Echobase

1   TODO

Update this documentation from the french one.

2   Installing EchoBase on a server

Using default installation parameter values is advised to ease support.

We favor the use of a debian server :)...

The installation involves 2 steps:
  • database creation
  • application installation

2.1   Database creation

Requirements:
  • postgres must be installed (e.g. by running sudo apt-get install postgresql in a console on Debian systems)
  • one must log into the database as "postgres" user with administration rights in a console.
  1. postgres user creation
createuser -U postgres -sdRP echobase
  1. "echobase" database creation
createdb -U postgres -E UTF-8 -O echobase echobase
  1. grant administration rights to the echobase user (see system specific documentation). Check that the echobase has the proper rights by running in the postgres session:
psql -h localhost -U echobase echobase

2.2   Setting up Echobase first intall

Open a console with root attributes.

tomcat should be installed in /opt/tomcat.

Echobase application and configuration data will be stored in: /var/local/echobase

  • Create directories:
mkdir /var/local/echobase
mkdir /var/local/echobase/war
  • Put the Echobase installation .war file in: /var/local/echobase/war
  • Define a symbolic link to this .war file:
ln -s /var/local/echobase/war/echobase-ui-XXX.var /var/local/echobase/echobase.war
  • Define a symbolic link to this .war file in the tomcat webapps folder:
ln -s /var/local/echobase/echobase.war /opt/tomcat/webapps/echobase.war
  • Copy the Echobase configuration file echobase.properties in: /var/local/echobase/
  • Modify the user password, and eventually the connection url in this file. Below an example of edited file:
hibernate.dialect=org.hibernate.dialect.PostgreSQL82Dialect
hibernate.connection.driver_class=org.postgresql.Driver
hibernate.connection.url=jdbc:postgresql://monNomDeMachine/echobase
hibernate.connection.username=echobase
hibernate.connection.password=motDePasseModifie
  • Define a symbolic link to the configuration file in /etc :
ln -s /var/local/echobase/echobase.properties /etc/echobase.properties

The Echobase directory should now comprise the following elements:

/var/local/echobase/
├── echobase.properties                      (configuration)
├── echobase.war -> war/echobase-ui-1.0.war  (Echobase .war file)
├── logs                                     (log directory)
└── war                                      (wars directory)
    └── echobase-ui-1.0.war

Once the tomcat server is started, you can access the application by browsing to:

http://localhost:8080/echobase

2.3   Updating Echobase

Open a console with root attributes.

tomcat should be installed in /opt/tomcat.

Echobase update comprises 5 steps:

  1. Stop tomcat server
  2. Delete the following folders:
rm -rf /opt/tomcat/webapps/echobase
rm -rf /opt/tomcat/work/Catalina/localhost/echobase
  1. Copy the new Echobase .war file in: /var/local/echobase/war
  2. Update the symbolic link in: /var/local/echobase/echobase.war
ln -fvs /var/local/echobasewar/echobase-ui-XXX.war /var/local/echobase/echobase.war
  1. Restart tomcat server

3   Misc.

3.1   Echobase log management

Before starting Echobase, one should define a echobase.log.dir jvm variable that defines the location of the application logs:

JAVA_OPTS="$JAVA_OPTS -Dechobase.log.dir=/var/local/echobase/logs"

or:

CATALINA_OPTS="$CATALINA_OPTS -Dechobase.log.dir=/var/local/echobase/logs"

3.2   First use

On first use, two users are created if the database is empty:

login / password : admin / admin
login / password : user / user

For security reasons, it is advised to modify the passwords in the user management menu.