After the client files are installed, you must perform a minimum configuration. Then you should be able to run the DSJ client. Again, these steps may have been completed already by your system administrator if they installed the DSJ client for you.
The DSJ client must know the location of a DSJ server before it will
run successfully. You may either specify the server in the command line
when you start the DSJ client, or specify the server in the
dsj.properties file. The latter is recommended and used
here; for information on command line options, see
Command line arguments.
The settings for both the client and server are stored in the
dsj.properties file. When first installed, it is simply a
copy of the default settings in the dsj.defaults file. Use
a text editor like Notepad to edit this file.
The default DSJ server is localhost, the same machine as
the client. Unless you are a DSJ server administer running the server on
the same machine for testing purposes, edit the DSJServer line
in the dsj.properties file so that it contains the hostname
or IP address of the DSJ server.
For example:
DSJServer=jserver1.mycompany.com
or
DSJServer=123.45.67.8
Save the file. You are now ready to run the DSJ client.
The dsjclient.bat batch file will start the DSJ client
(for details, see The dsjclient.bat
file ). Like any other batch file, you can run it from a command
prompt or from the Windows Explorer.
When started with no options, the DSJ client will contact the specified DSJ server for a list of applications that are available, then present that list to you.
You then choose the application you want to run.
You may also specify an application, along with other command line options, on the command line. The last argument is always the application name.
For example, if you want to run the Hello application, you would type:
dsjclient Hello
If you are testing the DSJ installation and want to run the pre-loaded Welcome application, you would type:
dsjclient Welcome
When you run an application for the first time, the DSJ client must download the classes from the DSJ server. Depending on how big the application is, and the speed of your TCP/IP connection, it could take several seconds the first time. The classes are cached on the client so that when the application is run again, the application loads immediately.
If all goes well, the application will appear; youÆre up and running.
For example, hereÆs the Welcome application:
If you run into problems, see Troubleshooting.
The DSJ server administrator may have decided to require user names for certain restricted applications, or for logging application usage. User names and their corresponding passwords are assigned and controlled by the server administrator.
You can "hard code" your user name in the
dsj.properties file (see
DSJUsername ). You can specify your
password there as well, but thatÆs not secure, especially if you tend
to use the same or similar passwords in different places. Even if the
DSJ applications youÆre running arenÆt particularly sensitive, if
someone sees your password, they might be able to get unauthorized
access to something that is important.
If you specified a user name, either in the
dsj.properties file or the command line, but no password,
the Enter Password dialog box will appear when you first start the DSJ
client.
The user name will be filled in and you must type in your password.
The password is obscured as you type it into the dialog box. You will
see an asterisk "*" for each character you type. You may use the
Backspace key to correct errors. If youÆre not sure if
youÆve made an error, you can erase the entire password and start over.
Once you enter your password, the server will attempt to authenticate your user name with the password you entered. If they match, the server will believe itÆs really you, and treat you accordingly. If they donÆt match, you will not get an error message; instead, the server will treat you as an anonymous client. You will be able to access unrestricted applications only. If you canÆt access a particular restricted application, you may want to cancel the current session and try logging in again.
At this point, the DSJ client software is installed, you can login if needed, and you have successfully run applications using DSJ. This may be all you care to know, and all you really need to know.
For convenience, you can create a shortcut to run a specific application. For details, see Creating shortcuts.
The rest of this chapter contains more about how the DSJ client works, and details on the various configuration options.