Package content
The Discngine TIBCO Spotfire® Connector package contains:
- Discngine.WebPanel.sdn: the distribution file that bundle together the TIBCO Spotfire® extensions,
- all the SPK files contained in the SDN file (if do not you want to install all of our extensions),
- Discngine-Connector.part0.zip: a TIBCO Spotfire® library export,
- Discngine-Connector-Authenticator-Spotfire7.zip: the java package needed to use Pipeline Pilot as an authenticator during the Web Player connection for Spotfire 7.11+,
- Discngine-Connector-Authenticator-Spotfire10.zip: the java package needed to use Pipeline Pilot as an authenticator during the Web Player connection for Spotfire 10.0+,
- Discngine-Connector-js-api.zip: the JavaScript API,
- Discngine-Connector-js-api-4.1.zip: the JavaScript API of the Connector 4.1 (for backward compatibility),
- Discngine-Connector-PP-collection.zip: the Pipeline Pilot collection of components and example protocols,
Overview
To install the Discngine TIBCO Spotfire® connector the following steps are required:
- Deployment of the Discngine WebPanel distribution packages on the TIBCO Spotfire® server.
- Import of a TIBCO Spotfire® library folder on the server.
- Installation of the collection on the Pipeline Pilot server.
There are also optional steps if you want to use the Discngine Authenticator or the Discngine Automation tasks.
Prerequisites
- TIBCO Spotfire® administrative rights on the TIBCO Spotfire® Server and Analyst 7.11 or higher. Please contact us for lower versions.
- BIOVIA Pipeline Pilot server v9.5 or above.
- Access with administrative rights on the Pipeline Pilot server.
To use the Discngine Automation tasks, two prerequisites should be noted:
the TIBCO Spotfire® Automation Services must be deployed on the TIBCO Spotfire® server. Please refer to the official documentation.
the TIBCO Spotfire® Client Job Sender tool must be installed on the Pipeline Pilot server. The procedure is described below. Please note that the TIBCO Spotfire® Client Job Sender tool is compatible with Windows servers only.
Supported sketchers:
- Chemaxon Marvin JS
- BIOVIA Draw 2016 (requires BIOVIA Draw Plugin 2016)
- Perkin Elmer Chemdraw (requires BIOVIA Draw Plugin 2016)
Note: the package must be unzipped in a short path location (e.g. C:\tmp).
TIBCO Spotfire® extensions deployment
In this step you will deploy the SDN file we provide in the package on your TIBCO Spotfire® server. We strongly advise you to use either a test server or a test area. If you prefer to use a specific area, pay attention to the routing rules associated to the user/group who will test the Discngine Connector application in the Web Player. You can find further information in the official documentation.
- Log in as an administrator on the TIBCO Spotfire® server web portal.
- Go to the Deployments & Packages area.
- Select the deployment area on which you want to deploy the Discngine Connector extensions.
- Click on the "Add packages" button, then choose the .sdn file into the Discngine Connector package.
- Click on "Validate area", then "Save area".
Update the TIBCO Spotfire® services
Please follow instructions from the official documentation in order to update your TIBCO Spotfire® Web Player services.
TIBCO Spotfire® library
- Copy the file Discngine-Connector.part0.zip on the TIBCO Spotfire® server at the location path
[TIBCO Spotfire root]\tss\[TIBCO Spotfire version]\tomcat\application-data\library\
. - Open the TIBCO Spotfire® Analyst client and log in using an administrator account.
- Open Tools > Library Administration.
- Click on "Import" and "Browse" to select the file
[package]\Discngine-Connector.part0.zip
. - Select "Library" as "Destination Folder".
Recommendations about the TIBCO Spotfire® Web Player configuration
We strongly recommend to configure HTTPS in order to secure the communication between clients and TIBCO Spotfire® Server. Please follow the official documentation.
Also, the FQDN (Fully Qualified Domain Name) must be used to reference the TIBCO Spotfire® server to avoid browser security issues (cross-site scripting).
Configuration of the Discngine Connector in TIBCO Spotfire®
- Launch TIBCO Spotfire® Analyst client and log in to the TIBCO Spotfire® server (use an administrator account).
- Click "Update now", then "Install".
- Open the Tools > Administration Manager.
- Click on the "Preferences" tab.
- For each relevant group(s) defined on your TIBCO Spotfire® server, and for each Discngine Connector product you have, do the following configurations (see the official documentation to have more details on the group administration).
Discngine Web Panel
Edit the configuration of "DiscngineWebPanel", then:
- BaseURL: the target URL for the Discngine Web Panel.
- LicenseKey: the license key we provided to you.
- PeriodBeforeExpiration: the number of days before the license expiration during which you will be notified.
- StartDocumentPath: a document stored in the library to open with the Discngine Web Panel.
- StartPageName: the default title of the page created with the Discngine Web Panel.
Discngine Pipeline Pilot Data Functions
Edit the configuration of "DiscnginePipelinePilotDataFunction", then:
- DefaultLibraryPath: the default library folder to store the Pipeline Pilot Data Functions. The path uses the same rules as Windows folder (avoid special characters: : * ? “ < > |).
- LicenseKey: the license key we provided to you.
- PeriodBeforeExpiration: the number of days before the license expiration during which you will be notified.
- ServerRoot: the URL of the Pipeline Pilot server:
https://[server]:[port]/
- StoreSessionIdinDoc: specifies whether or not the Pipeline Pilot session identifier should be saved in the TIBCO Spotfire® document.
- UseSBDFAsSource: if you have Pipeline Pilot Data Functions that use the STDF format as source already registered, set this preference to False, otherwise set it to True.
- XMLDBRoot: the base folder on the server where the protocols are found. Usually "Protocols" but you can set it to a subfolder if you want.
Discngine Automation
Edit the configuration of "DiscngineAutomation", then:
- LicenseKey: the license key we provided to you.
The Automation Services service(s) must be restarted. Please follow the official documentation.
Deployment of the Connector Pipeline Pilot collection
Unzip the file Discngine-Connector-PP-collection.zip from the Discngine Connector package.
Log in to the Pipeline Pilot server.
Copy the folder
tibcoconn\
into the folder[scitegic_root]\apps\discngine
(create the folder if it is the first collection of our company you are installing).Open the command line prompt as an administrator from the windows start menu (Right click -- execute as administrator).
Change the directory to
[scitegic_root]\bin
(or[scitegic_root]\linux_bin
if you are on a Linux server).Install the Discngine Connector collection executing the following command:
.\pkgutil.exe -i discngine/tibcoconn
Restart the Apache Server:
- open the Pipeline Pilot server administration page
- navigate to Setup > Manage Server in the left pane
- press the "Restart Apache" button
The "HTML TIBCO Spotfire Viewer" components needs some information about your TIBCO Spotfire® environment. You can set the values directly into the parameters of the component, or set the global properties declared for the package:
In the administration portal, go to Setup > Global Properties and set the value of the following global properties for the package Discngine/Discngine TIBCO Spotfire Connector:
- WebPlayerURL: the URL of the TIBCO Spotfire® Web Player (e.g. https://yourserver.com/spotfire/wp)
- WebPlayerAPI: the URL of the TIBCO Spotfire® Web Player JavaScript API (e.g. https://yourserver.com/spotfire/js-api/loader.js for 10.3, https://yourserver.com/spotfire/wp/GetJavaScriptApi.ashx?Version=7.5 for 7.11).
- StartupDocumentPath: the library path of the TIBCO Spotfire® document that will be used to open the Web Player if needed (the Web Player cannot be opened without a document - e.g. "MyFolder/Startup").
- Domain: the document domain, in order to avoid browser security issues (cross-site scripting). If your Pipeline Pilot server is hosted on https://pipelinepilot.yourcompany.com:9943, set it to "yourcompany.com".
Backward compatibility with the Discngine Connector 4.1
To ensure the backward compatibility with your protocols developped with the Discngine Connector 4.1, you should also copy the JavaScript API 4.1 into the Pipeline Pilot Collection:
- Unzip the file Discngine-Connector-js-api-4.1.zip from the Discngine Connector package.
- Copy the content on the Pipeline Pilot server to this location:
[scitegic_root]\apps\discngine\tibcoconn\web\js\
.
TIBCO Spotfire® Client Job Sender tool
In order to use the Discngine Automation Tasks, the TIBCO Spotfire® Client Job Sender must be installed on the Pipeline Pilot server. Please note that this tool is compatible with Windows servers only.
The Job Sender tool and its configuration file are downloaded as part of the Automation Services bundle. To install and configure them, follow these steps:
Copy the two files Spotfire.Dxp.Automation.ClientJobSender.exe and Spotfire.Dxp.Automation.ClientJobSender.exe.Config in the same directory on the Pipeline Pilot server ([ClientJobSender directory]).
Fill the configuration file Spotfire.Dxp.Automation.ClientJobSender.exe.Config with your settings. Set at least the user name and its password. This user must be a member of the TIBCO Spotfire® group Automation Services Users. For more details about this configuration file, see the official documentation.
Now, a global property must be set for the "Run Client Job Sender" Pipeline Pilot component:
- Open the Pipeline Pilot server administration page.
- Navigate to Setup > Global Properties in the left panel.
- Choose "Discngine/Discngine TIBCO Spotfire Connector" into the package list.
- Fill the Client Job Sender executable path in the property "JobSenderPath".
Installation of the Discngine Authenticator
The Discngine Authenticator is not compatible with TIBCO Spotfire® 10.0. It will be fixed shortly.
Overview
With the Discngine Authenticator, end-users are authenticated using their Pipeline Pilot credentials, preserving the default authentication mechanism (NTLM, OpenID, Database, ...).
To do that, the Discngine Authenticator extends the TIBCO Spotfire® external authentication by checking the user ID against the Pipeline Pilot server using the Pipeline Pilot session ID.
TIBCO Spotfire® will get the Pipeline Pilot cookie in the browser, commonly SCISID9944 but it’s configurable, containing the Pipeline Pilot Session ID. If this Session ID is correct, the Pipeline Pilot server will return the username and the domain to use on the TIBCO Spotfire® server.
Deployment
First of all, unzip the file Discngine-Connector-Authenticator-Spotfire[7|10].zip from the Discngine Connector package corresponding to your version of Spotfire and paste all the .jar files on the TIBCO Spotfire® server at the location [SpotfireServerDirectory]\tomcat\webapps\spotfire\WEB-INF\lib\
.
Then the TIBCO Spotfire® authentication must be configured. On the server, follow these steps:
- Open the TIBCO Spotfire® Server Configuration Tool.
- In the Configuration tab, go to the External Authentication page.
- Enable the external authentication.
- Choose the type "Custom Authenticator".
- Enter "com.discngine.PipelinePilotAuthenticator" as the Authenticator class name.
- Add the "pipeline_pilot_url" parameter. The value should be the root URL on the Pipeline Pilot server of the protocol
Discngine/TIBCO Spotfire Enabled Protocols/Authenticator/Redirect Session
. - Add the "pipeline_pilot_port" parameter. The value should be the port used in the cookie (it will still be SCISID9944 even when using 9943 on https).