BusinessObjects Enterprise Administrator's Guide

Changing the default server port numbers

During installation, the CMS is set up to use default port numbers. The default CMS port number is 6400. This ports fall within the range of ports reserved by Business Objects (6400 to 6410). Thus, BusinessObjects Enterprise communication on these ports should not conflict with third-party applications that you have in place. (Although unlikely, it is possible that your custom applications use these ports. If so, you can change the default CMS port.)

The Web Component Adapter is not a server. However, you can configure its listening port by changing the connection.listeningPort context parameter in web.xml. See Configuring the Web Component Adapter.

When started and enabled, each of the other BusinessObjects Enterprise servers dynamically binds to an available port (higher than 1024), registers with this port on the CMS, and then listens for BusinessObjects Enterprise requests. If necessary, you can instruct each server component to listen on a specific port (rather than dynamically selecting any available port).

On Windows, you view and modify server command lines with the CCM. The Command field appears on each server's Properties tab. On UNIX, you view and modify server command lines (also referred to as launch strings) in the ccm.config file, which is installed in the crystal directory.

This table summarizes the command-line options as they relate to port usage for specific server types. For more information, see the BusinessObjects Enterprise Administrator's Reference Guide.

Option	CMS	Other Servers
-port	Specifies the primary BusinessObjects Enterprise port on which the CMS listens for requests from all other servers. The default is 6400.	Used only in multihomed environments or for certain NAT firewall environments. In both cases, specify -port interface only. (-port number has no meaning for these servers).
-requestPort	Specifies the secondary port that the CMS uses for identifying other servers and for registering with itself and/or a cluster. Selected dynamically if unspecified.	Specifies the port on which the server listens for BusinessObjects Enterprise requests. The server registers this port with the CMS. Selected dynamically if unspecified.
-ns	n/a	Specifies the CMS that the server will register with.

Before modifying any port numbers, consider the following:

• CMS port number, you must change the -ns option in every other server's command line, to ensure that each server connects to the appropriate port of the CMS. (The -ns option stands for "nameserver." The CMS functions as the nameserver in BusinessObjects Enterprise, because it maintains a list that includes the host name and port number of each server that is started, enabled, and thus available to accept BusinessObjects Enterprise requests.) You must also set the name and port number of the CMS with the connection.cms context parameter in web.xml. See Configuring the Web Component Adapter.
• If you are working with multihomed machines or in certain NAT firewall configurations, you may wish to specify -port interface:number for the CMS and -port interface for the other servers. For details, see Configuring a multihomed machine or "Configuring for Network Address Translation" on page 185.
• On Windows, the CCM displays default port numbers on each server's Configuration tab. This displayed port corresponds to the -port option. For servers other than the CMS, this default port is not actually in use (each server registers its -requestPort number with the CMS instead).

To change the default CMS port for BusinessObjects Enterprise servers

1. Use the CCM (on Windows) or ccm.sh (on UNIX) to stop all the BusinessObjects Enterprise servers.
2. Add (or modify) the following option in the CMS command line:

-port number

Replace number with the port that you want the CMS to listen on. (The default port is 6400.)

3. Add (or modify) the following option in the command line of all of the remaining non-CMS BusinessObjects Enterprise servers:

-ns hostname:number

Replace hostname with the host name of the machine that is running the CMS. The host name must resolve to a valid IP address within your network. Replace number with the port that the CMS is listening on.

4. Start and enable all the BusinessObjects Enterprise servers.

The CMS begins listening on the port specified by number, and the non-CMS servers broadcast to that port when attempting to register with the CMS.

5. Set the name and port number of the CMS with the connection.cms context parameter in web.xml. See Configuring the Web Component Adapter.

To change the port a server registers with the CMS

1. Use the CCM (on Windows) or ccm.sh (on UNIX) to stop the server.
2. Add (or modify) the following option in the server's command line:

-requestPort number

Replace number with the port that you want the server to listen on.

3. Start and enable the server.

The server binds to the new port specified by number. It then registers with the CMS and begins listening for BusinessObjects Enterprise requests on the new port.

By default, each server registers itself with the CMS by IP address, rather than by name. This typically provides the most reliable behavior. If you need each server to register with the CMS by fully qualified domain name instead, use the -requestPort option in conjunction with -port interface (where interface is the server's fully qualified domain name). Having the servers register by name can be useful if a NAT firewall resides between the server and the CMS. For more information, see "Configuring for Network Address Translation" on page 185.

You may also need to specify -port interface when BusinessObjects Enterprise is running on a multihomed machine.

Related topics:    

• "Firewall types" on page 178
• "Configuring for packet filtering" on page 191