Configuring WebReports with DSA servers

Reporting
1

(imported topic written by pcaprio91)

We are testing the functionality of BES DSA servers.

So far we have the 2 BES servers and the DB’s communicating with each other (in different locations/subnets).

On our Master BES server, we created a Computer Group which replicated up to the secondary BES server.

We have BES Web Reporting functioning on each server, and I can see the Overview reports the 4 systems in our test environment.

On the Master server, I can go into the Console and launch Web Reports.

I created a filter for our only (test) computer group.

My question is, when the DB replication takes place (1 hour), will i see this custom filter in the Web Reporting on the Secondary server? If not, how do I get the Web Reporting on the Secondary server to match up with the Web Reporting on the Master Server?

Is there a set of procedures to configure Web Reports on both servers, so they match identical?

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(imported comment written by BenKus)

I believe that the web reports databases (besreporting) is not replicated in DSA (I will double check this)… This means that your computers, Fixlets, baselines, and all data in the console should be replicated, but the web reports users, filters, and stored reports won’t be replicated.

Note that you can point the different web reports to the same besreporting database if you would like…

Ben

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(imported comment written by pcaprio91)

Hello Ben,

Thanks for the reply.

Do you have any documentation or steps on how I can point the different web reports to the same besreporting database ?

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(imported comment written by BenKus)

Hey pcaprio,

You can modify your ODBC setting to point to whichever database you want for each web reports instance… Here is some info:

http://support.bigfix.com/cgi-bin/kbdirect.pl?id=567

Ben

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(imported comment written by sthull)

Note: Changes made in one Web Reports server will not automatically be detected by the other Web Reports server even if they are pointing to the same BESReporting database. You will need to restart the Web Reports services periodically (e.g. once a day) to pick up any new users, filters, reports, etc created on the other WR server.

Regards,

Steve

6

(imported comment written by pcaprio91)

Just for clarification, on if I set this up correctly.

on our secondary (Backup BES server), I went into ODBC Data Source Administrator -> System DSN and created a new System Data Source called BESReportingServer.

under “Which SQL Server do you want to connect to?” to the main DSA (Master) server.

under “How should SQL Server verify the authenticity of the loginID?”, I set to

“With SQL Server authentication…” and checked

“Connect to SQL Server…” and entered in the username and password to the BES Server DB.

Selected “Change the default database to” and selected the name of the Main server DB for BES Reporting.

Performed the connection test, which was successful.

Opened up the BES console on the secondary server and launched Web Reports.

Selected Database

currently have listed the name of the secondary BES server.

and Local Database DSN is set to LocalBESReportingServer.

I selected Add New Database and set to the DNS name for the Master BES server.

Selected Edit and for “Use a system DSN” I set the DSN name to the DSN “BESReportingServer” which I created on this secondary server.

Entered in the username and password to the main DB.

For the URL, I set to the master server URL.

Applied changes.

I was able to successfully validate this new DB.

But I do notice under the Database section in Web Reports on our secondary server, the “Local Database settings” is set to LocalBESReportingServer.

Should this be set to BESReportingServer (which is our master BES server?

If yes, how to I change this?

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(imported comment written by sthull)

Hi pcaprio,

You don’t need to create a new ODBC DSN. Web Reports is hard-coded to use the LocalBESReportingServer DSN. So you just need to update that DSN to use the BESReporting database on the main SQL Server instead of the local SQL Server. We recommend using NT authentication, which is the default setup, so if you need to change the user that is running the Web Reports service to one that has access to the master SQL Server, be sure to give that user permissions to the registry keys specified in the following kb article:

http://support.bigfix.com/cgi-bin/kbdirect.pl?id=462

Regards,

Steve