10 Using NonStop Software Essentials as a Replacement for the Planner Interface
NonStop Software Essentials and the DSM/SCM Planner Interface have several similarities and differences (see
“Overview of the Similarities and Differences between NonStop Software
Essentials and the DSM/SCM Planner Interface” (page 30) ). It also presents a side-by-side
comparison of how to use NonStop Software Essentials instead of the Planner Interface for the typical progression of activities involved in:
•
“Establishing or Reinitializing a New Host System” (page 34)
•
“Establishing or Reinitializing a New Target System” (page 35)
NOTE:
The DSM/SCM Planner Interface is not supported on 64-bit system consoles (which includes NonStop system consoles running Windows 2008 Server), with J06.19 or later, or on
L15.02 or later. The NonStop Software Essentials interface must be used in place of the DSM/SCM
Planner Interface in those cases.
Overview of the Similarities and Differences between NonStop Software
Essentials and the DSM/SCM Planner Interface
NonStop Software Essentials provides the same, or in many cases, more user-friendly functionality than the DSM/SCM Planner Interface.
30 Using NonStop Software Essentials as a Replacement for the Planner Interface
Figure 1 NonStop Software Essentials Home page
•
Graphical user interface:
◦
The Planner Interface displays fixed views of the Software Archive and Configuration
Revisions (they are always present whether used or not), and some menu items are dependent on the window or row selected.
The Planner Interface features many pop-up dialogs for inputting information, launched by buttons in the main windows.
◦
The Planner Interface shows non-grouped Software Inputs below the Groups in the pane Software in Archive.
In NonStop Software Essentials, this functionality is provided by the Ungrouped Packages node in the Navigation Tree in the left pane and the Ungrouped Packages page. The node is a child of the Software in Archive node in the tree.
◦
NonStop Software Essentials (see
Figure 1 (page 31)
) allows you to select what is displayed in the . The Host Tree is always displayed in the left-hand pane for easy access to the Configuration Revisions pages and Software in Archive views, which are available by expanding those headings in the Host Tree. Likewise, the NonStop
Software Essentials menu bar always appears above the , for easy access to all NonStop
Software Essentials menu options.
Figure 1 (page 31)
shows the NonStop Software
Essentials Home page. Selecting a menu option or clicking a link on the Host Tree or on the of the Home page causes the selected page to be displayed in the . You can always get back to the Home page by clicking Home on the right side of the NonStop
Software Essentials Banner.
To avoid excessive pop-up windows, NonStop Software Essentials often presents multiple tabs within a single window instead.
To make finding and organizing data easier, many of the data tables displayed within
NonStop Software Essentials pages can be sorted by clicking the column headings.
•
Functionality mapping –
Table 2 (page 32)
maps Planner Interface menu options (or buttons) to the functional equivalent in NonStop Software Essentials.
Overview of the Similarities and Differences between NonStop Software Essentials and the DSM/SCM Planner Interface 31
Table 2 Planner Interface and NonStop Software Essentials menu options (or buttons)
Planner Interface Menu Option (or button)
Maintain > Configuration Manager
Maintain > Security Maintenance > Planner List
Maintain > Security Maintenance > DB administrator list
Maintain > Volume Maintenance
Requests > Requests List
Requests > Receive Snapshot
Requests > Receive Software
Requests > Prepare Report
File > View Prepared Documents
Tandem > Support Info > Server Trace
Show Products by Group (button)
File > Show Revision History
Maintain > System Maintenance menu item
Maintain > Target Maintenance menu items
NonStop Software Essentials Menu Option or
Equivalent
Maintenance > Host Configuration
Maintenance > Manage Planners
Maintenance > Manage Host Administrators
Maintenance > Manage Volume Usage
Requests > Show Requests
Requests > Receive Snapshot
Requests > Software Installation > Receive Software
Reports > Manage Reports
Reports > View Prepared Reports
Options > Server Tracing
Options > Show Products in Groups
Comparable to loading the work panel with the Target page
Target Maintenance buttons on the Configuration
Revisions page
Target Maintenance buttons on the Configuration
Revisions page
•
Other miscellaneous changes/improvements in NonStop Software Essentials:
◦
Users with roles, other than planners, can log on to NonStop Software Essentials, and view DSM/SCM information through NonStop Software Essentials.
◦
Request names are more descriptive.
◦
The Request Status functionality monitors requests across both host and target activities, and cancel and restart actions are easier.
◦
The Planner Interface uses less useful Private Product Groups as default; NonStop
Software Essentials supports only Shared Product Groups.
◦
Mixed (upper/lower) case support for Package, Package Group, Planner Group, and
Product Group names (names are not allowed to differ only in case).
◦
Receive Software has better pattern matching support for searches, and also differs in that only selected DSVs are received into the archive.
◦
Difference in how a composite product is displayed:
The DSM/SCM Planner Interface shows a composite product version on a single row in a table, showing update SPRs in the T6031H02 ()+AAA+AAB+AAC format.
NonStop Software Essentials shows the same composite product version on a single row that can be expanded to show the individual Update SPRs in their own rows. The main benefit of this NonStop Software Essentials feature is that an individual SPR, such as AAC, can be deleted from the new revision directly. To delete just AAC in the
DSM/SCM Planner Interface, the entire product would have to be removed, then
T6031H02 (), AAA, and AAB added back.
32 Using NonStop Software Essentials as a Replacement for the Planner Interface
◦
Difference in copying a SUT to create a new Revision:
In the DSM/SCM Planner Interface, to copy a SUT/Revision and establish it as the new base, you must perform the copy without opening/displaying the individual product versions within that SUT/Revision. After you open a SUT/Revision to display the product versions, select all the individual products and perform a copy, that copy does not establish the SUT/Revision as a new base. Copying in that manner copies the individual product versions in an additive manner and does not set the revision RVU level.
Likewise, NonStop Software Essentials provides both copy options, additive as well as copying an entire SUT, to establish a new base revision. The added benefit in NonStop
Software Essentials is that you can open a SUT to view all product versions and still select and copy the entire SUT to create a new base revision. If you select only a subset of the products in a SUT, that constitutes an additive copy and does not establish a new base revision.
◦
NonStop Software Essentials saves the revision notes along with the revision after Save is pressed from the New Revision page.
◦
Differences in how new revisions are identified:
The DSM/SCM Planner Interface indicates that a new revision exists in the left column of the Configuration Revisions window (see
“The DSM/SCM Planner Interface indicating that a new revision exists” (page 33) ), but only after the planner group owns
the new revision with which the current user is a member. An asterisk (*) indicates that the current user owns revision, and the revision is new. An ampersand (@) symbol indicates that the revision is new and not owned by the current user but by another member of the same planner group. If the planner group (in which the current user is a member) does not own the new revision, the left column is blank. The user cannot tell that a new revision exists until they try to create one and get an error message.
Figure 2 The DSM/SCM Planner Interface indicating that a new revision exists
The Configuration Revisions page of NonStop Software Essentials (see
“Configuration
Revisions page” (page 34)
) always displays a new revision—identified as “New” in the
Applied column—regardless of ownership, as well as an incremented revision number for the new revision in the Revision column. The Applied column also displays an icon to indicate when someone other than the current user owns a revision. The icon in the top row (for the RGJ Logical Target on system \BAKER) indicates that someone not in the same planner group as the current user owns the new revision. The icon in the next row (for the “DEFAULT” Logical Target on system \SCUBA) indicates that someone in the same planner group as the current user owns the new revision. The absence of an icon in the row below indicates that the current user owns the new revision for the
DEFAULT2 Logical Target on system \SCUBA).
Overview of the Similarities and Differences between NonStop Software Essentials and the DSM/SCM Planner Interface 33
Figure 3 Configuration Revisions page
◦
Difference in how an uninitialized state is displayed—The uninitialized state of a target is confusing as multiple new revisions can all be assigned a revision number of 1. Only after the targets are initialized can the new revisions assigned incremental revision numbers. The DSM/SCM Planner Interface does not show all the individual revision 1 revisions in the revision history table. With NonStop Software Essentials, you can see complete revision history.
◦
Differences in the build/apply process—NonStop Software Essentials provides more status and control of the build/apply activities by monitoring both the host and target sides; the Planner Interface only has access to information on the host side.
NOTE:
Whether using NonStop Software Essentials or the DSM/SCM Planner
Interface, the Target Interface is required for manual build/apply operations when the target is not Expand-connected to the host.
◦
Differences in report functionality—NonStop Software Essentials provides enhanced software audit. Auditors require reports to verify that the software installed on the servers is what was intended to be installed. The Software Audit Report feature provides a simpler method of gathering such data.
◦
Softdocs cannot be viewed from within NonStop Software Essentials; they can be viewed through Scout.
Establishing or Reinitializing a New Host System
The process flow between NonStop Software Essentials and the DSM/SCM Planner Interface for establishing or reinitializing a new host system vary.
Using DSM/SCM Planner Interface
1.
After running INITENV on the system, in either order:
•
Use the Target Maintenance Interface (ZPHITMI) to define an operator and provide values for System Maintenance and Volume Maintenance.
•
Use the Host Maintenance Interface (ZPHIHMI) to define a planner and provide values for System Maintenance and Volume Maintenance. The Planner Interface cannot be run until a planner is added.
34 Using NonStop Software Essentials as a Replacement for the Planner Interface
2.
Use the Planner Interface to:
•
Define the values for the Configuration Manager Profile.
•
Define the values for the archive and scratch volumes under Volume Maintenance.
•
Modify the Logical Target values under Target Maintenance.
•
Receive Software into the archive to be installed on the target.
•
Create new revision 1 for the target.
•
Build/Apply the revision and initialize the target. After files are placed, activate the new revision.
Using NonStop Software Essentials
1.
After running INITENV on the system, use the Target Maintenance Interface (ZPHITMI) to define an Operator and provide values for System Maintenance and Volume Maintenance.
When defining an Operator, decide if the Request an Audit permission should be enabled; you must submit a Software Audit request in NonStop Software Essentials.
2.
Log on to NonStop Software Essentials as the Host Administrator and owner of the DSM/SCM database (as defined during INITENV). Add the same user as a planner using the Manage
Planners link on the NonStop Software Essentials Home page (planner permissions are updated immediately without logging in again); then:
•
Define the values for the Host Configuration (same as defining values for the
Configuration Manager Profile in the DSM/SCM PI).
•
Define the values for the archive and scratch volumes using the Manage Volume Usage link on the NonStop Software Essentials Home page.
•
Modify both the Physical and Logical Target values under the Target Maintenance heading on the Configuration Revisions page. A single pop-up dialog is used to define both Physical and Logical Target values.
•
Receive Software into the archive to be installed on the target.
•
Create new Revision 1 for the target.
•
Build/Apply the revision and initialize the target. After files are placed, activate the new revision.
Establishing or Reinitializing a New Target System
The process flow between using NonStop Software Essentials and the DSM/SCM Planner
Interface to establish or reinitialize a new target system are different.
Using DSM/SCM Planner Interface
1.
After running INITENV on the target system, use the Target Maintenance Interface (ZPHITMI) to configure system attributes on the target side of DSM/SCM, define an Operator, and specify a scratch volume.
2.
Use the Planner Interface to add a new Physical and Logical Target on the host side. This action requires two separate operations, first using the System Maintenance menu, and then the Target Maintenance menu.
3.
Use the Planner Interface to:
•
Receive Software into the archive to be installed on the target.
•
Create new Revision 1 for the target.
•
Build/Apply the revision and initialize the target. After files are placed, activate the new revision.
Establishing or Reinitializing a New Target System 35
Using NonStop Software Essentials
1.
After running INITENV on the target system, use the Target Maintenance Interface (ZPHITMI) to configure system attributes on the target side of DSM/SCM, define an Operator, and specify a scratch volume.
When defining an Operator, decide if the Request an Audit permission should be enabled; you must submit a Software Audit request in NonStop Software Essentials.
2.
Use NonStop Software Essentials to add a new Physical and Logical Target in a single operation, using the Configuration Revisions link on the NonStop Software Essentials
Home page.
From the Configuration Revisions page, modify both the Physical and Logical Target values by clicking Modify under the Target Maintenance heading. A single pop-up dialog is used to define both Physical and Logical Target values.
3.
Use NonStop Software Essentials to:
•
Receive Software into the archive to be installed on the target.
•
Create new Revision 1 for the target.
•
Build/Apply the revision and initialize the target. After files are placed, activate the new revision.
36 Using NonStop Software Essentials as a Replacement for the Planner Interface
