meta data for this page

Architecture

Integration of VIGILENS in the company architecture

User station

VIGILENS applications can be installed directly on a single workstation. They are 32 bits Windows applications allowing the creation, the execution of requests, and their restitution under different formats.

VIGILENS is developed in C++ language in compliance with Microsoft rules and tools (MFC), thus ensuring compatibility with Windows environments.

They use ODBC to access databases.

It is also recommended to create an account dedicated to VIGILENS to access the databases, allowing a better identification at the base level of the actions carried out through the software.

User-specific queries (unpublished and associated with a given Vigilens account) are stored in a directory defined in the VIGILENS administration application (named AdminTool). We recommend a regular backup of these user directories.

Before version 6 of the software, this user station must have a machine license file in the same directory as the VIGILENS executable to be operational.

If the query designer did not specify an existing target file, each file type rendition leads to the creation of a new file in the user directory corresponding to the query. This can lead to a significant increase in the volume of data in this directory. It can be useful to regularly purge the output files (text, Excel, and PDF files).

For the restitution in email format, the workstation must be able to access the SMTP sending server which will have been set up in the VIGILENS administration application (named AdminTool).

Shared directory

This directory contains all the data required by users:

  • definition of Vigilens user accounts (users, groups, security)
  • database access settings
  • JD Edwards base specific settings
  • published queries (shared queries and made available to all users)
  • shared definitions (functions, joins, currency decimal management)
  • …

See installation procedure for details on directory names and setup or working file names.

This shared directory must have a global license file, common to the entire architecture, for the architecture to be operational.

We recommend a regular backup of this shared directory.

If the query designer did not specify an existing target file, each file type rendition leads to the creation of a new file in the directory corresponding to the query (from the “CS” directory of the tree structure).

This can lead to a significant increase in the volume of data in the CS sub-directory. It may be useful to regularly purge the output files (text, Excel, and PDF files).

Application server

The installation of this optional component is recommended.

Vigilens can also be executed, in the creation and execution of requests, from an application access server (Windows TSE, Citrix, …). While being optional, this architecture allows more flexibility compared to multiple single-user installations:

  • consistency of the configuration
  • easy upgrade
  • …

This server (or group of servers) can replace or supplement the user workstations described above.

The characteristics described for the user workstation apply to the server.

The client workstations of this server access the application through it and therefore do not require any Vigilens specific elements.

Web Server

The installation of this optional component is recommended.

Vigilens can also be executed, in request execution-only, from a web server. This is, of course, optional, but allows you to benefit from an optimal user experience, as the execution of requests through Vigilens Web brings more extended functionalities than through its Windows application version.

This server completes the user workstations or application servers described above, which are still necessary for the creation of requests.

This web server must have :

  • An installation of Vigilens whose characteristics are exposed for the user station (including the machine license)
  • A DCOM server
  • The actual web user interface

The DCOM server is also developed in C++. It must be present in the directory of the Vigilens executable.

The Web user interface is developed in :

  • in ASP for versions prior to version 6 of the software (and requires Windows IIS on the server)
  • in PHP from this version 6 (and requires a “WAMP” architecture - Windows, Apache, MySQL, PHP - on the server). This language is completed by the standards of Javascript and XML.

These web pages (user interface) use the DCOM server to access the Vigilens engine. They are stored in a directory chosen at the installation and parameterized at the level of IIS or Apache.

This directory contains an “XML” subdirectory containing temporary files. It is It is possible that some of these files may not be deleted by the system. It may, therefore, be useful to perform regular purges of the oldest files.

The web server requires the use of a Windows account for anonymous authentication. This account must have the rights to run Vigilens (for example access to the shared directory) and runtime access to the DCOM object.

The client workstations of this server access the application through it (web browser, MS Excel Http request, JD Edwards EnterpriseOne menu task, …) and therefore do not require any element specific to VIGILENS.

The browser versions whose compatibility is covered (Vigilens version 7) are Google Chrome 48 and higher, Microsoft Edge, Microsoft Internet Explorer 9 and higher, Mozilla Firefox 4 and higher, Opera 23 and higher.