Maintaining MOSES

Maintaining MOSES

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Basic Background:

This document is designed to give background information on some simple tasks that one can do to make our software easier to use, and to answer your questions about why some things go wrong. While this is really a simple process, its discussion is complicated by the different behavior of different operating systems.

What we have here is a system which is capable of being utilized by all or any of these machines in a network. Basically these different machines can be grouped into two categories, UNIX machines and WINDOWS machines. All of the UNIX machines appear the same to the user - it does not matter which one he runs on, they "feel" the same. MOSES creates databases and the ability to share databases depends on machine hardware. The databases created on INTEL hardware are not compatible with those created on the other hardware. Thus LINUX and WINDOWS machines can share MOSES databases, and the other machines can share databases. One can not, however, use a database created on an Intel machine on any of the other hardware.

Using any software involves three elements:

The software,
Users, and
Computers.

These things carry over to the maintenance of the software. There are aspects of maintenance which deal with the software, but many of these issues involve changing either the configuration of the computers or the users.

This distinction is important because the install program can deal with the software issues, but it can configure only the machine and the user which installed the software. As a guide, users need to configure customization files and have their paths altered, and, for WINDOWS, have shortcuts created. The UNIX servers need to have proper permissions for the users, and WINDOWS machines need to have their configuration files set.

The WINDOW machines share some characteristics, but not all. As with the UNIX machines, a database created on one WINDOWS machine can be used on any other (A database created on a WINDOWS machine cannot be used on a UNIX machine and visa versa.) There are, however, two different programs, the DBOS program and the WIN32 program, and WINDOWS 95 machines can run either.

MOSES Security:

This software is protected from unauthorized use. There are basically two methods for this. In a network environment, a "machine identifier" is used and in for some circumstances, "hardware keys" are employed. The machine identifier method requires that you supply us with a machine identifier for a set of machines in your network. When the software begins to run, it queries these machines for their identifiers. If an identifier matches one of those supplied, then the software your installation is marked as "checked in" and MOSES runs. If there is no match, then it checks to see if it has "checked in" with a valid server within a month. If is has and you have unlimited users, then it runs. If this version has not been validated within a month or you have a limited number of users , then it looks for a hardware key. If it finds the key, it runs, if not it runs with minimal capabilities.

If you have a limited number of users and you use a laptop outside the network, then you should provide the IP and MAC addresses of the laptop as a MOSES validation address. Then MOSES will run even if the laptop is disconnected from the network, and you can run MOSES on any machine in the network if the laptop is running in the network.

The machine identifiers are the ethernet address of the machines specified. The system works with an IP / Ethernet Address pairs. MOSES stores the IP address for the server in a file, /ultra/data/site/server. When a run is initialized, MOSES reads this file and executes a APR inquiery for the Ethernet address of each machine with a specified IP address. The results are compared with the set of ethernet address you originally supplied to see if one of the the machines exists. It is IMPORTANT to know that ARP will only work for machines within a subnet. Thus if MOSES gives you the message:

       Invalid Ethernet Address
       Will Check For Key

You are trying to use MOSES on a subnet for which you have not submitted a valid IP / Ethernet Address pair.

Now, ARP will return the ethernet address of a remote machine on your subnet, but not the address of the local machine. On UNIX and later Windows machines, we can get the address of the local machine, but not on Windows 95. As a result, for a standalone Windows 95 system, you must have hardware keys. All other situations should use the ethernet address.

If you are having trouble with MOSES security, we have supplied some tools to check out the situation. Click Here to read how to use them.

The Installation Structure:

We try to keep it as simple as possible and to localize the things we change. Basically, we change nothing except to add a directory, ultra, in the path specified and register the software with the operating system. Thus, to un-install this software:

On WINDOWS, you should unregister on all machines where you have registered MOSES; run MOSES on each machine and pick the CUSTOMIZE menu and then pick UNREGISTER. Finally, you should go to the machine on which MOSES is installed and go to START/All Programs/Ultramarine MOSES/Uninstall.

On anything else, simply delete the directory.

The ultra directory can get quite big, and its structure is complicated. Never use this directory or any of its subdirectories as a work directory. When you receive a new release of this software, virtually all of this directory will be replaced. If you have added something, it will be lost! The only safe place to change something is in the directory ultra/data/local. This is specifically designed to allow a place for your libraries and customizations. It is preserved when a new revision is loaded.

Basically the ultra directory consists of several plain files and a set of subdirectories. The two of these files with the suffix .htm are files that control browsing. The other files are either UNIX script files or .exe files. These files initiate the execution of programs, but they are not really programs. Instead, they decide which architecture is being used and execute the program for the proper operating system. The real programs reside in the subdirectory ultra/bin/type where type is the name for the operating system.

The MOSES CUSTOMIZE Menu:

The MOSES CUSTOMIZE Menu lets you alter your preferences, and REGISTER and UNREGISTER MOSES with the operating system.

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Table Of Contents:

Basic Background:

MOSES Security:

The Installation Structure:

The MOSES CUSTOMIZE Menu: