Virtual Appliance Marketplace

Features

Collegiate:
No

One-line Description:
Jasper Reports Appliance

Filename:
jasapp.rar

Size Compressed:
64MB

Allocated Memory:
128MB

Username:
root

Password:
***** root password is not set *****

VMware Tools Installed?:
No

Operating System:
Linux 2.4.18 (Core Linux)

Applications:
JRE from Sun
Jetty Web server / Servlet Container
Jython
Jasper Reports
bftpd
dhcpcd

Description:
1. The jasapp Appliance
The jasapp VMWare appliance provides an easy to use HTTP web service to Jasper Reports, a powerful report building and delivery tool. Reports can be written using tools such as iReport or JasperAssistant; the compiled .jasper files are used by the appliance.
The appliance can be used in several different ways:
- jasapp adds all of the capabilities of Jasper Reports to scripting languages such as php and ruby without the need to install java or write any java code;
- reports can also be requested from static HTML pages, no web server is required outside of the appliance;
- jasapp includes a web server and servlet container that can be customized to serve static HTML pages or servlets written in jython;
- a pure java or python database server could be installed inside the appliance to provide a completely self-contained application.
2. Building jasapp
Linux, dhcp, and the ftp server were installed following the instructions for Core Linux at http://www.tonywhitmore.co.uk/core/index.html. The source files were installed using a second virtual hard drive that was removed from the virtual machine after the software was installed (saving a lot of space in the final appliance).
The java JRE was installed per Sun's instructions for a Linux binary install. Only the redistributable JRE was installed, not a JDK. My reading of Sun's license allows the JRE to be redistributed as part of an application.
The Jetty web server/servlet container and jython were configured using instructions primarily from www.onjava.com/pub/a/onjava/2005/04/27/restweb.html
Jasper Reports were installed from http://jasperreports.sourceforge.net into the Jetty server.
The only custom programming needed was the web service servlet itself, consisting of the two small files (jasapp.py and utils.py), and an error page (reportnotfound.jasper).
To test the appliance a few test pages were written (jasapp.html and jasapp.css) and four test reports (helloworld.jasper, jasapp,jasper, and namesearch.jasper). Additional testing from outside the VM was performed using jasapp.html and getfile.php.
I used iReport http://ireport.sourceforge.net/ to create and compile the .jasper files and MySQL to test them; iReport and MySQL are not included in the appliance.
Note: unfortunately I ran out of time before all of the planned features were implemented. The appliance would be more useful if reports could be scheduled with the web service and later retrieved over FTP. This would require installing cron and writing a bit more jython code.
Also, connecting to a database from jasapp takes longer than it seems like it should, not sure why.
I was unable to install VMWare Tools on Core Linux, the rc0.d-rc6.d directories are not present (this appliance does not use X windows).
3. Detailed instructions to start using the Appliance
The default configuration has DHCP and FTP installed and running. Both of these will normally be turned off after initial setup and testing.
Jasapp does not use a GUI, all administration is done from the command line. A simple line editor called "nano" is provided which is adequate for changing configuration files; for larger changes it's easiest to copy the file out to the host system on a floppy or use FTP to transfer the files in and out.
To start using jasapp, run the virtual machine and login as root (no password); Most users will want to set the root password at this point with the UNIX "passwd" command.
The FTP configuration file is /etc/bftpd.conf, instructions for configuring it can be found at http://www.bftpd.org/ One user account has been created "ftp" password is "password", which can be used to connect to the FTP server on jasapp.
You will need to know jasapp's IP address, enter "ifconfig" on the command line to find it. To set a static IP address, edit the daemon startup file with this command:
nano /etc/rc.d/rc.mu
Find the comments regarding static IP vs DHCP and change as desired. The command to start the FTP server is located in the same file, the line may be commented out to deactivate FTP.
Once you know the IP address, you can test jasapp by directing a browser to the web server on port 8080 of that address (e.g. http://192.168.0.10:8080/jasapp/jasapp.html); the test page contains instructions for preliminary testing.
With jasapp running, a second test page may also be run from the host machine. Unzip the "Appliance" folder from the same archive that contained jasapp. There will be a few files, including one named "jasapp.html", direct a browser to that file and follow the instructions.
If the server doesn't respond or you get errors:
- make sure you are pointing the browser to the correct IP address;
- log in as root and check /var/log/jetty.log and /usr/local/jetty/logs/
- verify the Jetty server is running; the UNIX "ps -A | more" command will show a number of "java" processes when the server is running.
The Jetty server can be started or stopped with these commands:
start_jetty.sh
stop_jetty.sh
In order to test jasapp completely, a test database is required. A file containing SQL to create and populate a MySQL database is located in the Appliance folder (jasapp.sql).
For permanent use the database connection parameters should be stored in a file called /usr/local/jetty/etc/jasapp.conf. The test pages can be run without configuring jasapp by entering the connection parameters on the test page form.
Note: the database runs on a server outside of the VM, jasapp connects to it over a TCP/IP connection. Make sure the database user/password can connect to the database; check /var/log/jetty.log and /usr/local/jetty/logs/ if you get errors connecting.
Another test page "paramreport.html" is an example of a report with runtime parameters input to a Jasper Report that's served by jasapp. This is how most reports will be requested by applicaitons using this appliance.
Jasapp can provide a reporting web service to another web server outside of the VM. An example php file (getfile.php) is supplied in the Appliance folder (obviously a working web server outside the virtual machine is required to test php scripting).
You can also use jasapp as a web server. Your own pages and servlets (written in jython) can replace the test pages.
When using the appliance you will occasionally need to delete the server logs located in /usr/local/jetty/logs and /var/log
To shutdown the jasapp operating system before powering off the VM, enter:
shutdown -h now
Adding new reports to jasapp is simple. Create and test your report using a report builder such as iReport (http://ireport.sourceforge.net/) or JasperAssistant. Compile the report to create a *.jasper file, then copy that file into the appliance to the /usr/local/jetty/reports directory (use a floppy or FTP). No changes to the servlets are required to add a report, but you will need to call it from your own page outside the appliance; see the .html or .php files in the Appliance folder for examples.
Currently, jasapp only serves reports as pdf files. Jasper Reports supports many different formats; some changes to the servlets would be required to support them, but writing servlets in jython is very simple.
4. Licenses may be found at the following URLs:
Core Linux 2.4.18
http://coredistro.sourceforge.net/index.html
dhcpcd 1.3.22
http://www.phystech.com/download/
bftpd 1.4
http://www.bftpd.org/
jre-1_5_0_06-linux-i586.bin
www.sun.com
jython 2.2
http://www.jython.org/
jetty 5-1.10
includes the following jar files:
ant.jar, commons-el.jar, jasper-compiler.jar, jasper-runtime.jar, mx4j.jar, mx4j-remote.jar, mx4j-tools.jar, xercesImpl.jar, xmlParserAPIs.jar)
http://jetty.mortbay.org/jetty/index.html
commons-beanutils-1.5.jar
commons-collections-2.1.jar
commons-digester-1.7.jar
commons-logging-1.0.2.jar
commons-logging-api-1.0.2.jar
http://jakarta.apache.org/commons/
itext-1.3.1.jar
http://www.lowagie.com/iText/
jasperreports-1.2.0.jar
http://jasperreports.sourceforge.net
jcommon-1.0.0.jar
http://www.jfree.org/jcommon/index.php
jdt-compiler.jar
http://www.eclipse.org/jdt/core/index.php
jfreechart-1.0.0.jar
http://www.jfree.org/jfreechart/index.php
jxl.jar
http://jexcelapi.sourceforge.net/
mysql-connector-java-3.1.11-bin.jar
http://www.mysql.com/products/connector/j/
poi-2.0-final-20040126.jar
http://jakarta.apache.org/poi/

Technical Specifications

Operating System:

Linux 2.4.18 (Core Linux)

VMware Tools installed: No

Size: 64MB

Allocated Memory (RAM): 128

Applications Installed:

JRE from Sun
Jetty Web server / Servlet Container
Jython
Jasper Reports
bftpd
dhcpcd

Virtual Appliance Account Information