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VeriSign Intermediate Certificate Update

Information about the upcoming VeriSign Intermediate Certificate Update

Quick Steps

PHINMS Quick Steps provide an overview of the information needed most often. The Quick Steps are documented for Release 2.8.01. Suggestions to add additional questions can be sent to the PHINMS Web Site point-of-contact using the Support tab.

PHINMS Software Request Form

Use the PHINMS Software Request Form to request a copy of the PHINMS 2.7.01 and PHINMS 2.8.01 application installation packages.

  1. PHINMS System Requirements
  2. PHINMS Software Request Form
  3. PHINMS New Installs
  4. Compatible PHINMS Products
  5. Obtain a PartyID
  6. Obtain a User ID and Password
  7. Install PHINMS Software
  8. Obtain a Digital Certificate
  9. PHINMS Configuration
  10. Restart vs. Refresh PHINMS
  11. PHINMS Installation Verification Test
  12. CDC Connectivity Test
  13. Create Route Map
  14. Transport Queue Configuration
  15. Worker Queue Configuration
  16. Service Map for the Worker Queue Configuration
  17. Digital Certificate Configuration
  18. PHINMS Upgrade


1. PHINMS System Requirements

The system requirements for using PHINMS are as follows:

  1. 512MB hard disk space,
  2. 1GB memory,
  3. Windows 2003, XP, Solaris Sparc 10.3, or Red Hat Linux 5.0 operating system,
  4. local administrator privileges, and
  5. system administrator privileges on Solaris or Linux.

Some versions are not backwards. Additional factors will need to be considered such as what version the Sender is using versus the Receiver and vise versa. Contact the PHIN Help Desk  PHINTech@cdc.gov  for more information.

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2. PHINMS Software Request Form

Use the PHINMS Software Request Form to gain access to the CDC FTP Site to download the PHINMS Software.

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3. PHINMS New Installs

The Installation Wizard guides the user through the base installation of the PHINMS Sender and/or Receiver. It is the responsibility of the administrator to configure routes and database connections after completing the installation. The following major components are installed with the wizard

  1. Tomcat 6.0.14 server
  2. JDK 1.6.0 Update 3 (1.6.0_03-b05)
  3. PHINMS 2.8.01 Receiver and Sender web applications
  4. PHINMS 2.8.01 default configuration files and directory structure
  5. Shortcut to PHINMS 2.8.01 console on user specific desktop
  6. Default databases
    • Windows: HSQLDB 1.8.0.4 engine
    • Solaris and Linux: HSQLDB 1.8.0.4 engine

When "Install as service" is selected on Windows platform, Tomcat 6.0.14 will be installed in the Windows services panel with the display name of "PHINMS Tomcat Instance" and HSQLDB with "PHINMS Database Engine Service".

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4. Compatible Products

PHINMS 2.8.01 has been tested on the following operating systems, databases, application servers, Sender proxy servers and Receiver proxy servers:

    1. Operating systems:
    • Windows 2003 Server (Standard and Enterprise) SP2
    • Windows XP Pro SP2
    • Sun Solaris 10 Update 3
    • Red Hat Enterprise Linux ES release 4, Kernel version 2.6.9-42.0.8.ELsmp
    2. Certified Default Database:
    • HSQL DB 1.8.0.4 - used for testing purposes
    • MS Access
    3. Production Qualified Databases:
    • Microsoft SQL Server 2000, SQL Server 2005
    • Oracle 10g release 2, 9i Release 2
    • MySQL 4.1, 5.0
    4. Application Servers:
    • Tomcat 6.0.14
    • Web logic Server 8.1 SP6
    5. Sender Side Proxy servers:
    • Netscape Proxy server 3.6 SP1 to SP6
    • Squid 2.6 Stable 4
    6. Receiver Side Proxy Servers:
    • Netscape Proxy server 3.6 SP1 to SP6
    • IIS 6.0 with Web logic 8.1 plug-in
    • IIS 6.0 with Jakarta Tomcat Connector 1.2.15
    • Novell iChain 2.3.3 reverse proxy server

PHINMS has tested certain JDBC drivers to connect to the supported databases and found no issues based on the tests performed. PHINMS does not guarantee nor support the JDBC driver versions shown in the table below. It is the responsibility of the PHINMS customer to decide which JDBC driver to use. The table is provided for reference purposes only.

DB Server Type DB Version JDBC Driver Name Type Version Date Published
MS SQL 2005 sqljdbc.jar
4
 1.2.2828 10/11/2007
Oracle 10g Rel 2 classes12.jar   10.2.0.2 1/22/2006
Oracle 9i Rel 2 ojdbc6.jar      
MySQL 4.1, 5.0 mysql-connector-java-5.0.4-bin.jar
4
3
 10/20/2006

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5. Obtain a CDC Party ID

Regardless of the PHINMS version installed, a CDC PartyID is required. A PartyID is required for each instance of PHINMS or each installation of PHINMS. A PartyID uniquely identifies a PHINMS installation, also known as an instance or node, in the Public Health Information Network (PHIN). The PHINMS installation transmits the PartyID along with every message which notifies the recipient of the origin of the message. A PartyID will resemble "2.16.840.1.114222.4.3.2.2.2.1.2".


Send a completed PHINMS Software Request for each PHINMS installation to obtain a PartyID from the PHIN Help Desk PHINTech@cdc.gov. Save the PartyID until the initiation of the PHINMS installation. The PartyID will be permanently stored once entered into the PHINMS Installation wizard.

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6. Obtain a User ID and Password

Once Step 2 is complete, the PHIN Help Desk will need to be contacted to obtain the User ID, password, and the FTP site used to download the PHINMS software.

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7. Install PHINMS Software

The installation steps are located in the PHINMS Implementation Guides. Refer to one of the following release specific guides:

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8. Obtain a Digital Certificate

A Digital Certificate issued by Verisign through the CDC's Secure Data Network is required when sending messages to the CDC. A CDC's Digital Certificate will only be provided to partners sending data to the CDC. When a messaging partner sends data to organizations other than the CDC, a Digital Certificate will need to be acquired from a third-party vendor.
Instructions for obtaining a CDC Digital Certificate are located in the PHINMS 2.8.01 Implementation Guide

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9. PHINMS Configuration

The PHINMS Implementation Guides provides basic configuration instructions to successfully use PHINMS. Refer to one of the following release-specific guides:

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10. Restart vs. Refresh PHINMS

When PHINMS configuration files have been changed or a new component has been added, the PHINMS Tomcat service will need to be restarted for the changes to take effect. This can be done in Services located in the Administrative Tools folder. When adding data to the database, using the refresh button on the console will suffice.

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11. PHINMS Installation Verification Test

PHINMS has two components, the Sender and the Receiver. Sending a Ping message from the Sender to the Receiver ensures both the PHINMS Sender and Receiver components are working properly. Complete the installation test by referring to one of the following release specific guides:

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12. CDC Connectivity Test

The CDC Connectivity Test is used to verify messages can be sent directly to the CDC or to use the CDC as an intermediary server (Route-not-Read). This test ensures the PHINMS Sender is able to send an outbound Ping message to a PHINMS Receiver hosted at the CDC and the CDC's Receiver successfully receives the message. Complete the CDC Connectivity test by referring to one of the following release specific guides:

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13. Create Route Map

A Route Map is used to send messages to specific recipients. The Route Map stores the recipient's attributes, such as the URL, transport protocol, and authentication type. Create a Route Map by referring to one of the following release specific guides:

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14. Transport Queue Configuration

The Sender uses a Transport Queue (TransportQ) is a relational database table interfacing between the application creating the message and PHINMS which stores the meta-base information and data to be sent. The Sender polls the TransportQ for messages. PHINMS is packaged with a database; however, a different database can be configured for the TransportQ. Use the applicable Implementation Guide pertaining to the version which documents the steps to configure a TransportQ. The Implementation Guide is located on the Installation tab.

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15. Worker Queue Configuration

The Receiver uses a Worker Queue (WorkerQ) to store incoming messages in a database table. The WorkerQ is configured from the Receiver configuration screens located in the console. The 2.8.01 release comes bundled with HSQL but can be configured using other databases. Use the applicable Implementation Guide pertaining to the version which documents the steps to configure a WorkerQ. The Implementation Guides are located on the Installation tab

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16. Service Map for the Worker Queue Configuration

Each message has an envelope with addressing information tags referred to as a Service and Action pair. They are character strings logically mapped to a Worker Queue (asynchronous messaging). The service and action pair determines the location of the delivery. The Service Map and the Worker Queue are configured on the Receiver. Refer to Step 14. The Service Map also includes the type of Message Handler which is Servlet, Worker Queue, and Error Queue.

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17. Digital Certificate Configuration

Instructions are in the PHINMS 2.8.01 Implementation Guide for importing and exporting the Digital Certificate.

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18. PHINMS Upgrade

Instructions are located in the PHINMS 2.8.01 Implementation Guide for upgrading PHINMS using the correlating version.

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