Summary: Video card for an E6500 and an E4500 running Oracle Repo rts Server

The original post:

Is anyone using a video card in either an E4500 or an E6500? if so do you know the model#, is it sbus, or PCI? I can get an RFB501-2325, an 8 bit card, Will this card do graphics, I need to run CDE.

The consultant trying to start Oracle Reports Server couldn't get the service to start until he started it from his desk top through an X / CDE session. He thinks we need to at least have a video card in the server so ORS can verify or set the display parameter.

Thanks to:

Rainer Heilke, David Harrington, John Marrett, Ben Ritcey, and all who replied, good work!

The recommendation, from Rainer, was to use a Solaris workstation, (for example a Blade), or in my case an Intel box running Solaris, and point to the display variable to it. 

Using VNC is also an option, one that Rainer is using, but pointed out some deficiencies, not supported for one. Also, about adding a video card to the servers; we also don't like the idea of having a console on the servers either.

A couple of responses offered the esoteric solution of using Xvfb (X Virtual Frame Buffer) - a fake X server. I may need a lot of help getting that to work.

My first preference would be to try my Solaris Intel box. Then maybe VNC, or a real Solaris workstation, or Xvfb in that order. Cost, and support being the considerations.

For those who don't have access to Oracle Metalink here the scoop on setting the display environment variable and Oracle Reports Server.

DISPLAY environment variable and the Reports Server
----------------------------------------------------
 
If the DISPLAY environment is not set correctly for the Reports Server on 
UNIX platfoms, issuing any command to run a report through the Reports Server
results in the error:
 
REP-3000: Internal error starting Oracle Toolkit
 
Web Reports are run by typing the appropriate URL into a browser, which
in turn uses the Reports Server. If this Reports Server is running on
a UNIX machine, Web Reports output requires that the 'DISPLAY' UNIX 
environment variable is set. This is what the Reports Server uses to 
produce fonts and images in the Report output. 
 
If the Reports Server is being started from a machine which only has 
a character mode devide interface, e.g. a dumb terminal, then the DISPLAY 
environment variable can be set to point to an X Windows Display on
another machine. e.g. a PC running an Emulator.
 
This is an example of a script to start the Reports Server:
setenv REPORTS60_PATH /home/reports
setenv DISPLAY 138.3.40.50:0.0
rwmts60 name=dev60 &

Bobby Ramirez
Information Services
Belkin Components
310-604-2068
BobbyR@Belkin.com


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