Getting Started

This section covers the Mataara client module for Drupal, including installation, configuring settings and issuing console commands via the Drupal shell utility, drush.

Requirements

The Drupal Mataara client is supported for Drupal 6, 7 and 8 sites, with support planned for Drupal 9. You will need sufficient administrator access on the site to install and configure modules. Console access to run drush commands is not strictly necessary, but may be useful while setting up and testing the configuration.

Sending reports to a Mataara server via email requires that your Drupal site and server have been configured to work with a mail transfer agent (e.g. Postfix or sendmail).

Choosing a Method

Mataara supports sending encrypted messages via two methods: email and HTTP/S. Each of them has advantages.

• Using HTTP or preferably HTTPS sends data to the server directly for immediate processing. However, it will need to be able to make a direct network connection which may require some extra firewall configuration on some networks. If the Mataara client cannot make a connection for some reason, the report will not be sent and it will have to be either re-sent manually or wait until the system’s next scheduled reporting time.
• Using email is less direct, but in situations where the network is less reliable the mail transfer agent can queue messages and attempt to send them multiple times. Depending on the volume of messages being handled, it may also mean that reports come in a long time after they are generated (usually minutes, but possibly longer). Email messages can also be archived external to the Mataara server, for backup or auditing purposes.