Using a different port with Cognos 8.4

The result of some specific security measures we were asked to temporarily designate an alternative port for our Cognos 8.4 development environment.

I was under an assumption that this change would be directed through our webserver but quickly discovered that when an e-mail is sent, the link does not honor the specified port number. After some head scratching and paying some much needed attention to the manuals I found the correct solution:

1. 1. open Cognos Configuration on the server you're using
2. 2. select Environment
3. 3. under Gateway Settings, select Gateway URI
4. 4. change the URI to a fully qualified domain name adding your port number
5. 5. save and restart

Tip: Setting the default skin

Quick tip - I've defined a new skin for IBM Cognos 8.4 and want to set it as the default for all new users:

Browse to Cognos Administration >Security>Users, Groups and Roles, and click into the "Cognos" directory. Now set this in the "Edit Default User" settings (the icon is in the upper right corner).

Your Corporate Brand on the C8 UI

Want to modify / customize your C8 headers (and add your company name and logo for example)? Look to make these changes directly in the system.xml (cognos\c8\templates\ps\portal\system.xml).

Steps:

1. 1. Place an image in the folder \c8\webcontent\skins\my_style\branding, where "my_style" is one of the skins/styling that is being used for the portal.
2. 2. Edit the /c8/templates/ps/portal/system.xml file using Notepad or an XML editor.
3. 3. Search for You will notice that this section is commented out. Un-comment out this section and customize as needed.
4. 4. Restart the Cognos 8 service for these changes to take effect.
   

Ensure you make a backup of your original system.xml file. Refer to the section: "Part 8 Customization" in the Cognos 8 Administration and Security Guide.

Installing Cognos ReportNet on Oracle

This supporting guide is a little dated (Cognos ReportNet) but still useful when setting up Cognos and the BI samples with the Content Store hosted on Oracle. If you need a copy of the Oracle database to practice on, there is a developer program where you can download any Oracle software for free, as long as you do not use it for commercial purposes (and some other restrictions). http://technet.oracle.com

The installation process is as follows:

1. 1. Install Cognos;
   
2. 2. Configure Oracle;
   
3. 3. Configure IIS;
   
4. 4. Configure Cognos;
   
5. 5. Install Samples;
   
6. 6. Test

Download the document: ReportNet Install Guide on Oracle

For more detailed installation information always consult the official install guides.