Gordon & Gotch Myriad Admin Guide

Introduction

Myriad consists of a server (the database and a COM+ object to handle credit card encryption) and a client (the application and .NET DLLs to handle email)

Web site: http://www.gordon-gotch.co.uk/

Support: support@gordon-gotch.co.uk / 0845 8990 341

Server Setup

Not yet covered here.

Workstation Setup

Requirements: Windows XP

Create Myriad_live.bmp and myriad_demo.bmp by running some part of .NET to create them [how did we originally create them?]

Per-Machine Initial Installation

1.1 Run the following batch script by pasting it in to a DOS box, by pasting each line by line into a DOS box or following along with it pointing and clicking.

Note: when installing Microsoft Access 2002 Runtime, choose to install to %PROGRAMFILES%\OfficeXP instead of the default %PROGRAMFILES%\Microsoft Office.

Note: when installing Access Interface - .NET stuff for Microsoft Access system - accept the default to install in %PROGRAMFILES%\GGPL\astra elite\DLLs.

TODO: we need to slacken permissions on Local Intranet for this to run.

@echo off
::=======================================================================
:: Gordon & Gotch Myriad - Per-Machine Installer
::=======================================================================

echo Gordon & Gotch Myriad Installer
echo (C) Copyright 2007-2008 Pete Boyd
echo Licence: GNU General Public License version 3 or later
echo.

echo Installing Microsoft Access 2002 Runtime...
echo (Choose to install to %PROGRAMFILES%\OfficeXP instead of the default %PROGRAMFILES%\Microsoft Office)
"\\db-server\myriad\client install\runtime\ACCESSRT.MSI"
echo.

echo Installing Access Interface - .NET stuff for Microsoft Access system...
echo (Accept the default to install in %PROGRAMFILES%\GGPL\astra elite\DLLs)
"\\db-server\myriad\client install\GGPL_AccessInterfaceInstall\Setup.exe"
echo.

echo Installing GGPL Email Components  - SMTP support...
echo (installs in %PROGRAMFILES%\GGPL\GGPL_Email
"\\db-server\myriad\client install\GGPL_Email\Setup.exe"
echo.

echo Office XP Programmable Interface Assemblies (allows .NET to talk to Access)...
"\\db-server\myriad\client install\Office XP PIA\register.bat"
echo.

echo Create a Myriad program directory...
mkdir "%PROGRAMFILES%\GGPL\myriad\"
echo.

echo Copy Myriad front-end / program to program directory...
copy "\\db-server\myriad\client install\front end\dotnet\*.*" "%PROGRAMFILES%\GGPL\myriad\"
echo.

echo Finished
pause
::=======================================================================

1.2 Create an All Users desktop shortcut called 'Myriad' pointing to "%PROGRAMFILES%\GGPL\Myriad\Launcher.exe", by right-clicking in All Users and choosing 'Create shortcut' (so that permissions are set for Everyone to run it)

1.3 Run Microsoft Update and download any updates for the newly installed software, such as:

Program Updates

Login as the domain administrator, winadmin.

Copy the contents of \\db-server\myriad\client install\front end\dotnet\ to C:\Program Files\\GGPL\myriad\.

User Accounts

Per-User Initial Setup

You need to create an account for each person.

Note: Check the user you're setting up isn't already logged in otherwise you could lose the setup you're making here!

2.0 Get copies of Access front-end files

[Background: To create table links between Access and SQL DB the user needs write access to some MDB and BMP files in %PROGRAMFILES% (that each relate to the database names being used), a technique which doesn't work with Restricted Users (because of lack of permission) and more than one person per workstation (they have a single user's authentication details in them) or roaming accounts (they're 36MB large after linking).]

2.0.1 MDB files. Copy the (26MB, unlinked) front-end to the user's home directory, creating one for each version of the Myriad database (live and demo).

md "H:\myriad\"

copy "\\db-server\myriad\client install\front end\access\Myriad.mdb" "H:\myriad\Myriad_live.mdb"

copy "\\db-server\myriad\client install\front end\access\Myriad_Demo.mdb" "H:\myriad\Myriad_demo.mdb"

2.1 run Myriad from the desktop shortcut. Choose Create.

2.2. At the DataLink Properties window carry out the following steps:

2.2.1 Choose 'Microsoft OLE DB Provider for SQL server' → Next

2.2.2 1. Select or enter a server name: db-server

2.2.3 2. Enter information to log on to the server - use a unique username and password for each user [these are managed in the Microsoft SQL server]

2.2.4 Select the database on the server: 'myriad_live'.

2.2.5 Select OK

2.3 The 'Select related Access Database front-end' dialog appears. Choose a user's file relative to the chosen database: H:\myriad\myriad_live.mdb

You should be back at the Myriad launcher.

You now do the same but for the demo version of the database.

2.4 Choose Create

2.5. You will get the DataLink Properties window. Carry out the following steps.

2.5.1 Choose 'Microsoft OLE DB Provider for SQL server' → Next

2.5.2 1. Select or enter a server name: db-server

2.6.3 2.Enter information to log on to the server - use a unique username and password for each user [these are managed in the Microsoft SQL server]

2.6.4 Select the database on the server: 'myriad_demo'.

2.6.5 Select OK

2.7 'Select related Access Database front-end' dialog appears. Choose a user's file relative to the chosen database: H:\myriad\myriad_demo.mdb

2.8 You should be back at the launcher

[Now you have the registry key HKCU\Software\GGPL\Myriad\myriad_demo which can be deleted if anything has gone wrong and you need to start over. These are what it contains:

2.9.1 Run Myriad

2.9.2 Choose myriad_demo or myriad_live

2.9.3 Login with a Myriad username and password

2.9.4 Choose Launch

2.9.5 The Windows Installer runs then says "Please enter your full name and intials below. This information will be used in Office workgroup features" twice. Choose OK twice then you're dumped in two blank Microsoft Access windows. You can close these down.

2.9.6 Choose 'Close' (If you don't close these Myriad crashes with an illegal function call before relinking the tables, then says "could not open access front-end, application will closedown".

2.9.7 Access will start to re-link the tables ("Re-attaching Tables"). Choose OK on the Relinking Completed window.

You may see errors, for example I was told by Gordon & Gotch that these didn't matter:

[Now you have the registry key HKCU\Software\GGPL\Astra_Elite is now created, which you can similarly remove to refresh if things go wrong]

You should now be able to use Myriad

Installing Front-end Updates

Do this for each user.

31/1/8: "Further to our conversation earlier, I spoke to G+G Paul who says that the only time that stuff on the H drive needs changing is when it's stuff to do with the old bits of Myriad (the mdb files etc). The files he wanted me to upload this time have got nothing to do with the old bits of Myriad, so that's why I could upload them to the C drive. All the old bits are being phased out, probably in the next 6 months, so eventually we won't need any Myriad stuff to be stored on the H drive."

3.1 Hopefully Gordon & Gotch have put the updated .mdb file(s) in \\db-server\myriad\client install\front end\Access\ ready.
However it could be sent in email and might be a self extracting executable or a .exe file containing an .mdb file. If it's a .exe double click on it and it should ask where to be extracted to. If it's zipped up you can unzip it with 7-zip. Save it in \\db-server\myriad\client install\front end\Access\ and make sure there is one copy called Myriad_Live.mdb and another copy called Myriad_Demo.mdb.

3.2 Follow this for each user:

3.3 Run Myriad.

3.4 Choose Myriad_demo (you'll need to enter a username and password).

3.5 You should see a prompt that Myriad is 're-attaching tables'

3.6 Run Myriad_live

3.7 You should see a prompt that Myriad is 're-attaching tables'

Issues

ERROR 1

If you don't select 'allow saving password' when configuring an ADO connection you get an error:

ERROR 2

At every stage if you get a username/password wrong you get cryptic error messages and circular dialogs

ERROR 3

When choose 'Create', get OnError Login failed for user 'myriad_user_1'. We then have a myriad_live instance in the drop-down list when myriad first launches (despite the above error). Which username and password do we then use to login? Choosing this name from the drop-down or the blank one causes an OnError Login failed for user 'myriad_user_1'.

ERROR 4

If you forget to save the password during 'Specify Data Source', then choose 'details' you get into an endless circular dialogs asking for username/password and can't even logout

ERROR 5

If you don't have write access to the database: "Error #: 3027 - Desc.: Cannot update. Database or object is read-only. - Src.: DAO.TableDefs"]

Miscellaneous

"The best version of EXCEL is XP, followed by 2003, then 2000. EXCEL 2007 is different and not compatible, and 97 has too many problems."