Documentation:User:Installation
From SIDE-Labs.org
Contents |
Introduction
This book assumes that you have a good knowledge of the Linux or Windows operating system on which you are installing the product
The steps relative to the integration with a targeted framework are performed using Alfresco, the leading open source ECM. For this part, this book assumes that you have a good knowledge or an access to the documentation of this web framework.
About This Manual
This book, the Installation guide, is intended to help you:
- Install the SIDE components.
- Configure the SIDE components.
- Install and Configure a targeted web framework.
- Learn the major steps of integration on this framework.
This manual is divided in 2 main chapters:
- The 'SIDE Components Structure' chapter describes the software architecture of SIDE for the modeling of application and for the deployment of application.
- The 'SIDE Installation Procedure' chapter describes the installation steps of SIDE.
SIDE Product Architecture
SIDE is a MDA development environment which allows generating models on other models or on web frameworks.
It is mainly based on Eclipse to access:
- the modelers : graphical environment to build models,
- the generators : MDA transformation Eclipse plug-in to produce the targeted framework components,
- the deployers : Eclipse plug-in to package and to deploy the targeted framework components in installed web framework instances.
The users interacts with:
- the various modelers through the modeler windows,
Figure 2.1. Example of modeler: the data modeler
- the generators and the deployers through a specific window under Eclipse which is a guided modeler of an application model.
So, the process of installation and configuration of the main parts of SIDE are mainly through Eclipse mechanisms.
SIDE also comes with some server modules known as SIDE Advanced components which are useful to extend the capabilities of the targeted frameworks.
For instance, SIDE provides a facet navigation library for Alfresco and a module to publish the Alfresco schema through a relational schema which may then be requested using SQL.
These server modules are provided at generation with the generated artifacts and are deployed on the targeted installed frameworks by the deployers.
The following figure gives an overview of the product's architecture:
Figure 2.2. SIDE Development and component server architecture
The generated components and the Advanced components are deployed on the targeted framework instances by the deployers, a deployer being linked to a framework.
The installation procedure described hereafter describes the installation of the SIDE Design environment.
As we also dealt with the development of the deployers and with the deployment of complex architecture, especially on Alfresco, Liferay and Chiba on several customer projects, we developed a fair amount of expertise in these domains. Feel free to contact us or to use our wiki and forum to get assistance on the deployment.
On this figure, distinction is made between the Design environment where SIDE components have been installed and the Deployment environment where SIDE does not seem to appear except for the Advanced Components.
SIDE Installation Procedure
The SIDE Installation process implies the successive installation of various components in the Eclipse environment. These steps are described successively in the following chapters:
- The first chapter describes the installation of the Eclipse environment.
- The second chapter describes the installation of SIDE and of the components the SIDE plug-ins are dependent on.
- The last chapter gives a check-list to perform after installation.
Eclipse Environment & Java Installation
In order to benefit of a packaging of the modeling tools requires by SIDE, the Galileo package of Eclipse with the Acceleo and Topcased tools will be used.
Note: you don't have to install them, everything is packaged in the RCP SIDE-Labs .exe.
Step 1: Download and install JDK 1.6
You need the JDK 1.6 or JRE 1.6 on your machine to be able to run Eclipse.
For all Platforms
Download the Java Development Kit from:
Then execute the following steps:
- Save the setup file jdk .exe on your system
- Run the file
- Follow the instructions.
Step 2: Configure JDK 1.6
You must now set up the system environment variables to JRE 1.6 so that Java programs know where to find standard system files they would need.
On Windows Platform
- Open the system properties dialog using Windows key + Pause or choose System in the Control Panel.
- Click on the environment variables button. In the system variables section, look for JAVA_HOME and JRE_HOME.
- If not present, you need to add them, according the paths you chose to install each of the JDK and JRE:
- Set JAVA_HOME to C:\Program Files\Java\jdk1.6.0_07
- Set JRE_HOME to C:\Program Files\Java\jre1.6.0_07
Figure 3.1. Java environment variables
On *n*x Platform
- Export the variable in the login script of the shell you use like the following: export JAVA_HOME=the directory where java is installed
Note: jdk 1.6.0.07 have been tested successfully with SIDE.
SIDE RCP Installation
SIDE-Labs is available as an RCP. Download the one corresponding to your platform:
The configuration steps of SIDE are similar under Linux and Windows.
Next, unzip the archivage and open the SIDE-Labs folder. Double click on the side.exe file.
On initialization of SIDE-Labs, you will be asked to select an Eclipse workspace folder. This folder is the reference folder where Eclipse will store your upcoming projects. By default, the workspace is created in your system user space.
SIDE Release Installation
Installing steps in this section takes place inside Eclipse. So, start Eclipse if not already done.
Plug-ins in Eclipse may be installed through Update-site declaration. This mechanism is used to install the SIDE plug-ins:
- Go to Help > Install New Software...
- Click on the "Add Site" button on the right side of the window
Figure 3.6. Add site windows
Enter the following information:
- Name: SIDE
- Validate by clicking on OK
- Check all the components which are listed.
- Click on Finish.
Restart Eclipse when asked.
SIDE Forms & Facetmaps
Xforms provides the SIDE Generator and Deployer with functionality for creation of forms on targeted frameworks like Chiba.
Facetmap provides the SIDE Generator and Deployer with functionality for creation of researches by facets on targeted frameworks like Alfresco Share.
The two .war files can be downloaded on this location: http://www.side-labs.org/SIDE-Labs/2.0/ext/
For the facetmap functionality you need to instanciate this URL http://localhost:8080/facetmap/browseSimple-updateAll.jsp?userName=admin&userpwd=admin
Checklist
Go to Window -> Preferences.
Check that the entry SIDE is present, with the following subentries:
- Feedback
- Term of Use > Check the Term of Use
Go to Help > Install New Software and click at the bottom on the right on 'already installed'. You should have lots of SIDE entries, stored under BlueXML provider name.
SIDE Installation Test
To continue the check list, we will now open the SIDE modelers to test them:
- In Eclipse, go to Window -> Open Perspective -> Other.
- Check that 'S-IDE Modeling (default)' is present.
Select File -> New -> Project
Select "S-IDE project" under "S-IDE" category.
Give a name to your project, for instance: myProject.
Your project has been created in your workspace.
- Select File -> New -> Other
- Browse in the list to find "S-IDE Modeler"
- Select Class Diagram, Enter the name of your model, for instance mediaLibrary, select the type of diagram 'Class Diagram' and click 'Finish'.
Two files are created under your project in your Data folder:
- 'mediaLibrary.dt' is the data model containing all the designed data structure.
- 'mediaLibrary.dtdi' is synchronized with the data model and contains the designed data structure complemented with the graphical information necessary to position the data elements in the SIDE Data modeler.
The 'mediaLibrary.dtdi' model is automatically opened in the SIDE Data modeler.
SIDE Feedback
In order to improve SIDE, you may participate to the feedback campaign: this campaign is absolutely anonymous and raises on the BlueXML web site various information on the way SIDE is used; this information is used by our product management team to make SIDE capabilities more accurate and more friendly.
If you want to help us improve SIDE:
- Click on Feedback
- Click on 'Change Upload Period Preferences'
- Click on Upload Always or other options more convenient to you.
- Check 'I accept Term of Use'
- Click on OK
Change the Upload period to the value you think the most convenient to your way of using SIDE, particularly in term of frequency.
And many thanks for your help.
