In the simplest configuration, Optim™ operates as a client application with all processing taking place directly on the Windows workstation. Unless the database is installed locally, the appropriate DBMS client software is used to communicate with the remote database over a network.

However, a different configuration may be desirable when network traffic generated by Optim competes with other network use, or when workstation capacity (processor, memory, or disk space) causes some tasks to be inefficient or impossible to accomplish. Also, a different configuration is required if processing data from a database in a UNIX or Linux environment.
The Optim Server (Server) allows users to define tasks on a Windows workstation, and direct resource-intensive data processing functions to a machine more suited to the task. When a task requires the movement, processing or storage of very large volumes of data, the request can be defined at the workstation in the normal way, then directed for remote processing on the machine hosting the Server.
The Server can be installed and run on a Microsoft Windows, Sun Solaris, Hewlett-Packard HP-UX, or IBM® AIX® platform, or on a Red Hat Application Server. If this machine is the machine on which the database is running, network traffic associated with the movement of data is eliminated. You can also install the Server on a machine dedicated to the Server function.

A dedicated server must have connectivity to the database, but can be configured to avoid competition with other network traffic. In general, a process must be defined using Optim running on a Windows platform. However, a process can be initiated on any platform, using the Command Line Interface.
Regardless of the configuration you choose, you must first install Optim on a Windows machine that has connectivity to your database (i.e., the “First Workstation”). Following this installation, you will configure the first workstation to create the Optim Directory and any DB Aliases needed to access your databases. If the first workstation is to be used as a Server, you can also configure it for this. You can then install and configure any additional Windows-based workstations or Servers (using the Configure Additional Workstation task and, if needed, following the steps for Server configuration).
If you are implementing the Server on a UNIX or Linux-based machine, you can follow the directions in Install and Configure the Server under UNIX or Linux once the Windows installations are complete and Optim Directory and DB Aliases are configured.
Several steps are involved in installing Optim. This overview explains these steps, discusses the software and environmental requirements for using the application software, and describes the information you must prepare for the installation and configuration process.