Installation |
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If you are going to try things out as you read this manual, the first thing we need to discuss is how to install your own version of QM. This section relates only to the commercial QM product. If you are planning to use the open source version of QM and build your own system, none of what follows in this section applies to you. Instead, you must download and build the system from its source code.
In this section, you will find details on how to install QM on
Although QM can be supplied on CD, users normally download the software from the OpenQM website, www.openqm.com which ensures that you have the latest version of this rapidly developing product.
If you purchase a commercial QM licence, you are free to download and install new versions as often as you wish during the free upgrade period (at least one year but this period can be extended). After this period expires, there will be a charge for upgrades. The software comes with free support for the first 60 days beyond which time further support is available on a chargeable basis.
On most platforms, you can also use QM in its single user "Personal Version" mode. This is exactly the same as the commercial product but is restricted for use in non-commercial activities, typically as a learning environment, and has a low limit on the size of database file that it will support. The personal version comes with no support beyond any help necessary to get it installed.
You will probably not want to install every revision that is released. The web site includes a "What's new in recent releases" page that can be used to help decide when an upgrade is desirable.
To download the software, follow the link to the download page and select the appropriate version for your platform. Right click on the Download link and select Save as to copy the install file to your system. If you need to move the file from the system on which it is downloaded to a different system for installation, be sure to use a binary mode copy tool.
The installation process is exactly the same for a new installation and for an upgrade. The following sections describe the process for each platform.
Installation on Windows
The self-extracting install file has a name of the form qm_2-6-6.exe, where the numeric components identify the release. Execute this file. The first screen confirms that you are about to install QM. Click on the Next button to continue.
The install process now displays the software licence. Tick the box to say that you accept the terms of this licence and click on the Next button.
QM can be installed in any convenient location. The default is C:\QMSYS but this can be changed. An upgrade installation will offer the directory used for the previous installation as the default.
Having selected the installation directory, you will be asked to specify the program group folder name in the Start menu. This defaults to QM and is probably best left unchanged.
The final step before installation commences is to select the components to be installed. The components offered are:
After the main installation has been performed, the install process displays a screen in which the authorisation data can be entered as discussed below.
If this is an upgrade installation, you will be asked if the VOC file should be updated in all accounts. Although this is probably a good idea, users will be asked about upgrading when they enter QM if it is left until later.
The installation process then runs the QM Configuration Editor to allow changes to be made to configuration parameters.
Finally, the installer offers to show the readme file.
The installation process does not add QM to the Windows PATH environment variable. Depending on how you plan to operate your system it may be worth adding the bin subdirectory of the QMSYS account to the PATH variable.
The self-extracting archive file of the standard install includes the user documentation as a set of pdf files and a compiled HTML help file for use on the QM server or on other Windows clients. Individual pdf manuals and a zip file containing a browser based help package are also available on the download page.
Installation on a USB memory stick under Windows
This mode of installation allows you to carry a complete Windows based QM system on a USB memory stick and use it on any compatible PC without installing any software on the PC itself.
The first step is to prepare the memory stick for use with QM. The stick must comply with the USB 2 standards - older USB 1 sticks cannot be used. Download the USBCONFIG tool from the OpenQM website onto the PC that you will use to perform the installation. Run this program, following the on screen instructions. This tool creates a file named memstick on the USB memory stick containing the unique id codes for that stick. The content of this file is only used during licence application, however, you should not amend this file as this may cause QM to fail at a later upgrade.
To install QM, run the standard Windows installation program as described above, ensuring that the "USB memory device" check box is ticked and the pathname of the target device is correctly entered on the destination directory screen. The QMSYS directory must be E:\QMSYS where E is the appropriate drive letter for your USB stick. The remainder of the installation process is as above.
To use QM from a USB memory device:
Because the USB installation is all about not needing to install anything on the host PC, it is not possible to run the QMSvc network service. A USB installation of QM includes the QMSrvr network management program (as used on Windows 98) to allow telnet and QMClient connections. To start this, open a Command Prompt window and execute the \qmsys\bin\qmsrvr program from the USB device. Network connections run as the user currently logged in on the Windows system.
Installation on Linux or FreeBSD
The self-extracting install file has a name of the form qm_2-6-6 for Linux or qmf_2-6-6 for FreeBSD, where the numeric components identify the release. Execute this file.
The installer confirms that you are about to install QM. Note that any existing installation of QM must have been shut down before installation of a new version.
The compressed install file is unpacked and the software licence is displayed. You must confirm that you agree with this licence to continue.
QM can be installed in any convenient location. The default is /usr/qmsys but this can be changed. An upgrade installation will offer the directory used for the previous installation as the default.
After the main installation has been performed, the install process displays a screen in which the authorisation data can be entered as discussed below.
If this is an upgrade installation, you will be asked if the VOC file should be updated in all accounts. Although this is probably a good idea, users will be asked about upgrading when they enter QM if it is left until later.
Finally, you will be asked whether the operating system network service should be restarted. This is necessary after a new installation before QM can be accessed from network connections. It should not normally be needed after an upgrade installation.
The installation process does not add QM to the operating system PATH environment variable. Depending on how you plan to operate your system it may be worth adding the bin subdirectory of the QMSYS account to the PATH variable.
The self-extracting archive file of the standard install does not include the user documentation. This must be downloaded separately from the web site as individual pdf manuals, a zip file of all the manuals, a compiled HTML help file for use on Windows clients or a zip file containing a browser based help package for use on all platforms.
Installation on a Mac
At this release, the Mac install is performed using a variant of the Linux install process. A graphical installer similar to those used by other Mac software will be introduced in a future release.
The self-extracting install file has a name of the form qmm_2-6-6, where the numeric components identify the release.
Open a terminal window and gain administrative rights (consult your operating system documentation if this concept is new to you). Execute the downloaded file.
The installer confirms that you are about to install QM. Note that any existing installation of QM must have been shut down before installation of a new version.
The compressed install file is unpacked and the software licence is displayed. You must confirm that you agree with this licence to continue.
QM can be installed in any convenient location. The default is /usr/qmsys but Mac users may prefer to use /var/qmsys. An upgrade installation will offer the directory used for the previous installation as the default.
After the main installation has been performed, the install process displays a screen in which the authorisation data can be entered as discussed below.
If this is an upgrade installation, you will be asked if the VOC file should be updated in all accounts. Although this is probably a good idea, users will be asked about upgrading when they enter QM if it is left until later.
The installation process does not add QM to the operating system PATH environment variable. Depending on how you plan to operate your system it may be worth adding the bin subdirectory of the QMSYS account to the PATH variable.
The self-extracting archive file of the standard install does not include the user documentation. This must be downloaded separately from the web site as individual pdf manuals, a zip file of all the manuals, a compiled HTML help file for use on Windows clients or a zip file containing a browser based help package for use on all platforms.
Installation on a PDA
There are two alternative install files available; qmpda_2-6-6.exe for Windows Mobile 5.0 and qmpce_2-6-6.exe for the older Windows CE. The 2-6-6 component of the name identifies the release.
The install file should be executed on a Windows PC to which the PDA is connected via ActiveSync. QM must be installed under the Program Files directory which is the default offered by the installer. If this is an upgrade, you will be asked whether to overwrite or remove existing files. Choose the overwrite option. After the installer has copied the new version to the PDA, complete installation by clicking on the Launch button. This will display a modified version of the licence screen shown below.
The Personal Version of QM is not available on a PDA.
Licence Authorisation
QM will request licence authorisation data entry as part of the installation process described above. A new licence can also be applied at any time by use of the UPDATE.LICENCE command in the QMSYS account or from the command prompt by executing QM with the -L option (case insensitive).
You need to enter the details in the boxes surrounded by square brackets as given on your licence paperwork.
The system id is used to tie a licence to a specific machine. The normal licensing procedure starts with a short term licence that will install on any system. During the life of this licence, you should supply the system id to your dealer who will then send you the final permanent licence.
If you subsequently move the QM software to a new system, you will need to arrange with your dealer to receive a new licence. There will normally be no charge for this so long as you undertake to remove the old installation.
When installing a new release of QM over an existing version, the previous licence details are displayed as the defaults. To preserve these either press the return key in each field in turn or use ctrl-X to exit from the screen.
When updating the licence on a system that uses data encryption, the install process will ask for entry of the master key if the licence number or system id code has changed.
Setting Configuration Parameters
After a new installation, you may need to set the value of some configuration parameters. In particular, the values of NUMFILES (the maximum number of files that can be open at one time) and NUMLOCKS (the maximum number of concurrent record locks) need to be appropriate to your use of the system.
Compatibility with Other Environments
The various multivalue database products implement some features differently. This results in syntactic or semantic differences in some commands or programming statements. If you are migrating an application to QM from another multivalue product, there are facilities to give closer compatibility without needing to make extensive modifications to the application.
The OPTION command can be used to enable features that are mostly concerned with the command environment. This command is typically embedded in the LOGIN paragraph that runs automatically when a user enters the system.
The QMBasic $MODE directive enables features that affect programming language syntax or semantics. Although developers could put this directive into every program, it is usually simpler to create a record named $BASIC.OPTIONS in the program file to apply mode settings (and other features) to every program in that file. Alternatively, this record can be put in the VOC file from where it will affect all programs in files that do not have their own $BASIC.OPTIONS record. For more details of this record, see the BASIC command.
It is recommended that after migration to QM, developers should spend some time reading the documentation to discover features of QM that were not in the previous environment so that they can take advantage of these.
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