Tips: Windows Installation for Content Server

Going to start categorizing my Tips/Documentum advice into a separate group. I want these things easier to find. Their relevance doesn’t really fade, so hopefully this will help keep them around.

I just helped someone install Content Server. I sometimes don’t even think about many of the details of an installation. I’ve installed it so many times that I just do it by instinct. I decided to put down some tips into this to help those starting the process.

Supported Platforms

This is the simplest of oversights. When you are trying to determine what platforms are supported for a particular release, say 5.3 sp5, you have to check six different release notes. That is correct, SIX. This is because any platform supported for one release of 5.3 is supported for ALL platforms, unless stated otherwise. Each set of release notes lists only the additional platforms that the new service was certified against, but all previous certifications on the version still hold.

What does this mean? Simple, if you want to see if the 5.3sp5 version of Content Server is supported on Oracle 9.2.0.7 on Windows 2003 sp1, you have to look in the 5.3 sp2 release notes. Ugh! What are the odds that you check those release notes first?

Expect this to continue for D6. While they have, in the past, posted a complete list of supported versions on their support site, it was never regarded as the definitive list. In fact, looking anywhere else other than their release notes can lead you into trouble. I would love for this to change one day.

Precreate your SQL Server Database

When using SQL Server, always try and create your database in advance. This gives you a few advantages. One of which is to provide a better check of your database connectivity before beginning the installation procedure.

Another advantage is that you can install SQL Server with its default sort order and specifically assign the Case Sensitive sort order to the Documentum database. This allows you to install both eRoom and Content Server on the same database server.

The recommended steps for doing this are:

  1. Create a new SQL Server account to own the repository. Make the account a System Administrator.
  2. Connect to SQL Server as the new account and create the database.
  3. Create your ODBC connection on your new Content Server. Do NOT put a space in the ODBC connection name. Microsoft may accept it, but not Documentum. Be sure to test the connection using the account that was used to create the database.

From here it should be clear sailing, as long as you have already installed the proper SQL Server database client on your Content Server.

Pick the Correct Sort Order

The default sort order for SQL Server is SQL_Latin1_General_CP1_CI_AS. The CI represents the Case Insensitive. So, when it is time to pick your sort order, just toggle the case. This will give you SQL_Latin1_General_CP1_CS_AS. Good money says that is the only sort order that EMC tests against. This means that it should be the only sort order you use without a defined business reason.

In SQL Server 2000, you have to set the sort order upon database creation.  In SQL Server 2005, you can change the order after creation if you forget to do so ahead of time.

If anyone else has any other tips, or contrary experience, please share them with everyone here.

9 thoughts on “Tips: Windows Installation for Content Server”

  1. Tony says:

    We are about to instal Documentum Content Server 6 SP1. We can’t get an answer from EMC on how to use our exisiting SQL Server 2005 Cluster (Case-Insensitive Installation) with Documentum Content Server 6. I would like to setup a new database on the clustered server and set it for Case-Sensitivity and then point the Content Server installer at the Case-Sensitive database. However, when we attempted this during our TEST install we kept getting the “installer failed to test case sensitivity” error from the installer. We were not able work around this issue. EMC has, thus far, been very slow to provide any type of useful information. The PowerLink support forums on EMC’s web site seem to indicate that it is entirely possible to do what we are proposing, as does this blog entry of yours. However, we seem to be missing something. Can you shed some light on this of me.
    Thanks.

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  2. I have not had that problem. To be fair, I have upgraded to SQL Server 2005 cluster from 2K cluster and not had to install into a new one. If you can get past the first support level, suggest a WebEx.

    If you follow the steps I list above for creating a database in advance, experience has shown it to be okay. The key is to be connected to SQL Server as the user that Documentum will utilize when you create the database. I have a post about this issue titled SQL Server Database Ownership for a Documentum Database that may help you as well.

    That being said, your error seems a weird one as it says it cannot test it. It may point to a problem with the client in test.

    If you still have problems connect to PowerLink and start a thread in the forums and see if anyone else has hit this issue.

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  3. ravi says:

    Hi ,
    I need to install documentum 5.3 on SQL server 2005. All i need to do with documentum is to test my user managerment program on it. I tried configuring a content server but failed, stating “The installer failed to test case-sensitivity for the SQLServer”. I am installing for the first time. I have created a database and ODBC datasource for it. The error i get is “c:\prgram files\…\isql.exe” is not a proper command. Please help. If you can provide with concise collection of steps to be foolowed, it will be a lot of help.

    Thanks,
    Ravi

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  4. Ravi,

    Sounds like your SQL Server client is not properly installed. I would re-install your SQL Server client and try again.

    I typically install the full suite of management tools on the content server and not just connectivity components.

    -Pie

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  5. ravi says:

    Hi again,

    I have installed documentum 5.3 over sql server 2000.
    All the services have started properly with no error messages.
    I could also login into sql database for documentum.
    Now i could not login into documentum as such. How can i access documentum’s web based UI. Is there a default user/password for accessing documentum repository.

    Thanks,
    Ravi

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  6. By default, the user account that you used to log into the operating system when installing the Content Server is a user in the system. This is also the same account that the Documentum services are running under.

    -Pie

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  7. Shappi says:

    Hi everybody

    I wonna install trial version of Documentum Content Server, and demonstrate it to my company’s bosses. If my bosses like the product as a content server we will purchase and use it. Can you help me how I can get an trial version of Documentum Content Serer.

    Regards

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  8. Dhruv says:

    Hi,
    Apologies in advance if this isn’t the correct forum to post this, but figured I’d try since I found the above steps very useful. I am trying to install Documentum 6.6 Developer Edition with an existing SQL Server 2008 setup. After taking in the data source name, user id and password, the installer displays the following:

    One or more pre-install validations failed:

    * CONNECTION_IDENTIFIER does not match given patten [a-zA-Z](\w){0,31}

    Any idea what I need to fix?

    Thanks much,

    Dhruv

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