CMS - Server access rights - overview

Server access rights - overview

This page explains (using a step-by-step approach) what happens with regard to server access rights when you launch the CAST Management Studio for the first time and select a Connection Profile.

Step 1 - Launching the CAST Management Studio - connecting to a Management database/schema

When you launch the CAST Management Studio (see Launching the CAST Management Studio), you will first need to establish a connection with the commercial RDBMS or CAST Storage Service (i.e. "server") that is hosting your Management Service (this database/schema records information that is required for the CAST Management Studio to function).

To establish a connection to the "server" that is hosting your Management Service you need to use a Connection Profile, which records the login credentials for subsequent re-use. During the installation process, CAST Server Manager will automatically create a Connection Profile to the Management Service (<prefix>_MNGT) you have installed - regardless of whether you have used a Combined Install option (Analysis / Dashboard /Measurement Services, plus the Management Service) or the CAST-MS only option (Management Service only). This Connection Profile is stored in a proprietary XML file on your hard drive (assuming the workstation used to run the CAST Management Studio is the same used during the installation process). If this is the first time you have launched the CAST Management Studio since installing the Management database/schema, then you will be prompted to check that the Connection Profile is correct as outlined in Launching the CAST Management Studio.

The automatically created Connection Profile to the Management Service will always contain the same login credentials that were used when installing the Management Service using CAST Server Manager. For example - note the user name circled in red the images below:

CAST Server Manager Connection Profile used to install Management Service on Oracle server

CAST Management Studio Connection Profile to Management Service on Oracle server

Step 2 - Servers added automatically to the Services view

During the process of connecting to the Management Service when launching the CAST Management Studio, the "server" listed in the Connection Profile automatically created by CAST Server Manager for the Management Service, will be added by default to the Services view. The same login credentials will be used. For example - note the user name circled in red the images below:

CAST Management Studio Connection Profile to Management Server on Oracle server

CAST Management Studio Connection Profile to Oracle Database Server in Services view

Step 3 - Discover action

As part of the connection process, the CAST Management Studio will carry out a Discover action (see Discover) to determine if there are any Analysis/ Dashboard / Measurement Services installed on the "server" that has been automatically added to the Services view. This Discover action will use the same login credentials defined for the parent "server" added to the Services view by default:

You can view and edit the login credentials for each server via the Database server editor.

Consequences for Analysis/Dashboard/Measurement Services

The above information explains what will happen by default when you launch the CAST Management Studio and connect to a Management Service using the automatically created Connection Profile. In addition it shows how "server" login credentials are re-used in various aspects of the CAST Management Studio.

As such, you should be aware of the consequences of this process:

The login credentials used in CAST Server Manager to install the Management Service will be used in the auto-created Connection Profile for the CAST Management Studio.
The login credentials defined for the "server" in the Services view will be used when the CAST Management Studio interacts with the Analysis / Dashboard / Measurement Services on that server, i.e. for recording information during an analysis or a snapshot generation.

Complete flexibility

Although the above describes what will happen by default when you launch the CAST Management Studio and connect to a Management Service using the automatically created Connection Profile and you do not make any further changes with regard to login credentials, the CAST Management Studio is completely flexible and you can make changes to login credentials as and when you want if you are using a commercial RDBMS to host the CAST databases (if you are using the CAST Storage Service, this is not necessary).

For example:

You can change the login credentials used in the automatically created Connection Profile to connect to a Management Service. Indeed you can create a new Connection Profile should you wish.
You can use different login credentials for the "server(s)" listed in the Services view - simply double click the server in the view and edit the relevant fields using the editor - see Database server editor.
You can use different login credentials for an individual Analysis/Dashboard/Measurement Service listed in the Services view thus overriding the login credentials used for the parent "server" (i.e. you want to use a specific user when interacting with the Analysis/Dashboard/Measurement Service) - simply double click the service in the view, tick the Credentials check box and edit the relevant fields using the editor - see Analysis Service editor and Dashboard Service editor:

You can find out more about the rights required for server access in Server access - required rights.