Command-line interface for InfoSphere Metadata Asset Manager

Use the InfoSphere® Metadata Asset Manager command-line interface (CLI) to perform operations from a script. You can use the command-line interface to import metadata, reimport metadata, list and delete import areas, delete staged imports from import areas, and designate metadata interchange servers.

The command-line interface is supported on Windows, UNIX, and Linux computers. To run commands on UNIX or Linux computers, you must install software listed in this technote: http://www.ibm.com/support/docview.wss?uid=swg27038230.

The following command-line actions are supported:

List import areas
Delete staged imports
Delete import areas
Reimport staged imports
Import assets into a new import area
Designate metadata interchange servers

If you have the Common Metadata Administrator role, you can perform all actions.

If you have the Common Metadata Importer role, you can perform the following actions for import areas that you created:

List import areas
Delete import areas
Delete staged imports
Reimport staged imports
Import assets into a new import area

Credentials

Command-line imports might require separate sets of credentials for connecting to InfoSphere Information Server and for connecting to the source of the metadata that you are importing:

The user name and password are required for connecting to InfoSphere Information Server. If you do not enter the user name and password as command parameters, you are prompted to enter them.
If the original import used a bridge, and the password was not saved, you will not be able to invoke the reimport by using the reimport action. You can enable saving of passwords on the Administration tab of InfoSphere Metadata Asset Manager.
If the previous import used a connector, you can specify a user name or password for the data connection even if you did not save the password during the original import. Specify the data connection credentials in the parameters file, by using the –dcAuthFile option, or by specifying the –dcUser and –dcPassword options on the command-line. You must specify the same user name that was specified for the original import.

Using imam command-line scripts

Use the imam.bat or imam.sh script file to run the command line.

You can run the script from the InformationServer\ASBNode\bin folder for client or engine tier installations, and in the InformationServer\ASBServer\bin folder for services tier installations. For example, if the InfoSphere Information Server home directory is C:\IBM\InformationServer, the path of the script file in a services tier installation would be C:\IBM\InformationServer\ASBServer\bin\imam.bat.

HTTP and HTTPS configuration

The command line interface uses HTTP or HTTPS to communicate with the services tier computer, depending on the configuration of the services tier computer. To determine whether the services tier computer is configured to use HTTPS, look for the file https.conf in one of the following locations:

installdir/ASBServer/conf
installdir/ASBNode/conf

If the services tier computer is configured to use HTTP, but you want to run the command line by using HTTPS, you must manually change the setting, and configure HTTPS for the entire suite. To manually configure HTTPS, follow the instructions in this topic: Manually configuring InfoSphere Information Server components to use HTTPS.

Command syntax

The following syntax invokes the InfoSphere Metadata Asset Manager command-line tasks:

imam --help --log --action action 
[action options][-–username username] [--password password] [--server server_name] [--port port_number] [--authfile authfile_path]

Command parameters

You must enter two dashes (--) before all command parameters, when you use the long name of the parameter. For example, --action. When you use short names for the parameters, specify only one dash (-). For example, -a.

--username user_name

The user name that is required for logging into InfoSphere Information Server. The user must have the role of Common Metadata Administrator or Common Metadata Importer. You can use the --authfile parameter instead of specifying the --username and --password parameters. You can enter a username without entering a password. If you do this you are prompted for a password. The short name of this parameter is -u.

--password password

Optional. The password for the specified user name to log into InfoSphere Information Server. You can use the --authfile parameter instead of specifying the --username and --password parameters. The short name of this parameter is -w.

--authfile authfile_path

Path to a file that contains the encrypted or non-encrypted credentials for logging on to InfoSphere Information Server. If you use the --authfile parameter, you do not need to specify --username or --password on the command line. If you specify both the --authfile option and the explicit user name and password options, the explicit options take precedence over what is specified in the file. For more information see Encrypt command.

--server server_name

Optional. The name of the services tier computer. If you specify a server, you must specify a port. If you specify a server, then you must specify a port. If you do not specify --server or --port, then you can specify the primary server that you want to use in the registered-servers.xml file. Specify is-primary-server="true" for the primary server. The short name of this parameter is -s.

--port port_number

Optional. The port number to use on the services tier computer. If your InfoSphere Information Server suite installation is configured for HTTP, the default port used is 9080. If you do not specify a port, and your InfoSphere Information Server suite installation is configured for HTTPS, the default port used is 9443. If you specify a port, you must specify a server. The short name of this parameter is -p.

--help

Optional. Prints the list of actions and parameters. The help command is automatically issued when you issue a command that contains a syntax error, such as a typographical error, an improperly cased option or argument, or when the command is missing a mandatory parameter. The short name of this parameter is -h.

--log

Optional. Prints runtime log messages to the console while you run the command-line. You can use the log to debug issues that arise when you use InfoSphere Metadata Asset Manager. The log includes the details of the HTTP call made to the server and stack trace information for any exceptions that are thrown. The short name of this parameter is -lg.

--action action

Required. Specifies the type of action that you want to run by using the command line. The short name of this parameter is -a. You can specify the following options for each action:

purge
list
delete
create_mis
import
reimport