The default configuration when VT Writer is installed uses a local Postgres database. This guide shows you how to connect your VT Writer instance (installed on Red Hat) to an external Postgres database.

Note: in all snippets below replace <external-postgres-server-or-ip> with your external Postgres server hostname or IP.

Prerequisites

Your external Postgres version must be version 10.x and must have the postgres-contrib module installed.

Setup external VisibleThread database

Run the sql in this script as the postgres user to setup the external databases/users : vt-readability-db-setup.sql

psql -h <external-postgres-server-or-ip> -U postgres -f vt-readability-db-setup.sql

Backup/restore local DB to external DB

1.   On the local box, backup the DBs :

cd /opt/visiblethread
sudo su postgres
pg_dump vtreadability > /tmp/vtreadabilitybackup.sql
pg_dump vtinsights > /tmp/vtinsightsbackup.sql

2. On the local box, restore the backups to the external DB box :

psql -h <external-postgres-server-or-ip> -U vtinsights -f /tmp/vtinsightsbackup.sql vtinsights
psql -h <external-postgres-server-or-ip> -U vtreadability -f /tmp/vtreadabilitybackup.sql vtreadability

Point Readability app at external DB

Edit the vt_readability_service.sh file :

vi /opt/visiblethread/readability/vt_readability_service.sh

and remove  "--spring.datasource.primary." from the first java command "nohup java". From the same location copy/paste the below args and edit "<external-Database>" to reflect your database :

--spring.datasource.primary.url=jdbc:postgresql://<external-Database>:5432/vtreadability --spring.datasource.primary.username=vtreadability --spring.datasource.primary.password=vtreadability2017 --spring.datasource.secondary.url=jdbc:postgresql://<external-Database>:5432/vtinsights --spring.datasource.secondary.username=vtinsights --spring.datasource.secondary.password=vtinsights2018

--spring.datasource.primary.url=jdbc:postgresql://<external-Database>:5432/vtreadability --spring.datasource.primary.username=vtreadability --spring.datasource.primary.password=vtreadability2017 --spring.datasource.secondary.url=jdbc:postgresql://<external-Database>:5432/vtinsights --spring.datasource.secondary.username=vtinsights --spring.datasource.secondary.password=vtinsights2018

Save and quit editing, then restart the service : 

systemctl restart vt-readability

Verify that VT WRiter is using the external DB

In your web browser, login to VT Writer and run a text scan.

If you run the following in the external database you should see the text you just analyzed :   

select title, started_date from scans order by id desc;

Recommended config for external Postgres

We recommend that you make this change to your external postgres.conf :

max_connections = 200
max_locks_per_transaction=500