Server maintenance

This section describes maintenance tasks--creating server groups and removing packages.

Server groups

Use server groups to simplify DSJ server administration when you install the same applications to multiple servers. A server group file is a text file that contains the names and port numbers of the servers in the group, and the names of any nested server group files, which are preceded by the "@" character. For example: 

alpha, 10000
beta, 10000
@SlowServers

This lists two servers, and one nested group file. This server group file can then be used in the Available Servers list for an application, again preceded by the "@" character, by itself or with other servers. For example: 

Available Servers:
  @MainServers

To create a server group from the administration frame:

  1. Choose the Servers tab.
  2. Click New Server Group.

  3. In the Server Group dialog box, specify a name for the new server group.
  4. Use the buttons to create the contents of the server group.
  5. Click OK to dismiss the Server Group dialog box.

This creates the server group file in the ServerDatabaseManagerDirectory directory. You can also create server group files manually.

Managing packages

Packages are added to the DSJ database automatically when you add an application. When you remove an application, packages are not deleted, because the package may be needed by another application; the server does not keep reference counts or do other similar tracking.

You can leave orphaned packages in the database, especially if you plan to restore the application in the near future. Occasionally, you may want to remove all unneeded packages to reclaim disk space. This is done from the administration frame:

  1. Choose the Packages tab in the DSJ administration frame.
  2. Click Coalesce. The server checks all the installed applications, and marks all orphaned packages for removal.
  3. Click Commit. This suspends all connections, locks the database, and rewrites the entire database, omitting all marked packages.

The server makes a copy of the database file (dsj.data in the DatabaseDirectory directory) at the beginning of the rewrite, so you must have enough free disk space to hold a second copy of the file to commit your changes.

You may also click Remove to manually remove the highlighted package. The changes are not written unless you click Commit.

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