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Cross-Platform Edition

Version 23.4.8843

Cross-Platform Edition

The Cross-Platform Edition of CData Sync includes an embedded Eclipse Jetty web server so that you can run Sync without any external server configuration. In addition, the installation includes a WAR file that can be deployed to any Java servlet container like Apache Tomcat, Eclipse Jetty, or IBM WebSphere.

The embedded Jetty server requires that JDK 11 or later is installed on the machine. Deploying to an external Java servlet container requires Servlet 3.0 (Jetty 8+, Tomcat 7+, WebSphere 8+, and so on).

Windows

In Windows, CData Sync is installed as a service by default. To access the application, you must first ensure that the service is running. Once the service is running, you can access the CData Sync admin console by opening a web browser and entering http://localhost:8181/ in the URL field.

You can also run the application without the service through a java command. CData recommends using the service, but this method can be useful for certain configurations.

Starting and Stopping the Service

You can start and stop the service in either of the following ways:

Start Menu Shortcuts

The CData Sync installer creates start menu shortcuts that allow you to easily use the application. To access these shortcuts, open the Start menu and expand the CData Sync 2023 folder. These shortcuts are available:

  • Start CData Sync: Starts the CData Sync service. By default, this service runs when Windows starts. So, you do not need to run this command every time you run the application.

  • Stop CData Sync: Stops the CData Sync service. This action is necessary when you upgrade Sync.

  • Launch CData Sync Admin Console: Opens a web browser window in your default web browser to the admin console URL, http://localhost:8181/. If the service is not running, the web browser returns an error.

Services Management Console

To open the Services Management Console, open the start menu and type services. Select the Services application that appears.

Scroll down to the service called CData Sync. If that service is running, the Status column says Running. You can right-click the service to access options to start (Start), stop (Stop), and restart (Restart) it.

Command Prompt

Advanced users can use Windows command prompt to issue commands manually to the service. Open a command prompt and change the directory to the installation folder (by default, C:\Program Files\CData\CData Sync).

Note: You can also use a Microsoft PowerShell window to issue these commands, but the syntax is slightly different. Modify the commands accordingly if you use PowerShell.

To start the CData Sync service, issue this command:

sync.exe -start

You can restart or stop the service with these commands:

sync.exe --restart --ServiceName "CData Sync"
sync.exe --stop --ServiceName "CData Sync"

Launching Without the Service

To run CData Sync without starting the service, open a command prompt in the installation folder. Issue the following command to start the application:

java -jar sync.jar

Linux

After you install CData Sync to a location of your choice, you can run CData Sync as a service or run the application manually. CData recommends using a service if you use Sync for critical applications.

Running Sync as a Service

Running CData Sync as a service enables the application to run independently from any user process and to restart automatically upon rebooting. This method is preferred for critical applications.

CData recommends creating a daemon to manage the CData Sync application on Linux. A script that is included in the installation package can do this automatically. You can also create the daemon manually if necessary.

The safest way to configure the CData Sync daemon is to run the script that is included in the installation package, provided that the system uses the systemd daemon manager:

bash ./service

This script creates a daemon called cdata-sync.service. You can then use systemctl to manage the daemon:

systemctl enable cdata-sync
systemctl start cdata-sync

Running the Standalone Application

To start CData Sync without creating a service, use the terminal to open the >sync.jar file in the installation directory with a configuration file argument, as shown here:

java -jar sync.jar

Configuring the Embedded Jetty Server

CData Sync comes pre-configured to work immediately in any environment. However, you can customize the way you access the data that is exposed in Sync by generating the sync.properties file in the Sync installation directory (for Windows, this is C:\Program Files\CData\CData Sync by default).

Generating the sync.properties File

Before you can make any customizations to the embedded Jetty server, you must create the sync.properties file. To do so, submit the following command in the installation directory (InstallationDirectory) where the sync.jar file is located:

java -jar sync.jar -GenerateProperties

Note: Once you generate the sync.properties file, any upgrades you make Sync do not overwrite it.

The sync.properties file contains parameters that you can modify to change the port or to enable TLS/SSL, as explained in the following sections.

Changing the Port

To configure the port on which the embedded server listens:

  1. Locate the sync.properties file in InstallationDirectory and open it in a text editor.

  2. Locate the following line where the port is set:

    cdata.http.port=8181

  3. Change this value to the port number that you want.

Enabling SSL/TLS

To enable SSL/TLS connections (HTTPS), you also need to modify the sync.properties file in InstallationDirectory, as follows:

  1. Set the cdata.tls.keyStoreType setting to the type of keystore that will be used. Valid values include jks, pkcs12, and jceks.

  2. Set the cdata.tls.keyStorePath setting to the path of the keystore that will be used. Note that ${cdata.home} might be used to refer to InstallationDirectory.

  3. Set the cdata.tls.keyStorePassword setting to the password for the keystore.

  4. Set the cdata.tls.port setting to the port that should be used to host the server.

  5. (Optional) Set the cdata.http.port setting to an empty string to disable plaintext connections.

The final result should look like this:

;; HTTP
cdata.http.port=

;; TLS
cdata.tls.port=8443
cdata.tls.keyStoreType=PKCS12
cdata.tls.keyStorePath=${cdata.home}/mycertificate.pfx
cdata.tls.keyStorePassword=mypassword

Note: If you obtain an external private key for configuration in Sync, be sure to change the owner of the certificate to the service account that is used to host Sync (cdatasync:cdatasync).

Configuration in Tomcat

Deploy the WAR File

You have two options for deploying a WAR file to Tomcat.

  • Copy the WAR file into the webapps folder.

  • Deploy the WAR file from within the management console in Tomcat. The Apache Tomcat documentation covers this method in more detail. See the documentation for your version of Tomcat.

It is possible that the WAR file might exceed the default maximum size that is allowed for file uploads in Tomcat. To overcome errors during deployment, you can edit the web.xml file of the manager application to allow larger files. Depending on your Tomcat configuration, this file might reside in /usr/share/tomcat7-admin/manager/WEB-INF or in another similar directory. In this file, you can change the size, in bytes, of the maximum allowed file size. For example, to allow deployment of a 200-MB WAR file, edit the following values to change the maximum allowed file size:

<multipart-config>
     <!-- 200-MB max -->
  <max-file-size>209715200</max-file-size>
  <max-request-size>209715200</max-request-size>
  <file-size-threshold>0</file-size-threshold>
</multipart-config>

Configure the Java Authentication and Service (JAAS)

To enable Sync to manage users dynamically within the application, you must configure the JAAS as described in the following subsections.

Create the Login Module

Create a JAAS configuration file with the name jaas.config in this folder: $CATALINA_BASE/conf/.

Include the following content in jaas.config to use standard authentication:

Sync {
  sync.LoginModule required;
};

If you want to use LDAP or Windows Active Directory to authenticate users, add this content instead:

Sync {
  com.sun.security.auth.module.LdapLoginModule REQUIRED
    userProvider="ldaps://ab1cdef234.wfsaas.net:636/CN=Users,DC=example,DC=com"
    authIdentity="{USERNAME}@example.com"
    userFilter="(&(|(samAccountName={USERNAME})(userPrincipalName={USERNAME})(cn={USERNAME}))(objectClass=user))"
    useSSL=false;
  sync.LoginModule optional;
};

In this example, you should modify the values for the userProvider, authIdentity, and userFilter attributes to suit your environment.

Create (or Modify) the JAASRealm Module

Create a context for Sync by creating (or modifying, if it is present) the configuration XML file that is located here:

$CATALINA_BASE/conf/Catalina/localhost/sync.xml

Note: Depending on how Tomcat is configured, this path might be slightly different. In this example, Catalina refers to the engine name, and localhost is the host name that is defined in server.xml.

Define a <Context> block and add a <Realm> element as shown below:

<Context>
  <Realm className="org.apache.catalina.realm.JAASRealm" appName="Sync"
    userClassNames="sync.SimplePrincipal"
    roleClassNames="sync.GroupPrincipal" />
</Context>

Then, update the <Host> element in the server.xml configuration file for the Tomcat server by setting the copyXML attribute to true, as shown below:

<Host name="localhost" appBase="webapps" unpackWARS="true" autoDeploy="true" copyXML="true">
  ...
</Host>

Make the Login Module Visible

The Java virtual machine (JVM) must be directed to the login module (jaas.config) for the configuration to be visible. Set the java.security.auth.login.config system property on the JVM to the path of the jaas.config file. To do so, append the following line to the $CATALINA_BASE/conf/catalina.properties file:

java.security.auth.login.config=${catalina.base}/conf/jaas.config

Configure Data Directory Permissions

Give the user of the process that runs the Java servlet container Read/Write access to the data directory in the appropriate location, as follows:

  • Windows: C:\ProgramData\CData\Sync\

  • Linux: ~/cdata/sync

Restart the Tomcat server for the changes to take effect. You can now log in to the application.

Configuration in WebSphere

Configure the WebSphere Class Loader

For WebSphere to load the application resources correctly, you must follow these steps:

  1. Within WebSphere, navigate to Application > Application Types > WebSphere enterprise applications.

  2. Select Sync.

  3. Select Class loading and update detection.

  4. Choose Classes loaded with local class loader first (parent last).

  5. Choose Single class loader for application.

  6. Click OK. Then click Save.

Configure the Java Authentication and Service (JAAS)

The following process is required to configure the JAAS and to enable Sync to manage users dynamically in the WebSphere Application Server:

  1. Deploy Sync:

    1. Enable application security (navigate to Security > Global security > Enable application security).

    2. Add the custom login module to the system login, as follows:

      1. Navigate to Security > Global security > Java Authentication and Authorization Service > System logins > WEB_INBOUND. Click New to add a new entry named sync.LoginModule. Note that the sync.LoginModule must appear before com.ibm.ws.security.server.lm.ltpaLoginModule.

      2. Select the Use login module proxy check box.

      3. Select OPTIONAL under Authentication strategy.

      4. Add isWebSphere under Custom properties and set it to true.

  2. Create groups:

    1. Navigate to Users and Groups > Manage Groups > Create.

    2. Create cdata_admin, cdata_standard, and cdata_support groups.

  3. Map groups to roles:

    1. Navigate to Applications > Application Types > WebSphere enterprise applications > sync_war > Security role to user/group mapping.

    2. Map the cdata_admin group to the cdata_admin role.

    3. Map the cdata_standard group to the cdata_standard role.

    4. Map the cdata_support group to the cdata_support role.

    5. Map All Authenticated in Application’s Realm to the cdata_user role.

  4. Set the com.ibm.ws.webcontainer.AllowQueryParamWithNoEqual property to true:

    1. Navigate to Server > Server Types > Web Sphere Application Servers and select the server on which Sync is hosted.

    2. Select Container Settings > Web Container Settings > Web Container.

    3. Select Additional Properties > Custom Properties.

    4. Add this new property: com.ibm.ws.webcontainer.AllowQueryParamWithNoEqual

    5. Set the value to true.

  5. Restart WebSphere.

Configure Data Directory Permissions

Give the user of the process that runs the Java servlet container Read/Write access to the data directory:

  • Windows: C:\ProgramData\CData\Sync\

  • Linux: ~/cdata/sync

Restart the WebSphere server for the changes to take effect. You can now log into the application.

Configuration in Jetty

Although Sync comes with an embedded Jetty web server, you can also use the application with an external Jetty setup.

Deploy the WAR File

Copy the WAR file into Jetty’s webapps folder.

Configure the Java Authentication and Service (JAAS)

To configure the JAAS and to enable Sync to manage application users, you must perform the steps that are described in the following subsections.

Add the JAAS Module

Submit the following command to install the JAAS module:

java -jar {JETTY_HOME}/start.jar --add-to-start=jaas

Create the Login Module

Create a login configuration file with the name login.config in this folder: {JETTY_BASE}/etc/login.conf

Place the following content in the login.config file:

Sync {
    sync.LoginModule required debug=true;
};

Update the Security Handler

The Security Handler configuration is in the sync.xml configuration file. Modify the securityHandler block as follows:

<Set name="securityHandler">
  <New class="org.eclipse.jetty.security.ConstraintSecurityHandler">
   <Set name="loginService">
     <New class="org.eclipse.jetty.jaas.JAASLoginService">
          <!-- This name is the same as **login-config > realm-name** in web.xml.  -->
       <Set name="name">SyncRealm</Set>
          <!-- LoginModuleName must match the name of your LoginModule, as declared in your login-module configuration file. -->
       <Set name="loginModuleName">Sync</Set>
       <!-- Set the principal class name for the custom role. -->
       <Set name="roleClassNames">
           <Array type="java.lang.String">
             <Item>sync.GroupPrincipal</Item>
           </Array>
         </Set>
     </New>
   </Set>
  </New>
</Set>

Configure Data Directory Permissions

Give the user of the process that runs the Java servlet container Read/Write access to the data directory:

  • Windows: C:\ProgramData\CData\Sync\

  • Linux: ~/cdata/sync

Restart the Jetty server for the changes to take effect. You can now log into the application.

User Management

Upon initial startup, Sync prompts you for the creation of a user with username and password credentials. After the first user is created, you can add, delete, and manage users on the Users tab of the Settings page in the application.

When you deploy Sync to an external Java servlet (that is, when you are not using the embedded server that is included with the application), JAAS configuration is required in order to allow Sync to manage users. The previous sections detail the process of JAAS configuration for each specific external servlet.

Find and Configure the Application Directory

The Sync ApplicationDirectory folder contains all the data that is used by the application: configuration data, application data, logging data, certificates, and so on. The default location of ApplicationDirectory depends on whether Sync is hosted via the embedded web server or via an external Java servlet container.

For the embedded web server, ApplicationDirectory is the same as InstallationDirectory. By default, that location is the following:

/opt/sync

When Sync is hosted in an external Java servlet container, ApplicationDirectory is relative to the home directory of the user who is running the server:

~/sync

In this path, ‘~’ resolves to the home directory of the user who is running the server that hosts the application.

You can configure the ApplicationDirectory folder, which is useful in a variety of scenarios:

  • clustering multiple instances of Sync

  • using a shared network drive for application data

  • embedding Sync within other systems that access the same folders

Changing ApplicationDirectory moves the application’s data files. However, it does not move other application resources like EXE files, JAR files, and so on. These resources are held in the InstallationDirectory folder, which might be the same as ApplicationDirectory, but the location of those resources does not change if ApplicationDirectory is changed.

Embedded Java Server

When you use the Cross-Platform Edition with the embedded Jetty server, the ApplicationDirectory is configured in the sync.properties file that is found in InstallationDirectory. Within this server configuration file, you must set the cdata.app.directory setting to the path of the desired directory. The following example demonstrates what this might look like when you set the data directory to a shared folder on a mounted drive:

cdata.app.directory=/mnt/shared/sync

If Sync can locate the cdata.app.directory path and it has the appropriate permissions to read and write at that path, it creates the data folder within the specified directory.

External Java Server

When you use the Cross-Platform Edition with an external Java servlet (any server other than the Jetty server that is included with the application), the details of configuring the application data directory depend upon the specific servlet that is used. Using the syntax that is appropriate for the specific servlet, the AppDirectory environment variable must be set to the path of the directory that you want.

If Sync can locate the AppDirectory path and it has the appropriate permissions to read and write at that path, it creates the data folder within the specified directory.

Configure the Application Database

The Sync application database stores several tables of application data, including the following:

  • Jobs

  • Tasks

  • Connections

  • History (both Jobs and Tasks)

  • Application Log (application-level errors and events)

  • Audit Log (user-made changes to the Sync configuration)

By default, Sync uses a Derby database that resides in ApplicationDirectory as the application database. However, you can configure the application to use an enterprise database like SQL Server, PostgreSQL, or MySQL.

Embedded Java Server

When you use the Cross-Platform Edition with the embedded Jetty server, the application database is configured in the sync.properties file that resides in InstallationDirectory. Within this server configuration file, you must set the cdata.app.db setting to a Java Database Connectivity (JDBC) connection string that contains the appropriate connection parameters for the database that you want. The following examples illustrate this setting for the MySQl, PostgreSQL, and SQl databases:

MySQL

cdata.app.db=jdbc:cdata:mysql:server=localhost;port=3306;database=mysql;user=MyUserName;password=MyPassword

PostgreSQL

cdata.app.db=jdbc:cdata:postgresql:server=localhost;port=5432;database=postgresql;user=MyUserName;password=MyPassword

SQL Server

cdata.app.db=jdbc:cdata:sql:server=localhost;database=sqlserver;user=MyUserName;password=MyPassword

If Sync can establish a connection successfully with the cdata.app.db connection string, it uses that database as the application database.

External Java Server

When you use the Cross-Platform Edition with an external Java servlet (any server other than the Jetty server that is included with the application), the details for configuring the application database depend upon the specific servlet that is used. Using the syntax that is appropriate for the specific servlet, choose either of the following approaches to use when you configure the server:

  • Define a JNDI data source to include the connection properties for the target database.

  • Set the APP_DB environment variable to a JDBC connection string.

If Sync can use the JDNI data source or the APP_DB connection string to sync to a database, it uses that database as the application database.

Login Lockouts

Sync automatically locks out users who enter incorrect passwords too many times in order to prevent brute-force attacks. By default, a user who enters six incorrect passwords within five minutes is locked out for thirty minutes.

You can modify the lockout settings by editing the XML configuration file that governs the web-server behavior. These three settings are relevant to lockouts:

  • LockoutFailedAttempts - the number of incorrect passwords that trigger a lockout. Set LockoutFailedAttempts to 0 to disable lockouts.

  • LockoutMinutes - the duration of the lockout. The default duration is thirty minutes.

  • LockoutTimeCheckPeriod - the period after which the number of failed attempts is reset to 0. The default period is five minutes.

Embedded Jetty Server

You can modify lockout settings in the sync.properties file by adding a comma-separated list of name:value pairs to initParameters, as shown below:

cdata.initParameters=LockoutFailedAttempts:0

Tomcat

The syntax for editing the lockout settings the Tomcat sync.xml file is the following:

<Context>
  <Parameter name="LockoutFailedAttempts" value="0" />
</Context>

Common Issues and Solutions

This section lists common issues that you can encounter when you deploy Sync in a Java environment. The recommended solution for each issue is included. For additional help, contact CData Technical Support at [email protected].

Issue

Sync fails to start, or it starts by using an AppDirectory other than what is expected

This error might indicate that Sync does not have the permissions that are required to access ApplicationDirectory.(ApplicationDirectory is a folder that stores critical information regarding the configuration of jobs, connections, transformations, and so on.) One possible cause for this error is running Sync as a local user before you set it up as a service. In this case, it is possible that certain resources created by the application were created under the local user. As a result, those resources are not available when you run Sync as a service.

In a Linux operating environment, the easiest way to ensure that the service account (or any other account that you want to use to run Sync) can access ApplicationDirectory is to use the chown command. For example, if ApplicationDirectory is in the default Linux location and Sync should run under the service account, the following command should resolve the error:

sudo chown -R cdatasync:cdatasync /opt/sync