vistarpc4r Tutorial 1: Setting up an OpenVistA instance and database sandbox

This is a tutorial to help you set up a Medsphere OpenVistA system that you can use to play with vistarpc4r, our gem that provides Ruby access to VistA.  It is a pretty barebones setup, just enough for our own product development.  

For our needs, we decided to rely on Amazon Web Services' EC2 stuff.  

1.  Create Amazon EC2 instance. We used AMI ami-ccf405a5, which is an plain vanilla Ubuntu install, but for Maverick Meerkat, since that seems to be the latest version of Ubuntu that Medsphere supports. You get a default user 'ubuntu'

2. Update APT and download the OpenVistA package - Follow the instructions at https://medsphere.org/docs/DOC-1722.

3. Add the user 'ubuntu' to the gtm and openvista groups

1. $sudo adduser ubuntu gtm
2. $sudo adduser ubuntu openvista

4. More or less follow the instructions from https://medsphere.org/docs/DOC-1511

1. $ sudo ovinstanceadd open               # creates an OpenVistA instance in GT.M
2. Download the OpenVistA MUMPS code and globals.  This is the code, written in MUMPS, that is VistA.  The globals are the initial data to populate the database, like ICD-9 codes, medications lists, and some sample patients and providers.  Get the code from https://medsphere.org/download/project/openvista-server
3. Unzip the files you get from Medsphere(may need to install unzip with APT)
4. sudo ovimport -r <directory containing routines> -g <directory>globals.zwr open # loads the code and data into your OpenVistA instance
5. /opt should now contain some directories that have all of the code and globals

5. $openvista open # Fires up your instance

6. OPEN> D P^DI # Fires up Fileman, log in as man,sys

7. When you are done having fun with Fileman, enter "h" at the OPEN> prompt to halt back to the shell

8. $ /etc/init.d/openvista start             # start up the RPC Broker

Now you have a working instance of OpenVista.  You can point the CPRS or CIS GUI at this instance and see the sample data that Medsphere has loaded for you. 


Or, of course, you can point vistarpc4r at it!!!!!!

Next:  Tutorial 2:  How do you add users and patients with vistarpc4r?