Business Service Management

Home > Best Practices > Cloning Tivoli Business Service Manager version 4.2 Servers

Cloning Tivoli Business Service Manager version 4.2 Servers

This paper includes information about cloning IBM Tivoli Business Service Manager (TBSM) version 4.2 servers.

Overview

TBSM customers have frequently asked for the ability to clone the TBSM server. Satisfying this requirement would help the client in a number of scenarios where they have an investment in the service model and other customization that they would like to preserve:

• Moving from a development system to a certification system
• Moving from a certification system to a production system
• Taking a snapshot of the production system to run as a development system

The ability to clone a system in general requires the ability to export the source system into an exchange format that can be imported into the target system. The goal is to reproduce the system state of the source system without actually copying the entire operating system to the target, then having to find all the configuration data to adjust for the new host.

TBSM 4.2 Servers

Starting with Tivoli Business Service Manager 4.2, TBSM consists of two separate servers:

• TBSM Data server
• TBSM Dashboard server

The TBSM Data server provides access to all TBSM data. This includes the service model persisted in the Postgres database. In addition, the Data server provides access to the various data elements used by TBSM, including, for example, custom view definitions, custom canvases, and custom scorecards. This server is installed as an application in the Embedded Websphere Application Server (eWAS).

The TBSM Dashboard server has been separated from the single TBSM server that ran in the Netcool GUI Foundation environment prior to TBSM 4.2. A single TBSM Data server supports multiple Dashboard servers, providing the ability to balance the client workload across multiple Dashboard servers. The Dashboard server is deployed as a web application into the Tivoli Integrated Portal, which is also running in an eWAS environment.

Cloning the TBSM Data server

TBSM 4.2 fully supports cloning of the TBSM Data server. As part of the migration support for TBSM 4.2 from TBSM 4.1 and 4.1.1, an export utility was provided with the TBSM 4.2 Launchpad. This export utility was extended to support exporting from a TBSM 4.2 Data server in addition to the ability to export TBSM 4.1 and 4.1.1 servers.

During a TBSM 4.2 advanced installation, the user can select to import data from an existing TBSM system. The data provided can be from a TBSM 4.2 Data server, which means the importation results in a clone of the source TBSM 4.2 Data server.

The procedure for cloning the TBSM 4.2 Data server is described completely in "TBSM 4.2 Server Cloning Procedure".

Cloning the TBSM Dashboard server

The TBSM Dashboard server consists of a Web application deployed into the TIP environment. A few elements of TBSM data are also stored on the TBSM Dashboard server, but most TBSM data is handled by the Data server.

As with the Data server, the data elements that reside on the Dashboard server can be exported using the TBSM 4.2 export utility. This data can then be imported during the Advanced installation of a TBSM Dashboard server, providing a partial clone of the Dashboard server.

The Dashboard server, in a broader sense, and certainly from the customer perspective, encompasses several components provided by other development teams in Tivoli software.

Thus an effective clone of the TBSM Dashboard server requires the participation of all of these components:

• Tivoli Integrated Portal - this is the UI infrastructure providing, for example, product and user defined page layouts, charting, security, and much more
• Tivoli Common Reporting
• IBM Tivoli Netcool/Webtop - provides user interface for event management

At the general availability of TBSM 4.2 the tools for cloning are not available for these components, or if available, are not integrated into a single cloning solution for the TIP environment. Thus, this document will initially only describe how to clone the TBSM specific Dashboard data using the utilities and install features provided with TBSM 4.2.

For the other components, this document should evolve to document utilities and manual procedures that can assist the customer in realizing a clone of the TBSM Dashboard server. Thus this paper contains many sections that are placeholders for the required cloning information. Consumers of this information should occasionally check on the TBSM Wiki for updates to this paper.

The ultimate solution, as additional product releases are rolled out, would be an integrated cloning solution that encompasses all the Tivoli components that are deployed in the Tivoli Integrated Portal. At that point, this paper would be supplanted by the standard product publications.

TBSM 4.2 Server Cloning Procedure

The following sections provide detailed instructions on how to clone the TBSM 4.2 servers using the utilities and installation features provided with TBSM 4.2. The basic outline of the procedure is as follows:

• Export from a TBSM 4.2 Data Server, the Dashboard server, or both
• Move the data to a location accessible by the TBSM 4.2 target system to be installed
• Perform an advanced installation of the TBSM 4.2 product and import data that is exported from the source servers

The following procedure outlines the steps for cloning either the Data or the Dashboard server. Any differences in procedure based on the server being cloned are noted.

Exporting TBSM Data

TBSM 4.2 includes a utility in its Launchpad that exports data from an existing TBSM 4.2 system. The major categories of data that are captured during the export include the following:

• Data server
  • Postgres database dump to capture services and templates
  • TBSM data files, including:
    • Custom canvases
    • Custom view definitions
    • Customized tree template file (used to produce custom scorecards)
    • Properties files
    • Data fetchers and datasources
• Dashboard server
  • TBSM Dashboard data files, including:
    • Icons and images
    • Properties files
    • GIS maps
    • Custom user interface content (JSPS, HTML, images, and so on)

The following sections describe using the export utility.

Preparing the system for export

Because the export utility takes a snapshot of the working TBSM 4.2 system, it is important to quiesce the system when you are ready to perform the export. Ideally, the export will occur while no users are logged in to the TBSM Console and no services are being created by the various discovery mechanisms.

Here are some recommendations to follow before exporting from the TBSM 4.2 system. Note that these considerations apply only for exporting the Data server:

1. Require all users to log out.
2. Stop all event feeds to the Object Server, if feasible. This is necessary only if autopopulation rules are actively creating services. Stopping the Object Server is not recommended, because this can affect the functioning of the TBSM servers.
3. Disable data fetchers. This too is required only if autopopulation rules are actively creating services.
4. Stop the XML Toolkit Service to prevent Discovery Library Books from creating services.
5. Stop any scheduled processes that might be using the rad_radshell utility to populate the TBSM database.

Preparing to run the export utility

The TBSM export utility takes its input from a properties file that must be prepared prior to running the export utility. The utility prompts you for the location of the customized properties file and then exports from the TBSM 4.2 system based on this input. The TBSM 4.2 installation image includes template properties files that should be customized and used as input to the export utility.

Copy one of the template properties files from the TBSM 4.2 install image to a local directory based on the operating system that you are using:

Windows systems: TBSM\export\win\TBSMExportClone.prop
Linux and UNIX systems: TBSM/export/unix/TBSMExportClone.prop

Modify the local copy of TBSMExportClone.prop, following the instructions contained in the file. All properties not commented out (no number sign [#] at the beginning of the line), must be specified. The output directory must exist and the version must be 42. Do not include any extra white space at the end of any property value specification and use forward slashes (/)as directed.

The properties export_data_home and expor_dash_home are used to indicate which servers to export. Only a single export run is required if both servers are on the same system. For the typical scenario where the servers are on different systems, you should run the export on each system and set only the property for the server present on the system.

Also note that a default Postgres user ID is included for Windows systems. If this was changed at installation time for the 4.2 system, please be sure to specify the valid user ID for accessing the Postgres database. For Linux and UNIX systems, no default is specified because the TBSM 4.2 installation defaults the Postgres user to the non-root user used to install TBSM 4.2.

Make note of the location of the modified TBSMExportClone.prop. The export utility prompts you for the location of this file. Also, create the directory specified for property export_target if it does not already exist.

Note: The properties file that is provided to the export utility must be a write-enabled file if any of the password properties are specified. The export utility clears the plain text passwords when the export is complete. The utility resport a failure if the passwords are specified but cannot be cleared due to the properties file being read only. In this case, the export has completed and the exported data is ready for use by the TBSM 4.2 install. Note however that the passwords remain in plain text in the properties file in this case, so it is recommended that the input properties file be write-enabled for the user running the export utility.

Running the export utility

The following steps describe the details of running the export utility.

1. Run launchpad.exe (launchpad.sh on Linux or UNIX systems) from the TBSM image.
   
   
2. Select "Export data from TBSM 4.x " from the menu on the left side of the launchpad.
   
   
   
3. Select the Run the TBSM 4.x Export Tool hyperlink.
   
   
   
4. Select the language that you want, and then click OK.
   
   
5. Click Next on the Welcome window.
   
   
6. Read the license agreement, select the appropriate radio button, and then click Next.
   
   
7. Specify the location of the modified local copy of TBSMExportClone.prop. Optionally, click the Browse button and navigate to the properties file using the Open dialog. Click the Next button when the file has been specified.
   
   
   
8. Click Next on the "Ready to begin" window and the export process begins.
   
   
9. The progress window updates as the export utility runs. If the utility fails, refer to the log indicated in the error window. Otherwise, select Finish when the export completes successfully.

The export utility creates a directory called TBSMExport in the output directory you specified in property export_target . This directory contains a single subdirectory that identifies that the export is from 4.2. In the subdirectory TBSMExport/42 will exist the subdirectories containing the various groups of data captured by the export. In addition there will be a log subdirectory containing logs that track the various export tasks that were run. These logs will be useful in the event the export utility fails.

Moving the Export Output

TBSM provides no utilities for moving the exported data to a location accessible by the system onto which TBSM 4.2 will be installed. Because the data varies in size based primarily on the amount of data in the Postgres database, utilities such as ZIP and TAR might be required to make the data movement more efficient.
Depending on your environment, the export output could be copied, moved using FTP, or possibly used from the export location using Windows "net use" or Linux or Unix mount commands. These steps involve security considerations and local protocols, and therefore are left to the user as manual steps.

Example

1. Assume the following in the input properties file TBSMExportClone.prop:
   
   export_target=/home/sys1/tbsmexport
   
   and assume the Export utility is run on a TBSM 4.2 machine containing both the Data and Dashboard servers.
   
   
2. The resulting export data will be found in
   /home/sys1/tbsmexport/TBSMExport/42
   
   with various subdirectories that contain each type of exported data.
   
   
3. Assume the data is to be moved to location
   
   /home/sys2/importdata.
   
   
4. Copy the content
   
   /home/sys1/tbsmexport to /home/sys2/importdata
   
   
5. The resulting directory should have the directory structure
   
   /home/sys2/importdata/TBSMExport/42
   
   
6. When prompted by the TBSM 4.2 installation program, you specify
   
   /home/sys2/importdata
   
   as the directory containing the exported data.

The import program must find directory TBSMExport in the directory you specify, and TBSMExport must contain subdirectory 42 to indicate the TBSM version of the data being imported.

Linux and UNIX permissions

Care must be taken to ensure the file permissions are valid for the user installing TBSM 4.2 and trying to access the exported data. After the move or copy of the exported data, make sure that the user installing TBSM 4.2 has read permission for all files and directories in the exported data.

Installing TBSM 4.2

During the installation of a TBSM 4.2 system, you are given the option to import data from an existing TBSM system. In the case of cloning, this data should be the output of the TBSM Export utility when run on a TBSM 4.2 system.

You may choose to install the Data and Dashboard servers onto the same computer, or install one at a time on different computers. The exported data that you specify during the installation must contain data for the server that is being installed. The exported data can be in a common location for both servers or in different locations, as long as the location specified contains the expected type of data for the server or servers being installed.

The cloning is completed during the TBSM 4.2 installation because this ensures the cloning is occurring on a freshly installed 4.2 system. The import option used for cloning is only available when performing an Advanced installation. For more details on installing TBSM, see the TBSM 4.2 Installation Guide.

Launch the TBSM 4.2 installer and perform the following steps:

1. Navigate the language selection, Introduction, and so on to get to the screen entitled "Installation Type", as illustrated below:
   
   
   
2. Select Advanced and then click Next.
   
   
3. Select the check box labeled "Migrate data from existing TBSM system". This option should only be allowed if one or both of Data Server and Dashboard Server is enabled and checked. If either server check box is disabled because the server was previously installed, then the installation should only import data for the server actually being installed. This is to ensure that the data is being imported into a freshly installed server.
   
   
   
4. Enter the name of the directory containing the TBSM export output. Note that this is the parent directory of the subdirectory TBSMExport. In other words, the import utility looks for directory TBSMExport as a subdirectory of the path that you specify here.
   
   
   
5. Continue with the configuration panels for the Advanced installation. The importation step will start once the standard installation is complete.
   
   
6. You can find log files for the TBSM 4.2 cloning import in directory TBSM_HOME\log, where TBSM_HOME is the installation directory for TBSM (for example, C:\IBM\tivoli\tbsm).

Tivoli Integrated Portal Cloning Procedures

Tivoli Integrated Portal provides a common user interface for Tivoli products. Tivoli Business Service Manager is one of the first products to be available on this user interface platform. The main console for TBSM is provided by TIP and consists of a Task List and workspace for viewing pages. TBSM and other products provide pages and views that are ready to use as is, and the customer can add their own pages and views, using the portlets provided by the products.

TIP supports a role based model for security in its user interface. Each page or view has roles associated with it and the user of the console must have at least one of these roles assigned in order to use the page or view. A TIP administrator manages the role assignments for users and groups, as well as the roles required for the various visual elements.

The following sections deal with cloning of the various data elements that make up the TIP configuration on a TBSM 4.2 Dashboard server.

Note: The following sections are just placeholders for possible topics. The actual topics and content are at the discretion of the owner for the TIP section of this document.

Pages and Views

More information to come.

Charts

More information to come.

Roles and Role Assignments

More information to come.

Branding

More information to come.

Miscellaneous

More information to come. This may includes things like:

• Preference profiles
• Log/trace settings

Tivoli Common Reporting Cloning Procedures

IBM Tivoli Common Reporting is provided as part of the Tivoli Integrated Portal. TBSM provides report designs that are ready to use as is, but a user can customize these designs or create a new report.

The following sections are about the cloning of the various data elements that comprise the Tivoli Common Reporting configuration on a TBSM 4.2 Dashboard server.

Report Artifacts

More information to come.

Security Settings

More information to come.

Schedules

More information to come.

IBM Tivoli Netcool/Webtop

IBM Tivoli Netcool/Webtop provides a suite of tools for viewing and managing events from an Omnibus Object Server. A version of Webtop is embedded in TBSM 4.2, and TBSM exploits Webtop capabilities such as the Active Event List portlet and the Lightweight Event List portlet. TBSM 4.2 also includes entities and views used to populate these event list portlets.

Webtop Cloning Considerations

Webtop administrators can customize their configuration by adding or modifying the following type of Webtop elements:

1. User preferences
2. Filters and views
3. Entities, entity views, and entity groups
4. Maps and map resources
5. Common Gateway Interface CGI scripts
6. Menus
7. Tools, including prompts
8. Other configuration files, including data sources, charts, and smartpages

Webtop configuration data files are stored in the following directory on the TBSM Dashboard server:

<TIP_HOME>/profiles/TIPProfile/etc/webtop

Because the configuration files are in subdirectories that are in the webtop directory, you can compress the webtop directory and move it entirely to the target TBSM Dashboard server. However, the better practice is to only move the files that you know that you customized.

Here is an example:

• User filters and views can be found in the webtop/data directory, organized by user name.
• Entity related data is stored in the webtop/entities directory.
• Maps are stored in the webtop/maps directory and map resources are in the webtop/resources directory.
• Menus and tools are stored in files found in the webtop/configstore directory.
• Data sources are configured in the webtop/datasources directory.

Files moved to the target system might require modification if they contain host names or IP addresses that identify the source system. For example, the file defining data sources might need to be updated to have the correct host name for the target system.

Webtop Export Utility

The Webtop 2.2 Exporter utility is available for Windows, Linux and Solaris systems. This utility makes it easy to export all or part of a Webtop configuration. The utility has full support for Webtop 2.2 and earlier versions.

You can download the Webtop 2.2 Exporter utility from the Netcool Global Advanced Technology (GAT) team Web site. If you have a subscription for this Web site, then go to:

http://w3-03.ibm.com/software/tivoli/gat/toolsutils/

Type Webtop 2.2 Exporter in the search field if the utility is not listed on the main utilities page.

Contributors