Using SAS Scalable Performance Data (SPD) Server with an Internet Firewall

You can specify the name server listen port by using well-known port definitions that are declared in the operating system's services file. You can also use the SPD Server command-line interface to specify the listen port. In the services file, the spdsname specification corresponds to the listen port. For UNIX installations, you can define the name server listen port in the rc.spds start-up script. The NSPORT parameter in the rc.spds start-up script defines the name server listen port. If NSPORT is not defined in the rc.spds start-up script, the name server uses the spdsname service entry.

You can specify the SPD Server listen and operator ports by using well-known port definitions that are declared in the operating system's services file. You can also use the SPD Server command-line interface. In the operating system's services file, the spdsserv_sas specification corresponds to the SPD Server listen port. The spdsserv_oper specification corresponds to the SPD Server operator port. For UNIX installations, you can also define the SPD Server listen and operator ports in the rc.spds start-up script for UNIX installations. In an rc.spds start-up script, the SRVLPORT parameter defines the listen port, and the SRVOPORT parameter defines the operator port. If the listen and operator ports are not defined, or are defined as zero values, the SPD Server uses spdsserv_sas and spdsserv_oper in the operating system's services file. If there are no listen or operator ports defined in the operating system's services file, then SPD Server chooses any available ports for listen and operator port functions by default. This is the normal mode of operation when SPD Server clients and servers run in environments that do not have firewalls.

You must use the SPD Server MINPORTNO= and MAXPORTNO= server parameter specifications to define the available range of ports for the SPD Server Base Proxy processes. You must specify both the MINPORTNO= and MAXPORTNO= parameters when you define the range of port numbers that are available to communicate with SPD Server clients that might be outside of a firewall. If the SPD Server parameters for MINPORTNO= and MAXPORTNO= are not specified, an SPD Server Base proxy process uses any port that is available to communicate with its SPD Server client. This is the normal mode of operation when SPD Server clients and servers run in environments that do not have firewalls.

How many port numbers do you need to reserve for SPD Server Base user proxy processes? Each SPD Server Base user proxy process produces its own command port. You can access the command port via command-line specifications that are issued by an SPD Server client. You can access the operator port for a command port by using PROC SPDO operator commands.

Each SPD Server host table that is opened also creates its own port. Each SPD Server table port becomes a dedicated data transfer connection that is used to stream data transfers to and from the SPD Server client. SPD Server host table ports are normally assigned dynamically, unless MINPORTNO= and MAXPORTNO= parameters have been specified.

If MINPORTNO= and MAXPORTNO= parameters have been specified, then SPD Server host table ports are assigned from within the port range that is defined by the minimum and maximum port parameter statements. The port range that is specified by the MINPORTNO= and MAXPORTNO= parameters must be able to accommodate the maximum number of concurrent LIBNAME connections required at the server, as well as the I/O data streams that travel between the SPD Server Base processes on the host and the SPD Server clients.