Chapter 3. Quick Start

FIXME - Start with the new improved example scripts that run without any configuration file changes!

In this section, we will test the system by indexing a small set of sample GILS records that are included with the software distribution. Go to the test/gils subdirectory of the distribution archive. There you will find a configuration file named zebra.cfg with the following contents:

   # Where are the YAZ tables located.
   profilePath: ../../../yaz/tab ../../tab
   
   # Files that describe the attribute sets supported.
   attset: bib1.att
   attset: gils.att
  

Now, edit the file and set profilePath to the path of the YAZ profile tables (sub directory tab of the YAZ distribution archive).

The 48 test records are located in the sub directory records. To index these, type:

   $ ../../index/zebraidx -t grs.sgml update records
  

In the command above the option -t specified the record type — in this case grs.sgml. The word update followed by a directory root updates all files below that directory node.

If your indexing command was successful, you are now ready to fire up a server. To start a server on port 2100, type:

   $ ../../index/zebrasrv tcp:@:2100
  

The Zebra index that you have just created has a single database named Default. The database contains records structured according to the GILS profile, and the server will return records in either either USMARC, GRS-1, or SUTRS depending on what your client asks for.

To test the server, you can use any Z39.50 client (1992 or later). For instance, you can use the demo client that comes with YAZ: Just cd to the client subdirectory of the YAZ distribution and type:


   $ ./yaz-client tcp:localhost:2100
  

When the client has connected, you can type:


   Z> find surficial
   Z> show 1
  

The default retrieval syntax for the client is USMARC. To try other formats for the same record, try:


   Z>format sutrs
   Z>show 1
   Z>format grs-1
   Z>show 1
   Z>format xml
   Z>show 1
   Z>elements B
   Z>show 1
  

Note: You may notice that more fields are returned when your client requests SUTRS or GRS-1 records. When retrieving GILS records, this is normal - not all of the GILS data elements have mappings in the USMARC record format.

If you've made it this far, there's a good chance that you've got through the compilation OK.