Mapserver and ArcSDE: issues on compiling and connecting to

[Andreas Albarello]

Francesco,

> 1) to compile Mapserver enabling ArcSDE do I need an ArcSDE licence or 
> is it enough to have it installed (and of course not running)?

to just *compile* MapServer with ArcSDE support all you need are three 
or four import library files (.a or .lib, depending on your operating 
system). Those files tell MapServer that all the specific functions 
required to connect to an ArcSDE database are located in some dynamic 
link library/shared object (.dll or .so) files. These dynamic 
link/shared object files are then required when you execute MapServer.
So, in order to compile as well as to execute a copy of MapServer with 
ArcSDE support you don't even need to have ArcSDE installed on that 
particular machine.

> 2) is it possible to download from somewhere ArcSDE files required for 
> compiling for free?

As far as I know, those files are *not* available for free. They ship 
with each copy of ArcSDE and are included one of those seven or eight 
disks which is labeled "Client" or "C API". AFAIK, they don't get 
installed with the common ArcSDE setup procedure.

> 3) to make Mapserver connect to a remote ArcSDE server, do I need 
> install some sort of client on the Mapserver machine?

You don't need a particular client to connect to an ArcSDE server 
(independently on whether it is local or remote), you just need to 
ensure that on every machine running your copy of MapServer a copy of 
those dll/so files is available as well. They themselves act as client.

> 4) is it possibnle to get this sort of client for free or do I neeed to 
> buy a licence?
>  

Same as above: import libraries as well as dynamic link libraries ship 
with each copy of ArcSDE. Therefore you just need a regular ArcSDE package.

> Thanks for help and best regards
>  
> Francesco Sozzi

Best regards,
-- 
--------------------------------------------------------------------
Andreas Albarello
Analysis & SW Development

Territorium Online srl/GmbH
Via Buozzi Str. 12 - I 39100 Bolzano/Bozen
email: andreas.albarello at territoriumonline.com
web:   www.territoriumonline.com
--------------------------------------------------------------------