The architecture of OpenERP

30 Table 6.1: Comparison of the different methods of installation on Windows or Linux Method Average Time Level of Complexity Notes OpenERP Demo No instal- lation Simple Very useful for quick evaluations because no need to install anything. All-in-one Windows Installer A few minutes Simple Very useful for quick evaluations because it installs all of the components pre-configured on one computer using the GTK client. Independent installation on Windows Half an hour Medium Enables you to install the components on different computers. Can be put into production use. Ubuntu Linux packages A few minutes Simple Simple and quick but the Ubuntu packages are not always up to date. From source, for all Linux systems More than half an hour Medium to slightly difficult This is the method recommended for production environments because it is easy to keep it up to date. Each time a new release of OpenERP is made, OpenERP supplies a complete Windows auto-installer for it. This contains all of the components you need – the PostgreSQL database server, the OpenERP application server and the GTK application client. This auto-installer enables you to install the whole system in just a few mouse clicks. The initial configuration is set up during installation, making it possible to start using it very quickly as long as you do not want to change the underlying code. It is aimed at the installation of everything on a single PC, but you can later connect GTK clients from other PCs, Macs and Linux boxes to it as well. The first step is to download the OpenERP installer. At this stage you must choose which version to install – the stable version or the development version. If you are planning to put it straight into production we strongly advise you to choose the stable version. Note: Stable versions and development versions OpenERP development proceeds in two parallel tracks: stable versions and development versions. New functionality is integrated into the development branch. This branch is more advanced than the stable branch, but it can contain undiscovered and unfixed faults. A new development release is made every month or so, and OpenERP has made the code repository available so you can download the very latest revisions if you want. The stable branch is designed for production environments. Releases of new functionality there are made only about once a year after a long period of testing and validation. Only bug fixes are released through the year on the stable branch. To download the version of OpenERP for Windows, follow these steps: 1. Navigate to the site http:openerp.com . 2. Click the Downloads button at the right, then, under Windows Auto-Installer, select All-in-One. 3. This brings up the demonstration version Windows installer, currently openerp-allinone-setup-6.0.0. 4. Save the file on your PC - it is quite a substantial size because it downloads everything including the Post- greSQL database system, so it will take some time. To install OpenERP and its database you must be signed in as an Administrator on your PC. Double- click the installer file to install it and accept the default parameters on each dialog box as you go. If you had previously tried to install the all-in-one version of OpenERP, you will have to uninstall that first, because various elements of a previous installation could interfere with your new installation. Make sure that all Tiny ERP, OpenERP and PostgreSQL applications are removed: you are likely to have to restart your PC to finish removing all traces of them. The OpenERP client can be opened, ready to use the OpenERP system, once you have completed the all-in-one installation. The next step consists of setting up the database, and is covered in the final section of this chapter Creating the database . 31

6.2.1 Independent Installation on Windows

System administrators can have very good reasons for wanting to install the various components of a Windows installation separately. For example, your company may not support the version of PostgreSQL or Python that is installed automatically, or you may already have PostgreSQL installed on the server you are using, or you may want to install the database server, application server and web server on separate hardware units. For this situation you can get separate installers for the OpenERP server and client from the same location as the all-in-one auto-installer. You will also have to download and install a suitable version of PostgreSQL indepen- dently. You must install PostgreSQL before the OpenERP server, and you must also set it up with a user and password so that the OpenERP server can connect to it. OpenERP’s web-based documentation gives full and current details. Connecting users on other PCs to the OpenERP server To connect other computers to the OpenERP server you must set the server up so that it is visible to the other PCs, and install a GTK client on each of those PCs: 1. Make your OpenERP server visible to other PCs by opening the Windows Firewall in the Control Panel, then ask the firewall to make an exception of the OpenERP server. In the Exceptions tab of Windows Firewall click Add a program... and choose OpenERP Server in the list provided. This step enables other computers to see the OpenERP application on this server. 2. Install the OpenERP client openerp-client-6.X.exe, which you can download in the same way as you downloaded the other OpenERP software, onto the other PCs. Tip: Version matching You must make sure that the version of the client matches that of the server. The version number is given as part of the name of the downloaded file. Although it is possible that some different revisions of client and server will function together, there is no certainty about that. To run the client installer on every other PC you will need to have administrator rights there. The installation is automated, so you just need follow the different installation steps. To test your installation, start by connecting through the OpenERP client on the server machine while you are still logged in as administrator. Note: Why sign in as a PC Administrator? You would not usually be signed in as a PC administrator when you are just running the OpenERP client, but if there have been problems in the installation it is easier to remain as an administrator after the installation so that you can make any necessary fixes than to switch users as you alternate between roles as a tester and a software installer. Start the GTK client on the server through the Windows Start menu there. The main client window appears, identifying the server you are connected to which is localhost – your own server PC – by default. If the message No database found, you must create one appears then you have successfully connected to an OpenERP server containing, as yet, no databases.