Changing the default server port numbers

During installation, the APS and the WCS are set up to use default port numbers. The default APS port number is 6400, and the default WCS port number is 6401. These ports fall within the range of ports reserved by Crystal Decisions, Inc. (6400 to 6410). Thus, Crystal Enterprise communication on these ports should not conflict with third-party applications that you have in place. (Although unlikely, it is possible that your custom applications use these ports. If so, you can change the default APS and WCS ports.)

When started and enabled, each of the other Crystal Enterprise servers dynamically binds to an available port (higher than 1024), registers with this port on the APS, and then listens for Crystal Enterprise requests. If necessary, you can instruct each server component to listen on a specific port (rather than dynamically selecting any available port).

On Windows, you view and modify server command lines with the CCM. The Command field appears on each server's Properties tab. On UNIX, you view and modify server command lines (also referred to as launch strings) in the ccm.config file, which is installed in the crystal directory.

This table summarizes the command-line options as they relate to port usage for specific server types.

Option	APS	WCS	Other Servers
-port	Specifies the primary Crystal Enterprise port on which the APS listens for requests from all other servers. The default is 6400.	Specifies the port on which the WCS listens for web requests from the Web Connector. The default is 6401.	Used only in multihomed environments or for certain NAT firewall environments. In both cases, specify -port interface:portnumber (and not just -port number).
-requestPort	Specifies the secondary port that the APS uses for identifying other servers and for registering with itself and/or a cluster. Selected dynamically if unspecified.	Specifies the port on which the WCS listens for replies from the APS and the other servers. The WCS registers this port with the APS. Selected dynamically if unspecified.	Specifies the port on which the server listens for Crystal Enterprise requests. The server registers this port with the APS. Selected dynamically if unspecified.
-ns	n/a	Specifies the APS that the WCS will register with.	Specifies the APS that the WCS will register with.

Before modifying any port numbers, consider the following:

• If you change the default APS port number, you must change the -ns option in every other server's command line, to ensure that each server connects to the appropriate port of the APS. (The -ns option stands for "nameserver." The APS functions as the nameserver in Crystal Enterprise, because it maintains a list that includes the host name and port number of each server that is started, enabled, and thus available to accept Crystal Enterprise requests.)
• If you change the default WCS port number, you must make corresponding changes to the mapping that allows the Web Connector to communicate with the WCS. For information about configuring your Web Connector and any of your web server configuration files, see Path mapping overview.
• If the machine is multihomed, you can restrict Crystal Enterprise to one of the available particular network addresses. For details, see Configuring Crystal Enterprise on a multihomed machine.
• On Windows, the CCM displays default port numbers on each server's Configuration tab. This displayed port corresponds to the -port option. For server's other than the APS and the WCS, this default port is not actually in use (each server registers its -requestPort number with the APS instead).

To change the default APS port

1. Use the CCM to stop all the Crystal Enterprise servers.
2. Add (or modify) the following option in the APS command line:

   -port number

   Replace number with the port that you want the APS to listen on. (The default port is 6400.)

3. Add (or modify) the following option in the command line of all of the remaining non-APS Crystal Enterprise servers:

   -ns hostname:number

   Replace hostname with the host name of the machine that is running the APS. The host name must resolve to a valid IP address within your network. Replace number with the port that the APS is listening on.

4. Start and enable all the Crystal Enterprise servers.

   The APS begins listening on the port specified by number, and the non-APS servers broadcast to that port when attempting to register with the APS.

To change the default WCS port

1. Use the CCM to stop all the Crystal Enterprise servers.
2. Add (or modify) the following option in the WCS command line:

   -port number

   Replace number with the port that you want the WCS to listen on. (The default port is 6401.)

3. Reconfigure the Web Connector so that it forwards Crystal Enterprise requests to the WCS host on the new port specified by number.

   For details, see Path mapping overview.

To change the port a server registers with the APS

1. Use the CCM to stop the server.
2. Add (or modify) the following option in the server's command line:

   -requestPort number

   Replace number with the port that you want the server to listen on.

3. Start and enable the server.

The server binds to the new port specified by number. It then registers with the APS and begins listening for Crystal Enterprise requests on the new port.

By default, each server registers itself with the APS by IP address, rather than by name. This typically provides the most reliable behavior. If you need each server to register with the APS by fully qualified domain name instead, use the -requestPort option in conjunction with -port interface:port (where interface is the server's fully qualified domain name). Having the servers register by name can be useful if a NAT firewall resides between the server and the APS. For more information, see Configuring for Network Address Translation.

You may also need to specify -port interface:port when Crystal Enterprise is running on a multihomed machine.