Easysoft ODBC-ISAM Driver Getting Started Guide

Getting Started Guide

This guide will lead you through the download, installation and licensing of the Easysoft ODBC-ISAM Driver, at the end of which you will be able to access an Easysoft test database using a Windows ODBC application.

The process will take approximately 10-15 minutes, excluding software download time.

On completion of this process you will be ready to prepare your own ISAM files for ODBC access by using the Easysoft Administrator to map your own file definitions.

If you are installing in order to evaluate the Easysoft ODBC-ISAM Driver, the process will allow you to obtain a free trial license for 14 days.

The instructions for the Unix server installation of the Easysoft ODBC-ISAM Driver are quite specific. For installation details on any alternative platforms please refer to the product manual (HTML or PDF).

Assumptions

The Easysoft ODBC-ISAM Driver is to be installed on a Unix server to which you have root access.
The client device is a Windows PC. Unix client devices can be substituted by installing the appropriate Easysoft ODBC-ODBC Bridge client software.
You have unrestricted access from the Unix server to the Internet in order to complete the licensing part of the installation routine. If you are NOT online, you can get a license from Easysoft by telephone or email. Full details can be found in the Easysoft Licensing documentation (HTML or PDF).
This guide uses Microsoft Access as an example ODBC application, but you can substitute any other ODBC compliant program.

If your installation does not comply with any of these requirements please refer to the product manual (HTML or PDF) or contact support@easysoft.com.

Overview

The process is in six steps:

Login.
Download the Easysoft ODBC-ISAM Driver software.
Install the Easysoft ODBC-ISAM Driver server software on your Unix server.
Install the Easysoft ODBC-ISAM Driver client software on your Windows client.
Configure an Easysoft ODBC-ODBC Bridge data source on your Windows client to access the Easysoft sample files on your Unix server.
Retrieve data from the Easysoft sample data source.

Procedure

Step 1. Login

Login. If you have not yet done so, you need to register first. On the registration form, an asterisk (*) indicates that a field is mandatory.

Step 2. Download the Easysoft ODBC-ISAM Driver software

Select Download from the Easysoft ODBC-ISAM Driver section of the website.
The download page allows you to download both client and server versions. Remember you will need both. Select Windows x86 as the Client Platform, ignore Client Application, select your Unix platform as the Server Platform.
Click download for each component you require. You will need one server download (Easysoft ODBC-ISAM Driver) and one client download (the Easysoft ODBC-ODBC Bridge). You do not need the Easysoft Administrator for this exercise, but you may wish to obtain it for later use.
For each download you choose a Save As dialog box will appear. Select the directory where you want to save the program and click Save.

Step 3. Install the Easysoft ODBC-ISAM Driver server software on your Unix server

Login to your Unix system as root and change to the directory where you have saved the distribution.
Uncompress and untar the distribution file using the following commands, substituting the version number and platform from your distribution filename:
```
uncompress eda-isam-version.platform.tar.Z 
tar -xvf eda-isam-version.platform.tar 
```
This will create a new directory called eda-isam-version.platform within your current directory. Change into that directory and type ./install.
Accept all the default settings other than where you are prompted to obtain a free trial licence using the Easysoft Data Access License Manager:
- Select [6] Data Access for ISAM from the licensing options menu and enter your personal details, leaving the Ref field blank.
- Select [1] Automatically by contacting the Easysoft License Daemon when asked how you wish to obtain your license and then [0] Exit to leave the menu.
At the end of the install you will have installed and licensed Easysoft ODBC-ISAM Driver and the Easysoft ODBC-ODBC Bridge server software, installed the unixODBC open source Driver Manager and created an ODBC data source named SAMPLE_ISAM.
An independent check of the SAMPLE_ISAM data source can be done in the following manner:
- Change directory to /usr/local/easysoft/isam/bin.
- To access the SAMPLE_ISAM data files from Unix, type:
```
./demosql
```
- At the > prompt you will be able to enter SQL commands to query your database, such as:
```
select * from LINEITEM;
```
- Getting data back from ./demosql verifies that the Unix-based data source is correctly configured to access the Easysoft sample files.
- Exit ./demosql by pressing Enter twice.

Step 4. Install the Easysoft ODBC-ODBC Bridge client software on your Windows client

Close any Windows applications that you currently have running and double-click the ODBC-ODBC-Bridge-version-windows-x86.exe file.
On the Welcome dialog box click Next.
On the Information dialog box click Next.
On the User Information dialog box enter your name and company and click Next.
On the Choose Destination Location dialog box accept the default and click Next.
On the Installation Options dialog box deselect all options and click Next.
On the Choose Setup Type dialog box select Custom and click Next.
On the Select Components dialog box ensure that Server, Documentation, Examples and Easysoft Licensing are deselected and click Next.
On the Software License Agreement dialog box click Yes to accept the licence terms.
On the Start Copying Files dialog box click Next.
On the Post Install Message dialog box click Next.
On the Setup Complete dialog box click Next, rebooting your machine if prompted to do so.

Step 5. Configure an Easysoft ODBC-ODBC Bridge data source on your Windows client to access the Easysoft sample files on your Unix server

Open the Microsoft Data Source Administrator either by clicking on the Datasources (ODBC) icon in Administrative Tools within the Control Panel (Windows 2000/NT/XP) or by selecting Start > Settings > Control Panel and opening the ODBC icon (Windows 9x).
Select the System DSN tab and click Add....
Select Easysoft ODBC-ODBC Bridge and click Finish.
In the DSN field, enter a name for this data source. Choose carefully because you will not be able to change this after pressing OK.
In the Description field, enter a meaningful data source description.
In the Server box, type the name of the machine on which the Easysoft ODBC-ISAM Driver server software was installed.
In the Transport box, enter TCP/IP.
In the Port box, enter 8888.
In the User box, enter a valid Unix account name.
In the Password box, enter a valid password for that Unix account name.
In TargetDSN, enter SAMPLE_ISAM.
In TargetUser, enter dbo.
In TargetAuth, enter easysoft.
Click Test. The connection result is displayed in a window, concluding with a "Test successful" message.
Click OK in the test box and OK in the DSN dialog box to exit.

Step 6. Retrieve data from the Easysoft sample data source using Microsoft Access

You now have a data source on your Windows machine that connects through the Easysoft ODBC-ODBC Bridge to a second data source on your Unix server.
Start Microsoft Access and create a blank database.
Select File > Get External Data > Link Tables. The Link window shows the existing data sources on your system.
From the Files of type drop-down list, choose ODBC Databases().
In the Select Data Source window click the Machine Data Source tab.
Select your new data source (note that your description of the data source appears beside it) and click OK. The Link Tables window is displayed, showing a list of available data sources.
Click on the LINEITEM table and then click OK.
After a short wait you are returned to the Database window.
Double-click on LINEITEM to open and browse the data.
You have now verified that you can access ISAM files residing on a remote Unix server.

What Next?

You can now use the Easysoft Administrator to map your own file definitions in order to connect to your own data via Easysoft ODBC-ISAM Driver.
If you require ODBC access from Unix client devices you should install and configure the Easysoft ODBC-ODBC Bridge client software for those devices.
If you require JDBC access from local or remote Java devices you should install the Easysoft JDBC-ODBC Bridge on the Unix server.

Further Support

The Easysoft ODBC-ISAM Driver product manual (HTML or PDF) provides detailed instruction of the installation process.
You can refer to our online Knowledge Base.
You can mail questions to support@easysoft.com.
More details of configuring data sources with unixODBC can be found at www.unixodbc.org.