Install Genero Desktop Client

These topics relate to the installation of the Genero Desktop Client.

The installation and licensing of Genero products requires you to read and accept the End User License Agreement, which can be found on the Four Js website at http://4js.com/end-user-license-agreements/.

Installation can vary depending on the host operating system. Ensure you follow the installation instructions for your host operating system.

Note: See the Genero Desktop Client User Guide for additional installation and configuration information.

System requirements

For details about system requirements, refer to the Supported platforms and databases document (available on the Download page of the Four Js Web site) or contact your support center.

Genero compatibility for the GDC

Determine the compatibility of different versions of the Genero product family and the Genero Desktop Client.

GDC 3.20 and Genero compatibility

GDC 3.20 can run in direct mode (SSH) with FGL 3.20, FGL 3.10, or FGL 3.00.

GDC 3.20 can run on the UA protocol using FGL+GAS 3.20, FGL+GAS 3.10, or FGL+GAS 3.00.

The Genero Report Viewer (GRV) 3.20, which is included in GDC, is compatible with FGL 3.20, FGL 3.10, and FGL 3.00.

GDC 3.10 and Genero compatibility

GDC 3.10 is compatible with FGL 3.00 or FGL 3.10 in direct mode.

GDC 3.10 is compatible with:
  • a 3.10 server-side configuration (FGL 3.10 + GAS 3.10) in UA mode.
  • a 3.00 server-side configuration (FGL 3.00 + GAS 3.00) in UA mode.

GDC 3.10 is not compatible with FGL 2.5x or earlier.

GDC 3.00 and Genero compatibility

GDC 3.00 is compatible with FGL 3.00.

When using an HTTP connection through the GAS:
  • GDC 3.00 should use uaproxy (ua) and requires FGL 3.00.

GDC 3.00 is not compatible with FGL 2.5x or earlier.

GDC 2.50 and Genero compatibility

Genero Desktop Client 2.5x will work only with FGL 2.5x, as well as FGL 2.4x, FGL 2.3x, FGL 2.2x and FGL 2.1x for backward compatibility. It is not supported with FGL 2.0x and FGL 1.3x.

When using an HTTP connection through the GAS:
  • GDC 2.50 should use gdcproxy (wa) and requires FGL 2.50.

For those who connect through HTTP, Genero Desktop Client and Genero Application Server need to be on the same level; for instance, both would need to be 2.5x. Genero Desktop Client 2.5x is NOT backward compatible with versions 1.3x, 2.0x, 2.1x, 2.2x, 2.3x and 2.4x of the Genero Application Server, mainly for stability reasons due to the HTTP stack review.

If you have any doubts regarding compatibility between versions, contact your support center.

Install GDC on UNIX platforms

Follow these steps to install GDC on UNIX™ platforms.

The installation and licensing of Genero products requires you to read and accept the End User License Agreement, which can be found on the Four Js website at http://4js.com/end-user-license-agreements/.

On UNIX platforms, GDC is provided as an auto-extractable shell script. Distribution files and installation program are provided in the same file.

The installation program has options. Display the installation program options using the help (-h) option, for example:

./fjs-gdc-3.20.11-build158046-l64xl212.run -h

  1. To perform the installation, run the auto-extractable shell script without any option.
    For example: ./fjs-gdc-3.20.11-build158046-l64xl212.run

    The installation program determines the operating system and checks that all the system requirements are met before starting to copy the product files to your disk.

  2. Follow the instructions of the installation program.
What to do next

When installation is complete, see the Genero Desktop Client User Guide for configuration information and instructions.

Install GDC on UNIX platforms in silent mode

Install the Genero Desktop Client (GDC) silently on Gnu/Linux® and UNIX platforms.

To start the installation, type the following:

./fjs-gdc-version-buildYYYYMMDDhhmm-osident.run -a -q --no-desktop -t install_dir

For example:

./fjs-gdc-3.20.13-build202005251839-l64xl217.run -a -q --no-desktop -t $PWD/fjs-gdc-3.20.13

Options

Table 1 shows the most common options relating to installation.

Table 1. UNIX install options
Install option Description
-a or --accept Bypass the display and the prompt for acceptance of the license agreement. Using the -a option indicates that you have read and accepted the End User License Agreement, located on the Four Js website at http://4js.com/end-user-license-agreements/.
-h or --help Display help about all possible options.
-q or --quiet Silent mode with no UI. If -q is not specified, the interactive installer is used.

-f backup|overwrite|remove or

--force backup|overwrite|remove

Specify what happens if the installation directory already exists:
  • backup: Back up the installation directory.
  • overwrite: Overwrite installation file.
  • remove: Delete installation directory before installing.

-t install_dir or

--target install_dir

Install the product in the specified target directory. If -t is not specified, the default installation is used.
--no-desktop Desktop bindings are not installed, which means:
  • Desktop and system menu icons are not created.
  • File types are not automatically associated with the product.

Install GDC on Windows

Procedure to install GDC on Windows® using the exe file.

The installation and licensing of Genero products requires you to read and accept the End User License Agreement, which can be found on the Four Js website at http://4js.com/end-user-license-agreements/.

  1. Close all running applications.
  2. Execute the installation program.

    On Windows Vista, Windows 7, Windows 8, and Windows 10, administrator privileges are needed to perform the installation. UAC will pop up, you will need to validate it to install GDC.

  3. Press 'Next' to start the installation.
  4. If you accept the agreement, check 'I accept the terms in the License Agreement' and click 'Next' to continue.
  5. Select the folder in which you want to install GDC.
  6. Determine whether to grant read/write/modify permissions on the installation directory to the Users group.
    The option must be selected to allow the GDC auto-updater to work silently. However, granting these permissions may be considered as unsecure. Consult with your Genero application administrator.
  7. Select the StartMenu folder in which GDC shortcuts will be set.
  8. Determine whether to associate .gdc files with the GDC.

    GDC shortcuts can be stored as a .gdc file. By associating this extension with this GDC, you can start GDC by double-clicking a .gdc file in Explorer. You can enable or disable the file associations.

    GDC is now ready to be installed.
  9. Click Install to begin the installation.
    All files are copied.
  10. Click Finish to close the installation wizard.
What to do next

When installation is complete, see the Genero Desktop Client User Guide for configuration information and instructions.

Install GDC on Windows in silent mode

Install Genero Desktop Client on Windows platforms using the MSI installer.

The installation and licensing of Genero products requires you to read and accept the End User License Agreement, which can be found on the Four Js website at http://4js.com/end-user-license-agreements/.

The msiexec utility provides the means to install, modify, and perform operations on Windows Installer from the command line. The /qn option allows you to install in silent mode. The msiexec utility expects an msi file. To be compliant with Microsoft® User Access Control (UAC) requirements, the msi file is embedded inside an exe file. To extract the msi file from the exe file, use the /x option:

c:\fjs-gdc-version-build-osident.exe /x

For example:

c:\fjs-gdc-3.10.03-build4949-w32v100.exe /x

A msi file is created in the same directory and with the same name as the exe file.

Options

Table 2 shows the most common options for msiexec relating to installation and un-installation.

Table 2. msiexec install and uninstall options
msiexec option Description
/qn Silent mode with no UI. If /qn is not specified, the graphical installer is used.
/i package-name.msi Install the specified msi package.
/x package-name.msi Uninstall the specified msi package.
/log logfile Write processing info to the specified log file.
/l*vx logfile Provide verbose (detailed) logs in the specified log file

Enter msiexec from the command prompt to view the complete list of available options.

Arguments

You can pass arguments to the msiexec installer on the command line.

Table 3. Arguments for the msiexec installer
Argument Description
PRODUCTDIR=your_gdcdir_path The path where GDC will be installed. It is an alias of GDCDIR variable.
GDCDIR=your_gdcdir_path The path where GDC will be installed. It is an alias of the PRODUCTDIR variable.
STARTMENUFOLDER=your_startmenufolder_path Customize the location for the shortcuts in the startmenu. For example, "fjs\gdc".
ADDLOCAL=[ALL|GDC|GDC,GDCFILEASSOCGDC] Set the features to install.
  • ALL (default): Install GDC (mandatory) and .gdc file association
  • GDC: Install GDC only
  • GDC, GDCFILEASSOCGDC: Same as ALL
FORCEREMOVEPRODUCTDIR=YES On uninstall, force the removal of the PRODUCTDIR directory, even if it is not empty. For any value other than YES, keep the files in the PRODUCTDIR location. Default value: "".
FORCEWRITEPERM=YES Specify whether to grant read, write, and modify permissions on the installation directory to the Users group. These permissions are needed to allow the GDC auto-updater to work silently. However, granting these permissions may be considered as unsecure. Consult with your Genero application administrator.
  • YES sets the permissions.
  • Any other value but YES will be understood as NO, and the permissions will not be set.
Note: Quotes are only required around the argument value when a space character is in the value string.

Install GDC on macOS

Procedure for installing GDC on macOS™.

Before you begin

The installation and licensing of Genero products requires you to read and accept the End User License Agreement, which can be found on the Four Js website at http://4js.com/end-user-license-agreements/.

You need a macOS and an user account which has administrator access level.

You need the GDC .dmg package. For example: fjs-gdc-3.xx.xx-buildxxxxxx-m64xxxx.dmg, where the "x" are placeholders for version and build numbers.

About this task

Follow these instructions to install the Genero Desktop Client.

  1. Close all applications.
  2. Double-click on the drive image file (dmg).
    The image file is mounted by macOS.
  3. Double-click on the package file (mpkg).
    The installation wizard displays.
  4. Follow the installation instructions presented by the wizard.
What to do next

When installation is complete, see the Genero Desktop Client User Guide for configuration information and instructions.

Install GDC on X11 systems

Procedure to install GDC on X11 systems

The installation and licensing of Genero products requires you to read and accept the End User License Agreement, which can be found on the Four Js website at http://4js.com/end-user-license-agreements/.

By default, the script un-compresses data into DBTEMP. Please make sure you have the correct permissions for this directory. If you do not have the necessary permissions, either unset DBTEMP (/tmp will be used), or use the -w <tempdir> option to specify an alternate temporary directory.

  1. Close all applications.
  2. Execute the installation shell. At the command line, enter the name of the package to install.

    ./fjs-gdc-version-build-osident.run

    Example:

    ./fjs-gdc-3.20.03-build4949-l64lx25.run

  3. Follow the directions that appear.
What to do next

When installation is complete, see the Genero Desktop Client User Guide for configuration information and instructions.

Microsoft Windows Security Blocking

The Windows firewall, enabled by default, detects and blocks the Genero Studio Server and the Genero Desktop Client.

From the network point of view, Genero Studio Server and the Genero Desktop Client (used by Genero Studio to display forms) are both considered servers. When you start Genero Desktop Client, or attempt to connect to Genero Studio Server, the firewall detects this and blocks the programs.

A dialog allows you to unblock the program. Follow the instructions provided by the dialog.

If you select Keep Blocking or Ask Me Later, the firewall continues to block the program(s).

If Keep Blocking has been pressed by mistake, you can change this parameter in the Windows Firewall settings. Ensure you add Genero Studio, Genero Studio Server and Genero Desktop Client to the list of exceptions or allowed apps, and make sure that their listings have a check mark.