Network/Workstation

Installation
Merak Suite 2007.1
December, 2007

COPYRIGHT
Copyright 2007 Schlumberger. All rights reserved.
The information in this document is subject to change without notice. The software described in this document is furnished
under a license agreement. This software may be used or copied only in accordance with the terms of such agreement. It is
against the law to copy the software on any medium except as specifically allowed in the license agreement. No part of this
document may be reproduced or transmitted in any form, or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including
photocopying and recording, for any purpose without the express written permission of Schlumberger.
Merak is a trademark of Schlumberger.
Merak Peep, Merak PetroDesk, Merak PetroDesk Administrator, Merak Decision Tool Kit, Merak Results Broker, Merak
VOLTS, Merak Capital Planning, Merak Petroleum Financials, Merak DBTools, Avocet Data Manager, Avocet Capture,
Avocet Allocation, Avocet Nomination, Avocet Mobile, Avocet Exchange, Avocet Import/Export, Avocet Integrated Asset
Modeler, OFM, FieldBA, and FieldViz are marks of Schlumberger.
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and Microsoft SQL Server are trademarks of Microsoft Corporation.
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All other names and trademarks are the property of their respective owners.
Printed and bound in Canada, December 2007.

Contents
Network/Workstation Installation .................................................................................. 1
About network installations ...........................................................................................................1
Installing to a network ...................................................................................................................1
About adjusting .NET security settings with the CasPol utility......................................................4
Installing to a workstation..............................................................................................................5

How to reach us .............................................................................................................. 6

Network/Workstation
Installation
Merak Suite 2007.1

Network/Workstation Installation
About network installations
Network installations comprise two separate installations.
For the first part of the network installation, the files must be transferred to the network for the
individual workstations to link to. It is during this phase of the installation that the following
decisions must be made:
What applications will be installed?
What type of database will be used for each of those applications?
The second part of the network installation involves setting up the workstations to run the installed
software. This phase of the installation includes:
Copying and registering System DLLs to the workstations; and
Creating all required icons and ODBC Sources.
Caution:
If you are attempting to capture or repackage this installation for use with your internal
distribution software, you will have to capture the .NET Framework installation and the
Merak Suite installation separately. Because a reboot is required at the end of the .NET
Framework installation, attempting to capture the .NET Framework installation within the
Merak Suite installation will result in an incomplete capture. You can find the .NET
Framework installation located in a Microsoft .NET Framework sub-directory on the Merak
Suite v2007.1 CD.

Installing to a network
To install the Merak Suite to a network:
1.

To begin a network installation, run SETUP.EXE /a from the INSTALL directory on your
CD-ROM. When the InstallShield Wizard is fully loaded, the Welcome dialog box opens.

2.

Click Next. The Network Location dialog box opens.

Note:
The location indicated in this dialog box must be accessible by all users of the Merak Suite.
Therefore, we recommend that you use a UNC Path, which will eliminate the risks of any
drive-mapping conflicts. If you are performing the installation directly on the server, you
must enter the drive-mapping or UNC path as though you were accessing the server
remotely. Failure to do so will incorrectly establish many of the settings required by the
Merak Suite.

3.

Accept the default location, or click Change to navigate to a different location, and then click
OK. You are asked if your users will be using PetroDesk.

4.

Setup requires you to know whether or not PetroDesk will be used in order to determine if the
installation needs to install and configure special PetroDesk files.

Click No if your users will not be using PetroDesk (PetroDesk files will not be installed;
this will save about 125MB of hard disk space).
Click Yes if your users require access to PetroDesk.

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Network/Workstation
Installation
Merak Suite 2007.1
The PetroDesk Config File Path dialog box opens.

Note:
Like the directory for the installation files, the directory you select must be accessible by all
users on your network. Therefore, we recommend that you use a fixed drive mapping or UNC
path. As well, all users must have write permissions to this folder.

5.

Both Peep and PetroDesk use the PetroDesk Configuration Files; therefore, if you are not
using either application, you can select the default directory. To change the destination folder
for the installation, click Change and click OK when done.

6.

Click Next to continue. The following message appears:

If you are upgrading the users on your network from a previous version of PetroDesk, it is not
required to install the PetroDesk PDStore layers a second time. However, users will need to
refresh the layers in their existing PetroDesk PDStore Directory with PetroDesk v2007.1 (see
the online Help for PetroDesk Administrator for more information on this process).

6.

Click Yes to install the PetroDesk PDStore Directory.

7.

In the PetroDesk PDStore File Path dialog box, click Change to change the default location
of the PDStore File or click Next to continue.
Note:
Like the directory for the installation files, the directory you select must be accessible by
all users on your network. Therefore, we recommend that you use a fixed drive mapping or
UNC path. As well, all users must have write permissions to this folder.

8.

In the PetroDesk PDStore Layers dialog box, select the PDStore layers you want to use and
click Next.

Note:
The listed data vendors supply only Canadian data. If you do not plan to use Canadian data, do
not select any of the listed vendors. Also, the Merak Suite installation will not actually load
these layers; rather, it will simply set up your system to accommodate them. To load these
layers, contact Schlumberger Information Solutions for a PetroDesk v2007.1 Canadian
Dataset DVD (see How to reach us on page 6 for contact information).

9.

The Capital Planning Database Options dialog box opens.

This dialog box is repeated for Capital Planning, Petroleum Financials, Peep, and VOLTS.
You are required to indicate whether your users will:
use Microsoft SQL Server or Oracle for your database. If you choose either of these
options, you will be asked for database/data source connection information.
be upgrading an existing database and therefore do not require new databases and/or
ODBC data sources to be created. If this is the case, the application will continue to point
at the same database that users were accessing before installing the Merak 2007.1. The
existing databases will require an upgrade (using the Merak Database Toolkit) to the
latest version before users can access them again.
NOT be using the application listed (Capital Planning, Peep, or VOLTS). If this is the
case, you are not asked for database information, and the application will not be visible
for installation on the individual workstations.
10. Select the appropriate option for each application and click Next.
11. Select a database using one of the following procedures:

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Network/Workstation
Installation
Merak Suite 2007.1

To create a Microsoft SQL Server database, type the name of the Server and Database
that you will be using and click Next. You can also modify the name of the ODBC Data
source that the installation will create.
To create an Oracle database, type the Connect String for the database you will be using
and click Next. As with the SQL Server option, you can modify the name of the ODBC
data source that the installation creates.

12. In the Flexlm License Server dialog box, type either an IP address or DNS Name in the field.
If you are unsure of where the FLEXlm server will be located, you can leave this field blank
and the users will be prompted for the location the first time they launch the application(s).
13. Click Next. Setup populates the vr20071.ini file. The vr20071.ini file is contained in the root
directory to which you chose to install the Merak Suite.
The vr20071.ini file contains the information about how the Merak Suite was installed, and
this information is used by the Workstation Installation to set up the individual workstations
on your network. The information contained in the vr45.ini file will include the following:
server that will be issuing FLEXlm licenses;
type of database(s) used for each application; and
connection parameters required for those databases.
The vr20071.ini file is broken into two sections:
a Merak section, which contains information that applies to all applications, and
an individual section for each product.
The Merak Suite files are copied to your network. You do not need to restart your server at the end
of this installation. You are now ready to install the individual workstations.

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Network/Workstation
Installation
Merak Suite 2007.1

About adjusting .NET security settings with the CasPol utility

Some items within the Merak 2007.1 install are new Microsoft .NET Components. In order for
these components to work correctly in network installations, you must use the CasPol utility that
comes with the .Net Framework install. The CasPol utility allows you to set only those files in the
Merak folder to Full Trust which for proper operation of Merak 2007.1 (check with your local IT
group before making any of these changes).
Caution:
Changes to .NET security settings may affect the overall security of your system and should
only be changed in accordance with your company security policy. We recommend that you
coordinate any changes in the .NET security settings with your network administrator.

The CasPol utility is installed as part of the .Net Framework and is available in the following
locations:
.Net 1.1 - (%WINDIR%\Microsoft.NET\Framework\v1.1.4322)
.Net 2.0. (%WINDIR%\Microsoft.NET\Framework\v2.0.50727)
Merak 2007.1 uses both versions of the .Net Framework; therefore, the administrator must use
both versions of CasPol utility (.Net 1.1 and 2.0).
To set the .Net security:
1. From the Start menu, choose Programs > Accessories > Command Prompt to open the
command line.
2. Set the directory to the .Net version of Caspol that you want to use e.g.
C:\WINDOWS\Microsoft.NET\Framework\v1.1.4322.
3. Type in the following command to set the Merak folders to full trust CasPol.exe -m -ag 1.2 url file: \\servername\serverpath\program files\schlumberger\merak* FullTrust -n
Merak2007.1
The following list provides an explanation of the syntax of the Caspol commands:
m - modify the machine level of the policy. This is needed, since the machine level is
where all of the default policy lives. On NT platforms it's also the default level that
CasPol works with, however on Win9x, CasPol will default to the user level, so putting m in the command line explicitly tells CasPol to use the correct level.
ag 1.2 - add a code group under group 1.2. In the default policy, group 1.2 is the
LocalIntranet group, so the new code group that we're creating will only be checked if the
file comes from the intranet.
url file://ServerName/Schlumberger/Merak/* - The membership condition for the
new code group should be a UrlMembershipCondition, and it should match anything with
a URL that starts with file:// <servername>/Tools, meaning that any file on the
\\<servername>\Tools share will match this code group.
FullTrust - The permission set to grant assemblies that match the code group. In this
case, FullTrust.
n name pf the code group

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Network/Workstation
Installation
Merak Suite 2007.1

Installing to a workstation
Install the Merak Suite from a network server to a workstation PC:
1.

Obtain the name of the directory to which the Merak Suite was installed and run
SETUP.EXE. The Welcome dialog box opens.

2.

Click Next. The License Agreement dialog box opens.

3.

Read the agreement carefully. Check I accept the terms in the license agreement and click
Next to continue with the installation.

4.

In the Customer Information dialog box, type the User Name and your Organization name
in their respective fields to register this installation of the Merak Suite.

5.

Select one of the following options:

6.

Anyone who used this computer (all users) makes the application available to anyone
using this workstation.
Only for me prevents other users who are logged into the workstation from using this
application.

Click Next. The Custom Setup dialog box displays a list of Merak applications installed to
your network. The list may differ depending on the applications selected during the network
installation.
Each application in the Merak Suite has sub-components, usually consisting of the application
Help system and release notes. By default, all applications and their sub-components are
installed.

7.

To display a list of the sub-components for the application, click the + symbol next to the
application name.

8.

To create a custom installation, click the icon next to the item you wish to change. A dropdown list of options will open.

9.

To install an application or sub-component, select This feature will be installed to run from
network or This feature will be installed on local hard drive.
In some cases, you will not see the option of running the software from the network, because
some items, such as Help files, must be copied to your local PC.

10. To remove an application or its sub-components from the installation, click the icon next to
the application name, select This feature will not be available option from the drop-down
list of options.
11. Click Next. If you are installing Peep, the Peep Economic Regimes dialog box opens.
12. Select the economic regime(s) that you want to use, and are licensed for. For example, if you
want to use Canadian and United States economics, select the Canada and U. S. check boxes
and clear the World check box (as shown above).
13. Click Next. The Ready to Install dialog box opens.
14. Click Install.
15. Follow the InstallShield Wizard to complete the Merak Suite installation on the workstation.
16. When the installation process is complete, restart your system before using the Merak Suite to
ensure that it functions correctly.
17. Repeat step 1 to 16 for each licensed workstation.

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Network/Workstation
Installation
Merak Suite 2007.1

How to reach us
United States
E-mail: merak-us-support@slb.com
Houston Tel.: +1 713-621-1165

Canada
E-mail: merakcscanada@slb.com
Calgary Tel.: +1-888-986-4357 (toll-free)

Europe and Africa

E-mail: merakcslondon@slb.com
London Tel.: +44 (0)207 517 2626

Russia and Caspian

E-mail: merakcsmoscow@slb.com
Moscow Tel.: 7 495 935 8200 Ext. 1218

South America

International
Offices

E-mail: merakcsmexicocity@slb.com
Mexico Tel.: 001 866 326 0174
Argentina Tel.: 0 800 444 0919
Brazil Tel.: 000811 005 9068
Colombia Tel.: 980912 3029
Venezuela Tel.: 0800 1 00 3588

Middle East
E-mail: merakcsMiddleEast@slb.com

Asia and Australia

E-mail: merakcsasia@slb.com
Malaysia Tel.: +60-3-21694266
Indonesia Tel.: +62-21-5229343
Australia Tel.: +61-1800001112
Thailand Tel.: +66-2-9371300
China Tel.: +86-10-64746699 Ext. 2816

Schlumberger supplements the standard maintenance agreement by offering extended on-site

support worldwide. This enhanced level of support includes on-site assistance, installation,
troubleshooting, and maintenance services of licensed Schlumberger software.
Merak is a product line of Schlumberger Information Solutions (SIS). For more information about
SIS, please go to our Web site at http://www.sis.slb.com.

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