Set Up the ESSOAP Enterprise Server Instance

Walks you through the process of creating and configuring the ESSOAP enterprise server instance used to run the MakeCheckAppt SOAP Web service.

To successfully deploy and run (debug) a Web Service, you must have an enterprise server instance started in Enterprise Server. For this tutorial, you create and configure the ESSOAP enterprise server instance.

Start the Server Explorer

The Server Explorer expandable ribbon is visible in Visual Studio on the top left side of the IDE by default when using Visual COBOL. However, if it is not visible:

  • In Visual Studio, click View > Server Explorer.
Attention: You might encounter an Enterprise Server Sign On dialog box as you perform the steps required to create, configure, start, or stop an enterprise server instance from the Server Explorer. If you do, ensure that the Server requires credentials, Use specific server credentials, or Server is secured box is unchecked, and then click OK. Also, if prompted to disable password recovery, click No.

Create ESSOAP

In this section, you create the ESSOAP enterprise server instance from the Server Explorer in Visual COBOL.

  1. On the Server Explorer, expand Micro Focus Servers; then right-click localhost and select New Enterprise Server.
  2. In the Name field, type ESSOAP.
  3. Click the browse button associated with the Template field.

    The default location for Enterprise Server templates is a subdirectory named ServerTemplates located several levels under the Visual Studio installation directory.

  4. Click ESTemplate.xml to select it, and then click Open.
    Note: If the Template field does not show the path and ESTemplate.xml file, browse to the Enterprise Server template location cited above to find and select the file.
  5. In the Associate with projects box, check ProgramSOAP.
  6. Click OK.

Start Enterprise Server Common Web Administration (ESCWA)

  • On the Server Explorer, right-click Micro Focus Servers, and then click Administration.

    ESCWA starts in your default browser.

Configure listener ports in ESCWA

When you create a service interface in Visual COBOL, it is configured by default to use port number 9003 to send messages to Enterprise Server, which listens for incoming messages on its Web Services and J2EE listener. You need to set the endpoint address for the Web Services and J2EE listener to match the port number for the service interface.

In addition, you need to enable the Web listener to start automatically with the enterprise server instance.

  1. In ESCWA, click Native.
  2. In the navigation pane, expand Directory Servers > Default, and select your enterprise server instance.
  3. On the General drop-down list, select Listeners.
  4. Expand Communications Process 1, and click Web Services and J2EE.
  5. In the Port field, type 9003.
  6. Scroll down to the Status section, and set Requested Status to Stopped.
  7. Click Apply.
  8. Under Communications Process 1, click Web.
  9. Change the value of the Requested Status field to Stopped.
  10. Click Apply.
Important: The default deployment directory used by Enterprise Server is a subdirectory, deploy, within your Visual COBOL installation directory structure. If you have Administrator privileges to this subdirectory, or if you started Visual Studio using Run as Administrator, you are not required to complete the following tasks. Otherwise, you must complete them to create and configure an alternative deployment directory.

Create and configure a deployment directory

Create the deploy directory
Without Administrator privileges, you cannot deploy to Enterprise Server from the default Visual COBOL deployment folder. To ensure successful deployment, create a deploy subdirectory in your project.
  1. In the Solution Explorer, right-click the project, and then select Add > New Folder from the context menu.
  2. Type deploy, and then press Enter.
Import the .mfdeploy file
The new deploy folder must contain the .mfdeploy configuration file. You import the file from the Solution Explorer.
  1. From the Solution Explorer, right-click the deploy folder; then select Add > Existing Item.
  2. Browse to the %ProgramFiles(x86)%\Micro Focus\Visual COBOL\deploy folder.
  3. Set the filter drop-down list to All Files (*.*).
  4. Double-click the .mfdeploy file.
Define the deployment directory in ESCWA
Now you need to configure your enterprise server instance by defining the new deploy project folder as the deployment folder.
  1. In ESCWA ensure that your enterprise server instance is selected in the navigation pane, and the Communications Processes page is open in the right pane.
  2. Under Communications Process 1, select Web.
  3. In the Listener Properties pane, scroll down to the Custom Configuration field.
  4. Within the Custom Configuration field, scroll down until you find the relevant code, then change:
    uploads=<ES>/deploy

    to:

    uploads=c:/tutorials/IMTK/project-name/deploy

    where project-name is the name of the project.

  5. Click Apply.