Setting the configuration file properties

The fields for Standard Properties and Connector-Specific Properties are color-coded to show which are configurable:

Setting standard connector properties

To change the value of a standard property:

  1. Click in the field whose value you want to set.
  2. Either enter a value, or select one from the drop-down menu if it appears.
  3. After entering all the values for the standard properties, you can do one of the following:

Setting connector-specific configuration properties

For connector-specific configuration properties, you can add or change property names, configure values, delete a property, and encrypt a property. The default property length is 255 characters.

  1. Right-click in the top left portion of the grid. A pop-up menu bar will appear. Click Add to add a property or Add Child to add a child property to a property.
  2. Enter a value for the property or child property.
  3. To encrypt a property, select the Encrypt box.
  4. Choose to save or discard changes, as described for Setting standard connector properties.

The Update Method displayed for each property indicates whether a component or agent restart is necessary to activate changed values. For further information, see User Guide for WebSphere Business Integration Express for Item Synchronization

Important:
Changing a preset application-specific connector property name may cause a connector to fail. Certain property names may be needed by the connector to connect to an application or to run properly.

Encryption for connector properties

Connector-specific properties can be encrypted by selecting the Encrypt check box in the Edit Property window. To decrypt a value, click to clear the Encrypt check box, enter the correct value in the Verification dialog box, and click OK. If the entered value is correct, the value is decrypted and displays.

The adapter user guide for each connector contains a list and description of each property and its default value.

If a property has multiple values, the Encrypt check box will appear for the first value of the property. When you select Encrypt, all values of the property will be encrypted. To decrypt multiple values of a property, click to clear the Encrypt check box for the first value of the property, and then enter the new value in the Verification dialog box. If the input value is a match, all multiple values will decrypt.

Update method

Connector properties are almost all static and the Update Method is Component restart. For changes to take effect, you must restart the connector after saving the revised connector configuration file. For further information, see User Guide for WebSphere Business Integration Express for Item Synchronization.

Specifying supported business object definitions

Use the Supported Business Objects tab in Connector Configurator Express to specify the business objects that the connector will use. You must specify both generic business object definitions and application-specific business object definitions, and you must specify associations for the maps between the business objects.

For you to specify a supported business object, the business objects and their maps must exist in the system. Business object definitions, including those for data handler meta-objects, and map definitions should be saved into ICL projects. For further information on ICL projects, see User Guide for WebSphere Business Integration Express for Item Synchronization

Note:
Some connectors require that certain business objects be specified as supported in order to perform event notification or additional configuration (using meta-objects) with their applications. For more information, see the chapter on business objects in this guide as well as the Business Object Development Guide.

To specify that a business object definition is supported by the connector, or to change the support settings for an existing business object definition, click the Supported Business Objects tab and use the following fields.

Business object name

To designate that a business object definition is supported by the connector, with System Manager running:

  1. Click an empty field in the Business Object Name list. A drop-down list displays, showing all the business object definitions that exist in the System Manager project.
  2. Click on a business object to add it.
  3. Set the Agent Support (described below) for the business object.
  4. In the File menu of the Connector Configurator Express window, click Save to Project. The revised connector definition, including designated support for the added business object definition, is saved to the project in System Manager.

To delete a business object from the supported list:

  1. To select a business object field, click the number to the left of the business object.
  2. From the Edit menu of the Connector Configurator Express window, click Delete Row. The business object is removed from the list display.
  3. From the File menu, click Save to Project.

Deleting a business object from the supported list changes the connector definition and makes the deleted business object unavailable for use in this implementation of this connector. It does not affect the connector code, nor does it remove the business object definition itself from System Manager.

Agent support

If a business object has Agent Support, the system will attempt to use that business object for delivering data to an application via the connector. Typically, application-specific business objects for a connector are supported by that connector's agent, but generic business objects are not.

To indicate that the business object is supported by the connector agent, check the Agent Support box. The Connector Configurator Express window does not validate your Agent Support selections.

Maximum transaction level

The maximum transaction level for a connector is the highest transaction level that the connector supports.

For most connectors, Best Effort is the only possible choice, because most application APIs do not support the Stringent level.

You must restart the server for changes in transaction level to take effect.

Associated maps

Each connector supports a list of business object definitions and their associated maps that are currently active in WebSphere InterChange Server. This list appears when you select the Associated Maps tab.

The list of business objects contains the application-specific business object which the connector supports and the corresponding generic object that the controller sends to the subscribing collaboration. The association of a map determines which map will be used to transform the application-specific business object to the generic business object or the generic business object to the application-specific business object.

If you are using maps that are defined for specific source and destination business objects, the maps will already be associated with their business objects when you open the display, and you will not need to change them.

If more than one map is available for use by a supported business object, you will need to explicitly bind the business object with the map that it should use.

The Associated Maps tab displays the following fields:

Configuring messaging

The messaging properties are available only if you have set MQ as the value of the DeliveryTransport. These properties affect how your connector will use queues.

Setting trace/log file values

When you open a connector configuration file, Connector Configurator Express uses the logging and tracing values of that file as default values. You can change those values in Connector Configurator Express.

To change the logging and tracing values:

  1. Click the Trace/Log Files tab.
  2. For either logging or tracing, you can choose to write messages to one or both of the following:

Data handlers

The data handlers section is available for configuration only if you have designated a value of JMS for DeliveryTransport and a value of JMS for ContainerManagedEvents. Adapters that make use of the guaranteed event delivery enable this tab.

See the descriptions under ContainerManagedEvents in the Standard Properties appendix for values to use for these properties.

Copyright IBM Corp. 2003