Configure SAS® Enterprise Miner and SAS® Forecast Studio installed clients to connect to multiple environments via the "SAS® environment" drop-down


This SAS knowledge base article documents how to configure installed SAS Enterprise Miner Client and SAS Forecast Studio client applications to connect to multiple SAS environments. Connect using the "SAS environment" drop-down list of their respective Log On pages. Both of these client applications are referenced as "the client application" for the remainder of this SAS knowledge base article.

This configuration works only when the SAS Enterprise Miner Mid-Tier or SAS Forecast Server Mid-Tier version on the server and the version of the installed client application on the client machine match. Version mismatch between the client and the server is not supported. Example: an installed SAS Enterprise Miner Client 14.1 application can connect only to a server that has SAS Enterprise Miner Mid-Tier 14.1. The application cannot connect to a server that has SAS Enterprise Miner Mid-Tier 13.2, 14.2, 14.3, and so on. Similarly, an installed SAS Forecast Studio 14.1 application can connect only to a server that has SAS Forecast Server Mid-Tier 14.1. The application cannot connect to a server that has SAS Forecast Server Mid-Tier 13.2, 14.2, 14.3, and so on.

Background

When launched, the client application looks for a "SASENVIRONMENTSURL" value that is specified in the sassw.config file under the SASHome folder on the client machine. The value must point to a valid sas-environment.xml file that contains definitions of SAS environment(s). The client application loads the environment(s) from the sas-environment.xml file. The environments are used for connecting.  See the following paragraphs for details about the value:

By default, SAS 9.3 uses the following format: http://host-name:port/SASLogon/sas-environment.xml. host-name is the fully qualified host-name of the server machine that is running the web application server. port is the web-application-server port that is listening for HTTP requests. These are default listening ports: JBoss, 8080; WebSphere, 9080; WebLogic, 7001. The default format above assumes that the following default location of the sas-environment.xml file is used: SASConfig/Lev#/Web/Common/sas-environment.xml. # is a number.

By default, SAS 9.4 uses the following format: http://host-name:port/sas/sas-environment.xml. host-name is the fully qualified host-name of the server machine that is running the SAS Web Server. port is the SAS web server port that is listening for HTTP requests. The listening port for the SAS web server on Windows defaults to 80. On UNIX servers, the port defaults to 7980. The default format above assumes that the following default location of the sas-environment.xml file is used: SASConfig/Lev#/Web/WebServer/htdocs/sas/sas-environment.xml. # is a number.

If loading succeeds, then you can use the "SAS environment" drop-down list on the Log On page to select the SAS environment to which you want to connect.

After you enter credentials and click the Log On button, the client application attempts to log on to the selected server.

Steps to configure the client application to connect to multiple SAS environments

By default, a single "Default SAS Environment" is defined in your sas-environment.xml file that the client application loads upon launch. You can select and connect only to this default environment from the "SAS environment" drop-down list on the Log On screen. Example: the SAS Enterprise Miner Client 14.1 Log On page looks like the following page by default:

 

 

Example: Assume that the "Default SAS Environment" is your "TEST" environment and you want to connect to a different "PROD" environment. Follow the steps below:

1. Back up and edit the sas-environment.xml file on your "TEST" environment. The default location of this file is the SASConfig/Lev#/Web/WebServer/htdocs/sas directory as mentioned in the Background section of the SAS note above. Add the "PROD" environment to the file by following the instructions in SAS® 9.4 Intelligence Platform: Middle-Tier Administration Guide, Fourth Edition. This documentation demonstrates a sample sas-environment.xml file with two environments, "Red" and "Blue".

 

2. Make sure that the "SASENVIRONMENTSURL" value within the sassw.config file on the client machine points to the "TEST" environment where you edited the sas-environment.xml file from Step 1:

Alternatively, if you do not want to change the sas-environment.xml file on the server, then save a copy of the original sas-environment.xml file.  Save the file locally on the client machine where the client application is installed. Edit the file on the client machine. If you use this alternative, then you need to specify the "SASENVIRONMENTSURL" value in file URI format. Point to the edited file on the local file system on the client machine. 

Example: If you save the copy of the edited file under the C:\temp directory, then your "SASENVIRONMENTSURL" value should show the following file

                            file:///C:/temp/sas-environment.xml

After you complete these steps, you are able to select the new "PROD" environment on the "SAS environment" drop-down list on the Log On page. Example: the SAS Enterprise Miner Client 14.1 Log On page looks like the following page after completing the steps: