Chapter 11
Using Site Administration

[p]Lasso Professional Server provides a convenient, Web-based interface for configuring Lasso site settings, managing and maintaining databases, configuring Lasso Security, monitoring events, and much more. This interface is referred to as Site Administration [/p]

[p]This chapter provides an overview of Site Administration, and is divided into the following sections. [/p]

• Accessing Site Administration describes how to connect to Site Administration.
• Exploring Site Administration describes the three main sections of Site Administration.
• Interface Elements describes the interface elements and conventions used in Site Administration.
• Lasso Internal Databases provides an overview of the internal SQLite databases that power Site Administration and Lasso Professional Server.

[note][b]Note: [/b]See the preceding section on Server Administration for details about creating sites and setting server preferences. [/note]

Accessing Site Administration

[p]Site Administration consists of the [code]SiteAdmin.LassoApp[/code] file which is loaded on-demand from the [code]LassoApps[/code] folder in the Lasso Professional Server application folder. Site Administration is a LassoApp file, which is accessed via a Web browser similar to a standard HTML page. [/p]

[p]Site Administration can be accessed in any Web browser that meets the Web browser requirements listed in the configuration chapters in this guide. [/p]

To access Site Administration:

[p]Lasso Professional Server can have multiple independent sites defined within Server Administration. Each site handles incoming Web requests based on its site criteria which can be a mix of host name and path. [/p]

[p]By default a single site is created that captures all incoming Web requests. If no additional sites have been created then Site Administration for the default site can be accessed using one of the following URLs. Use [code]localhost[/code] if accessing Site Administration from a browser on the same machine as Lasso Service. Otherwise, replace [code]www.example.com[/code] with the actual domain name or IP address. [/p]

[pre]http://www.example.com/SiteAdmin.LassoApp
http://localhost/SiteAdmin.LassoApp [/pre]

[note][b]Note: [/b]On Linux machines it is necessary to specify the name of the LassoApp using proper case [code]SiteAdmin.LassoApp[/code]. On Windows and Mac OS X the case of the file name doesn’t matter. [/note]

[note][b]Note: [/b]Web server rewrite technologies such as Apache [code]mod_rewrite[/code] may interfere with loading Site Administration. An exception should be made for URLs with the [code].LassoApp[/code] extension in any rewrite rules. [/note]

[p]To access Site Administration for a particular site it is necessary to construct a URL that meets the criteria for the site and add [code]SiteAdmin.LassoApp[/code]. For example, if a site has site criteria specifying that the host name must be [code]secure.example.com[/code] then the following URL would load Site Administration for that site. [/p]

[pre]http://[code]secure.example.com[/code]/SiteAdmin.LassoApp [/pre]

[p]The status line at the bottom of Site Administration contains the name and ID of the site that is currently being accessed. [/p]

[p]The Web browser should prompt for the site administrator username and password. The Web browser will not prompt if Site Administration has already been accessed using the browser in the current session or if the authentication information has been stored in a keychain, passport, or browser preferences. [/p]

[p]If an error is displayed, make sure Lasso Service and the Web server are running as described in the configuration chapters of this guide. [/p]

Figure 1: Site Administration

Site Administrator Account

[p]Only a person with the site administrator username and password (or the server administrator username and password) may access Site Administration. The site administrator account is set up by the server administrator and can be changed when the site is initialized. [/p]

[p]If for any reason the site administrator username and password is forgotten or lost, they can be reset by the server administrator. [/p]

Exploring Site Administration

[p]This section describes the three main sections of the Site Administration interface, which are navigable via tabs at the top of the interface. These sections are described below. [/p]

[note][b]Note: [/b]The [code]Build[/code] and [code]Browse[/code] sections, formerly in Lasso Administration, have been moved to a new dedicated application called Lasso Database Browser, which is described in the Building and Browsing Databases chapter. Lasso Database Browser can be reached by using one of the quick links on the summary page. [/note]

Setup

[p]The [code]Setup[/code] section allows the administrator to set up data sources, enable and disable Lasso tags, set up Lasso security groups and users, import and export settings, and set site options for Lasso Professional Server. [/p]

Figure 2: Setup Section

[p]The functionality of the [code]Setup[/code] section is described throughout this guide in the Site Preferences, Setting Up Data Sources, and Setting Up Security chapters. [/p]

Utility

[p]The [code]Utility[/code] section provides the administrator various tools for maintaining the Lasso Professional Server server. This includes tools for executing SQL statements, building LassoApps, monitoring URL event and email queues, monitoring errors, and more. [/p]

Figure 3: Utility Section

[p]The functionality of the [code]Utility[/code] section is described primarily in the Administration Utilities chapter. [/p]

Support

[p]The [code]Support[/code] section provides a launch pad for the Lasso Reference included with Lasso Professional Server, and provides links to various LassoSoft and third-party support resources. [/p]

[p]The Lasso Reference is described in the Lasso 8.5 Reference chapter of the Lasso 8.5 Language Guide. [/p]

Figure 4: Support Section

Interface Elements

[p]This section describes the basics of using and customizing the Site Administration interface. [/p]

[p][def]Tab Navigation[/def] – Navigation occurs by selecting the text portion of a tab. Doing so will display the next tier of tabs with a page below. Each page generally contains two panels. The left panel provides a summary and listing of options and specified values. The right panel provides details for any selected list item. If a tab is disabled (i.e. does not link to a page upon selection), then one must fulfill a requirement such as selecting an option or button on a previous page before that page can be accessed. [/p]

[p][def]Information Input And Display[/def] – All input within the interface is accomplished in the same manner as standard Web pages: by selecting HTML buttons, pull-down menus, check and boxes, and by entering information into text fields. A button name that ends in an ellipses (e.g. [code]Databases…[/code]) means that the button will take the user to another page in Server Administration or to a dialog box. Feedback after performing an action within Server Administration occurs via a dialog box or bold-style text within a panel. Error messages are always in a red font. [/p]

[p][def]Navigating Found Sets[/def] – Navigation within extended lists occurs via [code]Prev[/code] and [code]Next[/code] buttons, which are located under the last result in the page. Listings are always displayed in groups of ten, where selecting the [code]Prev[/code] and [code]Next[/code] buttons will display the previous or next ten results. [/p]

[p][def]Status Bar[/def] – The status bar at the bottom of the screen shows the name of the current LassoApp. During an evaluation period, it will also show the number of days remaining in the evaluation period and a [code]Buy Now [/code]link, which takes one to the LassoSoft online store. A [code]Logout[/code] link is also provided allowing the current user to log out of Server Administration. [/p]

Lasso Site Databases

[p]Lasso Professional Server uses several internal SQLite databases in which to store data and settings. These databases will appear in the [code]Setup[/code] section of Site Administration with the status [code]Enabled[/code], and are required for Lasso Professional Server to function properly. This section describes the function for each of these databases. [/p]

• lasso_internal – This is the database where all data that is input by an administrator into Site Administration is stored. This includes data source information, group and user information, tag security information, serial numbers, and site preferences defined in Site Administration.
• site – Stores all site preferences, user data, queued email messages, scheduled events, and logged errors. These types of data are obtained via tags such [code][Session…][/code], [code][Log…][/code], [code][Email…][/code], and [code][Event…], [/code]which are described in the Lasso 8.5 Language Guide.
• lasso_admin – This database stores preferences using by Site Administration and the Database Browser.

[p]Due to the nature of the data in these databases, it is critical that these databases not be disabled. Making changes to these internal SQLite databases can have a severe negative effect on the performance and functionality of Lasso Professional Server. [/p]