Wizard Mode
SBM Configurator runs in wizard mode immediately after the suite installer is finished. In wizard mode, you progress through the General tabs by clicking Next. Click Back to return to the previous tab. Once you finish wizard mode, SBM Configurator runs in utility mode.
- On the Welcome page, decide if you will use the Configuration Settings database to store your configuration settings in a centralized location. This option is preferred because it eases administrative duties and keeps configuration settings across your entire SBM installation in sync. For details, see About the Configuration Settings Database.
- If you click Cancel any time during the wizard, your current changes are discarded. To save your changes, click Finish at the end of the wizard. After you finish the wizard, launch SBM Configurator from the Windows Start menu to continue configuring your installation.
- Once you click Finish at the end of the wizard, SBM Configurator is launched in utility mode, which enables you to configure advanced settings that are not available in wizard mode.
Utility Mode
In utility mode, you can change your existing settings and use advanced options and utilities. You can also synchronize configuration settings across all your servers using the Update From Database option.
- When you select a tab in utility mode, corresponding details appear in the main pane. Unlike wizard mode, you can configure any tab at any time.
- Click
Apply to save your changes or click
Close to discard your changes. When you click
Apply, the IIS and Tomcat services are
stopped, and your changes are saved in the
Configuration Settings database (if used). The IIS and Tomcat
services are returned to their prior status once
SBM Configurator
saves the configuration changes.
Tip: Users might not be able to access the system immediately while the services are restarting. Therefore, consider applying configuration changes at a time when users are not actively using the system.
- Under System Settings, you can select the Use Configuration Settings database option if you declined it on the Welcome page. Alternatively, you can select Use Configuration Snapshots if you do not want to use the Configuration Settings database any longer. For more information, see System Settings.
About the Configuration Settings Database
During wizard mode, the Welcome page prompts you to decide if you will use the Configuration Settings database to store your configuration settings in a centralized location. Serena recommends that you use the Configuration Settings database because it eases administrative duties and keeps configuration settings across your entire SBM installation in sync.
If you decide to use the Configuration Settings database:
- The Update From Database button appears at the bottom of SBM Configurator. An icon next to the button indicates if the local configuration is in sync with the database. The date and time that changes were last applied are displayed as well.
- For distributed installations, you will use the
Update From Database option to update the
local configuration with changes that have been saved in the database from
another server.
SBM Configurator
periodically polls the
Configuration Settings database to ensure the settings on your
local machine are in sync with the settings in the database. If changes have
been detected in the database, you are prompted to click
Update From Database to update your local
settings.
Important: The update process will discard any current changes you might have made locally that have not been applied. If you have changes on your local machine that must be applied, click Apply to commit them before performing an update. This will overwrite the settings in the database using your local configuration instead, so you must confirm this action.
If you decide not to use the Configuration Settings database:
- The Update From Database button does not appear and your configuration is stored on the file system (not in the database). If you are configuring multiple servers, you will use the Import Configuration option to import the configuration snapshot file that you exported from the first server you configured.
- For distributed installations, this means you must export and
import configuration snapshot files on each server to keep the system
configuration up-to-date or you must perform updates manually on each server
(not recommended). These are the only methods that ensure that each distributed
server shares the same component server and database connection information if
the
Configuration Settings database is not used.
For example, if you change the IIS port number on the SBM Application Engine server, you must update the configuration settings on the Application Repository and SBM Mail Services machines as well to ensure they can still communicate with SBM Application Engine. (This change is automatically detected if you use the Configuration Settings database to store configuration settings for all servers in a centralized location.)