Quick Start

Zebra - User's Guide and Reference
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# Chapter 3. Quick Start

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 `examples/gils` subdirectory of the distribution archive. There you will find a configuration file named `zebra.cfg` with the following contents:

       # Where the schema files, attribute files, etc are located.
       profilePath: ../../tab

       # Files that describe the attribute sets supported.
       attset: bib1.att
       attset: gils.att
       attset: explain.att

       recordtype: grs.sgml
       isam: c

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

       zebraidx update records

In the command above, 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:

       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. For instance, you can use the demo client that comes with YAZ:

       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, you know that your installation is working, but there's a certain amount of voodoo going on - for example, the mysterious incantations in the `zebra.cfg` file. In order to help us understand these fully, the next chapter will work through a series of increasingly complex example configurations.

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Installation |  | Example Configurations