windows and UNIX platforms. Similarly,

it can be used to monitor data access activity on Windows and
UNIX platforms.
■ SequeLink Manager for OS/390 is an ISPF dialog tool that can
be used to configure and manage SequeLink services on the
OS/390 platform, as well as monitor data access activity on the
OS/390 platform. It can be installed only on OS/390 platforms.

Table 1-1 shows the platforms on which you can install and run
the different implementations of the SequeLink Manager.

Table 1-1. Platforms on which the SequeLink Manager Tools can

be Installed

Win NT/
SequeLink Manager 2000 UNIX OS/390
SequeLink Manager Snap-in ✓
SequeLink Manager ✓ ✓
Command-Line Tool
SequeLink Manager for OS/390 ✓

NOTE: Only SequeLink 5.1.x services can be configured, managed,

or monitored with the SequeLink Manager 5.1.x.

Getting Started with SequeLink

 SequeLink Environment 29

SequeLink Environment
Today’s data access computing environments typically involve
multiple and disparate data stores accessed over a variety of
infrastructures. In addition, many businesses are relying more on
the Internet to provide access to corporate data for their
employees, customers, and partners.

SequeLink simplifies data access middleware requirements by

providing data access for multiple data stores with a single client
component as shown in Figure 1-2.

Figure 1-2. SequeLink Middleware Solution for Data Access

Client

ODBC, ADO, or JDBC Applications

SequeLink Client

Server Server

SequeLink SequeLink
Server Server

DBMS A DBMS B

DBMS A DBMS B

Getting Started with SequeLink

30 Chapter 1 Introduction

Providing ODBC, ADO, and JDBC Data

Access
ODBC, ADO, and JDBC are application programming interfaces
(APIs) that allow developers to develop, compile, and ship an
application without targeting a specific type of data store.
Developers can use SequeLink as the middleware that allows
their applications to access data from a choice of supported data
stores. SequeLink provides ODBC, ADO, and JDBC data access
from a client workstation directly to a server running the
SequeLink Server software or from a web/application server to a
server running SequeLink Server as shown in Figure 1-3.

Figure 1-3. SequeLink Data Access in Client/Server and

Web/Application Server Environments

SequeLink
Server

SequeLink
Client
Oracle
SequeLink
Server

TCP/IP Microsoft
SQL Server
SequeLink
Server
Web/Application
Server

DB2

Getting Started with SequeLink

 SequeLink Environment 31

Using SequeLink to Link an Application

to a Data Store
Typically, a data access application accesses a SequeLink Server
(specifically, a SequeLink data access service) by specifying a
client data source that provides connection information to a
specific server running SequeLink Server. SequeLink uses two
different types of data sources—server data sources and client
data sources.

Server Data Sources

Server data sources are data sources configured on the
SequeLink Server. These data sources contain settings that affect
how the SequeLink service operates and settings that affect how
data is accessed by SequeLink Clients. Centralizing this
information on the server, instead of distributing it among
hundreds of SequeLink Clients, provides easier management of
your entire data access infrastructure. When you install
SequeLink Server, a default server data source, named Default, is
automatically created on the server. If necessary, you can modify
the definition of the default server data source.

Client Data Sources

Client data sources are minimal data sources configured on the
SequeLink Client that contain connection instructions to a
SequeLink data access service. Client data sources are required
when configuring the SequeLink ODBC Client or the SequeLink
ADO Client. For SequeLink Java Clients, you can configure a
client data source or a connection URL.

A client data source can be configured to retrieve connection

information from an LDAP directory server. The connection
information stored in an LDAP directory contains the IP address
of the server that runs SequeLink Server; therefore, if the server

Getting Started with SequeLink

32 Chapter 1 Introduction

IP address changes, you need only change the server in one

place—the LDAP directory. You do not have to modify the
SequeLink Client data sources or the user application.

SequeLink Architecture
This section shows examples of SequeLink environments
implemented with two-tier and n-tier architectures. These
configurations explain the data access flow through the
SequeLink components.

Additionally, the configurations show the SequeLink Manager

and SequeLink Agent, which, together, allow the SequeLink
administrator to control data access activities. For example, using
the SequeLink Manager, an administrator can end an active data
access user session. All actions the administrator performs on a
data access service are handled by the SequeLink Agent.

SequeLink Two-Tier Architecture

SequeLink Server is often installed on the same server on which
the database engine resides, and the SequeLink Client is often
installed on the same workstation as the user application, as
shown in Figure 1-4 on page 33. This is a two-tier architecture
because only two machines are needed for the configuration.

Getting Started with SequeLink

 SequeLink Architecture 33

Figure 1-4. SequeLink Two-Tier Architecture

Client Server

User
Application

2 3
SequeLink 5 SequeLink Data Access Service
4
Client

Server 1

SequeLink SequeLink
LDAP Directory Agent Manager

Data Access Architecture:

1 SequeLink Clients can be configured to connect directly to a
specific SequeLink Server or retrieve connection information
from an LDAP directory.

2 User applications use the SequeLink Client to connect to the

SequeLink Server. Applications make SQL calls from the
SequeLink Client to the SequeLink Server using standard
APIs, such as ODBC, ADO, or JDBC.
3 The SequeLink data access service passes the SQL request to
the database engine.
4 The database engine processes the SQL request and passes
results back to the SequeLink data access service.
5 The SequeLink data access service returns the results directly
to the SequeLink Client and the user application.

Getting Started with SequeLink

34 Chapter 1 Introduction

SequeLink n-Tier Architecture

For maximum flexibility and centralized access, SequeLink Client
can be installed on a middle-tier server between the client and a
database server as shown in Figure 1-5. An example of this
configuration is when a client (tier 1) runs a web browser that
downloads and displays a web page stored on the
Web/Application Server (tier 2). On the web page, the user clicks
a button that launches an application (component) on the
Web/Application Server. This application uses ODBC, ADO, or
JDBC to access a SequeLink Client that is also on the
Web/Application Server. The SequeLink Client accesses data from
the data store that is serviced by the SequeLink data access
service residing on the Database Server (tier 3).

Figure 1-5. SequeLink n-Tier Architecture

Web/Application Server Database Server

Client
1
SequeLink SequeLink
6 Components Agent Manager

2 3
SequeLink SequeLink Data
Client 5 Access Service 4

Data Access Architecture:

1 In a three-tier architecture, a user application (for example, a
web browser) in tier 1 may invoke components residing on
the Web/Application Server that need to load the SequeLink
Client to gain access to the data store on the Database Server.
2 SequeLink ODBC Client, SequeLink ADO Client, or SequeLink
Java Client is installed on the Web/Application Server.
Applications make SQL calls from the Web/Application Server

Getting Started with SequeLink

 SequeLink Packages 35

running the SequeLink Client to the SequeLink Server using

standard APIs, such as ODBC, ADO, or JDBC.
3 The SequeLink data access service passes the SQL request to
the database engine.
4 The database engine processes the SQL request and passes
results back to the SequeLink data access service.
5 The SequeLink data access service returns the results to the
Web/Application Server.
6 The client receives the results from the Web/Application
Server.

SequeLink Packages
For the latest information about the operating system platforms,
database management systems, and data access APIs supported
by SequeLink, see:

http://www.merant.com/products/datadirect/odbc/sl5/
techdocs/matrix.asp

Getting Started with SequeLink

36 Chapter 1 Introduction

Getting Started with SequeLink

 37

2 Sample Scenarios

This chapter provides sample scenarios that describe how

SequeLink might be used to implement data access for a data
consumer application. Each scenario describes the technology
issue being solved, the environment in which the solution is
implemented, and illustrates the implementation using
SequeLink middleware.

Scenario 1
Bank International is a large, international banking firm that has
grown from multiple acquisitions. It offers many financial
services, including general banking, investments, stocks, bonds,
and credit cards. Bank International wants to align its business
and information technology strategies so that it can better serve
current customers as well as new ones. The company also needs
to deal with the formidable challenges related to ongoing
mergers and acquisitions.

Technology Issues
Bank International wants to move to a network-centric,
distributed architecture using Java and CORBA. It will need to
integrate legacy applications and migrate quickly to new
systems. Distributed transactions are a key element for the
future, especially as the company moves toward Internet and
business-to-business applications involving multiple data stores.

Getting Started with SequeLink

38 Chapter 2 Sample Scenarios

Environment
Because of previous mergers and acquisitions, Bank International
has a wide variety of data and systems including DB2 on OS/390,
Microsoft SQL Server on Windows NT, and Oracle on Solaris. It
uses commercial software, as well as systems developed internally
with Inprise jBuilder and some Sun Java development tools. The
Web/Application server uses BEA WebLogic.

Getting Started with SequeLink

 Scenario 1 39

SequeLink Solution
Because BEA WebLogic is Java-based, it requires the SequeLink
Java Client as shown in Figure 2-1.

Figure 2-1. Scenario 1

Client with Client with

Netscape Netscape

BEA WebLogic
SequeLink Java Client

Web/Application
Server

SequeLink Server SequeLink Server SequeLink Server

for DB2 for SQL Server for Oracle

DB2 SQL Server Oracle

Investment Stocks Bonds
Information Information Information

OS/390 Windows NT Solaris

Getting Started with SequeLink

40 Chapter 2 Sample Scenarios

In this scenario, you install the SequeLink Java Client on the

application server, and SequeLink Servers for DB2, Microsoft SQL
Server, and Oracle on the database servers. SequeLink allows
quick and easy changes to Bank International’s environment to
accommodate its frequent merger and acquisition activity by
allowing administrators to add SequeLink Servers for data access
to new data stores and to add different SequeLink Clients for
data access applications written in different APIs.

Scenario 2
International Motor Corporation is an automobile manufacturer
with several IT implementations. There is no current
centralization, but management has decided to control costs
through streamlined, thin-client desktop standardization. The
company wants to provide better service to remote sites,
eventually evolving a system offering a single, company-wide
view of all available information.

Technology Issues
Technology issues include the reuse of business logic across
applications and the deployment of centralized views of
company business systems.

Environment
The current environment includes Windows and UNIX clients. The
Windows clients are standardized on Microsoft Office
applications as well as specific business intelligence and
third-party tools. The UNIX clients run legacy UNIX ODBC

Getting Started with SequeLink

 Scenario 2 41

applications. Databases are maintained using DB2 on OS/390 and

Oracle on AIX.

SequeLink Solution
The client machines use a combination of applications, which
run on Windows and UNIX, that require the SequeLink ODBC
Client on both platforms as shown in Figure 2-2.

Figure 2-2. Scenario 2

Windows 95 Client Solaris Workstation Client

Microsoft Office Legacy Application
SequeLink ODBC Client SequeLink ODBC Client

SequeLink Server SequeLink Server

for Oracle for DB2

Oracle DB2
Employee Production
Information Information

AIX OS/390

Getting Started with SequeLink

42 Chapter 2 Sample Scenarios

In this example, you install the SequeLink ODBC Client on the

client machine and SequeLink Servers for DB2 and Oracle on the
database servers.

Getting Started with SequeLink

 43

3 Planning Your SequeLink

Configuration

Many of the configuration decisions you need to make will

depend on which server and client platforms SequeLink is
installed on, which databases you will be accessing, and which
SequeLink Client you are using (ODBC, ADO, or Java). See
Chapter 1 “Introduction” on page 17 for a description of the
SequeLink components and architecture.

This chapter provides information you need to know as you plan

your SequeLink configuration, including:
■ “Information You Need Before You Configure” on page 44
■ “Summary of What You Must Configure” on page 44
■ “Planning Your Client Data Sources” on page 45
■ “Planning Your SequeLink ODBC Client and SequeLink ADO
Client Configurations” on page 48
■ “Planning SequeLink Data Access Services” on page 49
■ “Planning Your Connection Model” on page 52
■ “Planning Security” on page 53
■ “Planning System Administration” on page 62
■ “Planning Monitoring and Event Tracing” on page 65
■ “Default Behavior of Data Access Services” on page 67
■ “Example: Configuring SequeLink” on page 78

Getting Started with SequeLink

44 Chapter 3 Planning Your SequeLink Configuration

Information You Need Before You Configure

Before you configure your SequeLink environment, you need to
know the following information about your SequeLink
installation:
■ Platforms on which the SequeLink Server software is installed
■ Type of SequeLink Servers that are installed—for example,
SequeLink Server for Oracle
■ Platforms on which the SequeLink Client software is installed
■ Types of SequeLink Clients that are installed—ODBC, ADO, or
Java

Summary of What You Must Configure

After you have completed the installation of the SequeLink Client
and SequeLink Server as documented in the SequeLink
Installation Guide, you must configure a client component. The
client component you configure depends on your SequeLink
Client:
■ For a SequeLink ODBC Client or SequeLink ADO Client, you
must configure a client data source.
■ For a SequeLink Java Client, you must configure a client data
source or a connection URL.

A client data source is a minimal data source that is stored on the

client. It provides connection information to a specific server. By
default, a client data source uses the default server data source
for the characteristics of the connection between the SequeLink
Client and the database.

Getting Started with SequeLink

 Planning Your Client Data Sources 45

This default server data source, named Default, is automatically

created and configured when you install the SequeLink Server. A
server data source defines the characteristics of the connection
between the SequeLink Client and the database. You can modify
the definition of the default server data source if needed. See
“Planning SequeLink Data Access Services” on page 49 for
information about the default behavior of the default server
data source.

NOTE: A server data source, although it resides on the server,

also contains settings that are relevant to the SequeLink Client.
Centralizing data source information on the server allows
SequeLink to provide "near-zero" client administration.

Planning Your Client Data Sources

Configuring SequeLink Client data sources is a simple task, but,
before you configure the data sources, you must make the
following decisions:
■ You must decide which server connection method to use—
direct connection or retrieving the connection parameters
from a Lightweight Directory Access Protocol (LDAP)
directory.
■ You must decide whether to reference the default server
data source or another server data source.

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46 Chapter 3 Planning Your SequeLink Configuration

Configuring a Connection to a
SequeLink Server
SequeLink allows you to configure a connection from the
SequeLink Client to a SequeLink Server in either of the following
ways:
■ Specify the connection information directly in the SequeLink
Client data source. This information includes the TCP/IP
address (or host name) and port of the SequeLink Server.

SequeLink Client
SequeLink
SequeLink Client Server
Data Source

■ Specify a Distinguished Name (DN) identifying a specific entry

in an LDAP directory. The LDAP directory entry contains the
information needed to connect to the SequeLink Server. Using
this method, the SequeLink Client retrieves the connection
information from the LDAP directory.

SequeLink Client
SequeLink
SequeLink Client Server
Data Source
2 Make connection

1 Retrieve connection information

LDAP
Directory

The advantage of using LDAP is that you can centrally store

connection information, which provides the flexibility to make
environment changes. For example, if you move the database
and SequeLink Server to a different server, you do not have to
reconfigure your user applications or multiple SequeLink Client

Getting Started with SequeLink

 Planning Your Client Data Sources 47

data sources that access the SequeLink Server; the connection

information is specified in an LDAP directory, not in the
SequeLink Client data source. Therefore, you need only make a
single change in the LDAP directory entries.

For SequeLink Java Clients, the JDBC client data source stores
connection instructions in a JNDI infrastructure, which can
support LDAP.

Referencing a Server Data Source

If you do not specify a server data source when configuring a
client data source, the client data source uses the default server
data source. The behavior of the default server data source is
documented in “General Data Source Default Behavior” on
page 70. If the default server data source definition does not
meet your needs, you can modify the default server data source,
or you can create a new server data source and then specify the
new server data source when configuring your client data
source.

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48 Chapter 3 Planning Your SequeLink Configuration

Planning Your SequeLink ODBC Client and

SequeLink ADO Client Configurations
On Windows platforms, ensuring that multiple SequeLink ODBC
or ADO Clients have the same configuration is an easy task when
you create a predefined client installation image called a Quick
Install image. After you define a Quick Install image, users can
install this image on their client machines.

Configuring Quick Install Images

A Quick Install image can be stored on a file server and used for
all SequeLink ODBC or ADO Client installations within a
workgroup. Installing a Quick Install image requires minimal user
interaction and ensures that every client for which you are
responsible has the same configuration. You can also define
multiple Quick Install images, which allows you to customize each
image for different workgroups within your organization.

When configuring a Quick Install image, you define the following

information:
■ Whether the installation is a workstation or network
installation
■ Location of the installation directory
■ Which SequeLink components to install
■ Which mode the installation will run in (interactive or batch)
■ Whether client data sources are installed (see the following
section “Including Client Data Source Configurations in Quick
Install Images” on page 49)

Refer to the SequeLink Installation Guide for instructions on how

to define a Quick Install image.

Getting Started with SequeLink

 Planning SequeLink Data Access Services 49

Including Client Data Source

Configurations in Quick Install Images
As part of a Quick Install image, you can specify client data
sources that are to be installed on the client machines, which
ensures that each client has the same client data source
configuration. See “Planning Your Client Data Sources” on
page 45. The client data sources that are part of a Quick Install
image must first be exported to a data source file using the
SequeLink Data Source SyncTool. The SequeLink Data Source
SyncTool allows you to create data source files and export data
source definitions to data source files. See the SequeLink
Administrator’s Guide for information about how to use the
SyncTool.

To maintain client data source configurations, you can distribute

a data source file and have users export the data source
definitions from the data source file to their client machines.
This ensures that the same client data source configuration is
installed on all client machines.

Planning SequeLink Data Access Services

A SequeLink data access service, which resides on the server,
allows a SequeLink Client to connect to a database and is
required for your SequeLink configuration. On Windows NT,
Windows 2000, and UNIX, a SequeLink data access service is
automatically created and configured when you install
SequeLink Server, so you do not have to define one. On OS/390,
defining a SequeLink data access service is part of the
installation process as described in the SequeLink Installation
Guide.

Part of the definition of each data access service is a server data

source. A data access service has one default server data source

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50 Chapter 3 Planning Your SequeLink Configuration

defined. You can define additional server data sources for a data
access service, but a SequeLink Client data source can reference
only one server data source. Therefore, if you create a second
server data source for a data access service and you want the
SequeLink Client data source to reference the second server data
source, you must create a new client data source and configure it
to reference the new server data source.

For the definition of the default behavior of SequeLink data

access services, see “Default Behavior of Data Access Services” on
page 67.

Reasons for Changing Default Behavior

The examples in this section demonstrate possible scenarios and
reasons that you may have to modify the default behavior of a
data access service. In addition, this section describes reasons why
you may need more than one server data source for a data access
service.

Example A:

You may want most of your client applications that use a specific
data access service (such as SequeLink Server for Oracle8) to
connect to the database with read-only functionality. Therefore,
you would change the value of the DataSourceReadOnly service
attribute to read-only.

The DataSourceReadOnly service attribute is an attribute of a

server data source. Because changing the value of the default
server data source would cause all connections to the database to
be read-only, you would choose to create a second server data
source for the data access service and change the value of the

Getting Started with SequeLink

 Planning SequeLink Data Access Services 51

DataSourceReadOnly service attribute of the new server data

source as shown:

Data Access Service

Default server
Not read-only
data source

Second server
Read-only
data source

Example B:

You may want to configure your data access service to use data
scrambling. The default is that cleartext messages are
transmitted between the client and server over the network.

In this case, you would change the value of the

ServiceEncryptionAlgorithm service attribute to one of the three
available data scrambling options: byte swapping, DES, or 3DES.
The ServiceEncryptionAlgorithm attribute is set at the data
access service level and is not part of the definition of a server
data source. Therefore, any client application that uses the data
access service will have data scrambling set.

Example C:

SequeLink ODBC Clients support multiple workarounds to

circumvent limitations in some applications (such as Microsoft
Access). Using SequeLink, these workarounds can be configured
at the server for a specific server data source. This example
shows why you may want to configure multiple server data
sources for a data access service.

The service attribute DataSourceFetchTimeStampAsString

specifies whether a workaround for a Microsoft Access problem
with timestamps is turned on. The workaround is turned off by
default (FALSE). You can create a new server data source and set

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52 Chapter 3 Planning Your SequeLink Configuration

the DataSourceFetchTimeStampAsString attribute to TRUE to

turn on this workaround. With the workaround turned on, the
Microsoft Access application can use the client data source that
references this server data source.

Planning Your Connection Model

The type of connection model you choose for your SequeLink
configuration partly depends on your SequeLink Server platform,
the scalability requirements, and whether you are using the
distributed transaction functionality of a DBMS. SequeLink
provides the following types of connection models:

■ The ThreadPool connection model starts SequeLink with a

preallocated minimum number and maximum number of
threads that can be shared by multiple SequeLink Clients
connected to the SequeLink Server. It provides optimum
scalability—many client connections can be serviced with the
same system resources on the server. It is the default
connection model for all platforms. It is the only valid
connection model on OS/390.
(ServiceConnectionModel=ThreadPool)
NOTE: If you are using distributed transactions with DB2
Universal Database on Windows or UNIX platforms, do not
use the ThreadPool connection model; use the
Process/Connection model.

See “Connection Model Default Behavior” on page 67 for

information about the SequeLink service attributes that
define the size of the thread-pool engine and that govern
how the thread-pool engine works.
■ The Process/Connection connection model creates a separate
operating system task for each SequeLink Client connection
request. This connection model is not valid on OS/390.
(ServiceConnectionModel=Process/Connection)

Getting Started with SequeLink

 Planning Security 53

NOTE: If you are using distributed transactions with DB2

Universal Database on Windows or UNIX platforms, use the
Process/Connection model.

■ The Thread/Connection connection model provides a

dedicated thread for each SequeLink Client connection to a
SequeLink Server. Use the Thread/Connection connection
model for client applications that are database-intensive,
such as bulk load or bulk transfer applications. This
connection model is not valid on OS/390.
(ServiceConnectionModel=Thread/Connection)

Planning Security
This section first discusses the security mechanisms supported by
SequeLink and identifies the service attributes that must be set
to configure each security mechanism. Next, two planning
sections are provided—one for Windows and UNIX, and another
for OS/390—that discuss the default behavior of security on each
platform.

About SequeLink Security

SequeLink supports security mechanisms for the following
purposes:
■ Verification of a user by the SequeLink Server. The
Authentication security mechanism allows the SequeLink
Server to verify the identity of the user.
■ Defining the types of requests that are accepted by the
server. The Authorization security mechanism controls
whether the user can send data access requests and
administrative (SequeLink Manager) requests, and whether
the requests can be accepted by the server.

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54 Chapter 3 Planning Your SequeLink Configuration

■ Connection to a data store using the following security

mechanisms:
• Data Store Logon controls whether a user who is
connected to the SequeLink Server can connect to the
data store.
• Application IDs control whether a client application can
connect to the data store. This mechanism adds a layer of
security on top of Data Store Logon.
■ Defining the types of SQL statements accepted by the data
store. The ReadOnly security mechanism controls whether the
data store connection is read-only.
■ The privacy of the data being transmitted. The data privacy
security mechanism ensures that data transmitted between
the client and server is kept private using data scrambling
methods and encryption through Secure Socket Layer (SSL)
(SSL is supported for Java environments only).

Authentication
Authentication allows the SequeLink Server to verify the identity
of the SequeLink Client when the client connects to the
SequeLink Server. If authentication fails, the SequeLink Client will
disconnect from the server. Authentication must be set separately
for users (people who send data access requests) and
administrators (people who send SequeLink Manager requests).

Even though a user may be able to connect to the SequeLink

Server, this does not mean that the user automatically has access
to the database that the SequeLink Server services. Access to the
database is controlled by Data Store Logon (see “Data Store
Logon” on page 59) and Application IDs (see “Application IDs”
on page 59).

Getting Started with SequeLink

 Planning Security 55

Depending on the combination of client and server platforms

involved in the connection, SequeLink supports the following
authentication mechanisms:

■ Anonymous. The SequeLink Server accepts connections from

any SequeLink Client without verifying the client’s identity.
(ServiceAuthMethods=anonymous)
■ Integrated NT. This option is supported for connections
between SequeLink ODBC Clients and SequeLink ADO Clients
on Windows and SequeLink Server for Windows NT servers
only. The SequeLink Server verifies the identity of the
SequeLink Client using the client’s Windows network logon
credentials instead of a Windows user ID and password.
(ServiceAdminAuthMethods=integrated_nt)

■ Operating system user ID and password. The SequeLink

Server verifies the identity of the SequeLink Client using a
user ID and password that must be valid for the platform on
which the SequeLink Server is running. If verified, the server
accepts the user ID as the identity of the client and permits
the connection.
(ServiceAdminAuthMethods=OSlogon(UID,PWD))

Authorization
After the SequeLink Server has authenticated the client,
SequeLink verifies that the client is authorized to perform data
access activities or SequeLink Manager activities. SequeLink
supports authorization for data access requests and for
SequeLink Manager requests. You configure the authorization
for the two types of requests separately. Authorization options
depend on your SequeLink Server platform.

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Authorization for Windows and UNIX

You configure the authorization for data access requests and for
SequeLink Manager requests separately:
■ To configure authorization for data access, set the ServiceUser
attribute. If you want to configure authorization for user
groups defined on Windows NT or UNIX, you can set the
ServiceGroupUser attribute. These attributes should be added
to data access services only.
■ To configure authorization for SequeLink Manager requests,
set the ServiceAdministrator attribute. If you want to
configure authorization for user groups defined on
Windows NT or UNIX, you can use the
ServiceGroupAdministrator attribute. These attributes should
be added to SequeLink Agent services only.

The ServiceUser and ServiceAdministrator attributes can have the

following values:
■ Everyone. The SequeLink Server will process all requests sent
by the user, regardless of how the user is authenticated. For
example:

ServiceUser=everyone
If you set authentication to anonymous, you must set
authorization to everyone (ServiceUser=everyone or
ServiceAdministrator=everyone).

This is the default for ServiceUser.

■ Authenticated. The SequeLink Server will process all requests

sent by the user if the user can be authenticated
(authentication is set by the ServiceAuthMethods and
ServiceAdminAuthMethods attributes). For example:
ServiceAdministrator=authenticated
■ User_id. The SequeLink Server will process all requests sent by
the user if the user ID has been specified as authorized. For

Getting Started with SequeLink

 Planning Security 57

example, to configure permission for marym to send data

access requests, you would set the following attribute for the
data access service:

ServiceUser=marym
And, to configure permission for marym to send SequeLink
Manager requests, you would set the following attribute for
the SequeLink Agent service:
ServiceAdministrator=marym
This is the default for ServiceAdministrator. You specify a
user ID as the default administrator ID during the installation
of the SequeLink Server.
NOTES:
■ Alternatively, you can set the ServiceUserGroup and
ServiceAdministratorGroup attributes to configure
authorization for groups of users defined on
Windows NT, Windows 2000, or UNIX.

■ On Windows NT and Windows 2000, users who are

allowed to manage SequeLink services using the
SequeLink Manager must have NT administrator rights.

Authorization for OS/390

On OS/390, you can configure authentication with or without
OS/390
additional authorization for both SequeLink data access services
and SequeLink management activities. If you configure
additional authorization, you must specify a security class and a
security resource by setting the following attributes:
■ MVSServiceSecurityResource and MVSServiceSecurityClass for
SequeLink data access requests.
■ MVSServiceAdminSecurityResource and
MVSServiceAdminSecurityClass for SequeLink Manager
requests.

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The authorization attributes can have the following values:

■ SAFNONE. The SequeLink Server will process all requests sent
by the user that have been authenticated as anonymous.
For data access requests:
MVSServiceSecurity=SAFNONE
■ SAFBASIC. The SequeLink Server will process all requests sent
by a user who has been authenticated with a user ID and valid
password.
For data access requests:
MVSServiceSecurity=SAFBASIC
For SequeLink Manager requests:
MVSServiceAdminSecurity=SAFBASIC
■ SAFRESOURCE. The SequeLink Server will process all requests
sent by the user. The security package of the host will check if
the user is authorized to use the specified resource defined in
the specified security class.
For data access requests:

MVSServiceSecurity=SAFRESOURCE
MVSServiceSecurityResource=sec_resource_name
MVSServiceSecurityClass=sec_class_name
For SequeLink Manager requests:

MVSServiceAdminSecurity=SAFRESOURCE
MVSServiceAdminSecurityResource=sec_resource_name
MVSServiceAdminSecurityClass=sec_class_name

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 Planning Security 59

where:
sec_resource_name is the name of the security resource where
access is defined for your users
sec_class_name is the name of the security class where the
resource is defined. The default value is FACILITY.

Data Store Logon

Once a connection is established, authentication is complete,
and the type of requests accepted by the server has been
established, a connection from the SequeLink Server to the
database can be established by using either of the following
methods:
■ Specifying data store logon information (a valid DBMS user
ID and password). This is the default for Windows and UNIX
(DataSourceLogonMethod=DBMSLogon(UID,PWD)).
■ Allowing the database to inherit the logon user ID that was
established during the authentication process. This method
must be used for OS/390, but it also can be used for Windows
and UNIX (DataSourceLogonMethod=OSIntegrated).

Application IDs
Application IDs are alphanumeric strings passed by a SequeLink
Client that identify the client application to a SequeLink service
that has been configured to accept connections only from
specific application IDs.

Application IDs add another layer of security for the connection

to the data store beyond that provided by the Data Store Logon
security mechanism. Data Store Logon allows all users of client
applications to access the data store if the users meet the
qualifications set by Data Store Logon. Using application IDs, you

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can restrict connections to the data store to only those client

applications that identify themselves to the SequeLink Server
through an application ID.

The attributes that control application IDs are DataSourceApplId

and DataSourceAutomApplId.

ReadOnly
SequeLink allows you to configure the types of SQL statements
the data store connection will accept:
■ Select statements only, which makes the connection read-only
■ Select statements and Stored Procedures
■ All SQL statements

The service attribute that controls this functionality is

DataSourceReadOnly.

Data Privacy
SequeLink provides data scrambling (for all supported
environments) and real encryption through the use of SSL
(SequeLink Java environments only) to ensure the privacy of data.

Data Scrambling
Data scrambling ensures that no cleartext messages are
transmitted between the client and server over the network.
SequeLink provides the following implementations of data
scrambling:
■ Fixed-key DES operates using a 56-bit key.
■ Fixed-key 3DES operates using a 168-bit key.

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 Planning Security 61

■ Byte swapping means that bytes of data are randomly

swapped to scramble data. Different encoded mappings are
used for different sessions.

Data scrambling does not offer the same level of security as SSL
and its use may degrade performance. Data scrambling is not
enabled by default.

NOTE: Even if you choose not to use a data scrambling method,

user IDs and passwords are never sent as cleartext.

To configure SequeLink to use DES, 3DES, or byteswap, you must

set the ServiceEncryptionAlgorithm service attribute, for
example, ServiceEncryptionAlgorithm=DES. The default is
none, which means cleartext messages are transmitted between
the client and server over the network.

SSL (Java Environments Only)

Secure Socket Layer (SSL) encryption provides data encryption,
server authentication, and message integrity for TCP/IP
connections using the following methods:
■ Asymmetric cryptographic algorithms protect the exchange
of symmetric encryption keys. SequeLink supports the
following asymmetric cryptographic algorithm classes:
• Anonymous. The exchange of the symmetric key for the
data transfer is protected by an asymmetric key
agreement protocol, but the client does not verify the
identity of the server. The anonymous mechanism
provides protection against passive eavesdropping on
communication lines, preventing someone who is
monitoring network traffic from deciphering the
exchanged data. It does not provide protection from
“man-in-the-middle” security infiltrations, in which
intruders position themselves between the client and the
server, pretending to the client to be the server and vice
versa, and allowing the intruders to intercept, inspect,

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62 Chapter 3 Planning Your SequeLink Configuration

and possibly alter the data exchanged between the client

and the server.
• Server authentication. When communication begins, the
server identifies itself to the client, using a digital
certificate as proof of identity. The client verifies this
certificate to ensure that the server is really the party with
whom it wants to communicate.
■ Symmetric cryptographic algorithms encrypt and decrypt the
actual data.
■ Message digest algorithms ensure message integrity.

The combination of all these algorithms is called a cipher suite.

The SSL standard defines the cipher suites that can be specified.
The actual availability of a cipher suite is determined by the
underlying implementation. For more information about
configuring SSL and specifying cipher suites, refer to the
SequeLink Administrator’s Guide.

NOTE: SequeLink supports Netscape’s Transport Layer Security

(TLS) 1.0 through its SSL implementation.

Planning System Administration

SequeLink provides the following options for configuring and
managing your SequeLink environment:
■ Local system administration allows you to configure and
manage your SequeLink environment using the SequeLink
Manager installed locally on a SequeLink Server.
■ Remote system administration allows you to configure and
manage your SequeLink environment using the SequeLink
Manager installed on the desktop of a networked client.

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 Planning System Administration 63

NOTE: Only SequeLink 5.1 services can be configured, managed,

or monitored with the SequeLink Manager 5.1.

Local System Administration

You can use the SequeLink Manager locally from the SequeLink
Server to configure and manage your SequeLink environment;
however, the SequeLink Manager tool you can use locally
depends on the platform of the SequeLink Server. See
“Understanding the SequeLink Manager Tools” on page 26 for a
description of the SequeLink Manager tools and information
about the platforms on which they can be installed.

Although local system administration (administration from the

server) works for all SequeLink Server platforms, it is not always
the most convenient way to handle administration of your
SequeLink environment. It may be, however, the best solution
for OS/390 because remote administration for OS/390 is limited.
To configure and manage SequeLink services on OS/390, or
create OS/390 core entities such as DB2 interfaces, you must use
the SequeLink Manager Tool for OS/390 locally.

Remote System Administration

Remote system administration allows you to configure and
manage your data access environment from the convenience of
your desktop regardless of your SequeLink Server platform. For
example, suppose you are responsible for administering an
environment with distributed data access involving a variety of
data stores across your enterprise, such as Oracle on UNIX and
Windows, and Microsoft SQL Server on Windows as shown in
Figure 3-1. You can install the SequeLink Manager Snap-in on a
Windows NT or Windows 2000 networked client and perform
administration tasks, such as configuring SequeLink service
settings, from the convenience of your desktop.

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64 Chapter 3 Planning Your SequeLink Configuration

Figure 3-1. Remote System Administration for Data Access

Environments

SequeLink
Server on UNIX

SequeLink
Server on
Windows
Oracle

SequeLink
Microsoft
Server on
SQL Server
Windows

SequeLink Manager
Snap-in installed on a
networked Windows NT
or Windows 2000 client Oracle

If you prefer to use a command-line tool rather than a GUI tool,

you can use the SequeLink Manager Command-Line Tool to
remotely administer your SequeLink environment.

NOTE: The availability of remote system administration depends

on your SequeLink license.

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 Planning Monitoring and Event Tracing 65

Planning Monitoring and Event Tracing

SequeLink monitoring allows the SequeLink administrator to see
what is currently happening in the SequeLink environment.
SequeLink event tracing allows the SequeLink administrator to
store information about events that occur in an event trace file,
allowing them, for example, to check on events that happened
overnight.

To enable monitoring and event tracing for SequeLink services,

you must have a monitoring profile and an event trace profile
configured for each service you want to monitor. On
Windows NT, Windows 2000, and UNIX, both a monitoring and
an event trace profile are enabled when you install SequeLink
Server. On OS/390, the monitoring and event trace profile can be
enabled during configuration.

Monitoring
SequeLink provides the following levels of monitoring for both
SequeLink Agent and SequeLink data access services, listed here
from highest-level to lowest-level:
■ Service monitoring monitors these activities by service:

• Statistics of received packets and sent packets

• Sessions started and statements opened
• Active statements and sessions
• Fetched rows and affected rows
• Transactions
■ Session monitoring monitors these activities by session
within a service:
• Statistics of received packets and sent packets
• Statements opened and active statements
• Fetched rows and affected rows

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66 Chapter 3 Planning Your SequeLink Configuration

• Transactions
• Information about each session, such as start time, client
information (network address, data source used by the
client, and type of client), native database session
identification, and database user

■ Statement monitoring monitors these activities by statement

within a session:
• Fetched rows and affected rows
• SQL statements issued

Event Tracing
Event tracing provides a method for the SequeLink administrator
to store persisted information about an event. Events are
generated when a client application accesses data and when
certain server activities take place (such as when a service starts
and an error occurs). SequeLink can trace the following types of
events:

■ Service ■ Statement
■ Session ■ Transaction
■ Network ■ Others
■ Error

To make the event trace information persistent, an event trace

file is created during the installation of the SequeLink Server. The
service attributes that define characteristics of the event trace file
are ServiceEventTraceSize and ServiceEventTraceLocation. See
“Event Handling Default Behavior” on page 68 for the default
settings of these two attributes.

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 Default Behavior of Data Access Services 67

Default Behavior of Data Access Services

When planning your SequeLink configuration, you may find it
helpful to know the definition of the default (or newly created)
data access service on Windows NT, Windows 2000, UNIX, and
OS/390 so that you can decide whether the default definition fits
your needs. If it does not, you can change the values of the
service’s attributes. The attributes can be modified using one of
the SequeLink Manager tools. For instructions on using the
SequeLink Manager, refer to the SequeLink Administrator’s
Guide.

Default Behavior on Windows and

UNIX
The following sections define the default behavior of the
default SequeLink data access service on Windows NT, Windows
2000, and UNIX and provide the name of the attribute that
dictates the behavior. All attribute names are shown in
parentheses. The attributes that begin with "DataSource" (for
example, DataSourceReadOnly) are the attributes that define a
server data source. For complete information about service
attributes, see the SequeLink Administrator’s Guide.

Connection Model Default Behavior

The connection model default is ThreadPool.
(ServiceConnectionModel)

The ThreadPool connection model default behavior is:

■ The number of prestarted threads in the thread pool is 8.

(ServiceMinThreads)

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■ The maximum number of threads to which the thread

pool can increase to accommodate peak activity is 64.
(ServiceMaxThreads)
■ The time allowed for thread-pool synchronization actions
to take place before an internal error is generated is
60000 milliseconds. (ServiceInternalTimeout)
■ The idle time after which a thread allocated to a specific
connection is released to the thread pool is 2000
milliseconds. (DataSourceThreadRpcTimeOut)
■ The maximum number of requests after which a thread
allocated to a specific connection is released to the thread
pool is 10. (DataSourceThreadMaxRpc)

See also “Planning Your Connection Model” on page 52.

Event Handling Default Behavior

■ The size of the event trace file is 1000000 bytes.
(ServiceEventTraceSize)
■ The default location of the event trace file is the tracing
subdirectory of the SequeLink Server installation directory.
(ServiceEventTraceLocation)
On Windows NT and Windows 2000, the default location is:
\Program Files\Merant\SLServer51\tracing
On UNIX, the default location is:
/usr/slserver51/tracing on UNIX
On OS/390, the default location is:
/usr/slserver51/tracing
■ The time to wait for a data access service response before
timing out is 1000 milliseconds. (ServiceEvQPingTimeout)

See also “Planning Monitoring and Event Tracing” on page 65.

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 Default Behavior of Data Access Services 69

Security Default Behavior for Users

The SequeLink Server accepts connections from all users, but
only the users who can provide a valid DBMS user ID and
password are allowed to access the database.

The database connection accepts all types of SQL statements.

Once connected to the database, the database security system
guarantees that the user can only perform actions that are
allowed by the database administrator. Messages (except for
user IDs and passwords) sent between the client and the server
are sent as cleartext. The service attributes are set as follows:
ServiceAuthMethods=anonymous
ServiceUser=everyone
DataSourceLogonMethod=DBMSLogon(UID,PWD)
DataSourceReadOnly=No
ServiceEncryptionAlgorithm=none

See also “Planning Security” on page 53.

Refer to the SequeLink Administrator’s Guide for complete

information about configuring SequeLink security.

Security Default Behavior for Administrators

Only the person who logs on using the administrator ID entered
when the SequeLink Server software was installed is allowed to
manage the SequeLink environment. The SequeLink Server
Setup prompts for a user ID for the SequeLink administrator
when you install the SequeLink Server.

ServiceAdminAuthMethods=OSlogon(UID,PWD)
ServiceAdministrator=User_ID

NOTE: On Windows NT and Windows 2000, the SequeLink

administrator must have NT administrator rights.

See also “Planning Security” on page 53.

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Refer to the SequeLink Administrator’s Guide for complete

information about configuring SequeLink security.

Debug Default Behavior

Debugging is disabled. (ServiceDebugLogLevel and
ServiceDebugLogPath)

Refer to the SequeLink Troubleshooting Guide and Reference for

complete information about debugging.

General Service Default Behavior

■ The service tries to recover from unexpected exceptions,
rather than passing the exception to the operating system,
which would result in a core dump. (ServiceCatchExceptions)
■ The SequeLink service supports only standard ASCII/EBCDIC
transliteration. (ServiceCodePage)

General Data Source Default Behavior

■ Server data sources have no name or description specified.
(DataSourceName and DataSourceDescription)
■ No schema names are specified to filter the result set returned
by SQLTables and SQLProcedures (ODBC), getTables and
getProcedures (JDBC), and TABLES and PROCEDURES
(OLE DB/ADO). (DataSourceSchemaFilterList)
■ No list of tables types is specified to filter the result set
returned for SQLTables (ODBC), getTables (JDBC), and TABLES
(OLE DB/ADO). (DataSourceTableTypeFilterList)
■ The size of the buffer to use for array fetch is 65536 bytes.
(DataSourceArrayFetchMaxBytes)

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 Default Behavior of Data Access Services 71

■ The SequeLink Client can perform all supported SQL

statements; the database connection is not read-only.
(DataSourceReadOnly)
■ No default database catalog is used when connected to a
SequeLink data access service. (DataSourceCurrentCatalog)

DB2 Service Default Behavior

■ The default database catalog is an empty string, which causes
the SequeLink ODBC Client and SequeLink ADO Client to
prompt for a valid DB2 database alias when connecting to
DB2 V6 or DB2 V7. (DataSourceCurrentCatalog)

■ No DB2 connection options are set for the service.

(DataSourceDB2ConnectOptions)

Informix Service Default Behavior

■ The default database catalog is an empty string, which causes
the SequeLink ODBC Client and SequeLink ADO Client to
prompt for a valid Informix database name.
(DataSourceCurrentCatalog)

■ A value for the Informix environment variable

INFORMIXSERVER is set for the service.
(ServiceEnvironmentVariable on UNIX,
DataSourceINFInformixServer on Windows NT/2000)
■ A value for the Informix environment variable INFORMIXDIR
is set for the service. (ServiceEnvironmentVariable on UNIX,
DataSourceINFInformixDir on Windows NT/2000)
■ Informix delimited identifiers are enabled for the service.
(ServiceEnvironmentVariable on UNIX,
DataSourceINFInformixDelimIdent on Windows NT/2000)

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Microsoft SQL Server Service Default Behavior

■ No default catalog is specified for use with Microsoft SQL
Server when connecting to the database.
(DataSourceCurrentCatalog)
■ No warning is passed to the client application if Microsoft SQL
Server encounters a problem opening server-side cursors.
(DataSourceMSSCursorWarnings). The type of cursor used is
specified using the DataSourceMSSCursorType attribute.
■ SequeLink Server uses a server-side cursor, which allows
multiple concurrent statements (and cursors) to be active at
the same time for each connection.
(DataSourceMSCursorType)

Oracle Service Default Behavior

■ Synonyms of remote Oracle objects are not supported in
catalog statements. (DataSourceORASynDBLinkObjSupp)
■ All Oracle API calls that must be executed to establish a
connection with the Oracle database will be serialized.
(ServiceORASerializeLogon)

Sybase Service Default Behavior

A value for the Sybase network address (hostname, port) is set for
the service. (DataSourceSYBNetworkAddress)

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 Default Behavior of Data Access Services 73

Default Behavior on OS/390

The following sections define the default behavior of a
SequeLink data access service on OS/390 and provides the name
of the attribute that dictates the behavior in parentheses. The
attributes that begin with DataSource (for example,
DataSourceReadOnly) are the attributes that define a server
data source. For complete information about service attributes,
see the SequeLink Administrator’s Guide.

Connection Model Default Behavior

The ThreadPool connection model is the only supported
connection model for OS/390 and is the default on all platforms.
(ServiceConnectionModel)

The ThreadPool connection model default behavior is:

■ The number of prestarted threads in the thread pool is 64.
(ServiceMinThreads)
■ The maximum number of threads to which the thread pool
can increase to accommodate peak activity is 128.
(ServiceMaxThreads)
■ The time allowed for thread-pool synchronization actions to
take place before an internal error is generated is 60000
milliseconds. (ServiceInternalTimeout)
■ The idle time after which a thread allocated to a specific
connection is released to the thread pool is 2000
milliseconds. (DataSourceThreadRpcTimeOut)
■ The maximum number of requests after which a thread
allocated to a specific connection is released to the thread
pool is 10. (DataSourceThreadMaxRpc)

See also “Planning Your Connection Model” on page 52.

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Event Handling Default Behavior

The size of the event trace file is 1000000 bytes.
(ServiceEventTraceSize)

See also “Planning Monitoring and Event Tracing” on page 65.

Security Default Behavior for Users

The SequeLink Server accepts connections from all users.
However, only users who can provide a valid operating system
user ID and password are allowed to access the database.

The database connection accepts all types of SQL statements.

Once connected to the database, the database security system
guarantees that the user can only perform actions that are
allowed by the database administrator. Messages (except for user
IDs and passwords) sent between the client and the server are
sent as cleartext. The service attributes are set as follows:

MVSServiceSecurity=SAFBASIC
ServiceAuthMethods=OSLogon(UID,PWD,NWPD)
DataSourceLogonMethod=OSIntegrated
DataSourceReadOnly=No
ServiceEncryptionAlgorithm=none

See also “Planning Security” on page 53.

Refer to the SequeLink Administrator’s Guide for complete

information about configuring SequeLink security.

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 Default Behavior of Data Access Services 75

Security Default Behavior for Administrators

The SequeLink Server accepts connections from all users. Only
users who can provide a valid operating system user ID and
password are allowed to access the SequeLink Agent service,
which means they can manage the SequeLink environment. The
service attributes are set as follows:
MVSServiceAdminSecurity=SAFBASIC
ServiceAdminAuthMethods=OSLogon(UID,PWD)

See also “Planning Security” on page 53.

Refer to the SequeLink Administrator’s Guide for complete

information about configuring SequeLink security.

Debug Default Behavior

Debugging is disabled. (ServiceDebugLogLevel and
ServiceDebugLogPath)

Refer to the SequeLink Troubleshooting Guide and Reference for

complete information about debugging.

General Service Default Behavior

■ The name of the service program is VAISTHRD and cannot be
modified, except on request of MERANT technical support.
(MVSServiceLoadModule)
■ The SequeLink service supports only standard ASCII/EBCDIC
transliteration. (ServiceCodePage)
■ When the data store does not run in a specific code page, the
code page is read from the setting of the
MVSServiceCodePageNr attribute. The default code page
used is 37.

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76 Chapter 3 Planning Your SequeLink Configuration

■ The maximum number of concurrent sessions for a service is

2000. When this threshold is reached, the server refuses
subsequent connection requests for the service.
(ServiceMaxSessions)

General Data Source Default Behavior

■ Server data sources have no name or description specified.
(DataSourceName and DataSourceDescription)
■ Transaction isolation levels are supported on connections. The
default is Read Committed (cursor stability).
(DataSourceTransactionIsolation)
■ Cursors are not destroyed when the transaction is committed.
(DataSourceCursorHold)

■ No schema names are specified to filter the result set returned

by SQLTables and SQLProcedures (ODBC), getTables and
getProcedures (JDBC), and TABLES and PROCEDURES (OLE
DB/ADO). (DataSourceSchemaFilterList)
■ No list of table types is specified to filter the result set
returned for SQLTables (ODBC), getTables (JDBC), and TABLES
(OLE DB/ADO). (DataSourceTableTypeFilterList)
■ The SequeLink Client can perform all supported SQL
statements; the database connection is not read-only.
(DataSourceReadOnly)
■ No default database catalog is used when connected to a
SequeLink data access service. (DataSourceCurrentCatalog)

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 Default Behavior of Data Access Services 77

DB2 Service Default Behavior

■ The DB2 packages for use by SequeLink Server for OS/390 are
bound with the BIND job shipped with the Server. Each
package is bound with a different transaction isolation level.
The name of these packages consists of a CollectionPrefix
and a suffix that indicates the isolation level of the package.
The default DataSourceDB2CollectionPrefix is SWDB2.
(DataSourceDB2CollectionPrefix and
DataSourceTransactionIsolation attributes)

■ No default catalog is specified for use with DB2 when

connecting to the database. (DataSourceCurrentCatalog)
■ Cursors are not destroyed when the transaction is
committed. (DataSourceCursorHold)

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Example: Configuring SequeLink

The following example works on all supported platforms. For
OS/390, we assume that SequeLink Server has been configured
and is running.

In this example, the SequeLink ODBC Client has been installed on

Windows NT workstations and the SequeLink Server for Oracle
has been installed on a Windows NT Server. Most client
applications will connect to the Oracle8 database with read-only
functionality, but one of the client applications must have update
capability.

Four user applications use the SequeLink Server for Oracle to

connect to an Oracle8 database. One application is an order-entry
application that needs the ability to update the database. The
other applications are reporting applications that must not have
the ability to update; therefore, they must connect with
read-only functionality to the database.

We have decided to place an added layer of security on the

order-entry application because it allows updates. The security
mechanism that will be used is application IDs (see “Planning
Security” on page 53). By using the application ID security
mechanism, we can ensure that if one of the reporting
applications is modified to use the same client data source as the
order-entry application, the reporting application will be unable
to update the database because it is not configured with an
application ID.

To configure SequeLink for use with the report applications, we

will modify the default server data source to make it read-only by
setting the DataSourceReadOnly attribute to Select, which means
only SQL Select statements are allowed. Also, we will create a
client data source that uses the default data source. We will name
the client data source OR8ReadOnly. The reporting applications
will connect to the Oracle8 database using the OR8ReadOnly
client data source.

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 Example: Configuring SequeLink 79

Also, we will configure SequeLink for use with the order-entry

application. To make sure that the application is certified to the
server, we will assign it an application ID, and set the
DataSourceApplID service attribute to the value of the
order-entry application’s ID. We must create and configure a
server data source that sets the DataSourceApplID attribute; we
will name the server data source Or8Update. In addition, we
must create and configure a client data source that references
the Or8Update server data source. We will name the client data
source Or8OrderEntry.

The following summary lists the components that must be

configured:
■ A new server data source named OR8Update must be
created. This server data source uses application IDs to certify
the order-entry application to the server.
■ The default server data source must be modified to make it
read-only.
■ An ODBC client data source named OR8OrderEntry must be
created. This client data source will reference the newly
created server data source, OR8Update. The order-entry
application must connect to this ODBC client data source. For
information about how to connect ODBC applications to
SequeLink Client data sources, refer to the SequeLink
Administrator’s Guide.
■ An ODBC client data source named OR8ReadOnly must be
created. This client data source will reference the default
server data source. The reporting applications must connect
to this ODBC client data source.

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80 Chapter 3 Planning Your SequeLink Configuration

Figure 3-2 shows how all of the components fit together.

Figure 3-2. Example Configuration

Client Server

Order-Entry
Application

OR8OrderEntry SequeLink Server for Oracle

client data
source OR8Update server
data source

Reporting
Applications Default server Oracle8
data source Database

OR8ReadOnly
client data
source

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 Example: Configuring SequeLink 81

Creating a Server Data Source

This example shows how to use the SequeLink Manager MMC
Snap-in to create a server data source. You could also use the
SequeLink Manager command-line tool or the SequeLink
Manager for OS/390 tool. Refer to the SequeLink Administrator’s
Guide for complete instructions for using any of the SequeLink
Manager tools.
1 Start the SequeLink Manager MMC Snap-in by clicking Start /
Run. In the Run field, type mmc and click OK. An MMC
console window appears.

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82 Chapter 3 Planning Your SequeLink Configuration

2 From the Console menu, select Console / Open. Select the

SequeLink Manager console you want to start; then, click
Open. The SequeLink Manager appears in the MMC console
window.

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 Example: Configuring SequeLink 83

3 Open the following nodes:

■ Connected to SLAgent
■ SequeLink Services
■ SLOracle816
■ Configuration

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84 Chapter 3 Planning Your SequeLink Configuration

Then, select the Datasource Settings node to display the

existing data sources in the Details pane (right pane).

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 Example: Configuring SequeLink 85

4 Right-click the Datasource Settings node and select

New / Datasource. A new server data source appears in the
left pane as an editable field.

5 To name the server data source, type Or8Update and press

ENTER.

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86 Chapter 3 Planning Your SequeLink Configuration

6 Add the DataSourceApplId attribute to the Or8Update data

source. Right-click the Or8Update data source and select
New / Attribute. The New Attribute window appears.

7 In the Attribute drop-down list, select DataSourceApplID.

8 In the Value field, type the application ID the order-entry
application will use to identify itself to the SequeLink service.
Refer to the SequeLink Developer’s Reference for information
about specifying application IDs for ODBC client applications.

9 Click OK. The attribute is added to the server data source.

For a description of SequeLink service attributes, refer to the

SequeLink Administrators Guide.

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 Example: Configuring SequeLink 87

Modifying the Default Server Data

Source
NOTE: This procedure assumes that the SequeLink Manager is
running and that you have completed the previous procedure.
1 Select the Datasource Settings node to display the existing
data sources in the Details pane (right pane).
2 Add the DataSourceReadOnly attribute to the Default data
source. Right-click Default in the Details pane and select
New / Attribute. The New Attribute window appears.

3 In the Attribute drop-down list, select DataSourceReadOnly.

4 In the Value field, select Select, which means only Select
statements are allowed.
5 Click OK. The attribute is added to the default server data
source.

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88 Chapter 3 Planning Your SequeLink Configuration

Configuring ODBC Client Data Sources

1 Start the ODBC Administrator by clicking Start, and then
Programs. From the Programs menu, select SequeLink ODBC
Client 5.1, and then select the ODBC Administrator
application. Click the User DSN tab to view a list of existing
user data sources.

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 Example: Configuring SequeLink 89

2 Create and configure the first data source by clicking the Add
button. A list of installed drivers appears. Select MERANT
32-BIT SequeLink 5.1; then, click Finish.

The ODBC SequeLink Driver Setup window appears.

3 Provide the following information; then, click OK.

Data Source Name: Type Or8ReadOnly.

Description: Type Oracle 8 read-only connection. This field

is optional.
SequeLink Server Host: Type OracleDBServer. This field
identifies the TCP/IP host name of the SequeLink service to
which you want the SequeLink ODBC Client to connect.
SequeLink Server Port: Type 19996, which is the default
TCP/IP port the SequeLink service is listening on for incoming
connection requests. The port that you specify must be the
same as the one that was specified for the SequeLink service
when the SequeLink Server was installed.

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90 Chapter 3 Planning Your SequeLink Configuration

Server Data Source: Leave this field blank. This client data
source is to use the default server data source; therefore, a
server data source does not have to be specified.
4 Create and configure the second data source by clicking the
Add button. A list of installed drivers appears. Select MERANT
32-BIT SequeLink 5.1; then, click Finish.
The ODBC SequeLink Driver Setup window appears.

5 Provide the following information; then, click OK.

Data Source Name: Type OR8OrderEntry.

Description: Type Oracle 8 update connection. This field is

optional.

SequeLink Server Host: Type OracleDBServer. This field

identifies the TCP/IP host name of the SequeLink service to
which you want the SequeLink ODBC Client to connect.

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 Example: Configuring SequeLink 91

SequeLink Server Port: Type 19996, which is the default

TCP/IP port the SequeLink service is listening on for incoming
connection requests. The port you specify must be the same
as the one that was specified for the SequeLink service when
the SequeLink Server was installed; the default is 19996.
Server Data Source: Type OR8Update, which is the name of the
server data source that was created for update capabilities
and the use of application IDs, or select the value from the
drop-down list.

The configuration of SequeLink client and server data sources is

complete. The reporting applications can now use the
OR8ReadOnly client data source, and the order-entry application
can use the OR8OrderEntry client data source.

For information about how to configure the order-entry

application to specify an application ID, refer to the SequeLink
Developer’s Reference.

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92 Chapter 3 Planning Your SequeLink Configuration

Getting Started with SequeLink

 93

4 Migrating to SequeLink 5.x

SequeLink version 5.x is not compatible with SequeLink 4.5

configurations. SequeLink 4.5 Clients cannot connect to
SequeLink 5.x Servers and vice versa. However, these two
versions of SequeLink (Client and Server) can be installed
side-by-side without conflicting with the operation of one
another.

You may want to install both versions of SequeLink side-by-side

so that you can implement the migration to SequeLink 5.x
without any interruption in your everyday use of SequeLink 4.5.
Then, when you have completed the configuration and testing
of SequeLink 5.x, you can delete SequeLink 4.5 from your clients
and servers.

IMPORTANT: When installing SequeLink 5.x on servers that also

have SequeLink 4.5 installed, you must use a TCP/IP port
different from the one used for SequeLink 4.5.

4.5 Data Sources Vs. 5.x Data Sources

SequeLink 4.5 has two types of data sources that reside on the
client, a SequeLink CAT data source and a data access data
source (either ODBC or OLE DB). When configuring
SequeLink 4.5, you have to define a SequeLink CAT data source
and an ODBC or OLE DB data source; the ODBC or OLE DB data
source references the SequeLink CAT data source.

In contrast, SequeLink 5.x has only one data source that resides
on the client, which is called a SequeLink Client data source
(either ODBC, ADO, or JDBC) and is similar to the SequeLink 4.5
ODBC or OLE DB data source. In addition, SequeLink 5.x has a

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94 Chapter 4 Migrating to SequeLink 5.x

server data source. When configuring SequeLink 5.x, a client data

source is required for ODBC and ADO configurations; server data
sources are optional. SequeLink CAT data sources no longer exist
in SequeLink 5.x.

The information that was defined in a SequeLink 4.5 data source

is either no longer applicable, has been moved to the server data
source, or has been moved to the client data source in
SequeLink 5.x.

For current, detailed information about migrating, refer to

Migrating to SequeLink 5.0. You can locate the document by
going to:

http://198.77.127.204/cgi-bin/webcgi.exe?new,kb=DataDirect,
TemplateSet=MERANT8

and searching on the keyword "migrating."

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 95

Glossary

ActiveX Data A high level object-oriented database API built on OLE DB.
Objects (ADO)

Client data Minimal ODBC, ADO, or JDBC data sources that store connection
sources instructions to a SequeLink Server.

Database A layer of software between the physical database and the user. The
Management DBMS manages all access to the database.
System (DBMS)

data store The storage device for data a user accesses, such as the data in a
database or a file. A data store owns data and exposes its data in a
tabular form as a rowset over a native data format. Data stores can
include a full SQL DBMS, an ISAM file, or a text file or data stream.

Distinguished A name that identifies an LDAP entry in an LDAP directory. See also
Name (DN) Lightweight Directory Access Protocol (LDAP).

JDBC A data access API standard (Java Database Connectivity) for

Java-enabled applets, applications, or Web browsers.

Lightweight A standard protocol for accessing and updating common directory

Directory Access information.
Protocol (LDAP)

Microsoft Man- A common console framework for management applications.

agement Console
(MMC)

middleware Software that mediates the communication between an application

and a data store. The middleware provides an interface that manages
the differences in the application’s and the data store’s data formats.

ODBC Microsoft’s Open Database Connectivity (ODBC) specification. The

ODBC specification for an Application Programming Interface (API)
allows applications to access multiple database systems using
Structured Query Language (SQL). For detailed information on ODBC,
refer to the Microsoft programming documentation on ODBC.

Getting Started with SequeLink

96 Glossary

SequeLink Typically, the person who configures, manages, and monitors the
administrator SequeLink environment.

SequeLink ADO The data provider that is installed within the SequeLink ADO Client to
Provider provide ADO/OLE DB access.

SequeLink Agent The SequeLink service that acts as a proxy to carry out configuration,
management, and monitoring requests from the SequeLink Manager.

SequeLink Client A SequeLink software component that can be installed on a client

machine or on a Web/Application Server. SequeLink ODBC Client
provides ODBC access; SequeLink Java Client provides JDBC access;
SequeLink ADO Client provides ADO/OLE DB access.

SequeLink A file that contains configuration information for SequeLink services.

configuration file

SequeLink data Optional data sources stored on the SequeLink server containing
sources service-specific instructions that affect how data is accessed by a
connection. Centralizing this information on the server, instead of
distributing it among hundreds of clients, provides easier management
of your entire data access infrastructure.

SequeLink ADO The driver that is installed with the SequeLink ADO Client to provide
Driver ADO access.

SequeLink JDBC The driver that is installed within the SequeLink Java Client to provide
Driver JDBC access.

SequeLink ODBC The driver that is installed within the SequeLink ODBC Client to provide
Driver ODBC access.

SequeLink A tool that you can use to configure, manage, and monitor your
Manager SequeLink environment. The SequeLink Manager is provided as an MMC
snap-in on Windows, a command-line tool on Windows and UNIX, and
an ISPF panel tool on OS/390.

SequeLink A command-line tool supported on Windows and UNIX platforms that

Manager allows you to configure, manage, and monitor your SequeLink
Command-Line environment.
Tool

SequeLink An ISPF panel tool supported on OS/390 that allows you to configure,
Manager for manage, and monitor your SequeLink Server for OS/390 services locally
OS/390 from an OS/390 machine.

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 Glossary 97

SequeLink A GUI-based tool supported on Windows platforms that allows you to

Manager Snap-in configure, manage, and monitor your SequeLink environment. Before
you can use the SequeLink Manager Snap-in remotely, you must add it
to the MMC.

SequeLink profile Predefined profiles that you can use for monitoring your SequeLink
environment, such as viewing details about active services, viewing
active sessions, and requesting information about traced events.

SequeLink Server The SequeLink software component that is installed on the server to
provide data access services from client applications to data stores.

SequeLink service SequeLink provides the following service types:

■ SequeLink data access services handle data access requests from
any SequeLink client. Multiple SequeLink data access services can
run on the same SequeLink server. For example, SequeLink Server
for Oracle and SequeLink Server for Microsoft SQL Server can run
side-by-side on the same machine.
■ SequeLink Agent services act as a proxy to carry out configuration,
management, and monitoring requests from any SequeLink
Manager. The SequeLink Agent can service multiple SequeLink
services on the same SequeLink server.

SequeLink service A template that contains predefined attributes for a particular service
template type, for example, Oracle8.

SQL Structured Query Language. A language used by relational databases

to query, update, and manage data.

Getting Started with SequeLink

98 Glossary

Getting Started with SequeLink

 Index 99

Index

A configuration
information you need before you start 44
planning for 43
ADO requirements 44
data sources 93 configuring
general data source default behavior 70 service monitoring 65
algorithms session monitoring 65
asymmetric cryptographic 61 statement monitoring 66
message digest 62 connection model
symmetric cryptographic 62 default behavior
application IDs, about 59 OS/390 73
architecture Windows and UNIX 67
n-tier 34 planning 52
two-tier 32 connections, configuring for SequeLink
As 12 Server 46
asymmetric cryptographic algorithms 61 contacting Technical Support 14
authentication 54 conventions used in this book 9
authorization 55

B D
data access services
books, ordering printed 12 about 22, 23
byte swapping 60 default behavior on Windows and UNIX 67
planning 49
data privacy 60
data scrambling 60
C data sources
configuring client configurations 49
CAT data sources 93 default behavior 70, 76
cipher suites 62 differences from earlier versions 93
client data sources Quick Install images 49
about 31 data stores, linking to 31
configuring with Quick Install images 49 database logon 59
Command-Line Tool 64

Getting Started with SequeLink

100 Index

DB2
default behavior on OS/390 77
E
default behavior on Windows and UNIX 71
distributed transactions on Windows or encryption 60
UNIX 52 event handling default behavior
Windows and UNIX 52 OS/390 74
debug default behavior Windows and UNIX 68
OS/390 75 event trace file
Windows and UNIX 70 OS/390 74
default behavior Windows and UNIX 68
connection model event tracing, planning 66
OS/390 73
Windows and UNIX 67
DB2
OS/390 77 G
Windows and UNIX 71
debug general service default behavior
OS/390 75 OS/390 75
Windows and UNIX 70 Windows and UNIX 70
event handling glossary 95
OS/390 74
Windows and UNIX 68
examples of changing 50
general data source I
OS/390 76
Windows and UNIX 70 IIOP (Internet Inter-ORB-Protocol) 18
general service Informix default behavior 71
OS/390 75 inheriting a logon user ID 59
Windows and UNIX 70 installation, customizing 48
Informix 71 interoperability 17
Microsoft SQL Server 72
Oracle 72
security
OS/390 74 J
Windows and UNIX 69
Sybase 72 Java environment
distributed transactions 17, 52 configuring a Client 44
documentation encryption using SSL 60, 61
order form 13 storing connection instructions 47
ordering hard-copy books 12 JDBC
changes to data sources 93
data source default behavior 76
JDBC 2.0 Optional Package 17
JDBC client use of LDAP 47

Getting Started with SequeLink

 Index 101

L OS/390
authorization 57
connection model default behavior 73
LDAP DB2 default behavior 77
configuring connections for SequeLink default security behavior 74
Server 46 event handling default behavior 65, 68, 74
overview of use 17 general service default behavior 75
linking to data stores 31 local system administration 63
logical partitions, using to enable multiple planning the connection model 52
SequeLink Servers 25 running multiple SequeLink Servers on the
same server 25
scalability 19
SequeLink Server components installed 23
M using data store logon during
authentication 59
message digest algorithms 62
migrating from earlier versions 93
monitoring activities
by service 65 P
by session within a service 65
by statement within a service 66 planning
monitoring, planning 65 client data sources 45
configuration 43
customized installations 48
data access services 49
N information you need before you start 44
monitoring and event tracing 65
NT Integrated security 18 scenarios 37
n-tier architecture 34 SequeLink Client configurations 49
SequeLink connection model 52
SequeLink data access services 49
system administration 62
O printed books
order form 13
ODBC ordering 12
data source default behavior 76 privacy of data 60
data sources 93 Process/Connection connection model 52
example of data access in client/server
environment 30
OLE DB data sources 93
Oracle default behavior 72
ordering printed books 12

Getting Started with SequeLink

102 Index

Q SequeLink Java Client

changes for data sources 93
encryption 60
Quick Install images JDBC data sources 47
configuring 48 SequeLink ODBC Client
including data sources in 49 changes for data sources 93
example of changing default behavior 51
planning configuration 48
SequeLink Server
R authentication 54
authorization 55
ReadOnly 60 configuration requirements 44
remote system administration 63 configuring connections 46
SequeLink services 24
server data sources 31
example of creating 81
S example of modifying 87
Service monitoring 65
scalability 18, 19 ServiceEncryptionAlgorithm 60
scenarios, planning 37 Session monitoring 65
Secure Socket Layer (SSL) 61 side-by-side installation 93
security Statement monitoring 66
application IDs 59 SupportNet 14
authentication 54 Sybase default behavior 72
authorization 55 symmetric cryptographic algorithms 62
data scrambling 60 system administration 62
database logon 59
default behavior
OS/390 74
Windows and UNIX 69 T
infiltrations 61
NT Integrated 18 Technical Support, contacting 14
overview 18 Thread/Connection connection model 52
RACF 18 ThreadPool connection model 52
ReadOnly 60 tracing, event 66
SequeLink transactions, distributed 17
n-tier architecture 34 Transport Layer Security (TSL) 62
two-tier architecture 32 two-tier architecture 32
SequeLink ADO Client, planning
configuration 48
SequeLink Agent, about 22, 23
SequeLink Client
configuration requirements 44
creating a common installation image 48

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 Index 103

U
UNIX
authorization 56
behavior of default data access service 67
connection model default behavior 67
data store logon 59
DB2 service default behavior 71
event handling default behavior 68
general service default behavior 70
Informix service default behavior 71
Microsoft SQL Server service default
behavior 72
Oracle service default behavior 72
Sybase service default behavior 72

W
Windows NT/2000
authorization 56
behavior of default data access service 67
connection model default behavior 67
data store logon 59
DB2 service default behavior 71
event handling default behavior 68
general service default behavior 70
Informix service default behavior 71
Microsoft SQL Server service default
behavior 72
Oracle service default behavior 72
Sybase service default behavior 72

Getting Started with SequeLink